The Gate Conference (IC/GO only) [Closed]

[Lunderfrau]

Laubenhugel Palace, Laubenhugel, Lunderfrau
September, 1st 1992

The late afternoon sun shone brightly over the marble façade of Laubenhugel palace. The tones of the sky slowly shifting from bright blue to the burnt sienna common of sunsets. The warm, late summer air would soon give way to the crisp cool of fall, though not for a few weeks yet. However, the beauty of the afternoon sky was lost to those in the palace. Deep within its depths, assistants, servants, bureaucrats and other officials scurried. This was ofcourse, far below the prying public eyes, beneath the ornamental halls, bedrooms and throne room of the palace. Here, in the stark white stucco halls and fluorescent lights, was where the true business of the matriarchy was done.
Weaving their way through the mess of people in business attire, carrying folders and briefcases, was a young girl. Her golden locks a blur as she zipped in between the lumbering adults. Those around seemed aware but otherwise uninterested in her presence in the corridors. The girl continued through the halls, til she reached a door on the far north side of the complex.
Unlike the rest of the underground hallways and rooms, this door was vibrant, its cherry wood panels inscribed with various crests belonging to the Ruling Strauss family. These were difficult to see behind the two large women standing at attention in front of the door. Clad in suits and matching shades, the women were expressionless. The young girl approached the women and politely tugged on ones pant leg, to get her attention. The women looked down.
“Ah, Lady Elise, are you here to see the Kaiserin?” The child nodded silently. The women moved away from the door. “Please go on ahead”. The girl quickly rushed through the door into the room.
This was the private office of the Kaiserin of the Matriarchy of Lunderfrau. Bookshelves lined the cherry wood walls, filled with some of the matriarchy’s most rare books and written documents. A lovely, buordot rug stretched over the hard wood floors. On the right side wall, a small fireplace cackled as flames licked upwards from the logs resting within. In the North Left side corner sat the Kaiserins desk, behind which sat the Kaiserin.
The Kaiserin was an older women, 60 years of age, her short brunette hair had slowly been greying over the past few years. She did not notice the child burst in, as her nose was buried in some official document. The child however was quick to let her presence be known.
“Grandma Kass, I’m back from School!” the child ran over to her desk. The Kaiserin, brought her eyes up from document she was reading and adjusted her spectacles.
“Well, if it isn’t little Elise!” She motioned to her side, “Come tell your grandmother about school”. Elise moved to her Grandmothers side. Once there she quickly shuffled through her bag for something.
“Actually Grandma, I have a question I need you to answer” She pulled a social studies book from her bag. Flipping through the pages, she found the one she wanted and slammed it down on the table. The book had been turned to the world map page. Elise quickly pointed her finger to Lira, specifically the Plutocratic Republic Winst. “Why isn’t this Lunderfrau like on your globe” She motioned to a Globe tucked away across the room by the fire place. “And whats the Plutocratic Republic of Winst”. The Kaiserin sat for a minute preparing her response, then let out a small sigh.
“Well, that globe over there is very old. It was made in 1820 and was gifted to my Namesake, Kassandra the first. At that time this place”, she motioned to winst on the books map, “Belonged to the Matriarchy. However, not long after, the people living there decided they didn’t want to be apart of the Matriarchy any longer, so they rebelled and won their independence. Today we know that country as Winst” Elise pondered this information for a good while then asked.
“Why don’t they want to be apart of Lunderfrau, Grandma?” Without missing a beat, the Kaiserin responded “It’s complicated”.

Laubenhugel Palace, Laubenhugel, Lunderfrau
November 6th 2019

Nearly 28 years had passed Since Elise had first heard those words. In that time, her Grandmother and Mother had passed on, making her Kaiserin of the Matriarchy of Lunderfrau. Since day one of her reign, she had tried to simplify the “complicated relationship” between her country and Winst. At first she was making excellence progress, having gotten as far as to visiting Winst for diplomatic discussions in 2017, making her the first Kaiserin to do so since the revolt nearly 200 years prior. However, since then things seemed to have returned to their traditional icy stalemate. The people of Winst voted out their moderate government for a hardline faction shortly after her visit, erecting the revolutionary flag in the process. The rhetoric against Monarchies ramped up once again, and any diplomatic progress that had been made was obliterated in a matter of weeks. That was 3 years ago. Today the Kaiserin found herself sitting at the same desk her Grandmother and Mother had occupied, staring across the same room at the same globe she had stared at so many times in her youth. The winds of Lira we’re changing once again, she thought, she and the leader of Winst had found some common ground on issues such as climate on SignPost and both seemed to have a general distrust of the new regime in Parthonopia. Perhaps it was time to try again. She quickly drafted a memo to be sent to the Plutos of Winst.

