private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Drago Ryder

[Drago Ryder 641]

@Illiad Easle

 

Dawn nodded and smiled slightly, before the crystal pony spoke. The alicorn then smiled slightly and shook her hoof. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Selena." She said. "I look forward to spending time with both you and Illiad." The alicorn didn't know what else to say at that point, really.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad felt a bit more confident at this point, "Well, Since you have everything, let's get started." He began to lead the small group towards the city, it wasn't far but it became clear that the walls were much higher than they seemed.

 

Reaching nearly ten stories into the desert sky it was an impressive work of sandstone. The walls had been worn smooth over hundreds of years of the sandy winds of the desert. The closer they got the stronger they could feel the magic that directed the wind up and away from the city, keeping the sand out and leading to the outwardly curved shape of the walls. The wind was not intense but added a noticeable chill to the quickly cooling desert air.

 

After a fer minutes of walking from the train station they reached the city gates, they stood open and were no less impressive than the walls they split. Standing over three meters high the wrought iron doors provided an impressive level of protection to the weakest part of the walls when closed, and were quite a beautiful sight when open. As the group passed under the wall it was clear how massive the wall truly was even after the centuries of erosion. The walls were a good five meters thick and had likely been even thicker when they had first been built.

 

It was when they exited the wall that the sights truly began.

 

A road paved with large slabs of marble extended straight in front of them to end some distance off at a large oasis, sparkling in the lights of its surrounding city. All around them beautiful buildings of marble, sandstone, and glass stood high. They looked similar in design to the pegasus buildings of Cloudsdale with many pillars and large open spaces, some areas even had cloth curtains instead of traditional walls, likely to allow good airflow during the hot days. It was noticeably warmer inside the walls of the city, though a slight cool breeze blew through the gateway behind them.

 

Despite the late hour the city was very active, with many ponies coming and going around the little group, many carrying large quantities of goods on their backs. Creatures of all races could be seen moving about, griffons and ponies were the majority, but there were also many buffalo, camels, deer, and even zebras going about their business in harmony.

 

Illiad turned towards dawn with a slight smile on his face. "Welcome to Troy, what do you think so far?"

[Drago Ryder 641]

@Illiad Easle

 

To be honest, Dawn wasn't expecting so much could be sustained in a dessert. As they walked through the city, a look of amazement was clearly visible. If she wasn't interested by Illiad's country before, she most certainly was now. "It's beautiful." She said, glancing at Illiad. The alicorn hadn't seen anything like it in all of her life. Of course, she had been to Cloudsdale, but Pegasus could make the clouds into anything they wanted. This all had to be made through much strenuous means.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Drago Ryder

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad's smile grew at her praise, it was clear that he was quite proud of his city.

"It really is, isn't it?" He looked over at her, "And this is only the entry, you haven't seen the city center yet."

He started walking towards the sparkling oasis in the center. As they approached it became clear that the buildings only got more impressive the closer they got to the center. The hustle and bustle of the city grew louder as they approached and soon they stood in a veritable sea of creatures moving about in the midst of permanent stores and temporary stalls selling wares of all kinds and origins.

In the gaps they could still see the oasis and at this distance they could see the plants that were being grown around it, a small field of wheat dominated the expanse but there was evidence of other foods growing as well.

 

Despite the thickness of the crowd they still gave way for Illiad to pass by them, allowing them to pass through the market without much difficulty. They emerged from the market at the steps of the Consul's mansion. It was impressive, yet humble. the base was a large rectangle of pillars with a walled section within, the pillars and wall were made from pure marble and actually felt cool to the touch. The second story was much more open with a railing and a large open area, though the center rose in a calendar of pillars with a similarly walled area within. The structure was topped with a large glass dome within which a telescope could be seen. Illiad led Dawn up the smooth marble doors and paused at the doors. there was enough space between the marble pillars and the wall that two could walk comfortably side by side, like a sort of wrap around porch. The doors were ornate like the gates of the city, clearly a defensive measure as well as aesthetic. The doors opened smoothly and they entered the mansion.

