Forest EcoCON [IC] [MT] [Forest LEAF only!]

[Middle Barael]

Welcome everybody to the 2021 Lore Ministry’s second RP, the Forest EcoCON!

I have always wanted to do an in-character Environmental Summit RP for Forest, and now with the creation of the Union of Forest and the revamp of Forestian roleplay, are proud to present to you the Forest EcoCON.

The Forest EcoCON (“Eco” = “Environmental”, “CON” = “convention” or “conference”) will be an environmental summit and convention where UoF-member governments, companies, journalists, activists, and the public can work together to plan climate action. Though this may sound like a very straightforward and obvious idea for an RP, we promise you that there are a number of surprises planned that will make sure to make this RP extra exciting. The Forest EcoCON will include conferences, but it will also include a convention for companies to display their “eco-friendly” products an showcase their “commitment” to sustainability, a fairground full of food vendors and trees and benches in the neighboring plaza for the public to hang out at, and guided tours of the city.

Any nation that is a member of the Forest LEAF is invited to this RP. The IC roleplay will actually begin some time in mid-August, so that it is simultaneous with the Occupy Forest RP yet beginning a little bit later. No sign-ups are required, but I would appreciate it if you could give me some sort of heads-up if you think you will participate heavily in the RP. Posts do not need to be super long (though they may be), but they should not be one sentence either. Posts may take the form of 1st person reflections, 3rd person storytelling, social media posts from your characters, news stories, propaganda or advertisements, and more! New characters are encouraged, but if you have already participated in a Forest RP or in some other sort of IC gameplay, I’d recommend perhaps using characters from that too. You may have multiple characters, but be sure to make it clear who is doing what.

The year for this RP is August of 2021 CE (or the equivalent of that in whichever calendar your nation uses), right during the climax of the Occupy Forest protests. Tech should generally be MT, but like with the UoF some moderately PMT or PT elements can be allowed. Similar to the UoF, only humans can participate, but some exceptions can be made in this case.

If you would like to participate more heavily in this RP, we would love volunteers to roleplay as keynote speakers, discussing different environmental topics, ranging from sustainable aquaculture to hydrogen-powered planes to the politics of environmentalism. These keynote speakers can be politicians, CEOs, scientists, or lecturers.

If you have any questions, please feel free to TG me.
Thank you everyone!

[Middle Barael]

Come one, come all, to the 2021 Forest EcoCON!
This special environmental conference and convention is a rare chance for the governments, companies, and people of the Union of Forest to sit down and save our environment!
For the first time in the Forest EcoCON’s history, companies and the public will be invited to witness the events and work together towards climate action!
This year’s Forest EcoCON will take place in the newly-rebuilt First Creek Falls, the former capital of Errinundera and the new capital of the Union of Forest.
The Forest EcoCON will be open to all governments, citizens, corporations, and reporters hailing from Union of Forest member states.
Along with the actual intergovernmental summit, there will also be a Convention for companies to show the world their newest eco-friendly products and commitments, fair grounds full of sustainably-produced food and world-renowned entertainers such as DJ Berserkr and Kristina Fusiliera, and guided tours of the eco-city!
Taste the clean, microplastics-free waters of Ajmimi Water Co. (a regional subsidiary of Dasani) with their recycled bottles, gawk at the new designs from the fully-electric AFEA Barael car company, taste the sustainably-farmed food of Ukaltub Food Industries of Gandenia, and drive to the future in the new zero-carbon bullet trains by Pan-Forest Rail Corporation and Lurail.
Worried about the safety of First Creek Falls? Well even though the city fell into anarchy and chaos following the collapse of the Errinunderan government and many buildings fell into ruin, it is now being rebuilt into a safe, smart, sustainable, eco-city to serve as the Union of Forest capital.
So why don’t you come down, enjoy the sights, and make our environment cleaner, safer, and better?
Visit the Forest EcoCON!

A man sighed and turned around. “If only it were so easy as the PSA makes it look”, he said tiredly, with a cup of coffee in hand. “I don’t get paid enough for this”, he joked to himself.

But he was right. After all, he was part of the best security service in Forest (or at least they claimed to be), Escher Security Services. And he had been providing security for the Union of Forest for the past year and a half, not a menial task. His name, you ask? Well meet Asher Ben-Itamar, newly-appointed head of security for the Forest LEAF. He travelled all over the world to protect LEAF delegations, hence the chronic jetlag, but he was a Baraeli by birth, which made sense considering that nowhere was the Union of Forest more popular than in Middle Barael. Well, except for First Creek Falls, but that’s because the Union of Forest was the only thing keeping the city together.

Asher started his short walk back to the LEAF Headquarters. A highly perceptive man, he knew that on average the walk took him 7 minutes and 31 seconds, though today he walked a bit more briskly, which would likely mess up the average. Asher wished the walk could be longer, however, as seldom did he ever get a chance to walk through this neighborhood of the city. Why, you ask? Well you certainly have a lot of questions today! Anyways, he loved to walk through this part of the city so much because this area was fully rebuilt. “Rebuilt from what”?! You mean you don’t know? Seriously, do you read the news at all?! You don’t? Oh, well that explains it. Well you see, on March 7th 2021, a day that will live in infamy, the government of Errinundera collapsed. It was very mysterious and still little is known about it, but you can almost think of it as a reverse coup. Rather than some general or revolutionary or younger prince seizing the throne and then one-by-one consolidating his rule over each department of the government, instead what happened was that one-by-one the rulers of Errinundera closed down and cut off each government department before announcing the government’s collapse on the social media site Arbr and then mysteriously disappearing. And so then within the next few days, as the citizens saw that there was no new government coming, they started to riot and rebel. Gangs took over large parts of the city, and continuing their historic tradition angry protestors lit the government buildings ablaze. Of course with no firefighter department or police department left, this went on and on for a month or two, as the once-glorious nation of Errinundera fell to anarchy. But then, a miracle came. With the leadership of Thalia Lemaire, the Union of Forest went from a trivial, oft-forgotten international agreement to a full-blown transnational union. And to honor the great nation of Errinundera, guess where they decided to place their headquarters? That’s right, First Creek Falls. That’s when the Forest LEAF descended on the city. For about two weeks, there were constant skirmishes between the LEAF Peacekeepers and the dozens of gangs and cartels that had emerged in the wake of the government’s collapse. But the city was quickly pacified, and honestly most of the citizens were glad to have some sort of governing body return. Then begun the task of rebuilding the city, which to be honest we’re not quite finished with. Parts of the city had been redone into a beautiful, futuristic, solarpunk, fully-sustainable smart-City district called Ecoville, while some areas were still full of shattered windows and the empty shells of torched stores. And so that is why Asher so enjoyed waking this route.