To: The Office of the Plutos of the Plutocratic Republic of Winst
From: The Office of Her Majesty the Kaiserin of the Matriarchy of Lunderfrau
Subject: Meeting

Madame Plutos,

Changing times calls for a changing of our nations dynamic with one another. I wish to discuss these maters with you in person, preferable at a neutral site to avoid a replay of our last attempt. Name a time and a place and I as well as my advisors shall be there.

Respectfully,
Elise Von Strauss

[Winst]

The Executive Building, Silvus
Winst
November 10th, 2019

"I'm convinced this woman is insane!" The Populos exclaimed pacing the room as if she would explode if she sat still. "This woman comes into our county shocking the people, turns around and embargos and sanctions us... Which I think the embargo already covered in the first place... Now that I think about it. Enrage the nobility by seizing their assets and close the border, and then had the gall to call ME reactionary!" She fumed still pacing just with added arm movement. "And now she wants to talk again? Do we need to check their royal line for Bi-polar disorder?"

The Plutos just smiled lightly at what amounted to a Populos temper tantrum a thing she was all to familiar with. At least Paige had been Anti-Noble and cut any and all speaking time with her to a bare minimum. David Moore had had plenty of rants and tantrums but Michelle Tourne had been chewing off her ear since she won the popularity contest.

The Plutos brushed her hair out of her face sipping her tea. "She is a young queen still, trust me the older the Kaiserin the more bitter she becomes. Enjoy her youth while it lasts. I see a somewhat overly sincere young woman trying to find her stride. It's a bit awkward still but she seems to be developing into a force to be reckoned with. That comes with good and bad news for us. We usually are a bit friendlier when nobles can flex their muscles more, but she does seem to be genuinely trying to restore relations. Which is a nice change of pace compared to Carlo. I never liked that man. He was a bully as a boy and is a bully now."

Remembering the two of them meeting as kids reminded Marie just how old she was getting. At least she looked better than Carlo, time and most likely cigarettes and wine hadn't been kind to him.

"That's all well and good but I can't go meeting the Kaiserin. It will kill my government, although you'd probably like that." Tourne glared at Marie.

"You're right I would." Her sharp eyes narrowed slightly but her voice remained the same calm tone it always was. She sipped her tea to break the staring contest before resuming. "Besides you don't need to meet with her. That's what I'm here for. Cover so you don't have to deal with Radicals calling you weak. On the flip side I am the head of State so me meeting the Kaiserin makes more sense anyways. We don't want trouble to our North and I want my businesses back, and you'll get some respect and favors from the nobles not something to be taken lightly."

"Fine, but you aren't meeting in Lira, if this goes poorly I want it far enough away that people won't care. If it goes well we stuff it down people's throats." Michelle turned to leave the older woman's office. She looked back with somewhat softened features her body language glimpsed at the exhaustion she was facing,"Good luck Marie." Before confidently strolling off to her next meeting.

That poor girl, Marie thought to herself. She turned to her long time aide. "Get us a palace in Gate, for the meeting. Invite Wintonian and Lunder Nobles... and try to stick to high borns. December 18th. Inform the guests to dress appropriately we don't want someone showing up in a Winter Gown."

[Lunderfrau]

