1874-04-17: A meeting at the Bank
A meeting at the bank
Summary: Mattias meets with the Kentaire Praetor to discuss a few matters
Date: 1874-04-17
Related: A Tentative Peace
NPCs: Jonathan
Players:
Mattias  Jonathan  

Mattias' office.
A stone room, with no windows, though rather decently decorated.
1874-04-17

Mattias sat and waited at his desk, a freshly brewed caraffe of kaffe stood on the sideboard, and a veritable bevy of unimportant papers sat unread upon his desk. The office was one of the most secure places within Four Corners, the banking house itself was a fortress in everything but name. Smaller than most, but highly defensive nevertheless.

Beyond the office, the Praetor had been welcomed by the Chancellor's be-wigged and ancient notary, any and all guards offered refreshment and a suitable place to retire for the moment, and the Praetor himself was conducted at a slow pace to the Chancellor's office, finally being shown through into the stone room through its only exit. With a gravelly harumph, and a bow, the old be-wigged ancient departed and closed the door behind him.

And Mattias smiled and pushed himself to his feet, offering a bow to the Praetor while gesturing with his gloved hand to the comfortable chair opposite, "Praetor, it is good to see you. Do make yourself comfortable, kaffe?" The Chancellor already in the process of pouring himself a cup of the steaming beverage, "Or I can have wine brought up from the vaults." Either way, the Chancellor continues as he stirs his own coffee thoughtfully.

"I'll speak candidly, the two kingdoms got the peace they deserved, not the peace they wished for, and though somewhat sour-faced, the gaggle of Aequorian and Galenthian nobility who failed to press any military advantage beyond their own soil desired greater concessions to slake the lusts of their dented egos. That much was evident. I am sure that the blood of the commonfolk could not flow enough to sate such lusts. But in time they will surely come to realise that they got the peace they deserved. But that is not why I asked you to visit me dear Praetor. In short, thank you for presence at the signing of the treaty."

The Chancellor turned as he busied himself near the carafe, exquisite cups neatly arranged with a faint clink of porcelain and an idle twitch of his gloved hand, "Now to the crux of this meeting, I would like to see that offer of marriage extended to Galenthia, for the sake of future peace. I realise that the Viscount Chandus very clumsily sought to stir treason and treachery, and that alone is reason to spite Galenthia, but on the other hand, a marriage joining Kentaire and Galenthia, would forge a bond between two neighbours, and they are quite a neighbour of yours after all. Such an offer made directly to the Queen with reference to looking past Viscount Chandus' foolish attempts at formenting rebellion within your Principality would certainly aid Kentaire in furthering an air of true statesmanship and diminish the Viscount's political clout for years to come."

"The Queen remains unmarried, oh what a partnership that would be? Though a good many Duchies of repute and renown are of course open to such a fine offer of exquisite pedigree I am sure. Perhaps even Chandus?" Mattias murmurs merrily, daring to take a sip of his coffee, "It makes sense, though to punish Galenthia makes an equal amount of sense. But to diminish an enemy, to forge new bonds with a neighbour? To show them how kind, generous, benevolent Kentaire is despite such slurs cast from idle nobles who failed to lead their kingdom to victory."

Mattias pauses once more, "My own involvement need no mention should my request be considered, I require nothing this world has to offer, but I do like balance, and with that I seek to sweeten the kaffe so to speak." Again the Chancellor smiles, somehow making a jovial act almost seem unnervingly unnatural, "Publically the Free City State of Four Corners will seek to rebuild our bonds of trade and brotherhood, I do not wish for another shadow war against the Syndicate, at least not one conducted so openly. Any and all transgressions conducted during that demon Telekos' reign of terror are forgiven. It was an unnatural time for all."

Mattias again pauses to regard the Praetor warmly, kaffe clutched in one hand and a silver spoon in the other, "Do you prefer yours sweetened? Or was it the wine? Regardless! I have agents scattered throughout every kingdom, well-placed, professional, unlikely to ever leave an incriminating letter unburned and ripe for confiscation. In return for promoting peace for generations to come, what I offer is unity, a chance to truly work together."

"My network of intelligence working alongside that of Kentaire's, a small number of agents from each working together as one under the guise of some institution, banking or otherwise, with access to relevant information gained from each branch, though our own sources and so forth will remain the sole purview of each respective nation and remain undisclosed for the sake of security, yet together this fine group of keen minds will undoubtedly be able to glean something from the intelligence that we share. Threats to our mutual security and standing, it would be good to track down that fiend Telekos and any who seek to aid him still. I was thinking for a duration of five years to start with, see how our two nations work together, with our agents given some measure of freedom, I'm sure that though you and I may provide oversight on trickier matters, though those we choose will be more than able to deal with matters as they see fit."

