A friend's visit is a joyous occasion, indeed (CLOSED)

[The Selkie]

The Lillorainians on the carriage had somewhat missed the information, that the Quinnie in question was nobody lesser than the Granddaughter of Sullivan Tarra of the Tribe of Antrim, whom they were literally traveling to - his wife, Felicia, indeed being well-known around these parts for various reasons, including, but not limited to her cineastic contributions in here.
"We use spices in our parts as well, but barely anthing that exceeds the most common Lillorainian or Shamsiyyan ones" - Klingebiel said. "Now, as for enchiladas" - he stressed the word, pronouncing it slowly, "these are a staple food in Carlotina with a lot of regional variations. In Miranueva and its immediate surroundings, it is mostly chicken meat or veggies wrapped into corn bread, with chili sauce put over them. Depending on where you are, they tend to be extremely spicy - still tasty, though, but something I wasn't used to. Other variations from different parts of Carlotina tend to use cocoa sauce or cheese, which would be likely to fit my taste a bit more, especially the latter ..."

Flemming nodded.
"Now" - he began, "the 1930s were quite a bit of a strange era for us as well, and so were the years of the Early Federation, up until around, say, the late 1990s. An era we commonly refer to as the 'Age of Childhood Diseases' nowadays, as this was the time when people, no matter the class or position, were in a need to grow used to new conditions, which wasn't easy for everyone."
"And I'm sure, that pretty much any country that has to adopt a new system goes through such a phase" - Ceyda added. "Although it does occur to me, that in Shamsiyya, this is a result of short, radical changes, some of which are called 'Intifada', whereas in Lillorainen, it was more of a gradual process lasting the entire last century. It's hard to describe, though ..."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"That does sound delicious, especially the one with cheese...", I said with a wide smile as we continued to ride along into the evening. We were beginning a small rise, up a small hill, nothing major, unless you counted the ruined watchtower on the hilltop as nothing major.
It was well preserved, though, and the road led right past it, a small fence surrounding the ruins. One could also see a flag at the highest remnant of the walls, Fortham's White and Blue flag lazily fluttering in the wind. A few horses stood bound to that fence.
"First leg of the journey is over. We are now around half an hour away from Cnockan House.", I said and smiled at the carriage's occupants, "That up there is one of the old watchtowers, which warned Fortham and Lake Mór about attacks and served as a toll collection station."
Ceili nodded and added: "The Fortham City Guard still has a small post nearby, hence the flag, and while they don't collect tolls anymore, they do stamp the toll cards for tourists." She let a beat pass. "And Stad Treophointe awaits us on the other side."
"A small village.", I explained.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"It all depends on the philosophy.", Fi said, "Slow and steady versus a quicker approach to things - both have their merit, yet neither are a one-size-fits-all-situations approach. We have periods of both and does any other nation."
"I would rather say...", I began as we began the trek up the hill towards the ruined watchtower, although I hardly noticed that, too caught up in the conversation. "...it also depends on what is needed. If an issue needs to be addressed quickly, then quickly it will be addressed."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"That does sound delicious, especially the one with cheese...", I said with a wide smile as we continued to ride along into the evening. We were beginning a small rise, up a small hill, nothing major, unless you counted the ruined watchtower on the hilltop as nothing major.
It was well preserved, though, and the road led right past it, a small fence surrounding the ruins. One could also see a flag at the highest remnant of the walls, Fortham's White and Blue flag lazily fluttering in the wind. A few horses stood bound to that fence.
"First leg of the journey is over. We are now around half an hour away from Cnockan House.", I said and smiled at the carriage's occupants, "That up there is one of the old watchtowers, which warned Fortham and Lake Mór about attacks and served as a toll collection station."
Ceili nodded and added: "The Fortham City Guard still has a small post nearby, hence the flag, and while they don't collect tolls anymore, they do stamp the toll cards for tourists." She let a beat pass. "And Stad Treophointe awaits us on the other side."
"A small village.", I explained.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"It all depends on the philosophy.", Fi said, "Slow and steady versus a quicker approach to things - both have their merit, yet neither are a one-size-fits-all-situations approach. We have periods of both and does any other nation."
"I would rather say...", I began as we began the trek up the hill towards the ruined watchtower, although I hardly noticed that, too caught up in the conversation. "...it also depends on what is needed. If an issue needs to be addressed quickly, then quickly it will be addressed."

"Yeah, my personal preference, too" - Klingebiel had managed to say, before they all went a small hill up, with an obviously ruined, yet somehow well-preserved watch tower surrounded by a small fence right on the hilltop. It even carried a white-blue flag, the flag that couldn't possible be other than of the City of Fortham.
Lillos did have their practice, as abandoned, yet well-maintained medieval watch towers were a thing in Lillorainen themselves - Lena, Marquardt, Klingebiel, and Estrup put their flat hands to their foreheads, saluting in front of the flag. A common gesture back home, where these towers were kept as memorials as well, many of which with the flag of the state they currently belonged to, as a sign of respect for the according state - or the authority it belonged to, if it wasn't the State Government. One wasn't obliged to stand up for it, though.
"Must be fun for people in these parts to live this close to an airport" - Marquardt said. "At least, complaints along these lines are raised by people from our parts in a similar situation, even though many are also just used to it."

The mounted Lillos took a second to admire the old tower- just like many tourists did in Lillorainen as well. Though, like most people from Lillorainen, they did follow a certain practice.
Then, Lilly and Fi raised some good points as well.
"It certainly does" - Flemming said, finding back into the conversation. "And while our countries did have points in our respective history, where we didn't manage to address issues within the appropriate time - for us, the better part of the last century would be an example -, I would say, that they do manage to find their philosophy today."
Ceyda nodded. "We do know fairly recent points in history where our countries somehow didn't manage to approach things in the speed they would have been supposed to, and, out-of-hand, I would find quite a couple of examples for both Lillorainen and Shamsiyya ..."
And the era she was referring to was one, where there weren't the best relations between the two of them ...

[The Selkie]

"Yeah, my personal preference, too" - Klingebiel had managed to say, before they all went a small hill up, with an obviously ruined, yet somehow well-preserved watch tower surrounded by a small fence right on the hilltop. It even carried a white-blue flag, the flag that couldn't possible be other than of the City of Fortham.
Lillos did have their practice, as abandoned, yet well-maintained medieval watch towers were a thing in Lillorainen themselves - Lena, Marquardt, Klingebiel, and Estrup put their flat hands to their foreheads, saluting in front of the flag. A common gesture back home, where these towers were kept as memorials as well, many of which with the flag of the state they currently belonged to, as a sign of respect for the according state - or the authority it belonged to, if it wasn't the State Government. One wasn't obliged to stand up for it, though.
"Must be fun for people in these parts to live this close to an airport" - Marquardt said. "At least, complaints along these lines are raised by people from our parts in a similar situation, even though many are also just used to it."

The mounted Lillos took a second to admire the old tower- just like many tourists did in Lillorainen as well. Though, like most people from Lillorainen, they did follow a certain practice.
Then, Lilly and Fi raised some good points as well.
"It certainly does" - Flemming said, finding back into the conversation. "And while our countries did have points in our respective history, where we didn't manage to address issues within the appropriate time - for us, the better part of the last century would be an example -, I would say, that they do manage to find their philosophy today."
Ceyda nodded. "We do know fairly recent points in history where our countries somehow didn't manage to approach things in the speed they would have been supposed to, and, out-of-hand, I would find quite a couple of examples for both Lillorainen and Shamsiyya ..."
And the era she was referring to was one, where there weren't the best relations between the two of them ...

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
As we crested the hill and the four occupants saluted the flag, one of the City Guardsmen looked up from the game of cards they were playing and nodded. All was in order.
But honestly, who had time to look out for some guardsman, when one had this view?
Behind us, Fortham Army Air Field stretched out in all of its aerodrome-glory, its runways aligned to allow for safe and easy arrivals and departures on routes, which were far away from any and nearly all urban areas - indeed, if one made a beeline from the main runways, where the Nation Hopper had landed, towards the East, one would quickly meet Lake Mór.
Before us, however, was something far nicer: The village of Stad Treophointe.
Sitting between two hill lines, one, which we were currently cresting and one, which was essentially opposite to us, the village was, where two streets met, one the one we were currently traversing, the other coming through the 'valley' itself and going towards Fortham from here.
Stad Treophointe was nothing impressive, two dozen houses grouped around a small square, where an inn and a small temple stood. Remnants of a village wall, basically a stockade on a stone foundation, were still visible, but had long since outlived their usefulness.
The timber and wood buildings with the shingles on the roof were home to twenty families, a bit more then a hundred people living here to my knowledge. Chimneys were present but unlit as the evening was warm enough to live without a fire in the fireplace, electric stoves long since having replaced the fireplace as a cooking place.
Our hill curved down again as we approached the village, a few people awaiting us at the village entrance - mostly curious children, but also the people, who watched them as they played in the street.
"Can't tell ya, sorry.", I said and shrugged, "Maybe they got used to it, too?"