 

The entry room was lit by many glowing crystals placed strategically around the room. It wasn't too much brighter than outside and it gave the feeling that the moon was shining on them. Moving into the house proper they found themselves in a large open area with many kinds of seats, clearly some were meant for each kind of creature found withing the city. The far wall was glass and it looked out to a small field of grass with a garden. To each side of the room were stairs leading up to the second floor and to each side of the group were hallways that extended the length of the building, they were full of doors. Illiad led them up the stairs and into the second floor where there was a more cozy sitting area with the base of the telescope. there were two doors within as well as a few doors that no doubt led out onto the open area with the railing. "Well, Through the door on the right is the guest room, you can put your bags there. So... you are no doubt tired from your travels yes? or do you wish to see more of the town tonight?"

 

(I'm sorry if the description seems lackluster, I can provide more detail if any part is unclear.)

[Drago Ryder 641]

@Illiad Easle

 

Dawn gave a light smile and immediately knew what her answer was. "I would love to see more of the town tonight." She said. To be honest, she was both curious about the city as a whole, and also wanted to try and spend more time with Illiad. She hadn't had a chance to talk to another alicorn ever since she became one and didn't know anything about the history of what she was.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad was momentarily surprised, but his slight smile quickly returned. "Well, I needed to head over to the council chambers soon anyway, it'll give you a close view of how our government works. I just need to grab some papers from my office first. Why don't you drop off your stuff in your room, and I'll meet you back in the entryway downstairs when you're ready to go." With that Illiad quickly, yet regally, made his way back downstairs.

 

The guest room was simple, yet spacious. It had a curtained glass doorway that led to a small balcony looking out over the back yard and garden. The bed was large enough to comfortably fit a large griffon or Minotaur and had a mechanical adjuster that could change how firm the bed would be. the room contained a small closet as well as a private bathroom which contained everything one would expect to find. the floor was a smooth marble though there were a few rugs around the edges of the bed and by the closet and bathroom doors. Small crystal fixtures illuminated the room, glowing brighter as they were approached. they were situated in a way that they would all be dim if one were in the bed.   

[Drago Ryder 641]

@Illiad Easle

 

Dawn nodded and watched as Illiad left, before heading into her room. It was beautiful to put it lightly, and the alicorn ran a hoof along the bed spread. She wasn't used to luxuries such as this, but it was something she could definitely get used to, even if was only for s day or two. The alicorn then set her bags on the bed, and explored a bit more of the room.

 

(Could you provide a bit more detail on the room as she explores a bit, like what clothes she might find in the closet, if there are any, or something like that. Just an idea.)

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

(Gladly)

The closet was empty, but quite clean. On the back of the bathroom and closet doors were full length mirrors. The marble was cool to the touch, but was not too cold as to be unpleasant. In all the room felt empty, almost sterile. The white walls and floor and the slightly blue lighting gave the room a slight hospital feel. The adjuster on the bed was a single lever with markings from firm to soft. IT was currently set to the firmest setting with a note affixed. It is easiest to get in and out of the bed when it's firm, you can adjust the firmness while in the bed by use of this lever. Indeed the lever was situated to be easily accessible to one laying in the bed.

(Ask if you need more detail than that, being specific about what you want to see closer will help me design the rooms you're in.)

 

Illiad shuffled through the papers on his desk finding the ones that would be important at the meeting today and putting them in a folder.  He came across a flyer for the Trojan Grand Ball and realized that it was in fact this weekend. "I wonder if she'd be interested in going to that with me? It would certainly fluster the nobles if I were to have a date to the dance. Maybe it will make those pretentious mares back off a bit." He put the flyer in his folder so he would remember to ask Dawn about it later. Once he had all the papers he needed he placed the folder in the folds of his robes and returned to the entry way. As he waited he began to put on the more ceremonial parts of the Consul's attire, including a golden laurel wreath  on his head and the thin red sash tied around his barrel under his wings.

