The Harmonic World's Fair (Meillur Only)

[The Cayorans]

1st Harmonic World's Fair

Cereyen Park, the Aukusa Bay Area

The League of Harmony had for over a decade sought to bring peace to the world and to maintain and encourage international cooperation, with varying degrees of success. Under the League' first sixth chief executives had, in the eyes of many, dropped the ball, with the League unable to prevent the Eacusian War or the crises in Nysa, and even most recently the sensational Gambit War. The League, it seemed was failing in its ability to bring peace, but that didn't mean that it couldn't succeed in its other branch of encouraging international cooperation. So the Harmonic World's Fair had been designed to serve as a way to show off the cultural uniqueness and make it an event of appreciation of all nations.

Secretary-General Anneliese Oyindamola was the architect of the Harmonic World's Fair, as part of her Concord Initiative, a detailed plan for the future of the League of Harmony under her leadership. Secretary-General Oyindamola hoped to use this grand event as a way to open up the channels of communication between all nations, especially with the League of Harmony. She had made an agreement with the Assembly of the Special Administrative Region of the Aukusa Bay Area to have one of their large park areas, the Cereyen Park, serve as the hosting area of the world's fair. Oyindamola had been delighted to learn the "cereyen" meant peace in the local Aukusan dialect. The park sat in the shadow of the high flat top of Meza Mountain.

Cereyen Park, Oyindamola had been informed was well over a thousand acres of land, and thus had more than enough space to host the fair. A 150-acre rectangular area had been set aside to host the various stalls of the over fifty countries, nations and states represented at the fair. The sky over the park was bright and sunny, a beautiful brilliant blue. The air, here in this subtropical region of the was warm, though thankfully the breeze generated from the mountains to the north and the massive bay and various rivers left the flow of a pleasant breeze. It was, the Secretary-General of the League of Harmony believed, the perfect place to hold the event. Not entirely separated from the cities, but not in the wilderness, as well the perfect selling point of her move to the Aukusa Bay Area.

The large stalls of the various nations were arranged along the outline of the rectangle, with artful, carefully crafted pathways and ornamental local flowers from the region, barbeton daisies, blood lilies, flame lilies and leopard orchids alongside miniature orange trees. A massive 50 ft tall gold and silver globe. A pair of ten foot tall marble obelisks stood as the gateway of the entrance into the park fair grounds, the worlds Peace, Harmony, Unity and Cooperation chiseled into the sides of the stone structures. Over a thousand servers had been employed for the event, dressed in white uniforms, whilst nearly three times as many League Peacekeepers, manicurily perfect in their blue uniforms.

Secretary-General Oyindamola herself was a relatively young woman for a politician only forty, she was tall with walnut skin, black hair set in braids that lead to a bun, a pair of the braids framing the left side of her face, decorated with blue and white beads, and brown eyes. She wore the formal robes of the Secretariat, a white silk caftan with silver metal sleeves on her forearms, and a stylized silver metal collar that connected to the diamond-shaped design on the caftan's chest. Beneath the robes, she wore a white blouse and white trousers and silver high heels. Oyindamola walked with a two security personnel and an aide-de-camp. Particularly to Oyindamola's pleasure was that the fair was open to the entirety of the public, for all people of the world.

Rules for Stalls:
Stalls are to be made of temporary structures, and include significant items and or themes fro the culture of each respective nation, such as native foods, clothing, items, instruments, artwork and can influence live performances such as songs, dances or other such cultural aspects that are unique to the nation. Cultural public figures, such as actors, chefs, artists, etc. are welcome. Ambassadors to the League, World leaders, and everyday private citizens are welcome.

[Vatoria]

The Vatoriese Fair Stall was comprised of two large connected tents, designed to look like a luxurious version of one of the thousands of street vendor stalls in Vatoria City, which were extremely popular in the market place in the daily lives of the nearly a million Vatoriers. Its design was hoped to serve as a window in the lives of the people of Vatoria. They were held up by Vatoriese blackwood posts braced with golden bands, whilst the canvas fabric of the tents themselves was designed with blue, white and black kitenge pattern designs. The kitenge designs were common place in Vatoria as a form of fabric that was used to communicate secret messages to one another during the days when Vatoria had been an outpost for pirates and criminals and outlaws hiding out from the control and authority of the mainlanders, i.e. the Deritain Empire.