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
As the road curved down towards Stad Treophointe, both Fi and I nodded.
"We know enough examples of that as well.", I said for both of us, "But then there are the times, when they overblew a problem out of proportions and acted far too quickly, sometimes with... interesting results."
"The Ironcastle Rapids?", Fi asked with a grin.
I nodded. "The Ironcastle Rapids.", I confirmed.

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
As we crested the hill and the four occupants saluted the flag, one of the City Guardsmen looked up from the game of cards they were playing and nodded. All was in order.
But honestly, who had time to look out for some guardsman, when one had this view?
Behind us, Fortham Army Air Field stretched out in all of its aerodrome-glory, its runways aligned to allow for safe and easy arrivals and departures on routes, which were far away from any and nearly all urban areas - indeed, if one made a beeline from the main runways, where the Nation Hopper had landed, towards the East, one would quickly meet Lake Mór.
Before us, however, was something far nicer: The village of Stad Treophointe.
Sitting between two hill lines, one, which we were currently cresting and one, which was essentially opposite to us, the village was, where two streets met, one the one we were currently traversing, the other coming through the 'valley' itself and going towards Fortham from here.
Stad Treophointe was nothing impressive, two dozen houses grouped around a small square, where an inn and a small temple stood. Remnants of a village wall, basically a stockade on a stone foundation, were still visible, but had long since outlived their usefulness.
The timber and wood buildings with the shingles on the roof were home to twenty families, a bit more then a hundred people living here to my knowledge. Chimneys were present but unlit as the evening was warm enough to live without a fire in the fireplace, electric stoves long since having replaced the fireplace as a cooking place.
Our hill curved down again as we approached the village, a few people awaiting us at the village entrance - mostly curious children, but also the people, who watched them as they played in the street.
"Can't tell ya, sorry.", I said and shrugged, "Maybe they got used to it, too?"

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
As the road curved down towards Stad Treophointe, both Fi and I nodded.
"We know enough examples of that as well.", I said for both of us, "But then there are the times, when they overblew a problem out of proportions and acted far too quickly, sometimes with... interesting results."
"The Ironcastle Rapids?", Fi asked with a grin.
I nodded. "The Ironcastle Rapids.", I confirmed.

The passengers on the carriage noticed the Guardsmen, who had being playing cards and now nodded to them. The local way of seemingly having little security detail, but actually having them sufficiently, did give a feeling of safety - a thing to note, as not only Highway A12 from the Marieholm Military Airport to the area of Lysköping and Lillamala, but also the according routes in Junaira, Miranueva, or Nashinya had a tendecy of feeling and looking like small police states.
The Fortham Army Air Field would be visible fully when looking back. When looking to the front, one would see Stad Treophointe, indeed only a small village, probably not hosting around a hundred people. The buildings were of timber architecture, not entirely dissimilar from many places in Lillorainen, even large cities, only involving more wood.
Curious children and their adult guardians were on the street.
"I assume so" - Marquardt said and shrugged.
"At the end of the day, most major airports in Lillorainen are older than the average people living next to them" - Lena said, "even older than the Federation itself. So that's what you expect when moving there or not moving away."
"Some live next to railroads and highways and get used to it" - Klingebiel added, shrugging.

Flemming nodded.
Back home, a popular proverb said, Trouble lies in wait for him, who doesn't react to life. And there was certainly something true about it, even though there certainly were examples of reacting too fast and harshly. And in some particular cases, reactions were perceived too harsh by some people, and perfectly appropriate by some others.
A recent example being the recent complete closure of the state border of Thulia for two weeks, including the first active use of military force on Lillorainian soil since the assassination of Annika Seelscheid's Aunt back in 1994 outside of incidents like natural disasters, as a reaction to a certain pandemic. But that one was severely dependent on whom one asked.
"Ironcastle Rapids?" - Ceyda repeated. "Excuse my lack of detail knowledge on this point, but what happened there, and when did it?"

[The Selkie]

The passengers on the carriage noticed the Guardsmen, who had being playing cards and now nodded to them. The local way of seemingly having little security detail, but actually having them sufficiently, did give a feeling of safety - a thing to note, as not only Highway A12 from the Marieholm Military Airport to the area of Lysköping and Lillamala, but also the according routes in Junaira, Miranueva, or Nashinya had a tendecy of feeling and looking like small police states.
The Fortham Army Air Field would be visible fully when looking back. When looking to the front, one would see Stad Treophointe, indeed only a small village, probably not hosting around a hundred people. The buildings were of timber architecture, not entirely dissimilar from many places in Lillorainen, even large cities, only involving more wood.
Curious children and their adult guardians were on the street.
"I assume so" - Marquardt said and shrugged.
"At the end of the day, most major airports in Lillorainen are older than the average people living next to them" - Lena said, "even older than the Federation itself. So that's what you expect when moving there or not moving away."
"Some live next to railroads and highways and get used to it" - Klingebiel added, shrugging.

Flemming nodded.
Back home, a popular proverb said, Trouble lies in wait for him, who doesn't react to life. And there was certainly something true about it, even though there certainly were examples of reacting too fast and harshly. And in some particular cases, reactions were perceived too harsh by some people, and perfectly appropriate by some others.
A recent example being the recent complete closure of the state border of Thulia for two weeks, including the first active use of military force on Lillorainian soil since the assassination of Annika Seelscheid's Aunt back in 1994 outside of incidents like natural disasters, as a reaction to a certain pandemic. But that one was severely dependent on whom one asked.
"Ironcastle Rapids?" - Ceyda repeated. "Excuse my lack of detail knowledge on this point, but what happened there, and when did it?"

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I had no idea, that the answer was literally below our feet and above our heads, but then again, such issues went over the latter anyway, as far as I was concerned. I usually traveled by ferry, when I left the Northern Islands.
"Yeah... take responsibility for your life choices.", I said, then motioned forwards: "See the road leading through the village to the North? That's the one we are going to take. It leads towards Fortham, but a bit on it we have to take - and then, we take an exit and are on our way to Cnockan House."
"We learned the route by hard, should something go wrong and someone had to take one of you behind himself or herself.", Ceili explained, "We can ride it in the dark by now!"
I nodded in affirmation, grinning and sure, that the worse that could happen was a bit of rain.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"You know merry old Áitadagantiarann, Ironcastle, right?", Fi asked, "In 1910, a geologist projected, that soon, the Socair River and the traffic on it would have caused enough erosion to form rapids by 1920, a bit in front of the industrial parks. That, of course, was a bit bad."
She snorted in amusement.
"So, to prevent that, they hired an architect to maybe design a way around it or a way to slow the erosion or something, that would prevent that from happening.", she continued, "Surveys were made, plans for new canal constructions, new locks were tested, new cargo lighters designed, the Wembury Water Police was even drafted to test newly developed explosives underwater, million of Gils thrown out of the window." She let a beat pass. "By 1931, when the program was finished, the Ironcastle Rapids had not formed. It was not stopped because the formation of the rapids was eleven years behind schedule, but because someone looked at the calculations and data and found several inconsistencies, confirming similar reports from 1913."
I grinned as well. "As they say, someone jumped the gun."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I had no idea, that the answer was literally below our feet and above our heads, but then again, such issues went over the latter anyway, as far as I was concerned. I usually traveled by ferry, when I left the Northern Islands.
"Yeah... take responsibility for your life choices.", I said, then motioned forwards: "See the road leading through the village to the North? That's the one we are going to take. It leads towards Fortham, but a bit on it we have to take - and then, we take an exit and are on our way to Cnockan House."
"We learned the route by hard, should something go wrong and someone had to take one of you behind himself or herself.", Ceili explained, "We can ride it in the dark by now!"
I nodded in affirmation, grinning and sure, that the worse that could happen was a bit of rain.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"You know merry old Áitadagantiarann, Ironcastle, right?", Fi asked, "In 1910, a geologist projected, that soon, the Socair River and the traffic on it would have caused enough erosion to form rapids by 1920, a bit in front of the industrial parks. That, of course, was a bit bad."
She snorted in amusement.
"So, to prevent that, they hired an architect to maybe design a way around it or a way to slow the erosion or something, that would prevent that from happening.", she continued, "Surveys were made, plans for new canal constructions, new locks were tested, new cargo lighters designed, the Wembury Water Police was even drafted to test newly developed explosives underwater, million of Gils thrown out of the window." She let a beat pass. "By 1931, when the program was finished, the Ironcastle Rapids had not formed. It was not stopped because the formation of the rapids was eleven years behind schedule, but because someone looked at the calculations and data and found several inconsistencies, confirming similar reports from 1913."
I grinned as well. "As they say, someone jumped the gun."

