388YE Autumn Commonwealth ambassador briefing

Cyrus, of Ebon's Hall, Ambassador to the Commonwealth

Overview

This briefing was prepared for Cyrus, of Ebon's Hall, Ambassador to the Commonwealth, and presented at the Autumn Equinox 388YE. It will be made available to any citizen who requests it following the summit. It is intended to be read in conjunction with the If we never meet again wind of fortune. As an ambassadorial briefing, it takes for granted a degree of understanding of political matters that might prove opaque to casual readers.

Following the Summer Solstice, long-serving Militärattache Ludkhannah Schöningen resigned her post and was replaced by Militärattache Otto Fuchsbach.

Lantir Incursion

• Militärattache Otto Fuchsbach does not mince words

While the Ambassador's missive was sent to Militärattache Ludkhannah Schöningen, the reply has come from the new ambassador, Otto Fuchsbach. He begins by quoting the Ambassador's words from the Spring Equinox - words that were included at the very bottom of the missive as if they were an afterthought. "Jarm will learn the source of Cold Sun in Lantir next season; the wider world will learn thereafter. I have ensured you have this season to take matters into your own hands."

Put bluntly, it seems to Militärattache Fuchsbach that Ambassador Cyrus is trying to walk the matter back. While there is talk in the Summer missive of "giving you a chance to take ownership of the story, by condemning those responsible or attributing it to disavowed rogue elements, as I alluded to" the key information about who these miscreants actually were seems to have been intentionally occluded. The words were clearly a threat. There was no hint of discussion or negotiation. Rather the Ambassador rudely informed the Commonwealth that the Empire had chosen to destroy a reputation for honesty and probity that took three hundred years to build. As an afterthought.

The idea that the Empire is the Commonwealths ally, and that they were "placed in this impossible position by your own citizens" is, in the words of Ambassador Fuchsbach, bullshit. Nobody forced the Empire to investigate, and nobody forced them to go to Jarm before they spoke with the Commonwealth. The ascendancy of Jarm in the east is the fault of the Empire and its ambassadors. While Jarm might have uncovered the truth themselves in time, there is absolutely no guarantee of that. Jarm would never have enjoyed the kind of access to the Commonwealth secrets that the Empire enjoyed. The Empire could only do that because they enjoy the Commonwealth's trust - a decision that in hindsight was very clearly an enormous mistake. It's much more likely that no one would have ever discovered what had happened, given the devastation of Lantir. Absent the involvement of the Empire, the Principalities would have had nothing to go on - instead the Empire laid it out for them and for the whole world.

The Ambassador also claims that Jarm "knew" they had not been responsible for the attack on Lantir. Again, this is simply not true. The Commonwealth suspected rogue elements within their own ranks might be responsible, but the Jarmish were equally suspicious of their own. None of the Princes trust each other, they all suspected each other of being behind the disaster. The Empire provided certainty in the place of that confusion and doubt, and as near as Militärattache Fuchsbach can tell, for no reason other than to damn the Commonwealth. The Archmage of Autumn had already arranged the meeting between the Commonwealth and the Principalities; and then made sure it could never succeed without even waiting to see the outcome.

Militärattache Ludkhannah Schöningen has had no choice but to step down in disgrace, a long and distinguished career now ruined by this extraordinary failure. She was unable to provide any warning at all of the Empire's impending treachery. Ludkhannah has inevitably blamed herself for that failure - but the view is shared by many of their colleagues. She gave the Commonwealth no reason at all to imagine that the Empire were secretly in league with the Jarmish. Had they known, had she warned them of the Empire's duplicity, they would never have permitted the Empire's magicians to enter their lands. It is a bitter thing for any soldier, but she must face his retirement knowing that she failed the Commonwealth in the hour of its greatest need.

At the end of their missive, Militärattache Fuchsbach admits that these are angry words, but makes it absolutely clear that the Commonwealth considers the Empire to have betrayed their friendship, and their alliance. They have abused the Commonwealth's trust to spy on them and then exposed the secrets they discovered to the world, to ruin the Commonwealth and strengthen Jarm. Their efforts have set back the Common Good by decades. Attempts to disown responsibility for the events now unfolding in the Sea of Steel, fall on deaf ears.

