Paperwork, Paperwork (Late MT 22 Chyril)

[Barrett]

Upon arriving at Citadel, Barrett first penned several notes for pages to deliver to the Dort Embassy and the Archives.

To Dort Embassy:

Thavia,
I do hope that we might steal a few burns so that I can catch up on things here in Citadel. You have always been the most enjoyable source of information in my list of resources, and I hope that nothing has changed in the passing months to alter that.

Barrett

Lady Mairi,
I do hope that you have adjusted well to life in Citadel this past season. I am afraid I have been living in isolation and have had no news for some time. However, my current project might hold some interest for you. The new airship in the harbor, the Golden Grace is the product of my work and the toil of the gnomes of Nipponar. Yet somehow, it did not occur to me to seek out the expertise of the Empire's most accomplished shipbuilders in Hafne. Perhaps we might arrange some sort of collaboration to improve the next generation of Imperial airships. I look forward to speaking with you on this and other matters.

Sincerely,
Barrett Threespan

To The Archives:

Mistress Tabeann,
Greetings. I regret having to take such a mysterious leave, but the fruits of my labor (and the steadfast gnomes) can be seen currently at the Harbor. I will be seeking lodgings elsewhere for myself and my crew, but in the meantime I have instructed some of them to send word to me at the Archives if they need contact me swiftly. I pray this is not too much of an inconvenience. I look forward to giving you a tour of the Golden Grace and her workings. I also have a set of schematics available for archival records.

Barrett Threespan,
Ambassador of Nipponar

Mistress Monica Gerhard,
My dear Monica, I hope your research has been productive these past few months. My own has been quite eventful. While the technical aspects of it might bore you, the fact that it was carried out on Nipponar should get your interest. In fact, I have brought several of my gnome friends for a visit here at Citadel. One Miklos Tsale in particular may come seeking me at the Archives. His speech is rapidfire even by gnome standards, so, as translator, you might be the only one to understand him correctly. I suspect I will also be in need of your services in an official capacity.

Barrett Threespan
Delinquent Archivist and Nipponese Ambassador

That taken care of, he headed directly to the Chancellor's office to present his papers to Hector. He couldn't wait to see the man's reaction.

Office of the Chancellor


Technically a guest within the Citadel fortress, the Lord Chamberlain held his office and the offices of his staff towards the center of the compound, surrounding and supporting the Advisory Council and the War Council itself. A common sight either here or in the Advisory Hall, the Lord Chancellor was responsible for affairs of the Empire, reporting directly to the Caesar and no one else, assuming his powers over the Assembly when the Caesar was otherwise detained...a state of affairs that had become somewhat common in recent yahren.

Seeking a more stern and severe office, the current Lord Chancellor disregarded rugs in favor of the harsh stone of the Citadel itself. Covering every wall of his office were maps and charts of every nation in the Seven Isles as well as most locations in the Western Kingdoms and a few more global charts, each commissioned by the finest mapmakers in the lands and all lacking in the customary decoration or illustrative relief that were so common on most maps of the period. His desk was a large slab of dark marble, a gift from the dwarves of Nazareen in ages past, and the back wall of his office was covered not in maps, but in casements, all of which were full with ledgers, books, and scrolls stashed haphazardly and with no apparent organization. The Lord Chancellor was a messy, scattered man, and his office reflected this, with all four of the chairs within routinely covered in documents or orders that either awaited Imperial approval or that had received Imperial approval and awaited his own approval from the Lord Privy Seal, his closest assistant.

It seemed like ages since the Querist had made his first trip to these doors. And the results of that conference had been quite eventful. Hopefully this would be a calmer moment of good cheer. Hopefully. One never knew with the Chancellor's temper.

[Grey Wolf]

Hector was known for his temper and his rather foul mood, but it was not a norm by a long shot. He merely did not like concealing his irritation and when one hated the politicians more than anything else and dealt with politicians on a daily basis one did not need much to get cranky. This time however Hector was not busy like most other times, the Chancellor reclining in a comfortable chair to the side, legs raised on a pile of probably important papers and he was reading a book. Or he would have been reading a book had it not been for a barely audible snore rumbling in his chest and the fact that his eyes were closed at the moment.