Donny seemed to guess the Lillorainian passengers' thoughts.
However, Ole Klingebiel, who had grown up in a village, or rather hamlet, depending on which country's standards one wished to go by, himself, rather thought about how it would have been for him as a child to have a caravan accompanying foreign visitors go right through the place he had been born and raised in, a small village in Marrania, where foreign delegations had probably never been led through in the last five centuries or so. Living in such a village close to an airfield might have had its advantages as well.
But for now, a bit of rain seemed to be the worst thing that could happen.
"That does seem logical to me" - he said, grinning. "No one wants to get stuck in some place no one else manages to find out of, eh?"

Ironcastle, or Áitadagantiarann in Selkie, did ring a bell with everyone, including Ceyda, of course - however, not everyone in the round was aware of how some specific parts of it had evolved in history, especially not this part of it.
"Ouch" - was Flemming's initial comment to this, "this was certainly quite a bit of an annoyance for many taxpayers back then" - he used the common stylistic device of understatement. "Of course, these are things we give our best to avoid back home as well, but of course, we're ultimately just humans, so mistakes happen. Where wood is chopped, splinters will fall, and I'm far away from claiming, that this couldn't easily happen around our parts as well. In fact, this is nothing too common, but also not unheard of back home."

[The Selkie]

Donny seemed to guess the Lillorainian passengers' thoughts.
However, Ole Klingebiel, who had grown up in a village, or rather hamlet, depending on which country's standards one wished to go by, himself, rather thought about how it would have been for him as a child to have a caravan accompanying foreign visitors go right through the place he had been born and raised in, a small village in Marrania, where foreign delegations had probably never been led through in the last five centuries or so. Living in such a village close to an airfield might have had its advantages as well.
But for now, a bit of rain seemed to be the worst thing that could happen.
"That does seem logical to me" - he said, grinning. "No one wants to get stuck in some place no one else manages to find out of, eh?"

Ironcastle, or Áitadagantiarann in Selkie, did ring a bell with everyone, including Ceyda, of course - however, not everyone in the round was aware of how some specific parts of it had evolved in history, especially not this part of it.
"Ouch" - was Flemming's initial comment to this, "this was certainly quite a bit of an annoyance for many taxpayers back then" - he used the common stylistic device of understatement. "Of course, these are things we give our best to avoid back home as well, but of course, we're ultimately just humans, so mistakes happen. Where wood is chopped, splinters will fall, and I'm far away from claiming, that this couldn't easily happen around our parts as well. In fact, this is nothing too common, but also not unheard of back home."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"Yep!", I confirmed with a firm nod, grinning, "The route is pretty simple and if you meet someone, you can always ask, but it's better if everyone knows, what it's all about."
We got closer to the village, past a free field with short grass, a few sticks rammed into the ground speaking of this having been an improvised football field earlier today, though who had won and who had lost remained unknown to us.
Though, being honest, did it matter?
As one looked at the first house we would pass on our trek in and through the village, a window would open on the first floor, a girl, around my and Ceili's age poking her head out to watch our convoy. She smiled at all, but seemed to look for someone, then spotted that person and waved.
I gave a shy wave back as she was grinning at me and Ceili somehow looked a bit miffed.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"Rule of thumb...", I said and quoted Daideo, "...if a place says, that everything always went smoothly and there were no major hickups, they are probably filthy, little liars... or represent a very young and new nation." I shrugged. "Either works."
Fi wanted to add something, but then, a small voice came up from around the height of her knee, a girl's voice speaking in Selkie: "Uhm, sorry, Miss, but is that the diplomatic delegation from Lillorainen?"
Fi nodded. "Aye, it is, lass.", she said in a friendly tone.
"Uhm, can you please tell me, who President Flemming is?", she asked so nervously, that I could just imagine her wanting to vanish into the ground in nervousness.
Fi turned slightly and jutted an armoured thumb at the man in question. "That'd be him.", she said and then looked at Flemming, switching to English: "Second time ya meet a Selkie-Lass on her home grounds and you're already getting flowers! Gotta be a record!"
I smiled as well and my heart positively melted as a girl, a short-haired redhead in a Child's Geansai in Antrim's Red and Blue, her face strawberry-red as she stepped into the formation to approach Lillorainen's President, appeared from Fi's horse's far side.
In her hands, she had a small bouquet of wild flowers, which grew in the region and which were currently in bloom, bellflowers, lillies, lavender, and a few pretty long stalks of wheat. It was bound together by a string of straw.
She held her little bouquet out to the man astride with both hands and said, in Selkie: "Here you go, Sir."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"Yep!", I confirmed with a firm nod, grinning, "The route is pretty simple and if you meet someone, you can always ask, but it's better if everyone knows, what it's all about."
We got closer to the village, past a free field with short grass, a few sticks rammed into the ground speaking of this having been an improvised football field earlier today, though who had won and who had lost remained unknown to us.
Though, being honest, did it matter?
As one looked at the first house we would pass on our trek in and through the village, a window would open on the first floor, a girl, around my and Ceili's age poking her head out to watch our convoy. She smiled at all, but seemed to look for someone, then spotted that person and waved.
I gave a shy wave back as she was grinning at me and Ceili somehow looked a bit miffed.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"Rule of thumb...", I said and quoted Daideo, "...if a place says, that everything always went smoothly and there were no major hickups, they are probably filthy, little liars... or represent a very young and new nation." I shrugged. "Either works."
Fi wanted to add something, but then, a small voice came up from around the height of her knee, a girl's voice speaking in Selkie: "Uhm, sorry, Miss, but is that the diplomatic delegation from Lillorainen?"
Fi nodded. "Aye, it is, lass.", she said in a friendly tone.
"Uhm, can you please tell me, who President Flemming is?", she asked so nervously, that I could just imagine her wanting to vanish into the ground in nervousness.
Fi turned slightly and jutted an armoured thumb at the man in question. "That'd be him.", she said and then looked at Flemming, switching to English: "Second time ya meet a Selkie-Lass on her home grounds and you're already getting flowers! Gotta be a record!"
I smiled as well and my heart positively melted as a girl, a short-haired redhead in a Child's Geansai in Antrim's Red and Blue, her face strawberry-red as she stepped into the formation to approach Lillorainen's President, appeared from Fi's horse's far side.
In her hands, she had a small bouquet of wild flowers, which grew in the region and which were currently in bloom, bellflowers, lillies, lavender, and a few pretty long stalks of wheat. It was bound together by a string of straw.
She held her little bouquet out to the man astride with both hands and said, in Selkie: "Here you go, Sir."

Indeed, finding one's way certainly couldn't harm, be the route just as simple. One could argue, that finding one's way from the Marieholm Airport to Lillamala wasn't too hard, either - follow the entrance sign towards Lysköping, go the A12 westwards until the Lykstad Intersection, enter the A13 at the second junction saying "Lillamala", go south until you enter the city and follow the pretty self-explanatory signage within the city towards whatever your destination is and call it a day. For non-motorized traffic (willing to go this distance of more than a hundred kilometers), there were side lanes of the Federal Route B10 paralleling the A12. A highway to the right, the ocean to the left, towns and cities coming every now and then. Easy. Yet, being prepared couldn't harm.
The passengers on the carriage waved back.

Just as Fi wanted to add to Lilly's statement, which perfectly fit 1980s Lillorainen in both senses at the same time, a little girl spoke up to Fi - while the Lillos weren't exactly fluent at Selkie-Language, 'Lillorainen' and 'Flemming' could be heard out, the gist therefore be gotten. As she entered the formation, it was clear what she wanted, but for everyone who hadn't made a sense of it, Fi talked to Flemming in English to explain what was going on.
"Gotta be a record, indeed!" - Flemming said, then reaches as low as he could in order to take the flower bouquet, consisting of a variation of wild flowers typical for this region and season, bound together by straw.
"Go raibh maith agat!" - he said. Being prepared for such a travel in a linguistic sense could definitely pay off as well, especially in moments like these, when getting approached by someone too young to already have learned English at any meaningful level of proficiency. He chose a formal way of thanking her in lieu of Gura míle, even though the latter was easier to pronounce.
They would certainly find a way to keep the flowers surviving the four days and the return home, where they certainly would decorate Flemming's office well, next to the rosebush he had received from Razia-Sultana a while ago.