The messages in the fabric of the Vatoriers had shifted over time and adapted to new messages. The message that was woven over the fabric of the tent was one of these newer new-age designs, and meant 'Peace'. Cutting through the tent was a walk way which wove under the fabric ceiling flanked by platters of samples of over a dozen different dishes made by Vatoriese chefs, dishes such as masa, Vatoriese rice cakes that were made by half overnight soaked and half baked tuwo rice, ground in the mountainous paddies of the Siaguela highlands on the large Vatoria Island. These sweet rice cakes were served with a sprinkling of yagi, a type of spiced ground pepper. Another dish was beef suya, served on wooden sticks with tomatoes.

The Vatoriese delegation, wanting to represent not just the history and traditions of Vatoria as well as their rapidly modernizing and digitalizing growth over the last decade. As such tech billionaire K'Mawea Chutu, the 29-year-old founder of Ukuqina was in attendance. Ukuqina had been given the funding from both the Vatoriese government and international investors to turn the small island nation into one of the best-connected countries in the world. On display was Ukuqina's A.I. Zuzu, which was delicately interwoven into everyday life in Vatoria, which a cute little hand foldable form to present. To show off Vatoriers robotic contributions had on display their police drones, built by KilwaTech that had mostly replaced humans in Vatoria City. They were large black and blue drones with 360 vision and red and blue lights.

Also for showing were kitenge dresses and tunics were on display alongside statues used in local animist practices. Lastly for one of the major displays for the fair was a sample of Vatoriese wild life, in the form of the countries national symbol, the Vatoriese Dwarf Elephent, a team of care takers were feeding a single one of the protected creatures, an adorable 6 foot tall dwarf elephant named Nsaki, long grasses and fruit. Nsaki and all her fellow dwarf elephants were cousins of the much more massive mainland Deritain elephants, evolving separately due to insular dwarfism on the Vatoriese Archipelago after they had been separated by rising waters. Their small size, and the fact that they lived only in Vatoria made them absolutely loved by Vatoriers, who had placed them all on National Protection. Nsaki was special as she was one of only three of the dwarf elephants to leave the isles, the previous two also being part of Vatoriese delegations.

[Great New England Confederation]

The Grand Duke carefully inspected the items available at the both which he had been assigned/ assigned himself to oversee, it was many things, it presented a plethora of exotic, and not so exotic food items from across the colonies, and from New England itself, fabrics and even pieces of technology were available for those who wished to see it first hand.

He was certainly an odd sight with his pitch black leather great coat, a signature of officers of the unit which he originated from, and a uniform that he had continued to carry with him into his time as both a noble and as a leader of military forces. His face however did not show the extensive scaring that he was famous for, a result of the regenerative therapy that he had undergone, however it still bore a scar along his cheek, clear evidence of the hardships and battles that the man had gone through in his younger ears, even if it did not come close to telling the full story. His wife was not there with him yet, as he had decided to arrive before her to assist in the deployment of the booth and all of its wares, although he did very much look forward to seeing her, his voyages overseeing developments following the war, particularly the recovery and clean up of Necromunda, had taken much of his time, and he had not seen his wife for sometime.

He felt the breeze blowing through his short, well kept hair, and found himself enjoying it, even if his enjoyment did not for a moment show on his face, He could not wait to see what the galaxy would have to offer, and he looked forward to the event.

[Vatoria]

Itai Do Kyagumbo, the Vatoriese Ambassador to the League of Harmony walked alongside President Temiloluwa Babajide into the fair grounds of the world's fair in Cereyen Park. President Babajide of Vatoria was an older man with dark brown skin and gray hair with a matching gray mustache and goatee, dressed in a blue dashiki suit that was threaded through with white and black patterns around his collar and cuffs. Ambassador Kyagumbo, a towering man, wore a similar dashiki suit, though his was green and was a similarly older man with dark wrinkled brown skin, though he lacked facial hair and was entirely bald.

"What a beautiful fair the Secretary-General has put together," President Babajide commented to the ambassador, patting Kyagumbo on the back, "Do tell Miss Oyindamola so when you speak to her."

