You ask for this Alalkan over to Methiant.
1167 AD, Late Winter
Prince Alalkan is nowhere as scary as his uncles or cousins; he is of short stature, has a pleasant face and his beard is neatly combed, not long and pointy like that of other Parsian royal. However, like all Parsians, there's a tint of confidence and arrogance present in the youth.
On the other hand, he is about Bjern's age.
You drill him for questions.
"Where are Princes Manipur and Dashir?"
"Dashir fled before Manipur's strength, and Manipur fled before your Army, like a duo of covering dogs they are." His voice, while loud and condescending towards his family, is rather calm. "Dashir's supposedly fled to Gubtas or Suravayas or maybe further east to Chupa. Who knows. Manipur fled to the mountains with few of his most loyal supporters early in the year and we haven't heard of him since." Your courtiers murmur as the obvious question rolls onto your tongue.
"So if Manipur fled, why you folk didn't surrender?" Alalkan scoffs a bit.
"You underestimate our honor! We would not surrender till we were beaten, and even then, we awaited the order from King Shapur. He never told us to stop fighting you, so we never did."
Next question.
"Where is Princess Abis and her children?" This question puts Alalkan off; it takes him few moments to even remember who your nieces and sister-in-law are, apparently.
"They're dead by now, mostly. Princess Abis was welcomed back by King Shapur, but noblemen at the court and the shahs in the army weren't very charitable towards her. Her son Alif was slain by your soldiers; her daughters had to abandon the faith of Alldivines and claims in your lands and were married off to some peasants or mayhaps caravan masters. We do not keep track of their fates. As for Abis, she was always torn between Methiant and Parsia, and fell deeper into sadness and loneliness. I believe it was three winters ago when she drank elixir made of redthorn and lionbane, and killed herself. Neither the court nor King Shapur shed any tears." There's some grumbling in your court about this cruel and most dishonorable fate that befell members of Methiant royal family, some almost taking all this quite personally, but they quieten when you raise your hand to bring order.
"What of Gubtas? Manipur won a war against them, I want some details"
"Manipur's soldiers stormed the Palace of Gubta, killed their Emperor and enslaved many of their noble wives and maidens. Manipur demanded money and oliphaunts and other luxuries in return for letting Gubta live as they did before. Their defeat shook their country quite hard, or so we heard. Surely their pride and vanity served them this fate. We took no lands nor imposed any restrictions or further treaties upon them."
All most important questions have been answered.
"You were brought here to negotiate terms of treaty between Methiant and Parsia."
"And I will do so, on behalf of King Shapur, may his name always be blessed. My uncle recognizes that we were beaten, but has ordered me to not give up our faith or our ancestral lands-" Alalkan knocks on his chest with his left fist. "-and I'm going to fulfill his orders. Imprison me in deepest of your dungeons, Emperor Yoe, and I shall still not yield."
You decide to...
A) Begin negotiations with Alalkan of Parsia.
B) Entertain Alalkan's suggestion, throw the brat into the dungeon and send for another, more compliant, envoy!
Poll
Author
Topic: SPAMKINGDOM#: Emperor Houlandin IV of Methiant-Cydwyl! (Read 750202 times)