Finally, Asher made it back to the Headquarters. It was a flurry of activity, as the Forest LEAF’s dedicated and courageous workforce scurried around. Voices talking, from all corners of the atrium, even being heard from the offices and balconies found throughout the LEAF building. Voices, in a multitude of languages, from English to Jutsaish to Rolessian to Phoenician to Gandenian to Koine to Rijenjian. But today there was much more flurry than usual. As today was the day they had all been waiting for. Today was the start of the Forest EcoCON.

[Chan Island]

The Chan Island delegation arrived at the convention via the ceiling vents.

Quite a few heads turned as all of a sudden a platoon's worth of pirates dropped out of the ceiling, not even bothering to try and put the grate back on, but soon security found themselves confronted with valid passes and permissions. They were thus forced to let it just... happen. In no time at all, the group dispersed into small clusters of 2 or 3, mainly beelining it for the various bars and food stalls dotted around the massive convention hall. Much to everyone's surprise considering the incredibly dramatic entrance, the pirates ended up blending in with the rest of the attendees, being no different from any other group of oddly-dressed people munching down ecologically sustainable samosas or discussing the finer points of renewable energy with incredulous engineers.

Perhaps it was for the best that today, the Chan Islanders chose not to host any particular stalls, instead contenting themselves with learning about the cultures and technologies of everyone on this auspicious day. One keynote speaker however stepped forward to make herself known; Ching Shih, a powerful captain of chinese descent who only coincidentally happened to share a name with the famous 19th century pirate queen. Her topic, of all things, was solar power, with a slideshow in hand ready to discuss her newly-launched solar powered pirate ship and its recent success in capturing the frigate of a small nation's navy.

But that could wait a little longer. For now, the keynote speaker and 3 of her crew were busy playing an interactive VR education game about the water cycle.

Security never did find out how the Chan Islanders ever got into the ventilation system, never mind doing so while evading detection.

[Daarwyrth]

As the attendees of the convention were arriving in First Creek Falls, a convoy of three black personal transports with darkened windows made their way soundlessly into the city. The registration markings immediately told anyone that would be aware of such that the vehicles were of Daarwyrthian origin, and most commonly were used in an official or diplomatic capacity. The middle transport in the convoy was occupied by two conversing individuals, alongside a driver and two broad-shouldered members of the security personnel.

"...but reports indicate Daarwyrthian journalists have already made their way here in advance, after news of your attendance had reached their ears," explained Rubert vyn Heygen, Daarwyrth's delegate to the Forest LEAF, in Daarish. "We have set out of a few minutes for you to address any questions they might have upon our arrival, after which we'll be escorted inside building where the convention will take place."

Madelyne Zylkoven, a princess of the royal family and aunt to Her Majesty the Queen of Daarwyrth, nodded once in understanding, upon which she turned her gaze to the view outside the window of the transport.

"Do you have any questions, Ma'am?" asked Vyn Heygen, switching off the electronic tablet he had been holding with all the information about the upcoming event.

The princess smiled and chuckled softly. "Will you be this formal on me the entire time?" she asked, turning her eyes to the delegate. He tried to suppress a smile of his own in vain.

"Ma'am, there are two security guards with us here that look as if they could lift a boulder with one hand, and who are known to not take kindly to any insult to the royal family. I prefer to play it safe, Ma'am."

Madelyne playfully rose an eyebrow and leaned forward towards where the guards in question were seated. "Kind sirs, Delegate vyn Heygen and I have been friends for years. Please, refrain from detaining him if he calls me by my name or forsakes formal protocol."

"Yes, Your Highness," they both said in stoic unison.

Madelyne leaned back contentedly. "There, with that out of the way: how are the husband and twins?"

Vyn Heygen continued to smile at the entire display, and then widened his lips into a genuine grin when his family was mentioned. "They're doing great. Erwyrd has taken up teaching at Rhyngard University again, and Vyerda and Leylene have finally stopped complaining about their new school there."

"Hard time getting to know new classmates?"

Vyn Heygen nodded. "They've never been the outgoing type, which is fine, of course. Yet new environments have always been a challenge to them, and we lived in Krulensted for five years, which was most of their life so far. I'm honestly just glad they're starting to get used to the place."

"How have they taken to you being away regularly?" Madelyne asked.

"We see each other almost every night via video connection but..."

Madelyne nodded, a knowing smile on her lips. "It's not the same."

"Which makes the time we have together when I'm in the country that more precious. But I love what I do, what I can do here, for Daarwyrth. It just takes some juggling to manage both."

Before Madelyne could reply, the convoy of transports started coming to a halt in a busy, bustling area, with markings all around welcoming everyone to the Forest EcoCON. The princess sighed with a gentle smile and turned her attention to the delegate again.

"It seems we'll be doing a bit of juggling of our own. What do you think, is it time to go all formal again?" she asked. Vyn Heygen chuckled softly and briefly pressed his lips together.

"I believe so, Ma'am."

"Right, point taken, Delegate vyn Heygen," she said, upon which the convoy came to a full stop and the security personnel disembarked all around the vehicles.

This was immediately noticed by a small group of Daarwyrthian reporters waiting outside the building of the convention, which immediately started making their way towards the princess' convoy. Madelyne checked her reflection one last time, ordering her long black hair around her shoulder briefly before nodding once.

