A Celebration of Winter

[Centurius]

The various heads of state around the world would receive a private letter marked with the Athenian seal, inside would be an invitaton.

[quote]
[center][img]http://data.treksimming.com/athenian-federation/CoatofarmsAthenianFedSmall.png[/img][/center]

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are once again upon a time of celebration in many religions, a celebration of peace of quiet and of course of winter. It is because of this that I invite you to the Winter Palace in Zermatt, Switzerland for a grand celebration.

Should you accept this invitation I would request you submit a travel plan and number of people traveling to the Athenian authorities. Protection will be provided by the High Guard however you are allowed to take two unarmed guards with you.

With kindest regards,
Ariadne Notaras of Heraclius[/quote]

The High Guard would be quick to establish security around the town and inside the palace, at the same time the Hellenic Air Force would make regular patrols and all regional forces were placed on alert. Should something happen the Athenian security machine could handle it.

OOC: The rp runs seperate from the normal timeline and events there have no bearing on this rp. If you plan to join with the intention of spoiling the fun for everyone else, don't. I do reserve the right to take action against trouble-makers.

[JEDCJT]

Imperial Administrator Isabella Esperanza would be at the Winter Palace, along with a small entourage. Dressed in a dress that hugged her figure in a sensuous yet formal way, and show a hint of her cleavage, she would be dressed to kill. The other women in her entourage would be dressed similiarly, while the men were dressed up smartly in their two-button suits.

Edited December 22, 2012 by JEDCJT

[Tom Marvolo Riddle]

The head diplomat, Fuji the Great, and Vice President Tom Marvolo Riddle III, willl both be attending. We plan on sending 4 guards, 2 for Fuji the Great and 2 for TMRIII. The guards will be armed with stun guns and tranquilizers. We hope this will be fine with your government.

Sincerely, Tom Marvolo Riddle II

[Gloval]

[Somewhere in the world...]

Dodmann smiles as a card is dropped on his desk by a soldier in an old set of Ubersteinian Mk V infantry armor. "Oh good, it seems my invitation wasn't lost in the mail! Prepare transport...and I promise you this, if I find myself flying Coach once again, I shall have your head on a platter! Prepare my formal uniform, Ubersteinia has never missed a formal ball!"
The soldier bows and backs out of the room, and soon money would be shifted about various investment and bank accounts to make things happen.

Dodmann, in full Ubersteinian Dress Uniform, would board a civilian plane bound for Zermatt, looking incredibly out of place even in first class.

[Message to the Athenian Federation]
[center]His Majesty, Andrea the First, shall happily attend this ball. The security entourage provided by the Athenian Federation is perfectly acceptable, and his Majesty shall be arriving alone on a royal airship.[/center]




OOC: Permission granted by Cent. Gotta love crazy old men missing chunks of their head. Just a reminder, Dodmann isn't affiliated with Terre Regius, he's for fun on the side.

Edited December 23, 2012 by Gloval

[TheShammySocialist]

"The President of Greater Colombia, Ignacio de Ardanza, will accept the gracious Athenian invitation, along with his wife Elena de Ardanza, and look forward to attending this social event."

[J Andres]

With President McDowell engaged in a fierce election, the rotund Foreign Affairs Minister, [url=http://cybernations.wikia.com/wiki/Patrick_Aurora]Patrick Aurora[/url] will attend this function.
The Minister would arrive alone via government jet, wearing a navy blue suit and some of his lunch upon his face. Minister Aurora always looked forward to these sort of functions as the hosts typically spared no expense when it came to the catering.

[Evangeline Anovilis]

Faraway, though most maybe didn't even know it existed, would announce to the athenian authorities a delegation of three, consisting out of the Lord Protector, an underage person and their guardian and private teacher. They would arrive by flying with the Faraway government jet to Zürich, taking a rented car to get to Zermatt in a multi-hour trip.