Laubenhugel Palace, Laubenhugel, Lunderfrau
January 7th, 2019

The Kaiserin sat quietly at her desk, reading the morning news brief provided by the MBD. The silence only interrupted by the intermittent cackling of the fireplace. She had barely finished the first page of the brief before the door to her office swung open. Before her stood her Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ava Ziegler. She was a tall woman, standing at an imposing 6’5, 3 inches higher than the Kaiserin herself, however she was had a lanky figure, making her more of a beanstalk of a women than a tower figure. She rushed across the room to the Kaiserin, slamming a news article down onto the desk.
“After Re-Affirming Produz Stance, Kaiserin Sacks Foreign Minister”
“What the hell is this” Ziegler asked. Her shadow casting over the desk and the Kaiserin, who had just looked up from her brief to see what the commotion was.
“Oh that, that’s the news paper” The Kaiserin Quipped. Zeigler snatched the article up from the desk, crumpling it tightly in her enraged grip.
“Im aware of that My Kaiserin, I mean, why is it that I am just now being informed of my firing” The Kaiserin stared back down at the brief, paying little attention to the irate woman in front of her.
“In all seriousness, its more that were going in a different direction in regards to foreign policy, therefore a change in leadership was required. I thank you for your service, but you can go to the Ministry and collect your things.” The Kaiserin waved the woman off. However Zeigler stood firm.
“I… Never! This is an outrage, you can’t fire ME! I’m your longest serving Minsister, as was I for your Mother. Why its my hands that have guided the Matriarchy through these troubling times.” The Kaiserin paused from reading and finally acknowledged the woman standing before her.
“Actually that is precisely why you’re being let go” The Kaiserins eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed. “Since I became Kaiserin, I have come to you for judgement on matters of foreign policy, I deferred to your “expertise” in dealing with our neighbors. I let you reverse course on Winst, on the grounds that you told me this new regime is aimed at toppling us. I followed through on your embargos and on recognition of parthonopia. However, the events of the last two weeks I have proven to me that your expertise is out of touch with the reality we face”. Zeigler was shaken by these words, but tried to maintain composure.
“My Kaiserin, I stand by my request that we shift allegiance away from Produzland and towards Parthonopia, Parthonopia represents a better long term” The Kaiserin slammed her fist down.
“A better what? Gang of cutthroats and murderers? While Im fine with a united Parthonopia, this Carlo of theirs is hellbent on plunging Lira into fires of war! We have an alliance to uphold with Produzland and yet you suggest we cast them aside for a upstart Dictatorship playing Royalsit dressup!” A long silence overcame the room, again the only break coming from the cackling of the fire.
“Greta was right after all. You are not your Mothers daughter.” As the sentence left Zeiglers mouth, Kaiserin Elise stood up and motioned to the door.

“Get the Hell out of my office, and don’t you dare show yourself in my presence again! Get your things out of the Foreign Ministry and go!” The woman bowed before the Kaiserin and left without saying another word.

Approaching Gate, Sino Manala
November 30th 2019

“Lady Elise? Lady Elise?” The Kaiserin snapped back from her day dream, finding herself cruising at 40,000 feet heading towards the Nori nation of Sino Manala. She turned away from the window she had been looking out of to see who had called her. It was one of her many personal assistants, in this case a young man named Gunther.
“I apologize my lady, but the captain has informed us well be touching down in about 20 minutes. I just wanted you to know.” She thanked him and returned to looking out the window. The deep blue of the sky was remarkable at such a height. As she watched however, the deep blue gave way to lighter shades as slowly firs the ocean then land became visible below. Soon enough, the city of Gate could be seen as they approached. She’d never before been to Sino Manala, but the view from the jet seemed to indicate it would be a nice change of pace to the cold and wet Lunderfrausian winter. Finally the jet made its landing at a private airport just outside the city. Before disembarking, the Kaiserin took a quick look at her Foreign Minister.
Lars Rosen was relatively new to his position as Foreign Minister of the Matriarchy of Lunderfrau. His promotion to the position from Ambassador to Eskeiura had been seen as groundbreaking. He was the Matriarchy’s first Male Foreign Minister and more importantly the first Male Minister in the nations history. Elise had chosen him for the position based on his sharp mind and knack for diplomacy, he’d done wonders for Lund-Esk relations and she hoped he could do the same for Lunderfrau’s foreign policy at large. This conference would be the trial by fire.
As she looked over, she could tell the man was nervous. She made her way over to him and patted him on the back, her 6’2 frame towering over the 5’8 man.
“No worries Lars, this will go great, I know we can do this!” The man silently nodded before the two exited the plane and the descended the steps down to the tarmac, flashing lights from reporters and paparazzi nearly blinding them on the way down.

[Winst]

In her youth Marie had been meticulous. She was the type to have a plan for everything and would run around ensuring perfection. With age and a discerning eye, however, she learned how to find people to make things perfect for her, and thus strolled through the final preparation making only a few cursory remarks  and letting her young assistants do the running around.

The events security was provided by a Manalan company and had complied with her request for mostly female guards and from what she could tell all had a strong grasp over Lorian. This was an event for a Matriarch after all. Besides women were the better Diplomats, both in their gentleness as well as hidden ferocity.

The event had as usual ballooned in size as Nobles from around Lira and even Zanaro had found their way on the list of attendees. It was to be expected As were the countless billionaires who had enough money that birth was of no importance. They would enjoy the party interact with one another resolidify old bonds and rivalries sleep with each other's spouses and generally have a wonderful time.