[The Selkie]

Indeed, finding one's way certainly couldn't harm, be the route just as simple. One could argue, that finding one's way from the Marieholm Airport to Lillamala wasn't too hard, either - follow the entrance sign towards Lysköping, go the A12 westwards until the Lykstad Intersection, enter the A13 at the second junction saying "Lillamala", go south until you enter the city and follow the pretty self-explanatory signage within the city towards whatever your destination is and call it a day. For non-motorized traffic (willing to go this distance of more than a hundred kilometers), there were side lanes of the Federal Route B10 paralleling the A12. A highway to the right, the ocean to the left, towns and cities coming every now and then. Easy. Yet, being prepared couldn't harm.
The passengers on the carriage waved back.

Just as Fi wanted to add to Lilly's statement, which perfectly fit 1980s Lillorainen in both senses at the same time, a little girl spoke up to Fi - while the Lillos weren't exactly fluent at Selkie-Language, 'Lillorainen' and 'Flemming' could be heard out, the gist therefore be gotten. As she entered the formation, it was clear what she wanted, but for everyone who hadn't made a sense of it, Fi talked to Flemming in English to explain what was going on.
"Gotta be a record, indeed!" - Flemming said, then reaches as low as he could in order to take the flower bouquet, consisting of a variation of wild flowers typical for this region and season, bound together by straw.
"Go raibh maith agat!" - he said. Being prepared for such a travel in a linguistic sense could definitely pay off as well, especially in moments like these, when getting approached by someone too young to already have learned English at any meaningful level of proficiency. He chose a formal way of thanking her in lieu of Gura míle, even though the latter was easier to pronounce.
They would certainly find a way to keep the flowers surviving the four days and the return home, where they certainly would decorate Flemming's office well, next to the rosebush he had received from Razia-Sultana a while ago.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We rode past the house, the girl seemingly satisfied.
I turned to Ceili - she turned up her nose. Any comment of this being a nice place died on my tongue.
We rode into the village, where every first floor window had flower boxes on the outside, meticulously tended to, and where the asphalt street from before turned into a dirt road. Not that anyone seemed to mind, the dirt was well trudged.
We slowed a bit as to not surprise anyone unpleasantly, but a lot of kids from the village came out, watched us with big eyes - no wonder, some of the Marcach here were among the best currently in the league and they were always thankful for a chance to see their idols.
Some also eyed me and Ceili with big eyes - after all, we rode, where they wanted to be, with their idols. And even better yet, I had trained with some of them.
Regardless, we approached the village square and the inn to one of its sides.
"Alright...", Kean said from behind us, his voice a rumble, "Anyone, who has to answer a call of nature, now's the time."
He meant us all, but of the Marcach, no one needed a short break.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
The girl giggled, bowed her head with her hand over her heart and then ran off to her sister or mother or whoever.
I smiled at Flemming: "Not bad. You have a bit of an accent, but generally, not bad.", I praised him. "We'll have to find a way to keep those alive, though..."
"Water?", Fi suggested, smiling as well. "I'm no florist, but that seems to be a start for me..."
Kean's announcement was heard by us as well, Fi and I declining.

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We rode past the house, the girl seemingly satisfied.
I turned to Ceili - she turned up her nose. Any comment of this being a nice place died on my tongue.
We rode into the village, where every first floor window had flower boxes on the outside, meticulously tended to, and where the asphalt street from before turned into a dirt road. Not that anyone seemed to mind, the dirt was well trudged.
We slowed a bit as to not surprise anyone unpleasantly, but a lot of kids from the village came out, watched us with big eyes - no wonder, some of the Marcach here were among the best currently in the league and they were always thankful for a chance to see their idols.
Some also eyed me and Ceili with big eyes - after all, we rode, where they wanted to be, with their idols. And even better yet, I had trained with some of them.
Regardless, we approached the village square and the inn to one of its sides.
"Alright...", Kean said from behind us, his voice a rumble, "Anyone, who has to answer a call of nature, now's the time."
He meant us all, but of the Marcach, no one needed a short break.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
The girl giggled, bowed her head with her hand over her heart and then ran off to her sister or mother or whoever.
I smiled at Flemming: "Not bad. You have a bit of an accent, but generally, not bad.", I praised him. "We'll have to find a way to keep those alive, though..."
"Water?", Fi suggested, smiling as well. "I'm no florist, but that seems to be a start for me..."
Kean's announcement was heard by us as well, Fi and I declining.

The girl seemed quite satisfied for now. This was certainly an experience she would keep telling everyone who wanted to hear it, and everyone who didn't want to hear it, about for many years to come. The other kids coming out of the houses and watching them would certainly do so as well, even though they might be more focussing on how they saw the Marcach.
As they reached the village square, Kean announced, that if anybody was in the need of bringing something away, the ideal occasion for this to be done would be now.
The Marcach didn't seem to need a short break, and the passengers on the carriage shook their heads as well.
"We'll certainly make it to Cnockan House" - Lena said. "It's apparently not too far ahead anymore, and our plane does have a restroom for a reason."

Flemming nodded thankfully upon Lilly's praise, even though he did have an accent - as a non-native speaker, this was to expect, and he quite did try his best. Not only he had to grin upon Fi's semi-professional suggestion.
"Well, I'm no where near an expert, either" - he said, "in fact, I'm glad, that I can tell lilies and tulips apart - but based on almost two years of experience at keeping a rosebush in my office alive, I'd go with water as a good start as well."
As Kean's announcement got through, the mounted Lillos declined as well, for the same reason.

[The Selkie]

The girl seemed quite satisfied for now. This was certainly an experience she would keep telling everyone who wanted to hear it, and everyone who didn't want to hear it, about for many years to come. The other kids coming out of the houses and watching them would certainly do so as well, even though they might be more focussing on how they saw the Marcach.
As they reached the village square, Kean announced, that if anybody was in the need of bringing something away, the ideal occasion for this to be done would be now.
The Marcach didn't seem to need a short break, and the passengers on the carriage shook their heads as well.
"We'll certainly make it to Cnockan House" - Lena said. "It's apparently not too far ahead anymore, and our plane does have a restroom for a reason."

Flemming nodded thankfully upon Lilly's praise, even though he did have an accent - as a non-native speaker, this was to expect, and he quite did try his best. Not only he had to grin upon Fi's semi-professional suggestion.
"Well, I'm no where near an expert, either" - he said, "in fact, I'm glad, that I can tell lilies and tulips apart - but based on almost two years of experience at keeping a rosebush in my office alive, I'd go with water as a good start as well."
As Kean's announcement got through, the mounted Lillos declined as well, for the same reason.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
Kean nodded as the four on the carriage refused and rode off to report his findings to Marla.
"Don't take it personal.", Ceili said, with a smile, "Kean is a bit rough around the edges, but he has a good heart."
We continued over the small village square, the local Priest pausing his sweeping of his little temple's stairs. He looked young, but that was alright, apparently, as he watched us with a smile.
We bowed our heads lightly in his direction as we rode past.
"And he is a very good lancer.", I added with a smile.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
No calls of nature, then.
Kean rode off to report his findings while we assented with Fi and Flemming, who both seemed to have a good idea - and, by the sounds of it, experience.
We rode past the Priest, of course bowing our heads as well.
"A rose bush?", I asked with interest, "Impressive. I manage to make cacti dry out..."
Fi snorted in amusement.

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
Kean nodded as the four on the carriage refused and rode off to report his findings to Marla.
"Don't take it personal.", Ceili said, with a smile, "Kean is a bit rough around the edges, but he has a good heart."
We continued over the small village square, the local Priest pausing his sweeping of his little temple's stairs. He looked young, but that was alright, apparently, as he watched us with a smile.
We bowed our heads lightly in his direction as we rode past.
"And he is a very good lancer.", I added with a smile.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
No calls of nature, then.
Kean rode off to report his findings while we assented with Fi and Flemming, who both seemed to have a good idea - and, by the sounds of it, experience.
We rode past the Priest, of course bowing our heads as well.
"A rose bush?", I asked with interest, "Impressive. I manage to make cacti dry out..."
Fi snorted in amusement.

"No offense taken" - Ole Klingebiel replied. "After all, there isn't much time left for formalities or chatter, if there is a duty of quickly passing information forward waiting to be fulfilled, eh?"
Lena nodded, grinning. Klingebiel could be extremely pragmatic in some situations.
As the local Priest, who looked quite young, watched them with a smile from his small Temple, Lena, Marquardt, Klingebiel, and Estrup smiled back and bowed their heads towards him.
"And lancers tend to even have less time for that" - Lena added.

As Kean rode off, reporting, that nature wasn't calling right now, Lilly made a remark that caused a round of chuckles. As the Priest watched them, they bowed their heads to him as well.
"So you wouldn't even be viable for a gardener in a desert, I take?" - Flemming responded. "Well, said rosebush technically comes from a desert, too, or at least from a country having plenty of it."
Ceyda had to smile, even though she was aware, that it wasn't Shamsiyya which he was referring to.