"Of course Mr.President."

Ambassador Kyagumbo separated from President Babajide and made his way towards the Secretary-General of the League of Harmony, who he expected great things from. Kyagumbo had seen several Secretary-Generals, including Babajide, who had held the position as the fourth secretary-general before becoming President, and none had the same fire that Oyindamola had in her eyes. Babajide himself admitted to the fact that his term in her position had been one of little note, able to enjoy the state of peace of the world to coast through the rotation. Kyagumbo suspected that Babajide hoped to repair that by greatly supporting the young Oyindamola. President Babajide fully intended on meeting with Secretary-General Oyindamola, but for the moment decided to visit the New English stall.

[The Cayorans]

Secretary-General Oyindamola put on a diplomatic smile as she saw Ambassador Kyagumbo approaching her. Oyindamola knew that she had potentially offended the Vatoriese with her criticism of the previous secretaries-general, which included their current president, but she also knew that Babajide's administration was as eager for change as she was, were event supporters of democracy and a valuable leader amongst the trade centers of the transglobal trade network. Vatoria's small size but considerable influence in their advancement in trade and technology was precisely what made them a wonderful middle power, exactly the type of country that Oyindamola sought to appeal to as secretary-general.

"Ambassador Kyagumbo, your nation's stall is quite popular with the guests, I do believe everyone is in love with your country's dear little Nsaki, she is just so adorable." Oyindamola bowed respectfully to the Vatoriese ambassador. "Though, I must say that I am just as pleased to speak with you."

[Atmora]

The Atmoran Universal Fair stall was made out of Astraeïsche Cedar a subtle symbol of the resilience of the Atmorans Like the cedars that are consumed in the fire, the Atmoran people have emerged from the flames growing stronger. Being sold in the stalls were Antholdsreep (Antholdse Bar) a dessert bar with three layers: a wafer, nut (walnuts, almonds, or pecans), and coconut crumb base; custard icing in the middle; and a layer of chocolate ganache on top. Along with Beverstaart a fried dough pastry with cinnamon and sugar. The other street food being sold at the Atmoran stand was chicken karaage.

Along with the various street food were pictures of the personification of Atmora of Alexandria. Alexandria was drawn in the Mizuhese anime-style art to represent Atmora's founder Alexandra the Great more affectionately known by Atmorans as the Mother of the Atmorans.

Additionally, the stall held various pieces of Atmoran technology and pamphlets. Pertaining to Artificial intelligence, Androids, Advanced Farming, and Medical technologies. Some of the notable sectors that Atmora leads the way in.

Sjaak Nijensteen, the Ambassador of the Atmoran Empire to the League of Harmony stood next to the stand in a khaki three-piece suit, with a white collared shirt and a maroon tie. Upon his label was an enamel crowned coat of arms of Atmora surrounded by oak leaves. His cufflinks were silver wolf heads.

[Great New England Confederation]

The grand duke noticed the Vatorian approach the stall, and watched carefully, the stall included a section dedicated to the colony of Necromunda, following the events of the Gambit War, the death world had been receiving much attention across the stellar kingdom, and rightly so, the planet had been besieged by the forces of the tigress, and had successfully held on even under her bombardment and siege, a testament of the creativity and resilience of the people that called the planet home.

These items included various snacks made from meats and plants originating from the death world, and even some crafts and other objects made from woods and other plant based materials from the planets lush, if dangerous, jungles. This included photos of the planets various enviornments, showing of the lush, beautiful jungles of what had been classified as a death world, as well as a photo of one of the various farming establishments that had made the planet both famous and one of the most valuable of New English colonies out in the frontier, despite its backwater location. The Grand Duke approached the Vatoran and gave a slight smile before saying "Greetings, you must be President Babajide of Vatoria, I am Grand Duke Gyulas of Kennnebrec, i do hope that you will enjoy the items we have available" he then said "The Lovian Sliders are especially good, even if the creature the meat originates from does not seem very edible, it is surprisingly delicious, very similar to crab in taste and texture. You would be surprised how creative the Necromundans are with their cuisine"

[Vatoria]

“Though I fear I am not quite as cute as Nsaki I’m afraid,” Ambassador Kyagumbo said with a laugh as he bowed in turn to the Secretary-General. “Your Excellency, it is always a great pleasure to speak with you Madam Secretary-General. This fair, your brain child, I must say is absolutely genius as a cultural exchange. I do hope that more of these world fairs are to happen in the future, don’t you?”