This is the real Detente, Marie thought to herself. Wintonian nobles keeping relations with the aristocracy of other nations, while the people talked about international socialism in the cafes. Parthonopia and Arideo had thrown a wrench in that system but it was not beyond repair. In 3 years time the Jacobins will be gone and the system will be back in place,
harmony restored.

Marie smiled walked to the front door greeting her family members all preparing for a long evening of socializing. Each had a mission themselves in the advancement of the family, an opportunity like this should never go to waste.

As the doors opened and nobles were announced Marie slipped into a few conversations. Produse, Lunder, Wintonians, and Zanarites all in conversation about various business ventures, vacations, and of course scandals.

After about 30 minutes the room grew quiet as the guards began prepping for the Kaiserin's arrival. The party came to a stand still as the great wooden doors to the hall opened revealing the towering Kaiserin.

The crier immediately announced "Her Majesty  Elise Von Struass Kaiserin of the Matriarchy of Lunderfrau and her Esteemed Entourage"

 The hall errupted in applause at her arrival. Many nobles were obviously calmouring to get her attention but all parted as Marie approached. Her head held high she looked at the Kaiserin as an equal, not in nobility but in Government. It was a meeting of two heads of State. As she approached she gave curtesy to noble traditions giving a slight bow to the Kaiserin before returning to form. Even with Marie's own Lunder lineage, the Kaiserin was an impressively tall woman. She smiled warmly at the Matriarch and her Minister.

"It is wonderful to have you your Majesty as well as your new foreign minister." She turned to the man "Congratulations on your promotion Mr. Rosen, it is quite the accomplishment even for a man of your talents."

"We can talk more later, there is a room away from the rest where we will have our privacy, approved by your security of course. But for now please enjoy the party."

[Lunderfrau]

Gate, Sino Manala
November 30th 2019

All eyes fell upon Elise as she entered the ballroom. She walked across the floor exuding both grace and confidence. The gaze of dozens of onlookers did not deter her in the slightest. This is what she was raised to do ofcourse. She was a Monarch, the physical manifestation of the Monarchy itself in a way.
She scanned the room to see who was all in attendance. Unsurprisingly, the room was filled with nobility from across the globe; Lunders, Zanarites, Produzirens and Wintonians mingled and chatted with one other. Such a gathering brought a smile to her face, this must have been what life was like for her Great Great Grandmother Caroline, before the war, before the rise of the republics and communists. There were other people at this soiree as well, non-nobles. These were the billionares of Olympus, the movers and shakers, the elites. She hated them with a burning passion. Every Lunder knew the story of the failed tycoon’s coup of 1929, how the countries millionare and billionare class tried to overthrow the Kaiserin. Since then, the Lunder nobility held little love for non-noble wealth and aristocracy, Elise was no different. The elites of the world knew this as well, they kept a safe distance from the Kaiserin and only approached for friendly exchanges of welcome and little else. Other than disgusting her, these people were of little interest to the Kaiserin. She was here on business. She approached the Plutos and smiled. The Plutos greeted her and Lars.

“Madame Plutos, thank you for the kind words, it is a pleasure to meet you here” She pulled the women in close so as not to be overheard. “However, I find the amount of common blood in this room to be…. A bit much.” She let the woman go and shrugged. “I guess that can’t be helped in the modern age. Again thank you for putting these accommodations together. I will be sure to enjoy the party as best I can before we get this started.” With that she bid the Plutos farewell and proceeded to mingle with the guests.

Lars had been tailing right behind the Kaiserin for the entire party. This wasn’t unusual for Lunder men, who oft were seen but not heard; though it was awkward for someone in his position to essentially be silent at a meeting of dignitaries, nobles and elites. However Lars wasn’t the average candidate for this position.
Lars was the last person anyone in Lunderfrau would have guessed to take over the Foreign Ministry. Just 28 years old, Lars had only been with the Ministry for 6 years, having started his career in late 2014. He was a man of relatively humble background, his parents were non-landed nobles that lived in the suburbs of Wulfshole, having grown up there, he had shown a great talent for writing and speaking. These talents pushed him to apply to the School of International Affairs at Crown University in Laubenhugel. Graduating top of his class in 2014, he was seen as the latest of a small group of young men and women considered to be the brightest minds in all of Lunderfrau. He’d taken a job as an analyst for the Ministry in 2014 and within 3 years found himself in the shoes of Lunderfrausian ambassador to the Koto’ara of Zanaro in 2017. Now, just two years after this, he had been hand picked to run the entire Foreign Ministry by the Kaiserin herself.
Now Lars found himself half a world away in a foreign country, making small talk with dignitaries from the world over. A quiet and shy man that prided himself in “book smarts” over “street smarts”, the situation he foujnd himself in was terrifying. But he had her, the Kaiserin. He admired her. She seemed to face all kinds of situations with a level of grace and level headedness he could only dream of. Today was no different. He watched in aw as she gracefully made her way to group to group, unafraid of the attention and prying eyes. Everymovement she made looked completely natural yet he could tell it was perfectly timed and calculated.