[The Selkie]

"No offense taken" - Ole Klingebiel replied. "After all, there isn't much time left for formalities or chatter, if there is a duty of quickly passing information forward waiting to be fulfilled, eh?"
Lena nodded, grinning. Klingebiel could be extremely pragmatic in some situations.
As the local Priest, who looked quite young, watched them with a smile from his small Temple, Lena, Marquardt, Klingebiel, and Estrup smiled back and bowed their heads towards him.
"And lancers tend to even have less time for that" - Lena added.

As Kean rode off, reporting, that nature wasn't calling right now, Lilly made a remark that caused a round of chuckles. As the Priest watched them, they bowed their heads to him as well.
"So you wouldn't even be viable for a gardener in a desert, I take?" - Flemming responded. "Well, said rosebush technically comes from a desert, too, or at least from a country having plenty of it."
Ceyda had to smile, even though she was aware, that it wasn't Shamsiyya which he was referring to.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
And with that, we were on our way out again of the village again, leaving the square behind and moving onto the road leading North, towards Fortham and Cnockan House. We would see it soon.
"Yeah...", I said, "Professor Socheo told us once, that many Lancers were employed as messengers, more so then the Mounted Archers, and were actually mostly to ride down fleeing enemies and for patrols. The Beasts were the wrecking ball, as she said it."
Ceili nodded.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I shook my head.
"Nah, I wouldn't be a good desert gardener... though I do ask myself now, where did you get that rose bush from?", I posted as a question. His off-hand remark about a desert country would have many options, after all... Shamsiyya, for example, Ahjada...
Ceyda's smile actually led me to think of Shamsiyya.

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
And with that, we were on our way out again of the village again, leaving the square behind and moving onto the road leading North, towards Fortham and Cnockan House. We would see it soon.
"Yeah...", I said, "Professor Socheo told us once, that many Lancers were employed as messengers, more so then the Mounted Archers, and were actually mostly to ride down fleeing enemies and for patrols. The Beasts were the wrecking ball, as she said it."
Ceili nodded.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I shook my head.
"Nah, I wouldn't be a good desert gardener... though I do ask myself now, where did you get that rose bush from?", I posted as a question. His off-hand remark about a desert country would have many options, after all... Shamsiyya, for example, Ahjada...
Ceyda's smile actually led me to think of Shamsiyya.

Lena nodded.
"In our parts" - she began, "it could vary depending on where you were and what was considered most practical by the local rulers. Mounted Archers weren't uncommon in more mountainous parts like Vedjading and Terra Bianca, but also not in flat lands like the Lower Rathe Area, Visholm, or Sigurdsland. Some poor sods had to be light on their feet, like the Löper in Preetz, and yet others were just Mounted Swordfighters. Lancers were more the exception than the rule, albeit there are some areas where they used to be common as well."
"Mounted Archers got increasing popular in the Lillorainian Lands after our rulers got to hear, that the Mangudai were quite efficient at pushing the Khaganate's border more and more westwards" - Marquardt added. "And delivering messages, of course."
"This way marked a great tradition we've stuck to before motorcycle couriers became common" - Lena said.

Ceyda did notice how Lilly went through various desert countries in her head, while her smile made her about whether or not it had been from Shamsiyya. For a moment, the smile turned into a mischievous grin, saying, I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong!
Flemming noticed this as well, and snorted. "It might not be well-known in public, unless it ended up being revealed by the Yellow Press, but I also don't think, that it's a state secret" - he said. "It's from Kyrenaia."

[The Selkie]

Lena nodded.
"In our parts" - she began, "it could vary depending on where you were and what was considered most practical by the local rulers. Mounted Archers weren't uncommon in more mountainous parts like Vedjading and Terra Bianca, but also not in flat lands like the Lower Rathe Area, Visholm, or Sigurdsland. Some poor sods had to be light on their feet, like the Löper in Preetz, and yet others were just Mounted Swordfighters. Lancers were more the exception than the rule, albeit there are some areas where they used to be common as well."
"Mounted Archers got increasing popular in the Lillorainian Lands after our rulers got to hear, that the Mangudai were quite efficient at pushing the Khaganate's border more and more westwards" - Marquardt added. "And delivering messages, of course."
"This way marked a great tradition we've stuck to before motorcycle couriers became common" - Lena said.

Ceyda did notice how Lilly went through various desert countries in her head, while her smile made her about whether or not it had been from Shamsiyya. For a moment, the smile turned into a mischievous grin, saying, I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong!
Flemming noticed this as well, and snorted. "It might not be well-known in public, unless it ended up being revealed by the Yellow Press, but I also don't think, that it's a state secret" - he said. "It's from Kyrenaia."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"In our mountains, especially in the Silver Mountains...", Ceili said with a grin, "...you have not horsemen, but slingers. The famed Selkie-Horsemen are a product of the Mór-Land, the Baile and the Trossach, in part of the Silver Bay."
I added: "Leonard told us about the Mangudai - fearsome fighters, quite likely on par with our Marcach. He said, that he'd love to meet some on the tournament field." I grinned. "Must admit, now that we talk about it, I'd love to meet a Mounted Swordsman, too... should be fun fighting him in a tournament!"
Ceili nodded.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I let out an impressed whistle.
"Not bad.", I said, "Quite an impressive gift from whoever sent it to you. Plant it in your garden and you'll have a hedge in no time!"
Fi nodded. "Dad got a rose hedge a while back, too... though, granted, he bought it." She amended with a small shrug. "It is an impressive plant, with will surely grow... and the thorns keep the Tines at bay..."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"In our mountains, especially in the Silver Mountains...", Ceili said with a grin, "...you have not horsemen, but slingers. The famed Selkie-Horsemen are a product of the Mór-Land, the Baile and the Trossach, in part of the Silver Bay."
I added: "Leonard told us about the Mangudai - fearsome fighters, quite likely on par with our Marcach. He said, that he'd love to meet some on the tournament field." I grinned. "Must admit, now that we talk about it, I'd love to meet a Mounted Swordsman, too... should be fun fighting him in a tournament!"
Ceili nodded.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I let out an impressed whistle.
"Not bad.", I said, "Quite an impressive gift from whoever sent it to you. Plant it in your garden and you'll have a hedge in no time!"
Fi nodded. "Dad got a rose hedge a while back, too... though, granted, he bought it." She amended with a small shrug. "It is an impressive plant, with will surely grow... and the thorns keep the Tines at bay..."

Lena nodded. She wasn't familiar with the Selkie-Horsemen's geographic origin in all detail, but that the Baile wasn't only known for being the Free Lands' Gössning, or Idaho, or other areas known as the place of origin of surprisingly many potatoes, that was a detail she was aware of.
"Indeed, the Marcach and Mangudai alike are often mentioned in the same sentence" - she said. "And if memory serves me right, Hilda Leverdal is one of the very few persons to have the honor to have received invitations from either."
"A Marcach-Mangudai fight would be a fight I'd not necessarily want to fight, but with certainty want to watch!" - Klingebiel said, grinning. "Just like fights involving Mounted Swordsmen."

Flemming nodded.
"This is definitely one of the things I'd have taken into consideration for the day I leave office for whatever reason" - he said. "I'm normally more of a bookworm, that's probably well-known by now, but this rosebush was quite inspiring, so I might just as easily go down the al-Zahir Avenue and spend the rest of the day caring for my garden."
"And if that avenue leads south for you, you can still try it with cacti" - Golkrath said, laughing.

[The Selkie]

Lena nodded. She wasn't familiar with the Selkie-Horsemen's geographic origin in all detail, but that the Baile wasn't only known for being the Free Lands' Gössning, or Idaho, or other areas known as the place of origin of surprisingly many potatoes, that was a detail she was aware of.
"Indeed, the Marcach and Mangudai alike are often mentioned in the same sentence" - she said. "And if memory serves me right, Hilda Leverdal is one of the very few persons to have the honor to have received invitations from either."
"A Marcach-Mangudai fight would be a fight I'd not necessarily want to fight, but with certainty want to watch!" - Klingebiel said, grinning. "Just like fights involving Mounted Swordsmen."