[Barrett]

Barrett smiled quietly at the scene before him. Undoubtedly Hector deserved his rest now and then. Still, curiosity mixed with mild outrage at the sight of documents being used as a footrest. Not long ago, the Querist would have used this opportunity to attempt to snoop through the documents about the Chamberlain's office.

Instead, he contented himself with glancing at the title of the book that "occupied" the apparently comatose man.

He stood back a respectful distance and cleared his throat.
"Ahem!"

[Grey Wolf]

The book's title was hard to distinguish, the leather covers of the smallish tome cracked from age, the writing peeling off even now. What little was still legible was still quite faded. Di__y o_ _ag__ra T__ A_kee_ Not much to go by, bit without holding a book and examining it under the magnifying glass there would be no way for Barrett to know what the original title was.

His polite cough had a rather profound effect, the Chancellor jerking upright, and a fraction of a flicker later catching the book before it could fall from his chest, the flashing glance revealing that the pages within were much better preserved, filled with row upon row of neat red-inked handwriting. The book snapped shut in his hand and after a glance towards the Querist, followed by a slight confusion upon his features, Hector smiled and took a moment to compose himself. Covering his mouth he yawned, and then rubbed at his eyes, before motioning towards another chair in the room, a clutter of papers covering it a bit less than the others. "Please Master Threespan, do sit down. Push those papers down on the floor. I have been working the entire night and as you see the exhaustion caught me just as I was relaxing during a small lull. What can I do to help you?"

[Barrett]

Barrett's brows crinkled as he did some quick substitutions for most likely linguistic matches.
Lagnora Tal Alkeen?... a Diary?

As the pages of the book were revealed for an instant, the inconsistency in age and wear with the cover only caused more of a riddle. But there were more immediate concerns than the Chamberlain's choice of reading materials.

"I am certain that you deserve what rest you can snatch in these times, my lord. And I would hesitate to intrude, but I have rather urgent matters of state that need attention and am certain that you can help guide me through at least part of what needs be done."
Barrett spoke as he shifted the papers to another stack, but he had great care for what he was doing and could not keep from skimming the top of the stack before taking the offered seat.
"Here are still more papers for you to peruse."
He removed a small bundle of documents from his satchel and handed them to Hector.
"I do not know if you were aware of my recent project in Nipponar... but my choice to work with the gnomes has had some rather unforeseen complications in that political obligations have been woven into what was initially a project of engineering."

"The empire's first airship is currently docked at Citadel Harbor... I have been charged with setting up an Embassy for Nipponar, among other things. Yet the need to house my crew is more immediate and I was wondering if there might not be temporary lodgings available in some wing of Citadel or other until permanent arrangements can be made."

[Grey Wolf]

Judging by the drowsy look of Hector Anzillo he had been napping for quite some time, but not nearly enough to make up for a sleepless night. Or was it two in a row? As it turned out his attention was mostly on the new set of mustaches under Barrett nose, with the Chancellor finding them somewhat amusing, but doing his best to hide it, with a well placed yawns and eye rubs. The amusement was quickly replaced by a slight shock and quite a bit of surprise as the man spoke. Hector was simply too sleepy for all that to come all of a sudden.

"Airship? You actually did it? I have heard reports of it from the Duke, but to actually hear you managed to construct one is... Well, let us say unexpected in order to skip the less prude terms, which I would have used to describe the way I feel." He took the papers, Barrett carried and placing the book on the desk, went through them, rising at one moment and pacing the room. "Well, it is not just the setting up of Embassy. it says here you are to be the Ambassador. And I will see what can be done about lodgings. I shall contact Stephen Matiro right away and see if we have a place suitable for the Embassy. You can use the one of the old Purple Guard barracks in the meantime. The Imperial Guard is still not up to the old Guard's strength, so there is some room left."

[Barrett]

"Of course we did it," Barrett's smile was triumphant, "Incredible, really, in such a short time. Only one mustn't be too hasty to compare the Grace to a full-fledged Condotierre airship. She is a prototype, after all. We haven't yet matched their speed, and we'll need sturdier materials to make travel at those higher altitudes practical. Now that we've got the working model, I'm hoping the University can help us come up with a power source and some more practiced shipwrights out of Hafne might enlighten our construction to survive harsh winds. There's a political aspect there. Trying to get this project to represent Empire pride so that we're not though of as backward by our own people. Also, hoping that the Hafne factor can give them something to shout about that's related to their being part of the Empire. Of course I'm a priest, not a politician-ohwaitiguessIamapoliticiannowwhatAmabassadorandalland-"

He caught himself before the mustaches took flight.