“Lars, are you good” Lars was jolted out of his gazing by the Kaiserin. He merely nodded to her.

“Yes My Kaiserin, im fine.” The Kaiserin laughed.

“Lars, call me Elise, your already stiff enough as it is here, no need to add another level of formality on that, Now come on, theres some folks from Zanaro that haven’t seen you since you left the ambassadorship” She pulled the man along with her towards the throngs of people. His nerves slowly began to melt away in her presence and he began to feel at ease.

[Winst]

What a child Marie thought to herself as she was pulled by the Matriarch. No subtly, no tact, and no awareness. For a Matriarch to be this uneducated... These are trying times for the Nobility. Had she been this foolish when she was younger? She had committed her own social faux pas to memory lest she forget the humiliation but this woman was not doing to well at diplomacy, which was troubling. As the Kaiserin moved on, Marie downed her Champagne to hold in her disgust at the crude display. On the outside of course never breaking her calm and serene smile.

Only her children could sense when their mother was upset, years of conditioning had taught them well. Her oldest daughter Julie broke away from her conversation and headed over with another champagne flute.

"Mother may I take your empty glass?" What's wrong? Julie said offering her Mother the flute.

"Oh thank you my darling, I was so wrapped up in my conversation with the Kaiserin that I let it run dry. A host without a drink what a faux pas!, Although I'm not feeling champagne at the moment" Marie said while waving away the flute.  Kaiserin has insulted me. Something must be done

"Well if you'd like I could get you something else to drink?" What do you want?

"A Bloody Mary would be wonderful" Marie said with a smile. Retribution

"I'll get right on that Mother" Julie said returning her mother's smile.

Julie walked towards the bar signalling a lesser noble to follow. They both waited at the bar for their drinks.

"Make the Foreign Minister fumble, honor is at stake." She said quickly before picking up her mother's drink and meandering back towards her.

[Lunderfrau]

Laubenhugel, Lunderfrau
February, 1st 2019

Lars Rosen sat nervously in the leather chair within the Kaiserin’s office, deep within the bowels of Laubenhugel palace. The 27 Year old man had been recalled from his position as Lunderfrau’s Ambassador to Zanaro just the day before and had been ordered to the Palace by the Kaiserin herself. One long plane flight, a terrible inflight movie, some lasting jet lag and a brief drive to the palace later, the ambassador found himself waiting for the Kaiserin to enter the room.
Lars was unsure as to why the Kaiserin had recalled him to the palace. Up until this, he had felt that his work as ambassador had pleased the Kaiserin, as a matter of fact it was she that had appointed him to the position in the first place. He knew though, that being recalled was rarely a positive thing, most times it was the first step in the Kaiserin removing a ambassador from their position. Losing his position would be the ultimate failure of his career, and would bring great levels of humiliation to his family. He didn’t have much time to ponder this before the door to the Kaiserin’s office opened and she walked in. Lars stood and bowed to his superior and monarch, nervously awaiting his fate. Elise waived off his bowing and made her way over to her desk. Sitting down, she turned to the Lars and motioned for him to return to his seat.

“Good Morning Ambassador Rosen, I hope the flight over from Torman wasn’t too bad.” Lars shook his head.

“Not at all, my Kaiserin, though the inflight movie could have been better, some film featuring yellow cartoons “things” obsessed with Bananas”

“Do you know why I recalled you from Zanaro, Ambassador Rosen?” Elise asked. Lars shook his head nervously.

“I’m afraid not, my Kaiserin, the memo was scant on details.”

“As I’m sure your aware, I fired the head of the Foreign Ministry a few weeks ago over differences in vision” Lars again nodded, still nervous. “I am in need of a replacement, and after much consideration, I’ve decided to offer the position to you.” Lars was gobsmacked, he was near certain he was on the chopping block, but now he was being offered the highest foreign policy position in the Matriarchy of Lunderfrau.

“My….my…..Kaiserin, are…. Are you sure?” He stammered. The Kaiserin waved her hand in dismissal.