"Alright then," she said quietly to herself, upon which her door was opened and she disembarked from the transport. The light outside briefly blinded her, yet it was difficult not to notice the small crowd of journalists desperately trying to get her attention in Daarish. Madelyne straightened her back, smiled with polite friendliness and waved at the crowd briefly, which became even louder.

"Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness! DMedia News, Ma'am! Is your position as the new chairwoman of the Royal Institute for Environmental Preservation your new task from Her Majesty the Queen? And if so, does this mean Her Majesty wants greater influence over the institute's advisory rulings to the Ministries of Infrastructure and Environment?" asked a female reporter.

Madelyne had anticipated this question, and broadened her smile. "The initiative was entirely my own, after the position had been recently made vacant by the retirement of the former chair, Sir Jasyk Hylmengard. As you well know, my mother, Queen Mother Syrene, had held the position for many years before Sir Hylmengard, so it should not come as a surprise that the Institute and its mission have always been of great interest to me. Her Majesty the Queen wishes to exert no influence over the advisory rulings of our body, and I assure you that despite my position in the Royal Family, I will be as impartial and scrutinising as my mother was before me."

The crowd of journalists briefly exploded into a flurry of question, and the princess nodded at a balding male.

"Lvos News, Your Royal Highness. Is it safe to assume that you are here in your capacity as the chairwoman of the RIEP? And if so, Ma'am, what do you hope to gain from involving a Daarwyrthian institute with foreign organisations? The institute has been free from outside influences for decades, why change that now?"

The princess maintained her expression without issue, despite feeling annoyance on the inside. "While the Royal State might have had a long history of isolationism, the environment does not care for our political or cultural inclinations. It is a living organism where each part influences the others, and the whole. I believe it was a mistake to go at it alone for so long, and by cooperating with the Forest LEAF, we will be able to better protect the Daarwyrthian ecosystem."

"So, foreign institutes and organisation will be dictating the RIEP's advisory rulings from now on, Ma'am?" the same reporter asked.

Madelyne took a moment to compose herself internally, while supressing the urge to roll her eyes. "No. Our Institute has always had Daarwyrth's interests as its primary goal, and so it will continue to have under my tenure. Yet the environment does not end with Daarwyrth's borders. As I said, it is a living organism with many parts and elements that work together to keep the whole going. If one organ is to be healthy, the whole needs to be healthy. To keep the whole healthy, each individual organ must play its part, in concert."

The princess' aide stepped forward as the crowd of reporters erupted again. "That will be all for the questions, for now. Her Royal Highness will take questions at a later point as well, thank you."

Upon those words, the security detail surrounded Princess Madelyne and Delegate vyn Heygen, as the ensemble started to make their way inside the atrium of the convention hall.

[Middle Barael]

April 25th, 2021
First Creek Falls, Union of Forest Capitol Territory, Errinundera Regional Park

“Woah, what an entrance! Hey, Nate, what’s the next event I’m attending?”
“Uh, the Likon Film Festival, sir.”
“Great. Can we do an entrance like that, you know, drop from the ceiling vents like those Chad Island pirates did?”
“Um, sorry, sir, but unfortunately you cannot, er, as there is no ceiling to drop from, it’s an open-air festival.”
“Ah, then why’d you book it? You know I get cold!”
“Um, you asked me to book it since your niece’s documentary is being shown.”
“Oh. Well I’ll just buy a roof and put it up. And then we can charge people to enter the tent! I’m a genius! Hey, Nathan, get me one of those Uan aa Boan snacky things?”
“Um, those are South Asian Samosas, not Boani snacks—“, he hesitates as his boss cuts him a glare, “— but of course, sir, er, yes right away.”

This was the dynamic between the two men. Alphonse “Aldo” Martí (legally a wedding chaplain in Oklahoma and Ordand) was born small, son of a used cars salesman and a preschool teacher, yet using his natural knack for negotiating and his subsequent business acumen, he had managed to grow into one of the wealthiest men in Middle Barael. Owner and CEO of Ajmimi Water, founder and former owner/CEO of Beehive Bookstores, and President of HomeHaven following its move to Middle Barael, he had begun and led over 15 businesses across his life. Nathaniel Triaryve, on the other hand, had all his life been perfectly mediocre, knowing neither poverty nor privilege, always a follower, and thus he had ended up as manservant to Mr. Martí. Martí was brilliantly skilled when it came to financial decisions and more analytical subjects like economics and mathematics, but weak in most other subjects, and yet despite this he frequently voiced assertions and opinions, often to the chagrin of his personal PR team.

And it was for this reason that, as he traversed the convention hall on his thousand-dollar fully electric Segway, he stopped. For you see, just that moment he had spotted Thalia Lemaire, the Middle Baraelan Delegate to the Union of Forest and the current President of the Union of Forest as well. Throughout Middle Barael, the Union of Forest member territories, and beyond, Thalia Lemaire was revered as a beacon of international diplomacy and coöperation, seeing how she led the transformation of the organization from a little-known and largely powerless economic and diplomatic treaty to a full-fledged transnational union. However, Alphonse Martí felt differently about her actions and, in his usual fashion, had to express those opinions. So he approached her.

------------------------------

The last thing Thalia Lemaire wanted this morning was to have a debate about business regulations with a rich guy who had no clue what he was talking about, yet here she was. It was only the second day of the biggest event she had organized yet, the day she would reach her climax, her peak, and yet this is what happened. Just her luck.

“Hey, Ms. Lemar! I’m Alphonse Martí, you probably know who I am, but I wanted to talk to you about your egregious regulations on my business”, he said, though with his volume and energy level it may be more accurate to say he yelled it.

“Uh sir, it’s Lemaire, and I’d be happy to have this conversation with you anoth—“

“Hey, don’t divert the question, I’m talking to you here. You have to answer me!”