President Babajide bowed in greeting to the Grand Duke of Kennebec, “it is nice to meet you Your Grace. I must admit that I have heard of your country’s colony of Necromunda, it made quite the headlines.” President Babajide moves closer to the stall and picked up a sample of the Lovian sliders as the grand duke had suggested and took a bite, mulling over the taste of the alien food. As he swallowed he nodded in appreciation.

“Quite exotic,” President Babajide said, “and yet enjoyable indeed. I must admit I would not have expected such cuisine from a place known as the Death World.” The Vatoriese President laughed.

[Great New England Confederation]

He nodded and said "Many people are, however the term death world has nothing to do with Necromundas ability to sustain life, in fact Necromunda is one of the most life filled planets controlled by the Stellar Kingdom, however it is the nature of the life that makes the planet home that gives Necromunda its nickname, as a large portion of its fauna and flora is to some extent hazardous to humans, although the people there have done very well to cope with that problem. In regards to cuisine, its as simple as being brave enough to try it, and skilled enough to remove the parts that cant be eaten. There are plenty of examples even here on earth of food items which have harmful portions which must be removed before consumption, and Necromunda is no different in that regard. That is added on top of the fact that living on that world in of itself requires a certain level of determination and bravery"

He then said "And food is not the only thing that is a pleasant surprise to come out of Necromunda, there are several small gunsmiths there which have made quite a name for themselves on the planet for their reliable firearms" he then said "There is a section with a few examples if you would like to see for yourself"

He motioned over to a table with a few firearms on it, most of them rugged designs meant with civilian use in mind, although the odd exception was there as well, including one exceptionally well made muzzle loading piece that had furniture made from a hard fungal growth, which had a brilliant dark magenta color to it, with a beautiful blueing in the steel adding to the quality of the luxury weapon.

[The Cayorans]

Secretary-General Oyindamola nodded her head. She had of course entertained the thought of this simply being the first of perhaps many world fairs. She had been tempted to declare this the first annual event, but she had decided to see how well it would go with the people and nations of the world first before making such a bold declaration,

“Thank you Mr. Kyagumbo,” Oyindamola sais, “And I do hope that this does become more than a one off thing. Especially considering already seeing as people look forward to such a possibility, I must say, that is very nice to hear such hope from you. And your nation knows so much about hope. Both of our countries have such a history of holding onto hope in the years leading up to our independence.”

[Vatoria]

Ambassador Kyagumbo nodded his head in agreement. Both Cayor and Vatoria has won their influence from much larger nations, ultimately becoming republics. But the Cayorans were virtually infants compared even with the Vatoriers.

“Yes Madam Secretary-General, the move for more nation states, it countries and peoples free of the thumb of the great empires of the past grows more and more everyday. We are in the days of the last great emperors, and Independence and democracy is becoming more and more the order of the day.”

Ambassador Kyagumbo waved his hands about him. “Vatoria and the Aukusa Bay Area are the shining example of this move. Here, our societies are interconnected by our live of freedom and democracy.” Kyagumbo chuckled. “And I suppose our willingness to trade with anyone. But alas the great metropolis on a hill can’t be built without the proper funds. But even in our economic system it is a policy of peace and cooperation and freedom.

President Babajide has never been particularly interested weapons, but he could tell that it was something that the Grand Duke held with great pride. The President of Vatoria walked over to the display and put his hands behind his back as he leaned over and admired them. One would never see such weapons in the hands of civilians in Vatoria City, save perhaps in the bowels of the criminal underground and the odd criminal organization hideout in the coves and caves of the outlying islands— Vatoria couldn’t so easily escape its criminal outpost past.

“You New Englanders are such a rugged people,” President Babajide said appreciatively. He waved his fingers in the shapes of gun with a large smile on his face. “Very much gunslingers, eh? My ancestors were very much the same, you New Englanders have the spirit of Vatoriers.”