Missing Information

• The Commonwealth can prove that the mana crystals used by Eva Giersan came from the Empire

There is one matter that the Empire appears to have failed to reveal to the Jarmish. Specifically, that Eva Giersan was provided with the mana they and their coven ultimately used to unleash Cold Sun by Imperial citizens. Without the large number of crystals provided by Imperial citizens to help in the war effort against the Principalities this would never have happened. This has come to light during the Commonwealth's own investigations into the matter, and Militärattache Fuchsbach contemptuously informs the Ambassador's office that he feels that in good conscience he cannot keep it a secret. As such the Empire has one season before his office shares their records with the Principalities of Jarm. It is possible the Jarmish will not care; but either way a season should be ample time to get ahead of any repercussions of this information being made public.

The civil service are unclear what the outcome is likely to be, but note that the Senate passed a motion in Summer 384YE reassuring the Jarmish that "in the likely upcoming conflict between Jarm and the Commonwealth the Empire will remain militarily neutral unless we are attacked or directly forced into taking action." The announcement, coupled as it was with the embargo of trade with Jarm, was largely dismissed by the House of Princes, but it was still made and the Jarmish may well point out that giving a large amount of crystal mana to their enemies appears to be a direct violation of this statement.

However, the fallout is unlikely to be huge, provided that the Jarmish Ambassador is able to handle the matter carefully. This is obviously a very deliberate effort by Militärattache Fuchsbach to sabotage the Empire's growing relationship with Jarm. But the Jarmish are no fools, they will be able to see that too - and that is likely to affect their response. Provided news of this is broken by the Commonwealth, it will diminish its impact considerably. That said, when that happens, candour is likely to serve the Empire's interests much better than an unconvincing denial.

Zemelslo

• The Empire has ceased trading with Zemelslo via the port of Radosmo

The news that the Empire has ended trade with the Jarmish satellite nation of Zemelslo is met with ambivalence by Ambassador Otto. Given everything else going on, this feels a little like bolting the cowshed after all the cows are already gone. The intelligence that the Ambassador shared has been duly noted, but feels like it was not really worth the price in lost trust paid to gain it. The Empire may have been trading with the Jarmish so they could quietly nosy around, but any goodwill gained as a consequence has been utterly overshadowed by the revelations around Cold Sun.

Liberty Pact

• The Commonwealth are not leaving the Liberty Pact but will attend no more meetings

The Commonwealth has questioned the benefits of the Liberty Pact for some time now and while they will not be formally withdrawing, they will not be attending any further meetings. The Empire, the Sumaah Republic, and the Commonwealth together achieved something monumental. They shattered the trade in misery, a corruption that everyone had simply accepted as a fact of life for centuries. They took a stand, and they were victorious. A better example of the pursuit of the Common Good is hard to find in recent years.

The mistake was believing that a shared hatred of a wicked institution could translate into anything lasting once that institution was broken. As soon as the Liberty Pact became a political tool, it was done. It simply died a little faster than anyone anticipated. If there is ever a need to take a stand against slavery again - if heirs to Rachensgrab ever rear their ugly heads - the Commonwealth will be there. Until then, the Liberty Pact remains as a reminder of what could have been. Any significant attempts to change it by the Empire or their allies in ways that disadvantage the Commonwealth will force them to formally withdraw.

The civil service note that, by the provisos of the Liberty Pact, a nation that does not attend is considered to vote against any motion raised. A Commonwealth refusal to attend doesn't prevent decisions being made, it simply makes them slightly more difficult. As to what might constitute a "significant attempt to change it", the civil service believe that anything that adds additional responsibilities to signatory members is likely to trigger a Commonwealth exit.

Cold Sun

• The Commonwealth has accepted the ceasefire demanded by Jarm

Rather than representing a detente, the ceasefire that now exists between the Commonwealth and Jarm has a distinctly forced feeling about it. In particular, it has required a fixing of the current borders, which slightly favour Jarm in places the Commonwealth would rather they didn't. While the Principalities will focus the majority of their efforts on Cold Sun, they will also certainly take the opportunity to fortify the holdings they have taken from the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth is committed to dealing with Cold Sun - they are taking the situation very seriously and while they may not like the ceasefire it leaves them free to act. They have, for the first time in a long time, offered contracts of employment to Imperial military captains. This clearly represents a shift in policy. In the past the Commonwealth has refrained from offering such opportunities without the specific involvement of the Senate, aware both of their need for soldiers to fight their own wars and their open neutrality to Jarm. Neither consideration seems to be of concern to Militärattache Fuchsbach.

When it comes to fighting Cold Sun, the Commonwealth is focusing on driving Cold Sun out of their own territory and that of the smaller nations still allied to them. The civil service are of the conservative opinion that it will take at least another year for them to deal with the scions in the Commonwealth - who by all accounts continue to pour into Lantir. That would then leave the question of how to deal with the scions in the now-devastated territories between the two great powers, and the gate in Lantir itself. From information provided by Conclave Orders, the prognosticators suggest it might take another year to finally drive Cold Sun out entirely - assuming nothing further went wrong.