Thalia tried to be as polite as possible, and yet still she found men like him to be so off-putting. “For your information, kind sir, I am not beholden to answer anything, and you are talking at me, not to me. But as I was saying—“. Here Mr. Martí tried to cut her off, but Thalia was used to reporters behaving like this too so she continued, “as I was saying, you can also read plenty of interviews and articles including me from over the years discussing the need for regulations on businesses to protect our Earth. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a speech tonight that I have to prepare for.”

With that she took a sharp turn and walked off in the other direction, followed by her security. It was not so much that he was being mean or rude, nor was his wealth the reason that she felt so uncomfortable, though the privilege associated with that certainly played a part. It was his talking down to her that made her so annoyed. He wasn’t even being condescending or snarky or snobby; he was just speaking in a way as if he knew better than her, as if she had no clue what she was doing. And yet he was speaking to the architect of the modern Union of Forest, who had 2 PhDs, a law degree, 3 masters degrees, and 30+ years in the policy field. He was mansplaining, whitesplaining, richsplaining. That’s what he was doing, and that is what angered her so.

These were the things she had to deal with, on a regular basis. And deal with them she did. Ms. Lemaire always called out -splaining when she encountered it, whether it was directed to her or to someone else. On occasion, if cut too badly by their words, she would even funnel her anger into her policies for the Union of Forest. That’s how she introduced the idea of a ban on reptile leather into the LEAF, after being harassed by a rich guy who loved buying luxury cowboy boots, and why as part of the Forest ROOT she only lifted tariffs on foodstuffs if the food was sustainable and fair-trade, after being lectured by a coffee magnate about how tariffs harm the economy. But at this point, to be frank, Thalia Lemaire was tired. She was a strong leader, not usually scared or saddened by insults or criticisms, but eventually the cumulative nature of these indignities grew too much. She loved her job, but she needed a break. Maybe not a full retirement or full demotion, just something less public for a bit.

And so that was why she was planning to surprise everyone (as only a few high-ranking UoF officials knew about it) by holding new elections for the President of the Union of Forest at the Forest EcoCON. She was due to announce the elections any minute. But, because of our friend Mr. Martí, she was running late.

[Daarwyrth]

Princess Madelyne and her ensemble entered the atrium of the Forest EcoCON, with the security personnel staying close by, but simultaneously blending in with the crowd. At the same time, a group of aides already present within the building joined up with the Daarwyrthian delegation. Both the princess and Delegate vyn Heygen looked around the hall, nodding politely at those who crossed their line of sight, and at a few occasions stopping briefly to chit-chat with individuals that recognised them.

"Well then, have any keynote speakers stepped forward with interesting topics that we could mingle with?" asked Madelyne when they finally managed to get a moment to themselves while standing in the middle of the hall. Vyn Heygen produced his tablet again and started swiping and tapping vividly on its screen. "One keynote speaker I see so far, Ma'am. A Ching Shih, from the delegation of Chan Island, on the topic of solar-powered pirate ships..." he said with a mix of surprise and admiration.

"Huh, that seems right up our alley. Set up an alert when their presentation begins, I would like to attend."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. As we discussed earlier, I want the focus of our delegation during this EcoCon to be on the oceanic environment," the princess started while turning to the team of aides and interns following her and Vyn Heygen. "Insert yourselves into conversations, presentations and speeches where the seas and oceans are a key topic. Anything of interest that Daarwyrth could act upon or assist in you will bring immediately to Delegate vyn Heygen's attention, or mine... whoever you manage to get a hold of first," she paused, smiling friendly. "Understood?"

A near perfectly synchronised "Yes, Your Highness" sounded from the members of the Daarwyrthian delegation.

"May the Seas carry our endeavours on gentle waves," Madelyne said, while gesturing for the team to take off. With curt nods or bows of the head, the aides and interns dispersed into the crowd of the convention.

[Rhodevus]

A black limousine drove through the throngs of people; mostly tourists, media people and others looking to see the members and keynote speakers for the environmental conference. The car passed through, carrying its contents with little fuss by the general public. It was one of the perks of being a relatively small nation on the world stage. The Galarian delegates to the meeting sat inside along with their bodyguards. One each.

Another benefit of being a smaller player on the world stage.

Princess Heir Sierra Abrams was looking over some notes, specifically those that pertained to the other delegates and leaders who were supposed to be attending. There were so many faces and names to remember, and that was truly not something the princess heir was great at remembering. Adding to the confusion of this summit being in English, she was glad to be playing second fiddle to Zaira Timmel. The LEAF delegate was sitting across from her, looking at her own notes, jotting down a few points here or there as she skimmed through the pages.

They made a fairly decent pair. Zaira focused primarily on the talking points of the summit, while she focused on the people. Not that it was doing her much good, but every little bit helped. And adding to that, Zaira was fluent in English, alongside a few more languages. Much better than her heavily accented Galarian French. She should have listened to the queen a little more about taking those English language lessons.

But alas, it was too late, and the limousine stopped in front of the ECOCon building. Cameras flashed from the few media personnel who took interest in Fleurs-Galaria.

The princess stepped out, all smiles.

“Princess, princess! Is Fleurs-Galaria going to be playing a larger role in international environmental regulations?”

Princess Sierra chucked. “Galaria is going to maintain our current role. We are always strong on environment. I am here to…” she leaned over to delegate Zaira, “Quel est.. smooth? Shmooze?”

She turned back to the reporter, “I am here to schmooze with other likeminded people.”

“Do you have anything to say about the criticism directed towards the monarchy’s push for nuclear power?”

Zaira interrupted before the princess had a chance to speak. “The monarchy, just like the Green Party is a firm believer in looking at the facts and the science, which says that nuclear is the best and greenest energy for its scale. Both in terms of economics and environmental wellbeing. The push to open the country’s first nuclear power plant by 2023 will help speed up the country’s promise to be 100% green power by 2025.”

“Is there any fear that attending these meetings may harm Galaria’s economic well-being?”