"I do apologize. So much time speaking at their rhythm you see. Now about the Barracks, is there perhaps one available with a workshop attached, and a smithy? Something not too close to other quarters as they tend to keep odd hours and, er, several crewmen are eager to continue with surface materials experiments that they couldn't safely carry out aboard ship."

"Also, I guess I should be aware of any official obligations, ceremonies or whatnot that go along with being Ambassador. We are unconventional, but I don't want to appear carelessly so. The survival of Nipponar is a grave matter. I do not want any of the other nations to get the impression that we are frivolous about representation."

[Grey Wolf]

Had Hector not just woken up he might have reacted differently, but in his current state the Chancellor merely hummed and scratched behind his ear. "Well, from what I gather the Mouth has sent one of their craft to the University of Magic and they are currently researching the principles on which it works. Trying to reverse engineer it as they have dubbed their efforts. We know the basic principles behind the technology and how it correlates to magick, but not much more." The still sleepy man reached into a stack of papers on his desk and after a flicker or two of browsing through a seemingly chaotic pile, pulled out a few papers.

"Here is the progress report, and while I understand the gist of it, I am afraid it is still a bit too technical for me. Still, as the Chancellor the Imperial Navy is under my command in the absence of the actual Admiral so I have to cope with it. I would suggest you go to the University and inquire there. They will know more about the actual thing and I am sure they won't mind helping you with your project as well. I'll write you a letter of recommendation if you wish to speed up the things?" He arched a brow, already reaching for paper and quill.

"I believe the barracks have their own smithy and I will instruct Captain Summers to have your men, erm gnomes be given access to it. I am afraid the separate workshop won't be easy to find, but I will see what can be done. I guess we will just have to secure the place for new Embassy as fast as possible so you can move there soon." He shrugged and then paused his mind having trouble catching up so soon after waking up. Then he remembered the last bit of information and rose from his chair. "With new Caesar in place the task of accepting the accreditations falls to him. I think he is about to start this morning audience so we could go there and take care of it right away?"

[Barrett]

"They've allowed us one for observation? Really? I would have expected them to be reluctant to any such arrangement."
Barrett reached forward to gather the report and give it a hasty read-through on the spot while he continued the conversation.
"Ah... I don't think a letter will be necessary in this instance: I'm on rather good terms with the University. Unless of course they have orders to maintain secrecy. Speed is a good thing in the acquisition of data, after all."

"Hmm... interesting approach..."

"I'll send word to my first officer about the temporary lodging. They'll have to adapt the space a bit to gnome scale, but they would have to do that most places. It will be a challenge our ship's carpenter will relish. The new Caesar..."

"I daresay I was expecting to have some word from Andolin by now. Hopefully he'll understand the practicality of my consulting you first. Morning audience then, although I hope it won't be a long one: I'm eager to see Mistress Tabeann and catch up on Archives activities."

[Grey Wolf]

"Not observation. They gave us one. Period. And they gave us the technology basis to make more. Though it will be a while before we can manufacture one ourselves, I think it is safe to say we can make airships of the kind Mouth has. And with your vessel in the harbor and your crew's knowledge of its manufacture we can have an edge in future conflicts." The Chancellor paused and hummed. "We need to think of new strategies and tactics to which these new ships are suited. And for that we need a new Imperial Admiral. Someone with the brains to use these new assets wisely." The paper itself contained a bunch of figures and tabs with the calculations and projections of necessary materials and time to produce the new airship. With the repairs on the hull damaged by the engineering mistake, the first prototype was ready to have its test flight in two days.

Rising from his seat Hector motioned toward the door. "Come, let us go meet the Caesar them. I am sure he will be most eager to see you and hear your report himself." He waited for Barrett to move before following, locking the door once they were in the hallway. The Chancellor's voice was clear of any sarcasm or bitterness when he mentioned the new ruler and the need for the audience. It was with a faint smile that he led the way towards the Throne Room.

OOC: Please proceed here

[Tristam]

Thread skilled!