“Ofcourse, you’re among the brightest minds in the matriarchy, you’ve excelled in every position you’ve been placed in, and your among the most moderate individuals in my court. You are exactly what the matriarchy needs in these times of change.” Elise extended her hand. “So then Ambassador Rosen, what say you?” With little hesitation he took the extended hand in his for a handshake, finalizing the deal.

Gate, Sino Manala
November 30th 2019

Lars mind returned to the party at hand as the Kaiserin grasped his arm and began dragging him over to see the Zanarite delegation, many of whom he knew personally from his time as ambassador. Part of the reason he had taken the job as Foreign Minister was to help guide the Kaiserin through strange and often pedantic world of diplomacy, especially noble diplomacy.

“You know, Elise, you kind of insulted the Plutos when you were talking with her earlier.” He said, meekly looking off into the distance as to avoid eye contact with the Kaiserin.

“How do you mean?” She asked, still rushing towards the Zanarites with Lars in tow. The Foreign Minister collected his thoughts.

“Well, you mentioned there being too many non nobles here” He said, attempting to plant his fleet in a bid to slow the Kaiserins gate.

“I mean there kind of are.” She replied, seemingly ignorant to the mans non-verbal pleas to stop.

“That may be true, but the plutos is sure to have taken that as an insult, which means we’re already starting from a poor position at this conference.” The Kaiserin merely shrugged at this observation.

“Im sure we can dig ourselves out.” Lars struggled to understand how a women 6 years his senior could somehow lack this much tact at diplomacy. However, as he was pondering this, something happened. Lars didn’t see what he hit, but his foot struck something, the sudden impact caused him to lose balance and fall to the floor with a thud. The kaiserin still holding his hand, but thankfully having come to a stop so as not to drag her now fallen minister.

“Ow”

[Winst]

The room erupted in laughter as the Lunderfrauian Foreign Minister fell to floor limply being held still by the Matriarch. Marie watched as his face turned a bright shade of red and as he stood up and quickly excused himself from his Matriarch's company.

Smart man Marie thought as his exit deflected attention away from the Matriarch and towards himself. But her vendetta was satisfied even if the recipient had little to no idea it had existed in the first place. As the room continued to talk about the embarrassing display, Marie made her way back to the Elise.

"Your Majesty the room has had its final preparation completed for our meeting. Whenever you are ready please find your foreign minister and we can head to the room." She said with a smile. The last jab bringing the whole affair to a neat end.

[Lunderfrau]

Elise seemed blissfully unaware that any foul play had occurred between her foreign minister and the Wintonian delegation. In her mind the minister had simply lost his footing and fell. She knodded to her Wintonian counterpart and went off to find the very embarrassed Minister. He had tucked himself away in behind an assortment of plants. She hastily grabbed him and brought him back to the reception, which was now beginning to die down. They as well as the rest of the Lunderfrausain entourage made their way to the main conference room.

At the center of the room sat a massive mahogany table runnin nearly the entire length of the table. Two flags sat at the center, the Flag of Lunderfrau and Winst, both positioned to indicate what side each delegation was to sit on. The Lunderfrausians would sit on the left side while the Wintonians on the right side. Behind the table sat a beautiful mosaic depicting Gate through the ages, the background seemed fitting for such a monumental and astute gathering. Elise made her way to the center left side of the table, sitting down adjacent from the spot with the placard marked for the Plutos. The Wintonian Delegation followed suit, with little pleasentry’s being exchanged, mostly due to the party beforehand. Eitherway, the Kaiserin wasted little time once the delegations were seated.

“I am sure this must seem like an abrupt change of course for you, and you would not be wrong. My early reign as Kaiserin was in many ways influenced by hold overs from my Mother’s court, these individuals represent the “old guard” of Lunderfrausian thinking, a school of thought that paint’s Winst and her people as the greatest geopolitical threat to the Matriarchy. While I initially followed along with their recommendations and advice, my own analysis of the situation suggests that this is not the reality. The greatest threats to Lunderfrau, and arguably greater Liran interests is not Winst, but rather the upstart Parthonopians and their “King”. As such I opted to clean my administration of the old guard, take a more disciplinary approach with Parthonopia and have opted to begin the healing process with Winst. Which brings us to this conference room today. So to begin this conference, I’m curious as to what the wintonian delegation would like to see come to fruition from this meeting, to give us a general idea of where we stand?”
The Kaiserin waited eagerly for reply.

[Winst]

Marie smiled at the Kaiserin she was getting somewhat used to her personality and her bluntness was becoming somewhat endearing if lacking any grace, tact, etiquette, or diplomacy. She avoided looking at the career diplomat sitting next to her who was most likely squirming.