[hr]

[b]Trois-Rivieres, Quebec[/b]

"Hmmm..." From the comfy armchair, a hand stretched to the nearby plate, just to find it empty. Even after blindly probing the plate for any object that may have been on it, the hand just grew more desperate, until a book was shut. "Impossible! Where...Where are they gone to?" A young woman, not even in her 30s yet, still, she had seen more than most people her age ever would, almost began to sob, as she stared on the empty plate, only a bit of sugar and sprinkles left. "Well, I guess you ate them all." Charlotte snickered, as she watched the former Princess dumbfound face, upon the relevation. "B-but it were so many..." "Well, then I suppose in the New Year, we will have to start doing some sport again." She grinned broadly, even though Dalian glared back. "I can't help it, you know. I am a person that works much with her brain, I need all that sugar. And as it is not healthy to eat pure sugar, I have to resort to sweets. You understand?" Charlotte couldn't help bit giggle upon the reasoning of her Grande Princesse, Dalian couldn't help but feel annoyed by the insolent manner Charlotte seemed to have adopted. "Well, why have you come here anyway? Surely not to mock the mysteries of my disappearing christmas cookies." Dalian looked at her friend questioningly. "Indeed, I don't have come for that, though, it'd be surely a nice mystery to investigate into this, given my share of the cookies also regularly disappears." Dalian flished bright red. "I-I have no idea." "A pity. I liked my cookies. But anyway. What I came for was some recent invitation to an Athenian Christmas Celebration. Given your standing, you might want to participate." Dalian pondered for a moment. She seemed rather unphased by the prospects of returning to Euope. "Hmmm, well I guess the Athenians...I don't know. I want to read my book." Reopening her book, Dalian leaned back into her chair again, to resume reading, when Charlotte stood up and turned for the door. "A pity... And I thought you would accompany me to Zermatt. But I guess I'll just eat the Swiss chocolate they'll surely have all on my own." As the Vicidalian entrepeneur walked on, she could here the book clapping together again and before she herself could reach the entrance door, Dalian already stood there. "Come on. We got no time to lose. A proper noblewoman cannot let the cho- ahem society wait, you know. Reflect on that tardiness of yours please."

Given the rather limited funds Dalian as a private person had and Charlotte's insistence to travel "economically", the schedule would be far less majestetic, her travel plan being to take a bus to Quebec, from there the plane to France, the TGV to the French Alpes around Lyon and from there with multiple regional busses and trains to Zermatt.Charlotte almost feared that on the way back home, the alpine roads with their sharp turns may reunite her with the cookies she once searched for.

[b]OOC:[/b] I asked Cent and he gave permission for using Dalian. And one got to love Swiss chocolate.

[Centurius]

OOC: I’m going to continue the story here but you can of course still retroactively arrive.

IC:

[img]http://www.elysiancollection.com/wp-content/gallery/responsive-zermatt/zermatt-dusk.jpg[/img]

Zermatt hadn’t changed much in the last few decades, it was still the cozy little Swiss town that was great for a vacation, it was this that had convinced Athens to build a palace there to get a break from the troubles of politics and the world. To most of the visitors it would be as if they went back in time. Due to the high profile nature the town had been closed to tourism during the event and this left only a few thousand residents. As a result the town would only be even quieter. As the guests arrived by either their own transport or a car arranged via the High Guard they would be escorted through the town center to the Winter Palace on the edge. Upon their arrival they would be informed that rooms were available in the palace but they alternatively could also stay in one of the hotels throughout the town. Guards would be provided the option to hand in every weapons they did bring along. Once inside the palace guests would be offered a glass of champagne from one of the many servants, from there on the way to the ballroom would be quite straightforward. The ballroom itself was equipped with strategically placed bars. The interior of the palace resembled the Baroque style but had some unique ancient Greek additions that had become common for the Athenian style. Security inside did its best to hide, while each room had uniformed guards most of them hid in formal dress among the crowd to make interference as minimal as possible.

---

As it was Athens’ her own ball the government would of course come in numbers, Valerio would be one of the first to leave his quarters inside palace for the event. Dressed in white tie and tails he would start talking to some of the crowds awaiting the guests. Not much later Hektor joined him, also in full evening dress. Ariadne would be one of the last to arrive, only after most of the guests were there. Dressed in a royal blue evening gown she made her way through the crowds and to a stage so she could speak to everyone.

“Good evening to you all, I am glad to see you have all been able to attend. Tonight we celebrate something this world has not seen in a long time, peace. It is a time for people to come together, a time for all the conflicts to stop mattering. Whether you are a Christian or a Jew or as Hellenicist. Whether you are European or Asian or American. I hope you will all enjoy tonight.” After finishing the small speech she would step down again to make place for an orchestra playing music made by various composers.

[MostGloriousLeader]

[u][b]Andrews AFB[/b][/u]
After mulling over his invitation President Bronson decided to attend the event and a reply was given to notify the Athenians that he and the Secretary of State would be arriving. Everything was fairly quiet at home and he could spare a couple days from the elections which were beginning to get tiresome. Hopefully he'd get to socialize with other world leaders and possibly broaden the Commonwealth's foreign affairs efforts. Now he was sitting in his personal office on Air Force One lying on the couch awaiting takeoff. A cold front had moved in from the west and was causing some severe winter weather and flight delays along the eastern seaboard. Luckily it was only supposed to last a couple hours so he'd only be a little late. He began to feel the aircraft taxiing along the tarmac and soon the 747 was in flight and on the way to Switzerland.