“No, no, no,” Princess Sierra said once the reporter held her microphone towards her. “While there are not many companies from Galaria that have an international presence, there are many international companies with a local one. Having a few more, especially those from companies and countries which share our interest in… green practice will help. Not hinder. And if that company builds battery then all the better for us.”

“What would you like to hear spoken on at the conference, your highness?”

“Fleurs-Galaria is a small island nation. I would like to know what the bigger countries have to say about the fish they keep taking from our waters. I would like to know about how they will keep from polluting the oceans which our country survives on. We are a country of pescitarien. Without clean rivers, lakes and oceans, we in Galaria may have a food shortage long before we have a climate catastrophe.”

As more questions were shouted their way, the Galarian group walked inside.

[Garbelia]

They'd arrived. Finally. Vyd found many stereotypes about Garbelia to be complete nonsense, but lateness and poor map skills were not one of those. They were undeniably true. Unfortunately so. The delegation arrived days later than most of the participants, having accidentally gone to Ransium and Mozworld first. Still, he thought, at least they were on time for the premier of his new solar-powered, improved capacity fuel cells.
The Garbelery delegation covered a range of subjects, from the government speaker on socialism and the environment, to the compostable merchandise salespeople and rewilding activists. Plus, they had some lovely vegan burgers made from Garbelery plants only.

Vyd had been in a constant state of anticipation ever since it was first announced he'd be travelling to First Creek Falls. The magnificent eco-city was exactly were Garbelia were aiming to be but from a personal perspective, he couldn't wait to try the cuisine and learn about how different nations were fighting the climate crisis. Of course, there was the more serious aspect, with Lutra Otto travelling via bullet train so as to arrive on time to the crucial summit.

Arriving in their solar raft was everything he hoped for. The gleaming spires, the integration with nature and technology and the many cultures. The Garbeli arrived at the piazza first, greeted by a large crowd. Vyd noticed the infamous pirates of Chan Island mingling with the other guests and shuddered. He had nothing against Chan Islanders particularly, but the necromancy thing did spook him.

He took a deep breath, and stepped out.

[Gandenia]

“This is what I like to see,” thought Gandenian Minister of Eco-Friendliness Gabriel Ben Tzion as he walked through the doors of the convention center. He looked around at the massive convention hall.
“I’m starving,” he thought to himself. He walked over to the food kiosks. He had just had vegan Indian food last night, tofurkey the night before, and vegan Kyratistani before that. The Vegan Gandenian food stall was the one that caught his eye. “Hi. I’ll have an arkuri wrap please.” The guy at the counter told him to pay 5 bucks. He went into a crowd of people conversating. He sat down on a bench along the wall.

He looked over and beside him was TapTapTap CEO Abbas Abd-al-Rashid, who happened to be Gandenian as well. Abbas was about to take a bite out of his own vegan arkuri wrap when Gabriel said “Mr. Abd-al-Rashid, how’s your desert drip irrigation going?”
Abbas looked at the stranger sitting next to him that happened to know his name. “Good,” he answered, sounding confused. “Who are you?”
Gabriel stuck out his hand, “Gabriel Ben Tzion, your Minister of Eco-Friendliness in Gandenia.”
“Oh. Nice to meet you. And my drip irrigation is going pretty well. We’re setting up pipes all over the desert in Gandenia. And in a couple other countries. Obviously we’re only taking up a small piece of land, but that land can provide jobs, give food, and help the environment. We’re putting most of it in the Sanar Province, but some in the Matuur Province and a tiny bit….”
Gabriel got bored when Abbas started talking about the details. As Abbas rambled on about his drip irrigation, Gabriel looked at his arkuri wrap to take a bite. Before he did, he noticed that the chicken looked like it had a weird texture. Then he remembered that it was vegan. He was vegan himself, but he was used to seeing arkuri wraps with chicken. He finished it within a few big bites.
“And so because of that we’re going to be able to put drip irrigation—“ Al-Rashid stopped when he looked up at Sovereign Nonta Ytbaum, leader of Gandenia.
“Let me guess,” Nonta started. “You’re rambling on about your drip irrigation again?”
Abbas looked at Gabriel with a slightly embarrassed look and Gabriel answered him with a Yeah-you-kinda-sound-dumb look.
“Anyways. How are you guys doing? Mr. Abd Al-Rashid, how’s your business going?”
“We’ll I was actually telling Mr. Ben Tzion about—“
“Ok,” Nonta interrupted. “I think I’ve been briefed well enough before on your company, Abbas. Thank you though. This is a pretty nice place. I thought more Gandenians would be here. Come. Let’s walk around ‘cause I haven’t eaten since last night.”

They walked around the convention through crowds of environmentalists, politicians and corporate CEOs. They got to the food stands when they heard the sound of metal crashing to the ground. They looked up and saw that the grate on the ceiling wasn’t there, and in its place came several people wearing brown leather boots and tricorn hats on ropes hanging down from the now-exposed air ducts. Nonta fell to the floor as a pirate landed on top of him.
“Figures,” he said grumpily as he got up off the floor. “Of course the Chan Islanders broke into the convention.”
“Are you ok, Sovereign?”, they both asked.
“It’s fine, I’m fine, thank you.”

Nonta, Abbas, and Gabriel started to head towards some transportation stations and as the sovereign, he knew everyone would follow. Nonta started talking to Abbas and marveling at the tech and all of the ministers started talking. They looked and talked about the bullet train car that was being displayed. They went inside, as people could tour the interior. It looked so luxurious, like the inside of a Vitesse or a Maserati, which meant it would probably be quite expensive to ride on.
“These are pretty nice seats.” Nonta said. “Probably made from fake leather.”
“Must be pretty high-grade, this looks identical to the real Jutsaish luxury leather in my Lamborghini Aventador,” said Abbas, unaware of what he said.
“You have a LAMBORGHINI?!”, exclaimed Nonta.
“You have REAL COW LEATHER?!”, exclaimed Gabriel.
“You have a GAS-POWERED CAR?!”, exclaimed both of them in unison.
“Oof. Yeah, probably shouldn’t have said that. Well, yeah, I do. But then again most of the corporates here do. After all, the EcoCON is basically just Greenwashing Central now, isn’t it? I’m not doing anything that all the other CEOs here are doing. What, you’re not mad, are you?”. Nonta diplomatically reassured Abbas that they were still on good terms, but Nonta and Gabriel tried to lose the CEO as soon as possible.