Flemming nodded.
"This is definitely one of the things I'd have taken into consideration for the day I leave office for whatever reason" - he said. "I'm normally more of a bookworm, that's probably well-known by now, but this rosebush was quite inspiring, so I might just as easily go down the al-Zahir Avenue and spend the rest of the day caring for my garden."
"And if that avenue leads south for you, you can still try it with cacti" - Golkrath said, laughing.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We both nodded, leaving the village behind.
"Yeah, it'd be one awesome show!", I agreed, "Though, of course, we'd first have to agree on rules for the competition and a few other small things... that's what Mister Cróimiam said is what's stopping the Guild from inviting them officially."
Ceili nodded. "They are apparently talking behind closed doors, as far as we know.", she said, "Until then, I can enjoy fighting Mounted Swordsman... both mounted and dismounted."
"And if they are mounted, you dismount them.", I added.
Ceili nodded with a grin.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"Sounds like a good plan!", Fi agreed with a smile, then added: "I met him once, mind you. Al-Zahir, I mean. Years ago. I was... seventeen, I think. An old, wise man, willing to share his wisdom with anyone, who'd want to listen... and many, who wouldn't." Her smile widened slightly. "I even got a dance out of him - a slow one, but a dance."
I was silent - I had never met him, so what should I say?

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We both nodded, leaving the village behind.
"Yeah, it'd be one awesome show!", I agreed, "Though, of course, we'd first have to agree on rules for the competition and a few other small things... that's what Mister Cróimiam said is what's stopping the Guild from inviting them officially."
Ceili nodded. "They are apparently talking behind closed doors, as far as we know.", she said, "Until then, I can enjoy fighting Mounted Swordsman... both mounted and dismounted."
"And if they are mounted, you dismount them.", I added.
Ceili nodded with a grin.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"Sounds like a good plan!", Fi agreed with a smile, then added: "I met him once, mind you. Al-Zahir, I mean. Years ago. I was... seventeen, I think. An old, wise man, willing to share his wisdom with anyone, who'd want to listen... and many, who wouldn't." Her smile widened slightly. "I even got a dance out of him - a slow one, but a dance."
I was silent - I had never met him, so what should I say?

The passengers on the carriage had to grin, too.
Lena had already heard about rumors, that the Mangudai and the Marcach were currently planning some sort of competition behind closed doors, within and outside the Sharulsi Khanate. Of course, given the possible differences in traditions between both when it came to competitions and rules thereon, this would yet take a bit of time.
"I must say" - Ole Klingebiel began, "that I've been dreaming of such competitions ever since I let the respective units run against each other on real-time strategy games! Seeing them in real life would certainly be awesome!"
"So this is what you spent your time with back in Ahjada" - Marquardt said, grinning. "I've always wondered ..."
"Why would I spend time playing, if I'm in a country where I can see such competitions in real life, with competitors sitting on literal elephants ...?" - Klingebiel responded - grinning, too, as of course, Marquardt had been joking.

Flemming nodded again.
"It never took a lot of imagination power to see why he was lecturing people this much" - he said. "He didn't want to be a know-it-all, let alone annoy people, but was simply searching for a vent for all the wisdom he was carrying around. While many of us were saddened about his resign back then, few of us would be surprised, if it turned out, that he's still occasionally consulted in difficult matters to this day."
"Like we would probably ask Siegfried Heiderich, if we still could" - Golkrath added.
"The Yellow Press can" - Lykke Nörvenich said drily. "They have branch offices in Helheim and Valhalla, after all."
This sarcastic interjection came unexpected enough for Flemming and Golkrath to have to snort.

[The Selkie]

The passengers on the carriage had to grin, too.
Lena had already heard about rumors, that the Mangudai and the Marcach were currently planning some sort of competition behind closed doors, within and outside the Sharulsi Khanate. Of course, given the possible differences in traditions between both when it came to competitions and rules thereon, this would yet take a bit of time.
"I must say" - Ole Klingebiel began, "that I've been dreaming of such competitions ever since I let the respective units run against each other on real-time strategy games! Seeing them in real life would certainly be awesome!"
"So this is what you spent your time with back in Ahjada" - Marquardt said, grinning. "I've always wondered ..."
"Why would I spend time playing, if I'm in a country where I can see such competitions in real life, with competitors sitting on literal elephants ...?" - Klingebiel responded - grinning, too, as of course, Marquardt had been joking.

Flemming nodded again.
"It never took a lot of imagination power to see why he was lecturing people this much" - he said. "He didn't want to be a know-it-all, let alone annoy people, but was simply searching for a vent for all the wisdom he was carrying around. While many of us were saddened about his resign back then, few of us would be surprised, if it turned out, that he's still occasionally consulted in difficult matters to this day."
"Like we would probably ask Siegfried Heiderich, if we still could" - Golkrath added.
"The Yellow Press can" - Lykke Nörvenich said drily. "They have branch offices in Helheim and Valhalla, after all."
This sarcastic interjection came unexpected enough for Flemming and Golkrath to have to snort.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We laughed with them, but we had to agree: Why play that in PC-Games, when you could be part of the actual tradition, even if 'only' as a spectator?
That being said, I was not opposed to video gaming, though RTS was not my genre. I liked racing games!
"We might not ride elephants...", Ceili said, "...but a few years ago, the Marcach Guild allowed a Lasite riding a Sandswimmer to show her skills in a non-competitive show-run. She did perform well, even factoring in, that her mount was not the steadiest of firing platforms. Three hundred eighty something points, if I remember correctly."
"Wouldn't elephants be too slow to compete?", I wondered out loud.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
We snorted with them.
"Ours has a branch in the Mag Mell.", I showed my empathy for their situation. "But yeah, our ambassadorial missions traveling to Kyrenaia make a point out of making a trip to the residence of al-Zahir, of course announcing our intent to do so beforehand, to speak with him. It's almost more important then bringing Daideo's gift for his niece."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We laughed with them, but we had to agree: Why play that in PC-Games, when you could be part of the actual tradition, even if 'only' as a spectator?
That being said, I was not opposed to video gaming, though RTS was not my genre. I liked racing games!
"We might not ride elephants...", Ceili said, "...but a few years ago, the Marcach Guild allowed a Lasite riding a Sandswimmer to show her skills in a non-competitive show-run. She did perform well, even factoring in, that her mount was not the steadiest of firing platforms. Three hundred eighty something points, if I remember correctly."
"Wouldn't elephants be too slow to compete?", I wondered out loud.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
We snorted with them.
"Ours has a branch in the Mag Mell.", I showed my empathy for their situation. "But yeah, our ambassadorial missions traveling to Kyrenaia make a point out of making a trip to the residence of al-Zahir, of course announcing our intent to do so beforehand, to speak with him. It's almost more important then bringing Daideo's gift for his niece."

Klingebiel nodded. "Having a Sandswimmer around competing was certainly fun as well!" - he said. "And as for elephants, that was the very same thought I had as well before hearing about it - and of course, speed is not something they have an advantage at. Historically, Ahjada, and also Mairandra, used elephants in battles rather during their sheer size. But in modern Ahjadan competitions, the slow speed is exactly what's made the advantage of - competitors might think, 'Nah, it's gonna last forever until we're close', then grow less concentrated and attentive - until the opponent is suddenly right next to you. One could say, it's a bit of a psychological game."
"Which quite did decide over victories and losses in historical battles where both sides used them" - Lena added.
"Indeed." Klingebiel nodded. "So it might not be the action that makes the fun in there, but rather the excitement about which side will be able to keep its nerves together until the peak point."

Indeed - wherever the Press was free to operate, there would also be the side effect of a Yellow Press suddenly being able to talk about details of a person who had spent several years in whatever the netherworld in the local religion was called at that point ...
"I can imagine" - Flemming said, nodding. "As mentioned, many of us were saddened by seeing a man of his wisdom go, but of course, it is a decision we all can only respect. And ben-Sahid has already proven himself capable of managing important offices before, so I have never doubted, that he is an excellent man to work with, even with the certainly hard burden of succeeding al-Zahir."
Golkrath and Nörvenich nodded.

[The Selkie]

Klingebiel nodded. "Having a Sandswimmer around competing was certainly fun as well!" - he said. "And as for elephants, that was the very same thought I had as well before hearing about it - and of course, speed is not something they have an advantage at. Historically, Ahjada, and also Mairandra, used elephants in battles rather during their sheer size. But in modern Ahjadan competitions, the slow speed is exactly what's made the advantage of - competitors might think, 'Nah, it's gonna last forever until we're close', then grow less concentrated and attentive - until the opponent is suddenly right next to you. One could say, it's a bit of a psychological game."
"Which quite did decide over victories and losses in historical battles where both sides used them" - Lena added.
"Indeed." Klingebiel nodded. "So it might not be the action that makes the fun in there, but rather the excitement about which side will be able to keep its nerves together until the peak point."

