[Raspur] An Emissary Arrives

Palace of His Majesty Pharaoh Amenhotep IX.

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Timur Taraghay
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[Raspur] An Emissary Arrives

Post by Timur Taraghay »

After a long journey, the details of which need not concern us overly here, an emissary from the Khanate of Raspur was finally ushered into the presence of Divine Pharaoh.
  • "My Khan," the tall bearded man said in an unpleasant tone of voice which match his unapologetic scowl, "has bidden me to read aloud in your presence the words written upon this parchment, which I am then commanded to present to you and to await your reply."
The envoy glanced around the audience chamber, his gaze passing contemptuously over the crowd of eunuchs and priests with whom 'Mighty Pharaoh' had seen fit to surround himself. By the look of their own expressions in turn, they were no less imperious in their attitude towards the Raspurid dog from out of the desert as he was towards the craven race of degenerate lotus eaters.

The Pharaoh, whose golden throne sat on a raised granite platform, remained unmoved, his face almost expressionless like a funerary mask. The nod, when it came, was barely perceptible, but the Iteran vizier, a wizened old man in a coat of many colours, each stripe decorated with repeating patterns of hieroglyphs and alchemical symbols, recognised it and immediately stepped forward and addressed the emissary.
  • "Behold Amenhotep, He who is the All Merciful, He who is the Sickle of the Wheat, He who is Fisher of the Sea, He who is Lord of the Eternal River."
The Emissary was about to answer in turn when he was cut short by a burst of fervently murmured prayers uttered by all present, save Pharaoh and himself, in the incense fogged hall. The Raspurid could not disguise his fury nor did the tjaty bother to disguise a quiet triumphal smirk that curled at the corners of his lips. Finally, as the incessant praying died away, the Vizier turned to the throne and bowed deeply before announcing:
  • "Behold the Mighty Lion! The Sustainment of the Universe! Amenhotep son of Ra! Amenhotep the Divine!"
The Emissary was this time prepared for another burst of prayerful gibbering, but instead all eyes were turned to the throne with looks of reverent awe - quite at odds with the rather nondescript middle aged man sat burdened by the weight of his own towering white and red headdress. The Pharaoh spoke briefly in a language the Raspurid could not hope to understand, and a tall slender man, remarkable for his aquiline nose and the complete absence of body hair on any visible portion of his body, stepped up to the throne, bowed twice, and then walked briskly to where the Emissary stood. This man, the Emissary had been warned, was the Imir Per Wer - the master of palace decorum, and much else besides. In a thin reedy voice the Imir Per Wer now spoke:
  • "Mighty Pharaoh commands that you speak."
The Raspurid suppressed the urge to scoff.
  • "Very well then.

    Tahmaseb, by the Khvarenah of Zurvan, Lord of the Four Quarters, Suzerain of the Blue Horizon, Restorer of the Ancienty Dignity, Graced by the Khvarenah Arta?šásta, Unconquered in One Hundred-and-One Battles, Despoiler of the Khalypsine, Ever Victorious, Unblemished, Custodian of the Two Ziggurats, Keeper of the Throne, to Amenhotep, lord of Iteru. We bid you to rejoice and submit, for while we have tolerated your corruption with much forbearance, your continuing stench now leaves us no choice but to relieve you of the burden of dwelling in this sinful world.

    You have profaned the holy lands of Eura for long enough with your wretched indolence and insolence. Our entire continent, indeed the entire world, groans at the sight of your decadence and decay. You are a blot upon the honour of the successor realms of this great continent and we mean to put an end to you. Please be assured that this policy has been resolved upon in consonance with our determination to safeguard the health and honour of the Euran peoples.

    The Highest Divinity wills it that we shall take possession of all the lands along both banks of the great river Nouradin from Razaya to Sajin. Be assured and hereby warned that we, seeing the need to restore societal harmony and discipline among your unruly and unwashed multitudes, shall inspect your cities as they come into our possession and if the sanitary conditions of the communities, including the streets and sewers, are suitable for habitation we shall subject those communities to severe penalties in accordance with Martial Law. As befits the traditions of our ancestors, we shall make a desert of your lands and call it peace. Should you wish to come out to oppose us, we shall afford you a warm welcome. Should you elect instead to cower behind your walls and atop your pyramids it shall be much the same as we pull the roofs down upon your demon-clogged heads.

    With Zurvan's aid you will find out by experience what feats our regiments can perform. Know that the Constancians are with us, sly and crafty, filled with boundless resolve, who defeated the Jing and drove them into the desert to perish miserably. What hope have you against such as these?

    This fate may be averted if you obediently and reverently prostrate yourselves before Our benevolence. Do so and you shall be granted mercy and consideration, fail and the endless void shall be too good for you."
The Vizier meanwhile had been translating the message for Pharaoh from Babki into Iteran as it was being spoken. To the Emissary's utter astonishment, the Pharaoh smiled at the mention of the Constancians. The other courtiers in the hall were all grinning and tittering. The Khan of Raspur and the Autokrator of Constancia had just promised to destroy them to the very last man in the very houses where they stood and their response was mirth? Seeing his perplexity the Imir Per Wer lent in and whispered to the Emissary.
  • "We are all, of course, inconsolable at the news of the misfortune which has befallen the Khan's great friend the Lord of Vey."
The Emissary, momentarily forgot himself and turned to face the Imir Per Wer, grabbing him by the folds of his luxuriant robes.
  • "What misfortune?" He insistently hissed.
The Imir Per Wer just smirked in reply but it was then that the Emissary noticed that soldiers of the Iteran Chariotry had quietly entered the audience hall and were now poised behind him with daggers drawn. Abruptly the Emissary released his grip on the Imir Per Wer and apologetically patted him on the shoulders.
  • "I trust there is no objection if I depart immediately after the audience? I do have a plane to catch and time is pressing..."
Timūr al-Osman Taraghay
Emissary of His Sublime Magnificence, the Lord of the Four Quarters and the Blue Horizon, Tahmaseb II Osman, Khan of Raspur
Ambassador to the Bastions of Unbelief
Loyal Servitor of the Raspur Khanate

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