[center][h2]The Republic of Toubres[/h2][/center]

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The Palácio do Conselho was in uproar. Once again, Líder do Conselho Leonardo Serra simply allowed the arguing of the other men gathered in the chamber to wash over him. He almost found himself reminiscing of the days when only seven men gathered to discuss the Republic's future. Now there were nine. As he thought of it, Leonardo glanced at the two new Conselho members. 

Raul Matos was the representative of the Western Territories of Toubres, and in truth, Leonardo couldn't help but like the man. He was larger than life, with a great booming laugh and voice. The Western Territories was almost exceedingly wealthy, raking in huge profits from it's commerce of spices and other exotic luxuries, and Raul was their favorite son. He dressed well, wearing only the finest fashions and fabrics, gold rings adorning his fingers, and the few times that Leonardo had dined with him, it had been on the richest dishes. Now, Raul leant forward in his chair, hotly debating with another member of the Conselho.

The second member to recently join the Conselho was not only the newest, but also the youngest. Rafael Garcia was a quiet man, bronzed by his years in the lands he now represented, the Southern Territories of Toubres. Even in his short tenure as a member of the Conselho, the young man had proven himself to be sensible, logical almost to a fault, and so had already clashed several times with the more passion-driven members of the Conselho. For now at least, Leonardo could rely on Rafael to be a voice of reason, no matter what the issue. 

Growing weary of the bickering, Leonardo brought his hand down on the table, the thud lulling the roar, and allowing the Líder do Conselho to speak. 

[i][b]"Brothers, this arguing achieves nothing. We have all seen the reports. We all know that war between The Kingdom of Ubren and The Empire of Attolia are on the brink of war. And we all know what that means."[/b][/i]

He heard several voices spring into life, but he held up his hand for silence until they all fell silent again and he continued. 

[i][b]"The war will escalate. The Hastel Dominions will march to the aid of The Kingdom of Ubren, and The Empire of Attolia can count on the support of The Empire of Rubrus, the Kingdom of Aontas, and The Echyan Empire."[/b][/i]

A single, hard-edged voice broke the silence of the pause, and it took all of Leonardo's willpower to suppress a wince, as he turned to face Luiz Duarte. 

[i][b]"Like you said, 'Lidor', we all know this. So stop wasting your breath, and cut to the chase."[/b][/i]

Leonardo forced a smile. The increasingly advanced age of the Avezdo representative had done nothing to improve his temperament. Luiz had fallen ill the year past, and although it did shame Leonardo to admit, he had truly hoped that the man would die, if nothing else but to free the Conselho of the bitter old man. But alas, he had made a remarkable recovery, clearly he was as stubborn in clinging to life as he was in the rest of his business.   Leonardo realized that the silence had dragged on slightly, and he hurried to reply. 

[i][b]"Thank you, Luiz. The Redcliff Empire could find itself dragged into this war, and if they are, then our oath will leave us forced to join by their side, or to dishonor ourselves and go back on our word."[/b][/i]

He allowed his words to sink in before he spoke again. 

[i][b]"I know there are some among your number who protested at our alliance with The Redcliff Empire and The Holy Territories of Edoniras. But we cannot undo it, and we must live with the consequences. It is time to vote gentleman." [/b][/i]