Indeed - wherever the Press was free to operate, there would also be the side effect of a Yellow Press suddenly being able to talk about details of a person who had spent several years in whatever the netherworld in the local religion was called at that point ...
"I can imagine" - Flemming said, nodding. "As mentioned, many of us were saddened by seeing a man of his wisdom go, but of course, it is a decision we all can only respect. And ben-Sahid has already proven himself capable of managing important offices before, so I have never doubted, that he is an excellent man to work with, even with the certainly hard burden of succeeding al-Zahir."
Golkrath and Nörvenich nodded.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We listened to the explanation, then Ceili said: "So, it's like the Scaiphead!"
I looked to her, thought for a moment, then nodded: "Yeah, a bit, I think... in a way, that it is a psychological trick."
Ceili nodded with enthusiasm, then explained: "Ya see, the Scaiphead, or Dispersal, is an old tactic of the Marcach. A force meeting a stronger enemy would retreat and split up into three parts, A, B and C. Force A would continue the retreat, while B and C would split off at opportune moments, like river crossings or before crossing a mountain pass. That would make the tracks harder to follow. The bulk would be Force A and it would turn around at a good location for a smaller force to meet the enemy. B and C would circle, B searching the supply train, C attacking the enemy's rear once he had engaged A. Like that, they would crush the enemy!"
I nodded. "Due to Force A's tracks getting fewer, the enemy would assume, that some deserted from the main force and continue to chase the main force to crush it themselves, maybe even surging forwards - and then meeting the enemy when we had chosen the battlefield.", I added, "It worked surprisingly often."

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I nodded.
"We call that the Fuasteoir-Effect.", I said, "Finnegan Fuasteoir of the Tribe of Monaghan was the charismatic man, who split the Marcach from the Mercenary Guild of Redruth, instead establishing the Marcach-Guild, which is today a sports confederation. He was charming, had charisma, wisdom, skill... a huge legend when he was alive - his successors for the next twenty years are almost forgotten under his shadow. They did good work, no one will deny that, but they, well - they were not Finnegan Fuasteoir of the Tribe of Monaghan."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We listened to the explanation, then Ceili said: "So, it's like the Scaiphead!"
I looked to her, thought for a moment, then nodded: "Yeah, a bit, I think... in a way, that it is a psychological trick."
Ceili nodded with enthusiasm, then explained: "Ya see, the Scaiphead, or Dispersal, is an old tactic of the Marcach. A force meeting a stronger enemy would retreat and split up into three parts, A, B and C. Force A would continue the retreat, while B and C would split off at opportune moments, like river crossings or before crossing a mountain pass. That would make the tracks harder to follow. The bulk would be Force A and it would turn around at a good location for a smaller force to meet the enemy. B and C would circle, B searching the supply train, C attacking the enemy's rear once he had engaged A. Like that, they would crush the enemy!"
I nodded. "Due to Force A's tracks getting fewer, the enemy would assume, that some deserted from the main force and continue to chase the main force to crush it themselves, maybe even surging forwards - and then meeting the enemy when we had chosen the battlefield.", I added, "It worked surprisingly often."

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I nodded.
"We call that the Fuasteoir-Effect.", I said, "Finnegan Fuasteoir of the Tribe of Monaghan was the charismatic man, who split the Marcach from the Mercenary Guild of Redruth, instead establishing the Marcach-Guild, which is today a sports confederation. He was charming, had charisma, wisdom, skill... a huge legend when he was alive - his successors for the next twenty years are almost forgotten under his shadow. They did good work, no one will deny that, but they, well - they were not Finnegan Fuasteoir of the Tribe of Monaghan."

While Klingebiel lit his own pipe up, he listened to Ceili's and Donny's explanation on the Scaiphead tactic, nodding.
"I see!" - he said at the end of it. "So it's not even too dissimilar from the tactics used back home, with the main difference being, that most battles on land taking place were around areas where this wouldn't have worked this well, like in flat or hilly-at-best lands with many rivers, but few possible river crossings. And with the other difference being, that the stronger enemies got behind the trick someday - and especially in an age where cannons were already a thing, they didn't have a hard time destroying bridges and other possible river crossings, making sure, that B and C would stay outside the area A would be in ..."
"And now imagine us having been at war with Ahjada back then" - Lena said, grinning, "where cannons wouldn't have been needed, as most bridges in Lillorainen back then wouldn't have stood the weight of a couple of elephants anyway."
Klingebiel laughed. "And now that we finally do have bridges supporting their weight without problems, they don't use elephants anymore!" - he said.

Friederike Golkrath nodded.
"This could easily be called the Heiderich Effect back home" - she said. "Even though he only served as a President of the Federation for three years, this time, plus the work he had done before, and plus the fact, that he was our first one, it will always make us wonder what he would do, if he were in office in a troublesome time."
"Absolutely" - Flemming said. "After all, he was ultimately the founder of the Federation as we know it, and the early days were formed by political instability, an era we now refer to as 'childhood illnesses'. Dragutin Mukačić was only thought of as a temporary solution, and so was Rikkert Thorgau, both of whom were Vice Presidents replacing their respective predecessors. This only leaves Henriette Rostrup, Marie Seelscheid, Rudolph Nieweiler, and me. Rostrup never managed to gain the full trust of the Meritocratic Council, and less so of the Chamber of States, so she ended up voted out, thus impeached. Seelscheid ... we know how this ended ..." - Seelscheid's niece nodded at that point, "... and Nieweiler, my predecessor, died of old age in office. In fact, the theory of having long-time Presidents was entirely different from the practice, the eighteen years I've been in office practically being the exception from the rule as a result. And while it can hardly be denied, that the Lillorainen I've taken over back then was way more difficult to handle than the Lillorainen I'm ruling now, this Heiderich Effect prevails to this day, even though I'm way more confident now than back then."
"This effect should become even more obvious to you when thinking about it" - Annika Seelscheid now said. "If I were into fool's bets, I could now throw 50 Marks into the pot, stating, that there are at least two of the seven Presidents we had so far, including Silas, that you've never heard the name of. But each of them contributed to what Lillorainen is today in their own way. And I'm confident, that it was the same with Fuasteoir's successors - they all might have done a good job, yet they simply couldn't make a name of their own."

[The Selkie]

While Klingebiel lit his own pipe up, he listened to Ceili's and Donny's explanation on the Scaiphead tactic, nodding.
"I see!" - he said at the end of it. "So it's not even too dissimilar from the tactics used back home, with the main difference being, that most battles on land taking place were around areas where this wouldn't have worked this well, like in flat or hilly-at-best lands with many rivers, but few possible river crossings. And with the other difference being, that the stronger enemies got behind the trick someday - and especially in an age where cannons were already a thing, they didn't have a hard time destroying bridges and other possible river crossings, making sure, that B and C would stay outside the area A would be in ..."
"And now imagine us having been at war with Ahjada back then" - Lena said, grinning, "where cannons wouldn't have been needed, as most bridges in Lillorainen back then wouldn't have stood the weight of a couple of elephants anyway."
Klingebiel laughed. "And now that we finally do have bridges supporting their weight without problems, they don't use elephants anymore!" - he said.