The presence of Imperial mercenaries can help the Commonwealth achieve their strategic goals, but only in great numbers. If at least 10,000 effective strength of mercenaries travel to the Commonwealth this season it would reduce the time needed to drive Cold Sun out of their lands by one season and leave them in a better if hostilities resumed with Jarm. Beyond that, it's impossible to make any assessment of the impact of mercenary units apart from to say that whichever nation deals with the threat to their own lands first will be in a much stronger position when it comes to dealing with the independent states threatened by Cold Sun.

The Lyceum

• The Commonwealth magicians previously trapped at the Lyceum have returned home
• Only a small number of new magicians have made the trip to the Lyceum
• The civil service warn that privileged access to the Lyceum could allow the Commonwealth to engage in espionage or sabotage

The Gates of Shadow that allow mortal vessels to reach the Lyceum in Madruga again have finally allowed the Commonwealth magicians trapped there since the walls of mist closed around the island to go home. The majority have done so already, but the civil service note that comparatively few new magicians have come to study at the Lyceum Schloss.

This may simply be due to the problems that trapped the Commonwealth visitors there - although by all accounts they were welcomed and welcoming to their fellow prisoners on the island during their durance - or it may point to something else. There is little chance that the Commonwealth will turn away from the opportunity to study Imperial lore at the Lyceum, not unless the Conclave specifically chooses to end the relationship. The civil service would be remiss if they did not point out, however, that the privileged level of access they enjoy provides significant opportunities for espionage or sabotage. They are quick to mention that there is absolutely no evidence that the Commonwealth is planning to harm the Lyceum, or to make off with ritual texts from its library. But if they wanted to, they could attempt to cause significant damage.

Granite Pillar

• There is a chance for Highguard to strengthen ties between Highguard and the Commonwealth
• A statement of principle from the Highborn Assembly condemning the actions of the Ambassador would ensure the success of that approach
• Freeing Professor Gelberg from the clutches of the Grendel might also work, but there is no opportunity to do that at present

One of Professor Gelberg's final projects was to find ways to strengthen ties between Highguard and the Commonwealth. While the Professor remains a prisoner of the Grendel, those efforts may yet bear fruit. The disciplined, virtuous nature of the Highborn armies seems to have struck a chord with some of the Commonwealth generals. The work done to build understanding, and the decision to use die Bertilung to do so, both spoke well of the nation in the eyes of Commonwealth soldiers.

The Highborn Assembly is in a position to maintain that feeling of connection if they wish. A strongly worded statement of principle that achieves a greater majority may well lead to a mandate, encouraging Highborn citizens to reach out to the Commonwealth military. Unfortunately, the way to ensure that statement is successful would be to denounce the Ambassador themselves, especially in virtuous terms. Any improvement of Highborn relations with the Commonwealth is likely to come at the expense of Ambassador Cyrus' own position. Obviously, it is up to the Ambassador whether they wish to share this with the Highborn Assembly.

A less damaging alternative would be if Highguard found a way to secure the release of Professor Gelberg. That won't be easy however - paying the Grendel off would be the easiest way, but the Grendel know how much he is worth now, so it won't be cheap. Nor will it be easy to rescue him - he'll be well guarded now.

Commonwealth Further Reading

About the Commonwealth

• Commonwealth
• Ambassador to the Commonwealth
• Commonwealth ports

Winds of Fortune

• If we never meet again - 388YE Autumn wind of fortune following resignation of Militärattache Schöningen
• War games - 388YE Summer wind of fortune concerning diplomacy
• Weaving tangled nets - 388YE Spring wind of fortune concerning diplomacy
• The price is great - 387YE Winter wind of fortune concerning diplomacy
• Cold war - 387YE Winter wind of fortune about the incursion of Cold Sun into the Commonwealth
• My passions from a common spring - 387YE Autumn wind of fortune about the Lantir war
• Beat of your drum - 387YE Summer wind of fortune concerning diplomacy
• Germinating a city - 387YE Spring wind of fortune concerning diplomacy
• According to principle - 386YE Winter wind of fortune concerning diplomacy
• Beneath mithril spires - 386YE Autumn wind of fortune concerning diplomacy
• For the Common Good - 386YE Summer wind of fortune concerning diplomacy

Titles Associated with the Commonwealth

• Patron of the Beurteilung - This Imperial title can instruct Commonwealth scholars to carry out an appraisal

Click Expand to see a summary of various pages related to the Commonwealth.