[Great New England Confederation]

The Grand Duke nodded and said "Yes but Necromunda is something else, it is the type of planet that breeds a certain type of person, and ironically, it has more potential than most paradise worlds, and its simple, the planet does not just encourage brilliance and resilience, it is a requirement for survival there."

He motioned to the firearms, and said "The nature of these weapons should tell you the kind of world Necromunda is, and you might not believe it, but it has one of the lowest crime rates throughout the Stellar Kingdom. On Necromunda, a good rifle is many things to a family, security, a source of food and tradeable goods, and to some even a sign of wealth and status. Compare Necromunda to the situation for most on earth, the worst most people on earth have to deal with is war or crime, being eaten or mauled by some predator has become a rarity. But for Necromunda, such dangers are not only common place, but are on the nicer end of the kind of deaths one can suffer at the hands of nature there, however despite that, the people of Necromunda have not only managed to carve out an existence there, but have crafted the framework for a future there that has surpassed all expectations of the planet."

He then said "Necromunda may be the Death World, but perhaps that status is not a weakness of the world, instead that hardship is perhaps what has caused Necromunda to become what it is now. All because the situation its people face is something that most people here on earth consider a thing of the past"

[Angoros]

The Angorese Fair Stall was made out of a green and gold wooden frame and roof and ceiling that was topped with a golden statue of an Angorese sea dragon with walls made from think paper screens painted white and green. The stall was chosen to look like an Angorese castle, none in particular as that might have been considered sacrilegious, but to mimic the general style of the homes of the Choda Clan. Within the stall it was separated into four rooms by folding screens painted in the ukiyo-e style with the scenes of the Birth of Angoros, when Sakon the Great had united the many islands of the archipelago into one nation.

In the center of the false miniature castle was a gold plated statue of an enthroned Sakon the Great, made life size. The 333 year old emperor was shown as a large man in grand robes with an equally grand crown. In the first room a display of Angorese calligraphy, its most popular form of artwork was to be seen and observed. In the second room a team of performers dressed in the traditional get up of the northern islands, men dressed in colorful sarongs played the gendang drums made from sea shells. In the third room was an in door badminton court where guests were invited to play a round with members of the Pāpurudoragon Badminton, winners of the Angorese Badminton Cup in 2092.

Badminton was the most popular sport in Angoros and the nation took the sport very seriously and with great love. In the last fifth tent, Angorese dishes were being sold. Alongside black chopsticks, sushi, sweetened black soybeans, grilled eel rice bowls and mooncakes stamped with the image of the Angorese sea dragon.

The Angorese Ambassador to the League of Harmony was Genjo Uramoto, and he and his wife, Setsu stood next to the stall. Mr. Uramoto wore a simple black suit with a black sarong, while Mrs. Uramoto wore a simple long sleeve black dress with a pearl necklace and matching pearl earrings. Also in attendance was Prince Rogok, heir of the Choda Clan. The potential future ruler of wore black trousers, a steely purple tunic and a purple and black haori jacket, his black hair tied up in a bun by purple ribbon and pines with a head peace. He held a painted fan as he silent made his way over to the Atmoran stall.

[The Cayorans]

Oyindamola nodded in agreement with Ambassador Kyagumbo, spreading her hands with a small pleased smile. She was a great supporter of democracy and the protection of civil rights. Human rights were naturally enshrined in the charter of the League, crafted by the first secretary-general. She of course understood that human rights didn’t necessarily necessitate democracy, great strides of progress had been made by enlightened despots. At times strong figures, even autocratic figures were needed for the greater good. But such figures could so easily become tyrannical. Democracy was imperfect, but at the very least decreased such dangers.

“Indeed Mr. Kyagumbo, that is why I advocated for the move of the League’s Headquarters here to the Aukusa Bay Area. I move, might I add, that allows for greater growth for the League as a whole snc thus all nations of the world.”

