[h3][b][color=teal] Royal Palace of Cyprus, Kingdom of Komentilios [/color][/b][/h3] [img]https://www.cyprusparadise.com/media/14040/turquois-sea-old-harbour-kyrenia-north-cyprus.jpg[/img] King Nikolaos sat idly at his desk, reading over dispatches from the front lines, messages from foreign courts, letters from the nobility and his brother from Aegyptus, yet, all of this was so far away at the moment. He looked up from the small mound of papers and scrolls, looking upon his pregnant wife. He smiled at her, watching her sleep in the early morning sunlight that peaked its way through the lacquer screens before the windows. 'Soon, soon you will have our child in your hands my love, we will both be able to lay our eyes upon this blessing from the gods and love our child with our own eyes.' He thought to himself, before looking back towards the Eastern horizon. The sun was rising slowly, perhaps an hour at most past dawn, but this would only bring more duty to honorably reign over. Rising, Nikolaos strode over to a stone basin of pleasantly cool water, splashing his face and neck with it, washing away the sting of not enough sleep and other worldly burdens. "Sleep well my love, sleep as much as you can." Nikolaos kissed his wife's forehead, before making his way to the council chambers elsewhere in the castle. --[b][i] Many hours later... [/i][/b]-- "Yes... yes, see to it Valentinian..." King Nikolaos spoke in a tired exasperated tone. He leaned back into his chair, rubbing his eyes absentmindedly. He had spoken at length to the diplomats of the "Western Alliance", what little good that had done. They were all perfumed and polite, no doubt, speaking of peace, of promises, and veiled entreaties, but Nikolaos had seen through that facade. Beneath all the courtly niceties, their manner spoke volume, 'We lack a spine, we former provinces of the Old Empire, we come before you great king, to grovel in the dirt like maggots before the dreaded enemies of old. Make peace with Khazaria, oh yes, let us bend the knee to the Khazarian Horse Barbarians and the guttural clicking.' It sickened Nikolaos to no end, seeing what centuries of stagnation had done to Europe without the illumination from Imperial rule. "You can not blame them, your grace..." Valentinian spoke softly as he returned. "They are ignorant of the centuries our people have served as the bulwark against the encroachment of the Eastern Steppe Barbarians. The Western Alliance diplomats, the are like children wearing their grandfather's clothing and armor..." He sat down at the kings side, pouring a glass of wine for them both. "I will blame them Valentinian, the craven curs, the whole lot of them. They come to my hall, partake in my hospitality, and have the audacity to tell me to put my sword down, turn our musket and cannons to plows." He took a long sip of his wine. "A pox and plague on them all. I have half a mind to just abandon the writhing and festering lands of Western Europe to the barbarians, let them thunder across their lands... what little good that would do." Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, adjusting his clothing to better lay upon his body. "Of course your grace... but again, what can you expect from men who've grown up never knowing the true fear of chaos, of the barbaric encroachment of those horse lovers..." He smiled bemusedly at the joke, before turning to look out the windows. "At least our letters and riders sent out have born fruit, your grace. The Northern Kingdoms, those wreathed in snow and ice and hard times, they have a mutual interest in joining the fight. Your grace, I advise you in this, formally meet with those kingdoms, find some pretense to have them gathered, and invite them to join the war. They too know what the barbarians are capable of... and they too have the spine and stomach to fight against them." King Nikolaos sat quietly, thinking as Valentinian had spoke. There was merit to what he said, yet, what to do about the Western Alliance. Two more glasses of wine were drank and poured before Nikolaos spoke. By then, a few additional advisors had arrived to sit in council with the king. And to this, the king and his council began to draft up the next steps they'd take to stand ever proud against their ancestral foe. [hider=Plan of Action of the Kingdom of Komentiolos] [list] [*] [b][u]The Western Alliance:[/u][/b] Placate the diplomats for the time being. Wine and dine them, trying to make them see the folly of making peace with the Khazarians. Listen to what they have to say, all the while doing all we can to delay their return to the West. Even if these diplomats return to their kings and lords empty-handed, delaying their return buys Komentiolos more time to strengthen its position against Khazaria. [*] [b][u]The Northern Kingdoms:[/u][/b] The Kingdom of Dorist, The Kingdom of Fosbak, The Kingdom of Orvag and The Empire of Stabuga, are asked to meet formally, a neutral location, to where a new alliance can be crafted and formalized upon, in which their strength and power is lent to the war efforts against Khazaria and its satrapy's. They are seen as equals, men worth breaking bread with and drinking with. King Nikolaos sends his best diplomats to continue working on striking a deal with these proud and powerful nations. Only together, as one unilateral alliance, can we all stand up to the threat posed by Khazaria, and the looming shadow of the cowardly Western Alliance. [*] [b][u]Aegyptus and the Rebels:[/u][/b] [hider=Map of Aegyptus][img]https://www.liberaldictionary.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/aegyptus-3553.jpg[/img][/hider] Control over the Nilus river is paramount to control over the region. Continue as previously ordered, the military crackdown of the rebel nomads and their ilk will not lighten up until the attacks Komentiolian soldiers, property, and allies, ceases. Furthermore, village leaders and nobles, to include Arcadius, are brought before a number of destroyed towns, and shown first hand the price of defiance and treason. The message is clear, either you start toeing the line, enforce the laws of the Kingdom and stand against the rebels, or more of this will continue to happen until there are no rebels left. The old ways had been forgotten, but not any more, the turnings of the clock and will of the gods, pointed towards something that this region had not seen in over a millennia, a [i]Caesar[/i]. [*] [b][u]Supply and Demand:[/u][/b] With their own navy still a shadow of its former self, Komentiolos continues to provide logistical support to the allied navies of Reria and Kalseran. Furthermore, along this vein, Komentiolos focuses on ensuring that enough food is being produced to feed its armies, with edicts issued out detailing the turning of large scenic gardens and other untilled land towards farming. Prison populations across the realm are turned over to more useful ventures than making big rocks into smaller ones. They are press into farming chain-gangs to help boost agricultural output. [/list] [/hider]