"Of course I agree it is good to be direct in these situations. We are glad to see this change and I congratulate you for the expert control you have over your government. I would say that the Wintonian position on the Carlo Regime is the greatest threat to Lira, unstable Orthurian regimes have plagued our continent for too long between Arideo's last king and Carlo they have brought greater tension to the region than ever before. We are happy to see a policy shift on this approach to Parthonopia."

Marie shifted in her seat tightening her smile.

However, Wintonian feelings towards Lunder are quite low at the moment. There has always been a greater level of distrust among the people, however, six years of unreciprocated sanctions and asset freezing has damaged your relations with the Noble Families." She paused to emphasize the point.

"Frankly put the actions taken by the now removed administration has cost our nobles a lot of money and has tied our hands when it comes to the Jacobin Alliance. That is the reason more than anything I am sitting across from you at this moment."

[Lunderfrau]

The Kaiserin sat in silence for a moment, taking in what the Plutos had said. Internally her frustration was beginning to mount. She had known that the sanctions had had some effect on the wintonian nobility, but she had been assured those affects were minor. This appeared to directly refute that assurance.
The sanctions had been hard on the Matriarchy as well, while the two nations were not amicable with each other, their merchants had never partically cared and were happy to trade with one another. The sanctions had put an end to this, costing Lunderfrau thousands of jobs and creating a sizeable minority unhappy with the Kaiserins handling of the situation. However, she now had an opportunity to reverse the sanctions and re establish ties with Winst.

“Madame Plutos, I apologize for being so direct, but I see little point in dancing around the topic. We too would like to see the sanctions lifted. I think theres some common ground here, both in regards to parthonopia and….” She paused for a moment, “regaurding internal matters of Winst. Perhaps we can help one another here.” She smiled. “The sanctions in place are far too blunt and imprecise, you’ve made that clear yourself. I don’t think I can completely lift them, but we can steer them towards a common thorn in our respective sides”

[Winst]

"Our internal matters are what they are your Excellency. We have a strong understanding of how best to operate in our country." Marie replied in a near chastising tone. Internal politics might be broached but nobles would not be complicit in conspiracy with a monarchy. She sighed

'Besides the sanctions only affect those who deal in Lunder and due to understandable restrictions on outsiders and non-nobles that leaves us and our peers as the only major trade partners as has been the case for decades."

"I think we can both agree any sanctions will get in the way of lasting harmony and friendship between our two nations. We have showed no ill will towards your nation even if our current government is a boisterous type. We want peace as much as you do. The only way to calm the hot heads of Lira is to show them that our neighbors are not the same as those from a hundred years ago."

[Lunderfrau]

“How dare she chastize me”, the Kaiserin thought to herself. The Plutos may have seen herself as an equal to Elise but Elise certainly did not. Sure, the Plutos was a women of high status and of noble birth, but Elise was a Kaiserin, an empress, only Arda or Theo themselves were of greater status. Normally she didn’t think in this matter, status did not necessarily make one inherently better or worse, but Marie’s tone had struck a nerve. A simple refusal would have sufficed and even a thankyou, considering that the Kaiserin would even bother to stoop her nation into the affairs of a “republican” power. Nevertheless, Elise just smiled and nodded.

“I understand madame plutos, I apologize for interceding in interior matters.” She paused a moment to clear her mind, the last thing she wanted was to make another fopaux. “I think we can arrange a dismantling of the sanctions and embargo, as you put it, we are not the same as those 100 years ago and shouldn’t act like it.” The Kaiserin again paused. “I will also see to it your assets are unfrozen in the Matriarchy. If that clears the matter, Would the wintonian delegation be interested in a perminate diplomatic relationship, say, in the form of embassy exchange?”

[Winst]

Marie smiled a real smile at the removal of the sanctions. "That would be excellent. We are also wanting to offer a friendship agreement. On a concrete level a non-agression pact, an easing of border security and increasing ease of travel for both people and businesses. On the more intangible side cultural exchange programs, sister cities and consulates to supliment the embassy exchange and so on."

She handed a folder to the Foreign Minister

"I find the details are best left to capable hands such as yours Mr. Foreign Minister, please look over our proposals." Turning back towards the Kaiserin Marie face was one of sincere desire."Your Excellency I believe if we want this friendship to last, we should look to connect or people more. My advisors suggested the Lubien/Lubaun Festival on the winter solstice  that both our people celebrate is an excellent time for regular conferences between our nations to ensure misunderstandings can be understood and resolved in conversation with the other. The first of such meetings could officially solidify our finalized friendship agreement."

