301 - Forum Diplomacy Only Steel SVC

[IMPERIAL_TARK]

[BL-RA
Mighty Lady, Greetings!

If it pleases you to spare a few moments from guarding agaist the brewing storm on your northern border, I ask that you convey your acceptance of my plan to move a Black Dragon emissary to your Southern Sands town this month so that when you double tax it on the third month it shall allow me to usurp it.  This should greatly increase the opportunity for me to more quickly reestablish my formal rule over the Southern Sands so that I am in a better position to provide military aid should you so desire.  Additionally, as I previously mentioned I intend to transfer control of that town to Master Yoda so that he will be even more inclined to assist us when our hour of need arrives.  I believe he has already made plans to accept this gift and credit the goodwill so created to the Black Dragon and Ranger ledgers.
I also hear tales upon the wind that the King Under the Mountain is conspiring with the Scarlet Wyrm to ignobly imprison your stalwart subjects.  Can this be true?  Has the Scarlet Wyrm's rotted mind so completely infested the King Under the Mountain?  Please keep me informed of developments as I continue to nurture the hope that the rumors upon the wind are merely small gusts of inaccurate inuendo.
Be true to your principals and guard your peoples, my fierce ally!

RA -> BL

Hail and Well Met Desert King,
 Now that we have a common reference point with my town in the S. Sands, here are some squares in relation to that town that are void of both population and artifacts in your region (1N,1W)(2N,2W) (3N,3W)(3N,4W)(3N,5W) to aid in your scouting.  The following squares are also void of population (2N,6W)(4N,0W) but are being visited by me this day or next.
  I sent an emissary to visit with the Human Lord at Hammerhold and there are rumors circulating that the Dwarves are conspiring to somehow trap him for no reason at all.  Clearly this would be an act of war given that we have done nothing to the Dwarves or the Scarlet Wyrm.  It is a sad day when the Dwarves attempt to do harm to a visiting dignitary.  Let us hope that the rumors are unfounded.  Additionally, a RD patrol has quickly located my lone village in the Eastern Steppes.  We shall also see what they intend to do there.  My hope is that they will not do anything to generate war; my hope is that a diplomatic solution can still be found to divide up the E. Steppes fairly but the Red Dragon King seeks only to insult so far.
  If double-taxing my town in the S. Sand is "absolutely necessary" than I will do it on this next month.  However, you realize that you are depriving me of an early tax base that I need to secure my own region.  My preference is to retain it until I control Synisvania and the income is no longer needed.  So please assure me that there is no other way for you to gain control without it.

Your devoted ally!
Lady SteelHawk, Snow Queen of the Rangers

[Jumpingfist]

WI-BL

Great Wyrm,

I am sorry I did miss that you had turn 1 listed in the starting turns for our deal. I know odd since I proposed it. I hope it did not cause you to starve this first month. To be fair please send no gold the first month of my winter.

Dorcha Tiarna

[HeadHoncho]

DW-RA

Young Steelhawk,

Here is a clue for you as you continue to rearrange dolls and army men on your playmat. Whenever you dispatch an emissary to a city within a region where the aspiring Kingdom has sufficient military force to seize control of that city from the oppressive humans, you run a significant risk of having that emissary captured, in addition to, of course, the antagonizing of said Kingdom.

This is especially true when the military is strong enough and/or geographically concentrated enough to take that city quickly. In such cases, you can at most delay income from the city by one turn, but at the cost of the emissary and the antagonism, the opportunity cost of early use of your emissary in your own home region, and the potential cost of a captured emissary.

Peace is readily within your grasp, you need only drop your unreasonable territorial demands and stop annoying myself and the Tremendous Majesty. I myself was prepared to reach an understanding with you earlier, but am finding myself less and less inclined to do so with each of your prattling missives.

A basic understanding of geopolitics is essential to survival, young Queen, much less prosperity. I accordingly recommend immediate remedial education before any further months pass.

Sincerely,
Grundun

[HeadHoncho]

DW-RD

Tremendous Majesty,

We of course completely understand when matters of state or other unexpected developments may delay or prevent correspondence, and indeed, we hope that everything remains well for you and your entire household, as your silence is uncharacteristic for you.

When you return, we hope we can have a discussion on what to do about our compact, as the overflight information may have been a trivial thing to an awesome one such as yourself, but it was important and time-sensitive for my liege, especially after this first month of the global struggle.

We remain highly desirous of friendship with you, and hope this unforeseen event is merely a small bump in what would ideally be a long and smooth road.