"Oh and publically, every effort will be made to further our bond with matters of trade and a newfound respect in the Senate of the West. A voice for peace, a voice for the smaller nations that Aequor and Galenthia have tried to and failed to stifle. What say you my dear Praetor? Regardless of all I have said, a well-placed marriage with Galenthia is a wise decision. A marriage that may well shape your two realms in years to come."


The Praetor accepts the Kaffe and listens to the words that the Chancellor dishes out. He quietly adds some cream and a few spoons of sugar, and then, strangely adds honey, which is the Kentairish fashion. He leans back in his chair thinking as Mattias gives him options, and lectures him, just a little, on the political nature of events. When the Chancellor finishes, Johnathan Callis takes one more sip off his Kaffe and smiles at the other man. "I thank you for your concern, on behalf of Kentaire's future." He dips his head respectfully.

Setting the Kaffe aside he folds his hands in his lap. "My dear Chancellor, my lord father the Prince has no interest in breaking the agrement with Galenthia over the marriage contract. As a man of diplomacy yourself surely you recognize the advantagous nature one finds themselves in when you hint at the possibility." He reaches into his neat and prim uniform coat and pulls out a document, offering it to the Chancellor. "The marriage contract as signed by his Excellency the Prince of Kentaire. It is everything Galenthia asked for in the Marriage contract."

Chuckling, he picks up the Kaffe again and sips the warm honeyed cafinated drink. "Oh. To see the look on Galenthia's delegation's face was quite delicious." He shakes his head, a look of mirth on his features. "It was mostly an indulgence of mine. Father has this respect for his Cousin, Galenthia's Queen, I for one find them idiotic and damn near Barbaric. They allow the Many to worship freely, with that Vitch Kaedon holding nearly as much power as one of their Provincial heads, a Duke." He waves a hand. "And have you seen Duke Tarris? He actually scarred his face with those Garali Tattoos of his. Barbaric. Little more than." He sighs and sips his Kaffe once more.

"But. An alliance. Of agents?" Callis grins at Mattias. "I could speak to the Internal Legion officers." He pauses in thought. "What are the stipulations Chancellor? What is it you want from Kentaire for this mutual alliance?"

There's a smile, crooked and indeed mingled with mischief as the Chancellor regards the Praetor, "Oh it was, not just the Galenthian faces either, the Aequorians were certainly amusingly grim and in one case delightfully petty and childish. At times it almost feels as if they'll grant titles to anyone, sayeth Sir Mattias." Mattias grins all the broader as he settles, kaffe in hand and his gloved hand flexed idly beneath the tightness of the leather glove that sheaths his old wound, "I'm am heartened to say the least, they did ask much and insult too greatly, though your handling of the lesser lords was certainly fun to watch."

"I think our Agents combined should work towards finding and thwarting any threats to the stability of Tirth, I would say start small, but quite frankly war is an easy state to slide back into. There are foolish lords and ladies with ambitions that outstrip their abilities and acumen, those who think highly of their feverish plots and have little regard for the consequences of failure for they never think they'll fail." Mattias exhales faintly, setting his cup aside to steeple his fingers and idly stretch his fingers while shifting his gaze back to Callis.

"A selection of Agents, who will make use of their respective agencies to track down threats, and together either eliminate said threat or pass the intelligence to those more suited to ending any attempt to bring our nations to war once more. And should any intelligence arise from the work of this agency, both your Internal Legion and my own Agents will be apprised. Every little titbit comes in use at some point after all. As one, the unit will cover more ground, receive more intelligence, be able to make use of internal correspondence to act swiftly and decisively, and whatever costs they incur, we're uniquely positioned to not worry about the costs, and even more so to know that our coin will not be wasted." Mattias states before reaching for his kaffe once more.

"In short they will seek to silence the rabble rousers regardless of rank, to seek outward threats and deal with them as is required, and while our respective intelligence agencies will remain separate, this unique group will be able to make use of our respective intelligence and work together. Other benefits are that various threats we've both documented are verified by two separate sources. I think that one of the first things they should look into is Teleko, that demon, his supporters be they dead or still lurking, they have been the gravest threat to Tirth in living memory, and one we must strive to truly eradicate, root and stem." Mattias states in a manner no less different than a bank clerk might state the worth of a account, "They can make use of whatever military support we seek to offer, though said support is likely to be irregular."

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