However, as Sovereign Nonta and Minister Ben Tzion walked away towards the urban agriculture section, Gabriel Ben Tzion could be heard whispering angrily to himself, “why’d they invite the corporations to the EcoCON?”

[Lura]

"Juna, when's the presentation? I'm so bored of sitting here."

"You've been saying that for hours now, Roven. It hasn't changed since the last time you asked."

"I know, but ever since the Chan Islanders crashed the party the event's felt so mundane!"

"We're only here a couple hours longer. You've been waiting for this long already, haven't you?"

"I know, but still..."

The two of them had been tasked with overseeing the bullet train display by Roza Coreo, the Luran delegate to Forest LEAF, and while plenty of government figures and influential businessmen had come over for a look, very few of them seemed actually interested in the technology at all.

"These are pretty nice seats."

The latest group of such individuals has shown up: a trio of Gandenians, one of whom is Gandenia's Sovereign. They have a conversation in which one of the men said something rather horrendous and then dismissed the entire convention as essentially a PR stunt. Probably some businessman. After their heated conversation, the individual in question was left alone, who promptly left the display.

"What kind of idiot admits to owning something environmentally harmful at a convention about protecting the environment?" The thought of someone dismissing the environment as some trivial matter had Roven seething in his seat.

"Ahoy, mateys!"

"Oh, h-hello there! Welcome to the Lurail LR-04 display piece, courtesy of the Pan-Forest Rail Corporation. Can I help you?" The Chan Islander made Roven very nervous, as Chan Islanders tend to do.

"Could you please explain the principles of this technology?" The burly swashbuckler asked.

Roven was taken aback by the disparity between the pirate's appearance and his question. "Very well. As I mentioned before this bullet train is an LR-04, developed primarily by Lura's national rail company, Lurail. The PFRC assisted in funding the project as well, so you may see trains like this one appear in rail networks throughout Forest! For now, however, they only appear in Lura's vibrant neon high-speed rail subway, connecting Lura's so-called Seven Cities."

"Does the Luran public transport network really use trains that look like this? It all seems a bit too expensive to me."

"I mean, just between you and me, I can confirm they don't look this nice. This is mostly just dressing to get them to sell better. But you didn't hear that from me, alright?"

Juna takes over the speech the two of them had repeated ad nauseam at this point. "Anyway, as far as technical aspects are concerned, the LR-04, like all the LR models developed prior, uses hydrogen produced from splitting water to run. Compared to the LR-03, the efficiency is about 10% higher. The top speed the LR-04 can hit is 550 km/h, also an improvement to the LR-03's top speed of 510 km/h."

"Oh, nice! We could rule the high seas much faster than currently with some of these in our armada. Do you think they could be made into bullet boats?"

"Uh..." Juna had not anticipated such a question, and so understandably did not have an appropriate response.

A voice can be heard outside. "Hey, Carlos! You done in there? Ching Shih is about to give her presentation!"

"Oh, finally! Thank you both for telling me about the latest innovations in rail technology, but really, solar-powered ships are where it's at!" The pirate apparently named Carlos takes his leave, emptying the display once more.

"...Well. That was an experience, hey, Roven?"

Roven mopes. "I wish I could learn about solar-powered pirate ships..."

[Daarwyrth]

Juna takes over the speech the two of them had repeated ad nauseam at this point. "Anyway, as far as technical aspects are concerned, the LR-04, like all the LR models developed prior, uses hydrogen produced from splitting water to run. Compared to the LR-03, the efficiency is about 10% higher. The top speed the LR-04 can hit is 550 km/h, also an improvement to the LR-03's top speed of 510 km/h."

As Juna was explaining the technical aspects behind the technology of Lura's bullet trains, one of Princess Madelyne's aides caught wind of the conversation and placed herself along the side of the display studying it while listening. She was smartly dressed, looked to be in her late-twenties and wore her reddish blonde hair loosely around her shoulders. Once the Chan Islander departed, the Daarwyrthian woman took a step closer to the display.

"Agatine Vylkenwald, attaché to Her Royal Highness Princess Madelyne of Daarwyrth, Chairwoman of the Royal Institute for Environmental Preservation," she introduced herself with a kurt nod at both Lurans.

"What can you tell me about the environmental impacts of the LR-04? In particular the infrastructure necessary to sustain these bullet trains," she said, her English accent slightly influenced by the nordic tones of her native tongue, while looking over her electronic tablet.

"Also, what kind of experiences have you had building the infrastructure for these bullet trains near, over or in bodies of water, and the impact their construction and maintenance have on marine environments?" she finished her set of questions, looking up from her tablet with a friendly smile.

[Lura]

Juna takes over the speech the two of them had repeated ad nauseam at this point. "Anyway, as far as technical aspects are concerned, the LR-04, like all the LR models developed prior, uses hydrogen produced from splitting water to run. Compared to the LR-03, the efficiency is about 10% higher. The top speed the LR-04 can hit is 550 km/h, also an improvement to the LR-03's top speed of 510 km/h."

As Juna was explaining the technical aspects behind the technology of Lura's bullet trains, one of Princess Madelyne's aides caught wind of the conversation and placed herself along the side of the display studying it while listening. She was smartly dressed, looked to be in her late-twenties and wore her reddish blonde hair loosely around her shoulders. Once the Chan Islander departed, the Daarwyrthian woman took a step closer to the display.

"Agatine Vylkenwald, attaché to Her Royal Highness Princess Madelyne of Daarwyrth, Chairwoman of the Royal Institute for Environmental Preservation," she introduced herself with a kurt nod at both Lurans.