Warmly,
Grundun, for the Dwarves

[HeadHoncho]

DW-UN

Mysterious Yoda,

We seem to have a reference point. I will also give you a small riddle, from your group, the portal is either four squares north or two squares south; and either two squares west or three squares east. The correct end result is a valid square within the Talking Mountains.

Best,
Grundun

[IMPERIAL_TARK]

DW-RA

Young Steelhawk,

Here is a clue for you as you continue to rearrange dolls and army men on your playmat. Whenever you dispatch an emissary to a city within a region where the aspiring Kingdom has sufficient military force to seize control of that city from the oppressive humans, you run a significant risk of having that emissary captured, in addition to, of course, the antagonizing of said Kingdom.

This is especially true when the military is strong enough and/or geographically concentrated enough to take that city quickly. In such cases, you can at most delay income from the city by one turn, but at the cost of the emissary and the antagonism, the opportunity cost of early use of your emissary in your own home region, and the potential cost of a captured emissary.

Peace is readily within your grasp, you need only drop your unreasonable territorial demands and stop annoying myself and the Tremendous Majesty. I myself was prepared to reach an understanding with you earlier, but am finding myself less and less inclined to do so with each of your prattling missives.

A basic understanding of geopolitics is essential to survival, young Queen, much less prosperity. I accordingly recommend immediate remedial education before any further months pass.

Sincerely,
Grundun

RA -> DW

Ambassador Grunden,
  You and your Lord, the Scalet Wyrm are quite the one-two punch.  He prefers insult, you prefer condescension.  I gave no unreasonable territorial demands.  You are the one that keeps using that language.  I was fully prepared to negotiate for the Eastern Steppes, but the two of you have no such interest; you have been about war from the get go.  It would seem that the Red Dragons have opted to make my predictions come true; bypassing the Eastern Steppes altogether and dropping all 13 bridages at Jukanta in their display of brute force just as I foretold....  no doubt hoping to catch my military might there... but to no avail.....perhaps I am not so green after all.  It is sad that the other kingdoms including yourself do not realize what will happen to the lands when the red hoard descends like locust thinking that you are safe because you have placated them for a short while; I feel for them when the NAPs they gave into so quickly have expired and they find a huge red menace in their lands.
  The Scarlet Wyrm could have simply spent his time acquiring the lands of the Eastern Steppes while I took the lands of Synisvania. Then again, perhaps YOU Dwarven emissary are smarter than I give you credit for.  If the Red Dragon enters into a long protracted war against me for control of Synisvania he will weaken himself for I can guarantee that I will take many of his precious brigades with me in battle while everyone else grows stronger.
   However, I sense that soon Black Dragons will be appearing in my lands as well as I'm sure the Desert King can't be happy about having the entire Red Dragon military so close to his lands. So the Red Dragon has a big decision to make. Return to the Eastern Steppes and leave Synisvania to me or begin a long and bloody conflict while his neighbors grow strong.  The little bouncy ball is now clearly in his royal court.

Lady SteelHawk, Snow Queen of the Rangers

[HeadHoncho]

DW-RA

Young Steelhawk,

It is somewhat amusing... due entirely to your abrasive greed in immediately demanding more than one region, you now appear to have consigned yourself to a fraction of one, instead.

Any experienced ruler could have told you that you overstepped... indeed, I tried telling you that very thing. But you did not listen.

Any experienced ruler could also tell you that the salvation you seek from the Black Dragons will not be forthcoming any time soon. The only way the Black Dragons have any hope of standing against the legions of the Tremendous Majesty is with fully-developed Wizards and perhaps a Phoenix brigade. But alas, it is far too early in the struggle for that.

You are reaping what you have sown. A wise ruler would strive to learn from that, rather than continue railing against the cold facts of reality.

Sincerely,
Grundun, for the Dwarves

[Ruingurth]

GN-UN

Lord of Spies,

I have located 3 towns and 1 village. of the three towns 1 is the RD town and 1 neutral town in both Runnimede and Arcania. I will move into the village and the neutral town in Runnimede, next turn I will move into the RD town. I will finish searching the southern Mountains. this season.

Frodrich

[Ruingurth]

GN-DE

I have located a neutral town in Arcania If you have located my Village I can direct you to the town if you like.

Frodrich

[Ruingurth]

GN-RD

I have located your town in Runnimede, I will Move an emissary there this turn. Let me know if you would like to dbl tax it or if I should take it outright.

Frodrich