[Drago Ryder 641]

As Dawn explored, she began to feel a bit awkward when it came to how clean the room was. "I guess I should've expected that, but it still feels weird." She thought to herself, before looking at the time. "I should probably go see if Illiad's ready." She thought. As soon as she made it to the entryway, she noticed Illiad in his consul attire and a light blush formed on her cheeks. "Should I wear anything special, or should I go like this?" The alicorn then mentally slapped herself for not asking the question sooner and possibly embarrassing herself.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad looked Dawn over. "I hadn't thought of that, so long as you wear your cloak you should be fine, though everyone will notice you are an outsider pretty quickly. It would probably be a good idea to get some robes of your own at some point so you don't seem so foreign to those that will see you on the streets. If you want of course, if you don't mind having attention on you then it is no matter."

 

Illiad turned towards the door as Selena approached from another office. She wasn't wearing robes like Illiad but she did have a black sash tied around her barrel. "We best get moving, we don't want to be late." 

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn nodded slightly and thought for a moment. "Do you think it would be possible for me to visit the market tomorrow? I think buying a new robe would be best." She said. To be honest, she didn't really know the other members of the parliament would react to her presence.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

"I suppose so, It would be a good way to see the market, though it is it's most active from 2 to 4 am. I'm sure there will be a tailor willing to measure you for a roll, and they'd probably do a better job explaining how to wrap it than I could." That said it was time to get underway.

 

Illiad led the group out of the mansion and off towards the council building. It wasn't far as most of the government buildings were built around the oasis with the many foreign embassies scattered between them. The council building had a large circular section at its middle, with three halls branching off of it, the short one pointed towards the oasis and the two long ones pointed about 75° to either side of the short one. The halls had solid walls but there were many windows between the many columns that were spaced along the perimeter of the building. at the end of each of the long halls were three circular sections arranged like a clover. The group approached the end of the short hall and passed the door guards after a brief magic scan.

 

Inside the building it was cool, yet there was no breeze except when the door was open, necessitating the double door entry system. Once they were inside the entryway the outer doors shut and the inner doors opened, revealing the grand council chamber. Moving into the center of the room there were many rows of seats arranged like a stadium between the three doorways. On the other side of the room the seats were arranged into eight distinct sections, three to each side and two in the middle, seven of which were labeled with the names of the different cities in the empire. The upper middle section was labeled Troy, and the lower middle had only three chairs. All the seats in this half of the room had simple wooden desks. In the center of the room stood a polished marble podium. The entire area was lit by a grand chandelier hanging from the domed ceiling.

 

This was not their destination as Illiad pressed on down the left hallway into the circular room at the end. Inside was a much smaller version of the previous room. Here there were a dozen or so desks with chairs around the perimeter of the room with a gap near the door. The three desks at the far side of the room were a bit higher than the others. They were the first ones to arrive so Illiad wasted no time in taking his seat at the highest desk and retrieving the folder from his robes. He looked over at Dawn. "Now would be the best time to ask questions unless they can wait until after. This shouldn't take long but I would recommend you not speak unless spoken to, you will be seen as a representative of Equestria for the duration of the meeting and thus your words will have weight." He gestured to the raised desk at his left for her to take a seat as Selena sat down on his right. 

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn nodded slightly, but she wasn't expecting to be viewed in such a way. It did help that she knew a good bit about history,though, so she already had a few ideas of what to say in case one of the members of Troy's parliament did speak to her. The alicorn then took her seat and silently waited for the meeting to begin.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Drago Ryder

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

"All right then, I'll be sure to answer any questions you have when this is over." At about five minutes to the start of the meeting other robed figures entered the room, each of them wore a maroon sash distinct from the almost scarlet that was Illiad's sash. In total six entered the room, each a different species. As they took their seats they paused a moment to stare at Dawn before placing a small placard in front of themselves with the name of a city on it. They sat three to each side of the room in the desks furthest from Illiad.

The minotaur had a certain air of refinement to him, acalculated grace in his movements as he placed the 'Alphyns' placard in front of him, possibly due to the reading glasses he was wearing. He was tall and obviously strong, his dark brown fur was well groomed and his horns nearly gleamed.