"What can you tell me about the environmental impacts of the LR-04? In particular the infrastructure necessary to sustain these bullet trains," she said, her English accent slightly influenced by the nordic tones of her native tongue, while looking over her electronic tablet.

"Also, what kind of experiences have you had building the infrastructure for these bullet trains near, over or in bodies of water, and the impact their construction and maintenance have on marine environments?" she finished her set of questions, looking up from her tablet with a friendly smile.

Juna had failed to notice the aide while giving her speech on the LR-04. After recovering from the surprise that she had been unknowingly giving her speech to another, she replied, "Hello, and hope our display has been enlightening for you thus far. Now, as for our infrastructure: as you may have heard earlier, hydrogen is the fuel source of the LR series of trains, the LR-04 included. Panels designed to use solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen are the primary source of this fuel, which can then be stored in tanks for later use, even when the sun isn't shining. Because these panels are not unlike the more widespread solar panel, they can be mounted on buildings in the same way with similar expense."

Juna made a subtle gesture to Roven to address the remaining infrastructure questions. They were his speciality, after all.

"Uh, yes. Concerning the infrastructure of the railway itself, Lura has had its fair share of issues attempting to minimise environmental impact, and a number of avenues were considered when the rail project was in its infancy. Ultimately, the decision to go underground for the network helped to address a number of environmentally sensitive concerns at once.

The first concern was for material aquisition, given that Lura has almost no mining industry due to the strict regulations the Tsardom has imposed upon it. Material excavated from producing the tunnels was processed to provide a rather large amount of the metals needed for the production of the trains and related components.

The second concern was disturbing natural ecosystems, which in Lura between the Seven Cities there are quite a number of. Because a high speed rail needs to be relatively straight to minimise slow turns, there was no feasible way to structure the lines to be both convenient and efficient if they were on the surface unless some ecosystems were sufficiently disturbed. We can't have the government committing crimes for the sake of this infrastructure project, so it was off the table."

Agatine scribbles notes on her tablet vigorously. Daarwyrth must be interested in a metro line of their own, thought Roven.

"Lura's geography makes such a large scale infrastructure project difficult to build on the surface even without the concern of the environment, which brings me to the last of your questions: how we have handled water during the project. Much of Lura, and in particular the Seven Cities, exists near major rivers like the river Alane, which flows through Lunaja-Solare to bisect it into the twin city we know it as. Luran rivers are not sufficiently deep enough for our tunnel system to need to accommodate them, but Lake Nijuri was problematic. Even in the relatively shallow arm that sat between Hijelor and Lunaja-Solare, special precautions had to be taken. The tunnel slopes downwards on approach to the lake to prevent undermining it, before sloping upwards to a reasonable level below Hijelor to the station. By avoiding the waters entirely, it reduces the cost of maintaining the tunnel since very little in the way of waterproofing and the like is necessary. As a bonus, avoiding the lake additionally minimises impact on the life within it."

Juna takes a deep breath and takes over once again. "Okay, I think we've talked your ear off for long enough. If you were hoping we could help with logistical problems relating to a sea tunnel, we only have our lake experience to give unfortunately. I have no doubts that an influential Union of Forest member like Daarwyrth could secure the cooperation needed to make one work, though."

"Thank you both for your time," Agatine began, "It has been most enlightening. Now, if you will excuse me," she moves out of sight of the two Lurans, though if she had really left, Juna was not confident to say for sure.

"Daarwyrth-Mozworld undersea connector?" whispered Juna to Roven. "That I would like to see. I love ambitious infrastructure projects," replied Roven.

[Daarwyrth]

"Thank you both for your time," Agatine began, "It has been most enlightening. Now, if you will excuse me," she moves out of sight of the two Lurans, though if she had really left, Juna was not confident to say for sure.

After having politely thanked the Luran representatives for their time, Agatine did indeed leave, and started in the direction of another booth yet at a slower walking pace. In the meanwhile she finalised her notes and sent a brief copy of them to the virtual workspace of Princess Madelyne. With a satisfied smile she looked up from her Teknyk tablet and picked up the pace.

---

In another part of the convention hall, Elyna de Muys, CEO of Futuryka Systemen and Daarwyrth's foremost tech industry magnate, had arrived with a small entourage and made her way to the Futuryka booth at the convention. Clad in a stylish, navy blue dress suit she didn't pay much attention to the people around her, and was instead going over her presentation cues on her tablet. Once she and her entourage had reached the stall where Futuryka displayed its newest innovations in the field of AI technology and software development, she looked up with a cordial smile at her staff already managing the booth.

"How's the prototype doing?" she asked, switching off her tablet and putting it away in her purse.

"The Seas favour us today, as everything has been running smoothly," one of the chief programmers noted cheerfully.

"Just what I like to hear, good. The Whalvys Prospyr is our chance to bring our operating system to other nations in Forest, and it's a chance I'm very eager to grasp with both hands," she paused for a second, looking around the booth at her people with an anticipatory smile. "I hope you all are as well."

"Yes, M'am!" the Daarwyrthian crowd said in unison, as eager grins and expressions settled on their faces.

"Then let us see what kind of fish we'll haul in today. Let's get to work!"

[Middle Barael]

A loudspeaker overhead urged all the government officials present to make for the Forestian Assembly Building [https://www.freeimageslive.co.uk/image/view/7095/_original], no doubt to assemble the governments so that they could vote for Thalia’s replacement. Thalia herself was speed-walking to the nearest exit, trying to reach the Assembly Chambers with time enough to spare for her stylist to fix her makeup, which was beginning to run as she stress-sweated. Theoretically it should not have taken her so long to find an exit, but with the rush of people going from attraction to attraction it was proving difficult.