[Atmora]

Ambassador Nijensteen, an elderly man who in his long service to the Crown took up the High Commissions of Mizuho and Westphalia, Ambassadorships to Vozh, Systems Alliance and then the Terran Security. When Henrietta II took the throne in 2088, she instructed her government to join the League. And by 2092 when the previous Ambassador to the League term was coming to a close, Henrietta II called upon Nijensteen as her grandparents had once before to serve as her diplomatic representative in the League. The 89-year-old man maintained a well-kept beard and pristine white hair. Nijensteen noticed the Prince approaching the stand so he beckoned one his assistants Chitose Franke to come with him to meet the Prince.

The Ambassador and Chitose gave a polite bow to the Prince, after the Ambassador came back to looking at the Prince he stated in the best Mizuhese that he knew "Hajimemashite". While Mizuhese is not an official language of Atmora it is one of the big three next to Dutch and English. For the Mizuhese had a population of 80.2 (24.3%) of the Atmoran population with another 6.6 million Ainoko population, a mix of Mizuhese and Atmoran or Westphalian.

[Angoros]

Prince Rogok nodded his head polite as heard the elderly ambassador speak, and returned his bow polite. Angoros was a country with two major peoples, the Choda and Bijaya clans being the representatives of those who groups. Angorese was thus more broad a term as a nationality as opposed to ethnic group and language. The larger of the two groups were ethnically and linguistically similar to the Mizhhese, there was much debate over if they should be treat as two distinct groups or two group on divert paths based on national boundaries, and thus far no one could definitively agree. Prince Rogok as a member of that same group was able to understand As he rose he spoke softly.

“Hajimemashite kakka.”

Prince Rogok fell back into his silent state. The prince’s smile was small and polite as he held his fan close, stepping closer to the stall. Angoros was a very conservative nation, both in its social attitudes as well as it’s more industrial aspect. As such the Atmoran set up came off as rather exotic and the prince found his interest peaked at it. He quietly picked up one of the technology pamphlets on Atmoran advanced medicine.

[Atmora]

Nijensteen watched the young prince pick up one of the pamphlets pertaining to the Atmoran medical field. Nijensteen walked towards the Prince "Denka, I must commend you. Have you heard about how Empress Maria Anna was able to walk again? Or how Emperor Connor II, was brought back from the brink of death?"

One of the testaments to the effectiveness of the Atmoran healthcare system was during the Andine Crisis. In which a terrorist attack destroyed the location where foreign dignitaries were to meet.

"Back in 2067, a bomb went off in a peace summit. HMS Niobe managed to make it in time to save Atmoran and allied dignitaries from Andine, providing medical care. Connor II of Connuriste was saved by Atmoran medical staff. The Chancellor however at the time, sadly she bled out before the Corpsmen could get to her." While there wasn't much that the HMS Niobe or her medical staff could've done to save Chancellor Valen, nonetheless it was an unacceptable loss.

The Ambassador brightened up a little a bit "To lighten things up, Empress Maria Anna of Polonge was up until her meeting with Empress Katherine II. Was physically disabled and unable to walk and sickly. An act of good faith Empress Katherine II offered to give Maria Anna back her legs. After a couple of weeks at the Alexandria Imperial University Hospital, Maria Anna was walking around again and healthier than ever."

[Angoros]

Rogok looked up from the pamphlet and smiled at Nijensteen. His usage of honorifics very much impressed him. He was aware that such rules didn’t necessarily apply to all languages, which he find fascinating in its... oddity he supposed. He listened intently to the elderly ambassador, nodding along quietly as he recounting the history of Atmoran medical practitioners working on foreign heads of state. The first one the Njensteen spoke of, the crisis in Andine with the Emperor and Chancellor of Connuriste had occurred the same year Rogok had been born.

Certainly quite the history of saving lives, Rogok decided. He supposed that if this fair were attacked, he did well to stay near the Atmorans in such an event. The prince was less moved by the second story, for while it seemed quite impressive that they had restored the Polongain empress’ legs, it seemed, from Njensteen’s wording to have been something of a quid pro quo. That however did not take away from the excellence of the feat itself though. Rogok opened his fan slightly and bowed his head.

“ Subarashi, o migoto, Kakka”.

Rogok was very impressed by the description of Atmoran medicine. Angorese medicine had a very long history, but he was aware that it was not the best in the world. Though there was far more spirit in the profession as it intertwined with local beliefs, especially in the countryside. Rogok, once again fell silent thinking over the words of the ambassador.