The Earth pony mare placed the 'Deltrot' placard in front of her, she had a creamy white coat with a silvery mane that was ever so slightly rose when the light struck it just right. She looked like one who worked with her hooves for a living and had only recently turned to politics.

The pegasus seemed rather laid back despite his short cut mane and angular features. When he placed the 'Æther' placard he almost stumbled, revealing his rather impressive wingspan, much larger than the average pegasus. He had a light brown coat and a grey mane.

The griffon seemed refined in the same manor as the minotaur, yet slightly grizzled, like a retired general. He placed the 'Spartrot' placard with care as he took his seat, he stared the longest at Dawn as if evaluating her as a potential danger, he eventually looked away with a shrug.

The deer placed the 'Omarega' placard in front of him with his magic, the six tips of his antlers glowing as he did so. He looked almost like the stereotype of a deer, complete with big blue eyes and a cheery disposition. He was the only one to smile at Dawn as he walked in.

Finally, the unicorn placed the 'DelPhi' placard in front of him. He looked between Dawn and Illiad as he came in, after a brief slight glow that Dawn barely noticed the unicorn's eyes went a bit wide before he quickly returned to his work.

 

Once all the creatures were settled Illiad tapped his desk to call their attention, all eyes were on him as he drew a deep breath. "Thank you all for coming out here this evening, I know we all have busy nights ahead of us so I'll try to keep this short." He raised the top paper from his folder, "The purpose of this meeting is as follows: First, to report on the current aid and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the Discord indecent. Second, to set the agenda for the next session of the grand council. If there are no objections we will proceed with the stated agenda." The deer raised his hoof, "Consul, would you introduce the visitor on your left before we proceed?" The others nodded in agreement. Illiad looked over at the deer. "Of course, I nearly forgot." He turned toward the rest of those gathered. "Seated on my left is Miss Dawn Fukamoto of Equestria. She has come as part of our cultural exchange program to see how our government functions up close. Are there any other matters to address before we continue?" There was silence. "Then we will proceed."

 

(You can just put in what you think so far, I didn't want to put the whole meeting in one massive post. The plan is a few of them will come up immediately afterwards to ask you questions rather than during the meeting.)

[Drago Ryder 641]

(I figured that would happen.)

 

Dawn watched as each member of what she assumed was Troy's parliament entered the chamber. She didn't expect such diversity, but figured that that would yield the best results. The Minotaur didn't seem that bad, but the griffin was slightly off putting. As for the unicorn, pegesus, and earth pony, seeing them helped ease Dawn's nerves, though she was curious as to what the unicorn did when he came in. The deer was by far the biggest surprise, though. She didn't know that one would be this far out of the forests of its country. The alicor then gave a slight nod as Illiad introduced her. "I hope to learn a lot from this." She said.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Drago Ryder

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

"Okay then, we'll start with Alphyns and move around the room as usual."

The minotaur drew some papers from his folder and cleared his throat. He has a surprisingly even and almost cultured voice for a minotaur. "We've continued our efforts in the reclamation effort of Iron Hoof's deep science lab. The antimagic makes it impossible to use golums and Baseplate's magic creatures and it is still in too high concentrations to move safely without the special suits which we are quickly running out of due to the security measures still in place. The old scientists really didn't want things getting back in when they left. The reconstruction of the academy is almost complete and we have made good progress as rebuilding our satellite observatories in the badlands."

The Earth pony was next, "We've been working hard to supply a regular quantity of raw materials for expansion but the damage done to Æther and DelPhi have reduced our agricultural outputs and thus were aren't as able to sustain our working population. Our exports of luxury goods have only been in higher demand as a result of the resource shortage so we still have a positive income from Equestria despite the removal of the embargo."