It was a peaceful and uneventful flight over the Atlantic with the President catching up on some paperwork before he began his [s]vacation[/s] state function.. Once they received clearance and landed, Bronson and Secretary of State Christopher McNutt would disembark with two secret service agents, all of them dressed in formal attire, and proceeded to the Palace by transport provided by the Athenians. On arrival the agents turned over their weapons including their sub-machine guns, service pistols, batons and several other weapons. They were skilled in hand to hand combat but nobody was truly worried that something would happen, not here at a major function hosted by the Athenians. While late they had thankfully arrived just before the beginning of the Athenian's speech. After listening and applauding, Bronson and McNutt set out to begin mingling with the other guests.

[VigilantWatcher]

Empress Farah Mashilda would enter the room just as Adriane was starting her speech. She was looking forward to making a good impression on her first overseas trip. This in her opinion had come at a good time, with the break from her duties in Tehran a welcome distraction. She listened to the speech, before making her way to the bar for a glass of Champagne.

[img]http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo91/Fazzy_album/Dokhtare%20Irani/n507900183_2143239_8157.jpg[/img]

She looked into a mirror to make sure that her outfit was in order before sitting down at a table and waited for a chance to speak to any of the other guests. She was prepared for any trouble, her strong will would make sure that any attention was firmly rebuffed.

Edited December 25, 2012 by Curristan

[J Andres]

[img]http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120829230653/cybernations/images/d/dc/Patrickaurora.png[/img]
Minister Aurora scanned the room and thought to himself, [i]I am the worst Foreign Affairs Minister in the entire world.[/i] He scanned the room and couldn't determine the nationalities of any of the heads of state by looking at them, and he surely hadn't done his research before coming.
Then someone caught his eye; Aurora recognized the President from the American Commonwealth. He was accompanied by a few other men and they were talking. Were they traveling together, or were they meeting for the first time tonight? The Minister had no idea, just as he could not remember the President's name.

Patrick stuffed a few additional bacon-wrapped scallops down his throat before walking towards the American party. He wiped his mouth swiftly with his left sleeve and swallowed before arriving with the group. "Good evening neighbors!" he said politely, trying to shy away from particular names. "Patrick Aurora, J Andres Minister of Foreign Affairs." He offered his right hand to the man he thought was the President.

Edited December 26, 2012 by J Andres

[TheShammySocialist]

Ignacio and Elena de Ardanza would arrive in Zermatt by way of Turin, Italy, having flown into the historic northern Italian metropolis a couple days in advance of the Athenian invitation, they had spent their couple days there keeping a low profile, enjoying the delights of Alpine Italy, and even getting Elena some snowboarding lessons. Ignacio was still suffering from badly broken ribs that had gotten cracked in the closing hours of the war, facing off against Colombian militia and special operations forces. After enjoying Turin, they would take a helicopter that had been airlifted with them from Colombia up to Zermatt for the party, arriving in time to move into their chalet, settle in, and prepare for the ball.

Ignacio would be wearing a suit, with the sash of the President of Colombia, used during formal occasions, which hung over his right shoulder, his usually somewhat-unkempt facial hair and long curly hair would be gone, replaced by a short cut that gave him a complete clean-cut look for the occasion. His somewhat-disheveled appearance was a bit of a signature trademark for the somewhat-young President, the choice of appearance having been determined by the First Lady, who would compliment his clean cut and stately appearance with an elegant one of her own. Wearing a lavender dress that stretched down a little lower than her knees, she also wore a simple string of pearls, her hair in well-kept wavy tresses, she wore a carnation on her wrist, and a red, blue, and yellow floral arrangement adorned the right side of her chest.

They would arrive in time to catch Ariadne's opening address, slowed by Ignacio's slower-than-usual pace, as he had a hard time breathing when he exerted himself too much, but they would raise their glasses in salute to the opening of the Celebration. After waiting for a slower tune played by the band, they would take to the floor in front of the gathered orchestra, they would start their night off in each others' arms for a gentle dance on the well-polished floors, before going their separate ways into the crowds of gathered dignitaries from near and far...