Friederike Golkrath nodded.
"This could easily be called the Heiderich Effect back home" - she said. "Even though he only served as a President of the Federation for three years, this time, plus the work he had done before, and plus the fact, that he was our first one, it will always make us wonder what he would do, if he were in office in a troublesome time."
"Absolutely" - Flemming said. "After all, he was ultimately the founder of the Federation as we know it, and the early days were formed by political instability, an era we now refer to as 'childhood illnesses'. Dragutin Mukačić was only thought of as a temporary solution, and so was Rikkert Thorgau, both of whom were Vice Presidents replacing their respective predecessors. This only leaves Henriette Rostrup, Marie Seelscheid, Rudolph Nieweiler, and me. Rostrup never managed to gain the full trust of the Meritocratic Council, and less so of the Chamber of States, so she ended up voted out, thus impeached. Seelscheid ... we know how this ended ..." - Seelscheid's niece nodded at that point, "... and Nieweiler, my predecessor, died of old age in office. In fact, the theory of having long-time Presidents was entirely different from the practice, the eighteen years I've been in office practically being the exception from the rule as a result. And while it can hardly be denied, that the Lillorainen I've taken over back then was way more difficult to handle than the Lillorainen I'm ruling now, this Heiderich Effect prevails to this day, even though I'm way more confident now than back then."
"This effect should become even more obvious to you when thinking about it" - Annika Seelscheid now said. "If I were into fool's bets, I could now throw 50 Marks into the pot, stating, that there are at least two of the seven Presidents we had so far, including Silas, that you've never heard the name of. But each of them contributed to what Lillorainen is today in their own way. And I'm confident, that it was the same with Fuasteoir's successors - they all might have done a good job, yet they simply couldn't make a name of their own."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"Two problems with that...", Ceili and I began in unison, looking at each other. I motioned to her, letting her raise her point first: "For one thing...", she continued, "...if you destroy your bridges, which you had just taken, you are cutting and curtailing your own supplies, making it harder for your own side to deliver them to you. So, in the long run, you might end up stabbing your own foot."
"Second...", I added my own point, "...we are famous for our light and medium cavalries. We can cross rivers in many spaces, which others find simply not to be crossed. That was one of our great advantages in the Crusade, because the heavier horsemen of the Crusaders couldn't ford in many places, where we regularly crossed. Sure, it was more difficult with supplies for our side, but we had rations for at least two weeks on hand... even have still."
I reached back and patted one of the saddle bags - in it was Buan, the instant meat soup, which all Selkie knew and few actually loved.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Fi and I nodded.
"That sums it up quite nicely... and to be honest, there are three I heard of.", Fi said and then counted down: "Flemming, Heiderich and Seelscheid, so four unknown." She shrugged. "You'd know owe me around three Gil."
"Likely to be invested into a bottle of the good stuff to be shared, eh?", I asked with a grin.
Fi nodded. "Indeed.", she said, then turned back to the conversation, "Eighteen years as President is a long time... the majority of our Elders before the 20th century barely managed a decade. Nowadays... Ol' Sulli is not even seventy, had been an Elder for five years now and has a few more ahead of him."
"The oldest Elder currently is Fian Leath, for Kildare.", I added, "He's of ninety-nine Springs and has been an Elder for a bit over twenty years."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"Two problems with that...", Ceili and I began in unison, looking at each other. I motioned to her, letting her raise her point first: "For one thing...", she continued, "...if you destroy your bridges, which you had just taken, you are cutting and curtailing your own supplies, making it harder for your own side to deliver them to you. So, in the long run, you might end up stabbing your own foot."
"Second...", I added my own point, "...we are famous for our light and medium cavalries. We can cross rivers in many spaces, which others find simply not to be crossed. That was one of our great advantages in the Crusade, because the heavier horsemen of the Crusaders couldn't ford in many places, where we regularly crossed. Sure, it was more difficult with supplies for our side, but we had rations for at least two weeks on hand... even have still."
I reached back and patted one of the saddle bags - in it was Buan, the instant meat soup, which all Selkie knew and few actually loved.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Fi and I nodded.
"That sums it up quite nicely... and to be honest, there are three I heard of.", Fi said and then counted down: "Flemming, Heiderich and Seelscheid, so four unknown." She shrugged. "You'd know owe me around three Gil."
"Likely to be invested into a bottle of the good stuff to be shared, eh?", I asked with a grin.
Fi nodded. "Indeed.", she said, then turned back to the conversation, "Eighteen years as President is a long time... the majority of our Elders before the 20th century barely managed a decade. Nowadays... Ol' Sulli is not even seventy, had been an Elder for five years now and has a few more ahead of him."
"The oldest Elder currently is Fian Leath, for Kildare.", I added, "He's of ninety-nine Springs and has been an Elder for a bit over twenty years."

"Oh, the first point describes the Battle of Bersenich fairly well" - Klingebiel said. "Back in 1705, when Fyleria and the Storöer-League sided with one another in order to protect the City of Sandscheid from Nessovian rebels. The League's Naval Forces, approaching the area by sailing the Rathe river up, got to the glorious idea of having a cannon galleon destroying Bersenich's river bridge in order to prevent the Nessovian infantry from reaching the city and to cut possible, unexpected supply chains serving the Nessovians. That the Commander of the Fylerian Cavalry had ordered mounted troops in order to enter the Nessovian Lands on this very bridge, this was a point the Nienhaguian Commander failed to know about, for reasons beyond me."
He had no idea, that the progeny of both Commanders mocked each other over this to this very day.
"And the second point proves why having light and heavier troops alike and combining them didn't necessarily turn out to be the smartest idea during some stages of our history" - he concluded. "There is a reason why we started going down the Sharulsi and Selkie-path and operate with lighter troops at some point."
"Even though the Sharulsi had an even more convenient advantage" - Lena said. "The Sharulsi were, and are, genetically capable to processing dairy products, which made it easy to supply their mounted troops with cheese, which could be transported as easily as, for instance, your supplies." She pointed at Ceili's saddle bags. "This made them less reliant on larger supply chains - unlike their opponents such as the Yue or the Fenchui, who genetically lacked the enzyme needed to process lactose."

Flemming had to grin, even though he was wondering, if Fi wouldn't actually have owed Annika three of these monstrous silver tablets that was the Selkie-Gil, as Annika's guess (at least two Presidents) had been correct ...
But whatever. At the end of the day, both parties would profit from what the money would be most likely to be invested into.
"It's a long time, indeed" - he said in the end, "especially if you consider, that I've still met, or at least been aware of, Prince Shinji of Shikonjima, Chancellor Nichita Manolescu of Stella Dorata, President Hidayatuliha Jizaoui of Shamsiyya, Chancellor Odile Vinixiema Lejeune of Carabistouille, yadda yadda yadda - most of whom are childhood memories of the younger generation at best. Not to mention, that Lillorainen managed to get kicked out during the group stage of a Football World Cup five times within that time!"
This remark caused a round of chuckles.
"Having long-time Presidents, but also with mechanisms enabling a change of power in case of a need, was originally designed by Heiderich in order to combine the advantages of monarchies and republics, at least in theory" - Annika Seelscheid explained. "Hardly a surprise, given which countries he did his studies on back in the 1950s."

[The Selkie]

"Oh, the first point describes the Battle of Bersenich fairly well" - Klingebiel said. "Back in 1705, when Fyleria and the Storöer-League sided with one another in order to protect the City of Sandscheid from Nessovian rebels. The League's Naval Forces, approaching the area by sailing the Rathe river up, got to the glorious idea of having a cannon galleon destroying Bersenich's river bridge in order to prevent the Nessovian infantry from reaching the city and to cut possible, unexpected supply chains serving the Nessovians. That the Commander of the Fylerian Cavalry had ordered mounted troops in order to enter the Nessovian Lands on this very bridge, this was a point the Nienhaguian Commander failed to know about, for reasons beyond me."
He had no idea, that the progeny of both Commanders mocked each other over this to this very day.
"And the second point proves why having light and heavier troops alike and combining them didn't necessarily turn out to be the smartest idea during some stages of our history" - he concluded. "There is a reason why we started going down the Sharulsi and Selkie-path and operate with lighter troops at some point."
"Even though the Sharulsi had an even more convenient advantage" - Lena said. "The Sharulsi were, and are, genetically capable to processing dairy products, which made it easy to supply their mounted troops with cheese, which could be transported as easily as, for instance, your supplies." She pointed at Ceili's saddle bags. "This made them less reliant on larger supply chains - unlike their opponents such as the Yue or the Fenchui, who genetically lacked the enzyme needed to process lactose."

Flemming had to grin, even though he was wondering, if Fi wouldn't actually have owed Annika three of these monstrous silver tablets that was the Selkie-Gil, as Annika's guess (at least two Presidents) had been correct ...
But whatever. At the end of the day, both parties would profit from what the money would be most likely to be invested into.
"It's a long time, indeed" - he said in the end, "especially if you consider, that I've still met, or at least been aware of, Prince Shinji of Shikonjima, Chancellor Nichita Manolescu of Stella Dorata, President Hidayatuliha Jizaoui of Shamsiyya, Chancellor Odile Vinixiema Lejeune of Carabistouille, yadda yadda yadda - most of whom are childhood memories of the younger generation at best. Not to mention, that Lillorainen managed to get kicked out during the group stage of a Football World Cup five times within that time!"
This remark caused a round of chuckles.
"Having long-time Presidents, but also with mechanisms enabling a change of power in case of a need, was originally designed by Heiderich in order to combine the advantages of monarchies and republics, at least in theory" - Annika Seelscheid explained. "Hardly a surprise, given which countries he did his studies on back in the 1950s."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We laughed at the tale of the Battle of Bersenich - it was exactly that lack of cooperation and coordination, which had broken many army's backs before they had even met the enemy. And, let's be honest, Professor Socheo could probably tell about similar tales from all over the general area we were in.
At the second point, we nodded.
"Some cheese with the rations sounds like a fine idea...", I said and felt my mouth watering - Buan with a few cheese sprinkles... delicious... I did not notice Ceili looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
She shook her head and turned back to the people in the carriage. "The Sharulsi make cheese from horse milk, right? I have yet to try theirs, but it does sound delicious."
We approached a bend in the road.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Both Fi and I nodded - we were aware, that Heiderich had studied quite a few systems of state before he proposed his own. It was still an impressive work.
"For us, an Elder serves until his or her last day.", I explained, "Granted, rumours, and sometimes even historical fact, say, that from time to time, that last day arrived sooner then the Gods intended with a bit of outside help, but at the end of the day, an Elder is elected until death." I let a beat pass. "With the longer life spans and medical options of the Modern Age, though, there have been discussions about maybe amending a bit, that an Elder too sick to fulfill the demands of the office can step down."