Terra Ferra

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''Prelude Hoysee Castle''

The steady rain on the window sounded in counter point to the heated conversation behind him. Grand-duke Mikal IV looked wistfully across the rain soaked roof tops clustered below the castle walls to the heavy woods beyond. If he didn't have to be here being bored he could  have been hunting boar. The small pun made him smile, just a bit.

It had all seemed such a good idea just a few weeks ago. Offer his good offices as a mediator between Flamboyance and Nordsbocco in there endless trade wrangle. Simultaneously cutting out any involvement by Keller's iron chancellor and appearing to all as a diplomat of note, would hurt his own aspirations to become King of Hoysee either. But now it seemed the talks had reached an impasse. Turning he walked back to rejoin the delegates.

For as long as anyone could remember Nordsbocco, guarding the only pass south through the Grand Mountains, had grow rich by taxing the trade between north and south. This had of course meant a never ending series of arguments about how much was too much between Nordsbocco and its neighbours. But the stumbling block this time was, to those not involved ridiculous. How much was an opera score worth? 

Flamboyance had as part of it never ending search for high culture status built a new and magnificent Opera House, but with no home grown talent the only source of operas was the far south. Nordsbocco maintained that as many people would pay good money to hear the opera sung in the new venue they wanted a cut of those profits. Flamboyance on the other hand claimed it was the paper and ink which passed over the routes south and therefore the value of the score was trivial! The Grand-duke wondered if he dare use that particular argument to get out of a visit to the opera next time he visited Flamboyance?

Suddenly the Flamboyant Minister leapt to his feet. “This is too much! Flamboyance will not bow to these demands this means war!”  He then turned and stormed from the room, leaving his words hanging above the stunned group. 

Events moved quickly after that. Following the two delegates visiting the Grand-duke to collect there passports before leaving it was a gloomy gathering of Mikal and his adviser which met the following afternoon. What was meant to be a diplomatic triumph had turned to dust but that was not the worst of it. With little need for and army Nordsbocco's was more a comic opera sort of affair, while Flamboyance had one of the best in the region. If Nordsbocco lost Hoysee could not allow Flamboyance to dominate the only route south and must also mobilize. Where will it end the Duke thought and all over some awful music as well. He did not know much about opera but he did know that this affair would not be over until the 'fat lady' had sung and that appeared a long way of at the moment.

[[Opera War - The Battle of Meols Halt]]
Terra Ferra

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