[Lunderfrau]

Lars took the manilla folder from the Plutos and placed it at his side, he had a general idea of what was inside the folder but would need to time to examine its proposals properly. “Thank you Madame Plutos, I’ll be sure to take a look over these on the flight back to Lunderfrau.”

“I think the Lubien Festival would be a fantastic time to announce our partnership” The Kaiserin was well aware of the festival, known in Lunderfrau as All Mother’s Day. It was a celebration hosted on the Winter Solstice, a time of jovial celebration and returning home to loved ones and friends. This gave her a little under a month to prepare for the event. However Elise felt that this was more than enough time to figure out what she would say, where and do. She extended a hand to Marie. “Madame Plutos, I think we’ve kicked off the start of a wonderful relationship between our two countries! Let this handshake be the first of many as partners in this flourishing relationship.”

[Winst]

Marie took Elyse's offered hand. Of course another handshake would happen in little under a month with plenty of Cameras to catch the action but in Marie's mind this was the real one. Besides it would also be Michelle not Marie who would be taking the Kaiserin's hand on Lubien; the Plutos knows when to step out of the lime light.

"We shall start preparations at once then. It was a pleasure to meet you as Kaiserin, Your Excellency. Your calm and forward thinking nature are truly an asset to your great nation. I am glad to have such a person in charge of the North. Now please let us return to the party I'm sure our friends will want to learn about the upcoming festival."

She and the Kaiserin strode out of the room back towards the Great Hall where the party was still going on. The people looked up as the two women walking side by side reached the top of the stairs that descended to the lower floor. An explosion of cheers echoed in the room as they did so. Peace was restored and more importantly the party could continue.

Marie was pleased with the outcone of the  meeting. Both personal and national interest had been met. It would give Michelle a second major foreign policy win after Marcomer and with the election in May Tourne's popularity was rising, but it was worth the price. Relations would not change over night and the regime was still totalitarian. In Marie's mind they didn't so much have to like each other, just not fight each other

She sipped her champagne and looked at the Lunderfrauian and Wintonian nobles talking, laughing, and renewing their bonds and connections. Julie returned to her side baring the fruits of her children's various successes. A glance from the Kaiserin across the room had both women smiling. The conference truly was an overwhelming success.

[Lunderfrau]

Elise smiled and saw the Plutos off, the conference had gone exceptionally well and would mark the beginning of a new chapter in Lunder-Wintonian relations. The Lunder delegation did not stay long in Gate, they’re we’re many pressing matters that required the Kaiserin’s attention back in Lunderfrau. They quickly bid the other delegations farewell and made their way back to the airport where the Kaiserin’s personal jet sat parked and waiting.
Once she and the rest her delegation we’re settled and the jet in the air, Elise turned to her Foreign Minister Lars.

“Not bad, don’t you think.” Lars shrugged his shoulders.

“You got the job done Elise, that’s all that matters, though you could learn to be more tactful when dealing with Nobility not from Lund.” Elise pouted and turned to the aircraft window, the clouds now beginning to shift from among them to below them as the plane ascended.

“Hmmphf, you know, if I was more like my Mother, you’d have been sent to the stockades for that.” Lars came over and sat next to her, he was smiling.

“But you’re not your mother, your mother would never have agreed to a conference with Winst, let alone agree to a future meeting with a Populos. You’re Kaiserin Elise Von Strauss, first of her name, a new breed of Kaiserin, a Kaiserin for the 21st century, destined to lead Lunderfrau to great new heights and usher in a glorious era of peace and prosperity.” Elise turned to Lars.

“Thankyou for that, it’s nice to feel like Im coming into my own as a leader and monarch.” She paused for a second, “However, this all complicates things, I mean, we’re still on the fence with Produz and Parthonopia.”

“Well we could schedule a conference with them? Or maybe separate Conferences, theres no way Produzirens and Parthonopians will be able to not threaten each other if their seated at the same table.” The Kaiserin laughed.

“Yeah I suppose, we can talk more about our Produz-Parthonopia Policy when we get back to Laubenhugel. For now, let’s relish in the days accomplishments.” The Kaiserin motioned to one of her attendents, the girl quickly raced out of the Kaiserins cabin and soon returned with a bottle of Meronis Chardonay. She thanked the girl as she was handed the bottle and two glasses. Elise poured a glass for herself and for Lars. She raised the glass high. “To new beginnings and a prosperous future.” Lars raised his glass. The two then sat back and relaxed, watching the sun slowly set on the horizon as they flew back home to Lunderfrau.