All of a sudden, Thalia heard a voice calling her name. “Ms. Lemaire! Ms. Lemaire! Syrene vyn Nysen, Lvos News. May I ask you a couple questions?”
“No, I’m sorry, madam, but as you can see I am in a bit of a hurry?”
“Well may I at least ask whither you go in such a rush?”
“To the Assembly Chambers, but I am currently running late so may I please be on my way, and I promise I’ll find you at some point later on so you can ask me your questions.”
“Wait, quickly, what’re yourself thoughts on the rumors of some Gandenian billionaire bragging about owning a gas-powered car and claiming that this who thing is a sham?”
“Where did you hear this?”
“Oh, it’s the whole talk of the town. Apparently this billionaire was walking with some Gandenian government ministers near the Lurail LR-04 train when some Lurans overheard, and then they told some Daarwyrthian trade attache.”
“Oh, well, then since this is the first I’m hearing of it I guess m answer is that I just hope this is imply an unfounded rumor then.”
“Ok, thanks miss. It’s been really nice ta—“

Before the reporter could finish, Thalia was off and away. She was usually far more courteous, but she was stressed and in a rush and did not have time for her usual courtesies. Thalia continued, speed-walking even faster, looking for the nearest exit. She made it to the main staircase [1600px-Bundeshaus_Kuppelhalle_Uebersicht.jpg], which had survived the anarchy following the government’s collapse. She had to walk gingerly, as the spongy velvet carpeting and the relative steepness of the staircase was not conducive to heels.

From behind her came a quiet voice. “Uh, excuse me? Oh wow, you-you’re Thalia Le-Lemaire?”
“That I am”, she sighed, purposefully trying to show that she did not have time to speak. He didn’t notice.
“Um, could you please, um, point me to the Solar Energy exhibition area? I-I’ve got a presentation soon on our Garbelian improved-capacity fuel cells, and—“
“Go two stories up, make a right turn, continue straight,” said Thalia, before angrily taking off her shoes and racing down the stairs.

“Ugh, it’s like I can’t catch a break today. I mean I know I’m the President of the UoF, but still! It’s like everyone’s tryin’ to talk to me right now”, she quietly exclaimed as she finally reached the piazza. Out of the corner of her eye Thalia saw Sovereign Nonta of Gandenia walking to her right with their environmental minister, Gabriel Ben-Tzion, and to her left she saw Princess Sierra of l’Île du Fleurs-Galarique, daintily wandering the food stalls. Thalia picked up her pace, as she simply did not have the time for chit-chat with these leaders. She’d see them soon enough when the governments voted for the next Union of Forest President, but right now she simply lacked the time. Thalia ran over to the doors of the Assembly Building, using her pashmina to cover her face so that she would not be seen by someone and forced to talk to them. Unfortunately, this meant that she could not fully see what was in front of her, and it is for that reason that she ran into a rumoredly-undead possibly-necromantic pirate lord.

“Oof, oh, uh, Captain Greenbeard, sir, I-I didn’t see you. I’m so, so, sorry, are you alright?”
“Aye, I am, thank ya very much” said the captain in his thick Chan accent. “Where arrrr ya headed in such a rush?”
“Oh, well, sigh, I’m supposed to be preparing for the speech I’m gonna be giving in a few minutes over beyond those doors, y’know, telling everyone about the elections since I’m stepping back— wait I should definitely not be telling you this, please forget everything I just said, please.”
“Forget what, m’lady?”, he said with his usual wit. “Of course Thalia, your wish is my command. Here, grab a hold of me.”
“Wait wha—“

The Captain fired his grapple gun, and together they swung right into Thalia’s office through an open window, saving them a good few minutes.
“Quick, Thalia, find your makeup team, then I’d suggest ya go downstairs to the chamber. No need to thank me, just hurry!”

Without thinking twice Thalia rushed over to her make-up team, then down to the chamber. She arrived with just 60 seconds to spare, and most of the dignitaries were by then assembled and waiting. Thalia took a long, deep sip of water, checked her notes, put on her reading glasses, and began.

“Welcome everyone to the Forestian Assembly Chambers. I have asked all of you to assemble here this evening as I have a very important announcement to make. I have been in charge of the Union of Forest for a little over a year now, and I have watched as together we have transformed it from a relatively trivial international agreement into a full-fledged, deeply influential and integrated international union. I have seen so many great changes go into place, both with regards to policy and in seeing so many of our citizens change and grow into better citizens of our world. But this job is a very difficult one, and though I am so, so very proud to have overseen the renewal of this wonderful and esteemed body, I believe that it is my turn now to pass the torch. Someone new must oversee this organization as it only grows in cohesiveness and influence. And so that is why I am announcing tonight new elections for the President of the Union of Forest, as I step down. All the national; Delegates to the Union of Forest should find under their assigned seats envelopes with their ballots. However, since this is so much of a surprise, I will give an hour for these Delegates to consult with the national leaders and with each other, before each of them cast their vote. I am so, so glad to see our democracy functioning in this institution, and I know that as Forestians we will choose the right person as the new President of the UoF. Thank you and good--“

Suddenly a man walked on stage. Asher Ben-Itamar, of Escher Security Services, one of the security guards at this event. He approached Ms. Lemaire, and leaned in to whisper in her ear. With her microphone still on, some of their whispered conversation could be heard. “You’ve been trying to find me?!….huh?…. Shira Meron?….today!?….here, now?!…. Occupy….how much time?….gosh…ok.”

Thalia Lemaire approached the microphone again. “Quiet, quiet, shhh, all of you! The Occupy Forest protestors are going to be descending on the Forest EcoCON tonight. They’re currently on a bunch of zero-carbon planes and boats, heading from all across Forest to the city. We’ve got approximately one hour. You may panic now.”

[Middle Barael]

OOC

This section of the RP is officially over. This RP, the Forest EcoCON, will be merging with our other ongoing RP, Occupy Forest. I will create a new combined thread for both within the next few days.

Please do not post anymore on this thread or on the Occupy Forest thread. I will telegram the Mods shortly asking them to lock both IC threads.

In the meantime, sit back, relax, and let's Occupy the Forest EcoCON!!!