Edited December 27, 2012 by TheShammySocialist

[MostGloriousLeader]

Bronson was enjoying the food and champagne while talking with Secretary McNutt when the J Andres foreign affairs minister walked over and introduced himself. "Ah, hello Mr. Aurora" he said as he shook his hand.. I'm President David Bronson and this is Secretary of State McNutt" he said gesturing to the man to his right. "Hopefully you're enjoying this party as much as we are. What can I do for you this fine evening?" he asked.

[J Andres]

"Well, one can't help but notice that the signs on our border no longer say 'Welcome to Vinsalia.' The J Andres government is most pleased that your nation has acquired the former Vinsalian territory and we hope that relations between our two nations remains favorable."

The minister glanced back over to the food table, no new items have been brought out--that left more time for diplomacy. Aurora returned his gaze to the President and his party, "Perhaps we could consider some sort of free trade and open border policy? Think of all the time your citizens could save if they could travel directly through J Andres instead of taking the long way around when they needed to travel north and south. Your trucks get to take a shorter route, J Andres restaurants get some foreign business, it's good for everybody!" The minister cracked a smile as he quickly checked the food table once again.

[MostGloriousLeader]

"Well the American Commonwealth has always seeked out good relations with its neighboring nations and I suppose J Andres is the newest one" said the president in a joking manner. "As for economic cooperation, I feel it is a splendid idea that would be mutually beneficial for both our nations although we maintain an open border policy with all countries provided the proper customs and security measures are observed so that shouldn't be an issue. An economic treaty would be fine though" he said.

"If I may interject sirs" said Secretary McNutt. "I don't wish to come off as sounding rude, Mr. Aurora, because that is not my intention, but it is something I must bring up. We understand that there are some internal issues you have in your nation. A sort of east/west schism. While the domestic affairs of another nation usually isn't a cause of concern for our nation, it is in the American Commonwealth's interest to have stable neighbors. That was the primary reason for our intervention when Vinsalia fell. That being said our nations are now neighbors and the prospect of instability in one of the few nations that actually borders us is a legitimate concern to our country" concluded the Secretary of State.

[J Andres]

Minister Aurora had not checked in on the happenings of J Andres since he had landed. [i]Things must have gotten worse[/i], he thought to himself. "Mr. Secretary, I understand your concern. I must admit that my own understanding on Andrean affairs comes from yesterday's edition of the newspaper. However, I can assure you will find a friend in the J Andres government, regardless of the outcome of the infighting between the two branches of the Mercton family."

"Richard has always been ambitious. It's understandable I guess when your father founded the nation and you grow up your whole life knowing that you have big shoes to fill. The throne has been the only position that he desired that he never received. He has tried before and has been unsuccessful. Now he's in his 60's and making another play for it. It's just not going to work. Even if he was successful, the throne is the only thing he desires. It looks to be a war of words and words only."

"That being said, I understand your concern about making any sort of open border treaty official until his little theatrical performance comes to a close."

[MostGloriousLeader]

"Well I think it would be wise to hold off on making any diplomatic decisions until the current situation is resolved. However, until then we will be monitoring the situation closely" warned the Secretary of State. "Alright Chris, take it easy" said the president. "Mr. Aurora please excuse Secretary McNutt here. He has just recently come into the job so he's working on improving his tactfulness. I do sincerely hope we'll be able to meet again soon to discuss relations between our countries soon under better circumstances. Was there anything else we needed to discuss?" he asked.

Edited December 28, 2012 by MostGloriousLeader

[J Andres]

The Minister's worried look disappeared at the President's reassurance. [i]Phew. I would have been shot dead on my return if I soured the relationship with our ONLY neighbor[/i], he thought to himself. "Nothing else to discuss good sirs, it has been a great pleasure to meet the both of you. I hope we will have the chance to meet again, hopefully at another event with fine cuisine such as this one!" He chuckled and shook the hands of both gentlemen before setting course for a new table that had just been set replenished with food.

[Gloval]

Andrea I's airship arrived slightly late to the party due to weather, but he arrived nonetheless. Dressed in his standard light-blue suit, and followed by a single aide who carried a satellite phone. He would simply stand to the side and watch for now, enjoying the music.

Around the same time, "Commander" Dodmann, of course still dressed in full Ubersteinian military uniform, his face considerably scarred by both age and having shot himself in the face, and his chest decked in medals that likely belonged in museums at this point. His invitation and formlessness of his uniform barely allowed him past the guards, and as he stepped into the room he leaned to the nearest world leader, "Well, it appears I have not missed much! These parties always start so slow...but the night is young!"