Then the pegasus, "​Like Council head Rose said, our weather production has been reduced as we repair the damage that was done. But we are making good progress and should be back to full capacity within a year, sooner if we can get help from Cloudsdale or preferably Las Pegasus in the reconstruction efforts. Our recon teams have not found many more survivors in the badlands, but we have found no sign of the Children, they are likely still holed up in their mountain, we would need a ground team to investigate further."

The griffon after him, "We've been working to train new guards to replace the ones that fell in our offensive, but the heavy losses we suffered have had a lasting impact on moral even though we won. I'm sure it will pass in time, but for now we need time to regroup, using the guards in the rebuilding efforts has seemed to boost their spirits, so I would recommend they be used there as opposed to more patrols through the badlands."

The deer spoke next without hesitation, "We've been creating the more advanced items needed for the reconstruction effort but the damage we suffered to out factories has significantly reduced our maximum output. That combined with the lack of raw material output from Deltrot has limited what we can do. But we are doing what we can to get the factories back to full operating capacity."

The unicorn was more hesitant in his speech, it was clear that he was new to this. "We've been taking in and caring for the refugees that the recon teams have discovered and are working to improve our agricultural output but we are running low on water to grow the crops, our oasis is the lowest it's been in years and if something doesn't change soon we will have further troubles from the overcrowding."

Illiad spoke next with a bit of a smile on his face, "I suppose I have the best news then, the reconstruction efforts in Troy have been completed and thus the remaining resources and available workers will be turned over to the rest of the affected cities. That will certainly provide a boost to your reconstruction efforts . As Rose mentioned Princess Luna has lifted the trade embargo in Celestia's absence and she has begun negotiations for free trade between us. I will be sure in our next meeting to see if we can't get further assistance from them, be aware they were hit harder than we were by Discord's attack and thus it may be us that needs to help them if either of us will fully recover from this. Now, if there is nothing else to report we will move on to assign the agenda for the next grand council session."

Edited January 15, 2016 by Illiad Easle

[Drago Ryder 641]

As each of the delegates spoke, Dawn began to think of ways she could possibly help. She could use her cryomagic to freeze the air, but it would take time to melt. Aside from that, there wasn't much else she could do to help. She was impressed by how fast the meeting was going, though. From what she heard in Canterlot, meetings could take all day.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

"And now for everyone's favorite part, the one that takes forever."

There were a few halfhearted chuckles around the room, they knew Illiad was sarcastic and that it would in deed take a long time.

 

For the next hour the room debated the priority of bills and where to put them in the order, a stack grew next to Illiad that was constantly being reorganized as relative priorities shifted. Occasionally Selena would stop a bill for being unconstitutional but those weren't many so she mostly kept track of the ever updating order of bills. Tensions rose as each council head defended the importance of their city's bills and downplayed the others, the two sides of the room acted like teams competing against each other for supremacy. After an hour all the cities bills were ordered and each felt as if they had won more than they lost. If ordering the bills took this long who knew how long a full session would last.

"Alright, we have all these bills sorted, now there is an act we must decide whether or not to put forward for the grand council's vote. The adding of cities to our empire. The following cities have requested to join our empire: Appaloosa, Dodge JCT, and Las Pegasus. Each city would provide us was a substantial boost in things we need now, Las Pegasus has the output and resources to repair Æther and assist in weather control, Appaloosa has a vast quantity of fertile soil that is already been developed into agricultural uses, and Dodge would give us a key access to the Equestrian railroad system to facilitate trade." By vote it was passed (Because I am already tired of writing political dialogue, good thing I don't want to be a politician.) Illiad passed the ordered stack of bills to Selena. "Alright then, we're done here. See you all in two weeks for the start of the Grand Council sessions."

 

Each of the council heads filed out, briefly talking with each other about the bills they had discussed, Illiad closed the door behind them once they had left, and immediately dropped his regal pose and drooped himself across the desk. "I don't know how Celestia did this all day. It's been years and I'm still not used to all this surface level tension, they all secretly despise each other, like its a competition for resources, but I'm sure it will get better when things are plentiful again." He glanced over at Dawn. "I hope you got something out of it, the deer and the unicorn are waiting outside to speak to you as soon as we leave, but please ask some questions so I don't have to see them again quite so soon." He had an almost pleading expression for anything that would delay his departure by even a minute.

