With barely a glance at the empty seat - any empty seat - Aubrae rises once the remaining interested parties have gathered once more.
"Honoured peers, those of you who remain have a vested interest in seeing your lands safe against the encroaching of the Shadow. You wish to take direct action to defend your people, when calamity strikes, and wish for Anuireans to stand together during times of darkness and crisis. And for that, I applaud you." The Princess of Avanil leans forward and places her hand on the table, looking at each person in turn.
"Some of you where present in Ilien, when the Conclave held the trial to condemn Geraldine el-Mesir. Some of you have heard it from others. But all here, should be aware that the threat of the shadow is real. His Holiness, Wallac Isilviere, during the last months of his pontificate even went as far as to point out the very real possibility that some of our courts might be infiltrated by agents of the shadow. He took effort to point out just how close this threat is to every single one of us... before pulling away the majority of the temples forces to fight in a crusade in the east."
"That means, that for the duration of Wallacs crusade, we, all of us, are left with but a minimal force of the Conclave's militant arm - those troops best trained to fight the shadow - to help us, should troubles arise."
She pauses to let this sink in.
"I do not question the need for this crusade, if the CoT tells us that the Swordhawk should be punished, then that must be so. But as His Holiness said in Ilien, and as Pontiff Kharnmoin said last season in the Imperial City... something is brewing. And taking steps today, to ensure Anuire until such a time as the elite forces of the Conclave of Temples once more stand ready in full force to lend aid in the fight against the Shadow, could be vital for Anuire's continued existence. For *our* continued existence..."
Finishing her little impromptu speech, Aubrae takes one of the scrolls and unfurls it on the table in front of her, putting small weights brought for the occasion in each corner to prevent it from rolling back up.
"The Treaty of Bindier" she begins "binds every signatory in a military defensive pact with one another against the minions of the Shadow.
A) In case of an incident or invasion by the shadow - referred to in this document hereafter as a Shadow Incursion - any regent who is part of this pact may, should he feel himself unable to protect his people against the Incursion, send forth a plea for assistance to the other treaty-signatory's, as well as the coordinating instance.
For the purpose of such pleas, a Shadow Incursion is defined as any instance wherein agents of the shadow have been identified, or there is reasonable suspicion or evidence which indicates their involvement in the events for which help is requested.
At the beleaguered treaty-signatory's plea for help, each signatory would, by agreement, be asked to offer aid to help the beleaguered party. This help can be everything from military assistance to arcane aid or other mundane means, but should be what they can, when they can, to overcome the current Incursion - based on the single premise that the next Incursion might hit them.
B) In the case of military aid, the beleaguered party agree to allow military forces belonging to other signatories across his borders, providing they are fully supplied. The beleaguered party will be made aware of who will be sending aid by the coordinating instance, though, to prevent the shadows minions from becoming aware of army composition, precise numbers and vector of arrival, certain elements may be purposefully omitted from any letter if it is believed that a risk of interception of such dispatches by the enemy. Other types of aid is resolved on a case to case basis.
C) The coordination of aid going to any beleaguered signatory is overseen by a centralized court with sufficient resources available to ensure a smooth process and as short a delay in responses possible, thereby lifting the workload from the beleaguered regent.
D) Until anything else is agreed upon by the signatories, that coordination will be undertaken by Her Highness, Princess Aubrae and her court. "
She looks up.
"Is this acceptable for everyone? Should anything be added or removed? Remember we are trying to keep this as simple and fluid as possible."