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn nodded slightly and smiled. "It certainly was different from Equestria's government. I'm sure they all have something to agree on, though" She said. "Just think about what would benefit their countries the most, while also not completely destroying the others, and you'll do fine. It's a simple trick of using one's mercy to get them to cooperate with each other. I better go see what those two want before they get to impatient. I'll see you later." The alicorn then stood and left the chambers. As for what the deer and unicorn wanted to talk about, she was slightly wary of that. If they knew she was an alicorn, how would they react when they weren't in front of the other representatives?

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad sighed as Dawn left, things had been much easier before Discord attacked, but they were steadily getting better over time. Soon everything would be back to the way it was and the council heads would work together instead of competing for the resources. They each depended on each other to survive after all. Troy was the only truly self sufficient city of the group.

 

Illiad took his time packing up his documents so that he wouldn't intrude on their discussion too early, but he kept an eye out for if things started going bad so he could step in at just the right moment.

 

When Dawn left the room she saw the deer and the unicorn talking quietly before they noticed her. The deer came a bit closer and gave a slight bow. "Greetings Miss. Fukamoto, I was wondering what you thought on the matter of the cities that want to join the Trojan Empire? Also I'd like to know what you thought of that government process, and how it compares to Equestria." The unicorn waited back, clearly nervous to speak at the moment.

[Drago Ryder 641]

@Illiad Easle

 

Dawn nodded slightly and gave a slight curtsy in return. She then began to think about how to best respond, before she continued. "I think the addition of the cities would help in the reconstruction effort, to say the least. I haven't been to those cities, personally, so I don't really know much about them aside from what I've heard. There are probably those who aren't as enthusiastic to join the empire, however, so the empire will have show them that they can rely on it, so as to ease any possible unrest. If not, then they'll just as easily leave. As for your government, it certainly does give the people a bigger voice in how their country is run. Having multiple representatives would also make it next to impossible for one to have to much power. Of course, Equestria's government is somewhat similar, but having a representative from every city and town does seem a bit overwhelming. Having districts helps things go by smoother." The alicorn then thought of something, but decided to ask Illiad later.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

The deer nodded at Dawn's response. "That is one of the arguments against allowing more cities into the empire, that the grand council will get too big to do anything well. But they deserve to have a voice in the greater organizations too, even if it means the rest of the cities have fewer representatives to keep the grand council from getting too big. I am suprised however that you don't disapprove of the cities leaving Equestria to join us, while what you say is true that there are some that aren't enthusiastic, we wouldn't consider adding them unless a strong majority of their citizens wanted it. All the same, we intend to do for them what we would do for any city in our empire." The unicorn nodded as well, he seemed intent to wait for the deer to be done to say what he had to say.

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn nodded slightly, understanding what the deer meant. "I don't see how it would effect me, and it wasn't really my decision to make. That being said, I think everything would've still happened as it did had I been the one that had to choose." The alicorn noticed that the unicorn wasn't talking yet, and he was the one that made her the most nervous, due to the fact that he may know of what she is.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Drago Ryder

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

"You have quite the open mind, it will no doubt help you in your life. Good night." With that the deer left and the unicorn saw his chance to talk. "So, what do you think about Illiad? Both as a leader and as a fellow alicorn? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, it's just I can feel that you two have deeper emotions that you may not fully realize." The unicorn seemed aware of what he said and looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry if you think I'm being too direct, Illiad told me not to worry about it but I wanted to ask you directly."

[Drago Ryder 641]

To be honest, Dawn wasn't really expecting the unicorn's question, but she figured that he was probably just curious. "It's ok. I understand." She said, giving a light smile. "To be honest, I haven't really thought about it that much. I mean, Illiad's nice, and it was a relief to see another alicorn after all the time I spent as one. As a leader, he's about as fair as anyone can be." The alicorn then began to think of anything else she might be able to say.