BY SCHISM RENT ASUNDER – snippet 115:
September, Year of God 892
.I.
Tellesberg Palace,
Tellesberg,
Kingdom of Charis
It was odd, the Earl of Pine Hollow, thought as he was escorted into the Tellesberg Palace throne room once more. He hadn't believed he could feel more nervous than he had on the occasion of his first visit here.
Unfortunately, I was wrong.
He followed the pair of guardsmen, one in the black and gold of Charis and the other in the silver and blue of Chisholm, across the polished stone floor, under the silently turning fans. It was much the same room as before, he noticed . . . aside from the minor fact that the raised dais was a bit larger and that it no longer supported only a single throne.
No wonder he wanted to time to "think about his response." Despite his own internal tension, Pine Hollow found it hard not to smile as he looked at the attractive young woman sitting in the throne to Cayleb's right. I can hardly believe the two of them managed to put this entire marriage together without anyone in Emerald catching so much as a sniff of it! Nahrmahn was right about Sharleyan all along, though. And he was right about something else, too. Cayleb is dangerous enough by himself; the two of them together are going to turn Hektor into kraken bait, and when that happens, I'd rather be in the boat with them than in the water with Hektor.
The Earl of Gray Harbor stood between the two thrones, effectively at the shoulders of each of the two monarchs seated in them, and Archbishop Maikel stood to the king's left. Aside from the first councilor, the archbishop, and their personal bodyguards, Cayleb and Sharleyan were alone. That was interesting. The lack of additional councilors — and witnesses — argued, among other things, that the two of them intended to speak . . . frankly. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing for Emerald remained to be seen, of course.
He stopped at the correct distance from the pair of thrones, bowed to both of the seated monarchs, then straightened and stood waiting respectfully.
"Well, My Lord," Cayleb said after several thoughtful moments, "I did say we'd talk again, I believe."
"Indeed, you did, Your Majesty." Pine Hollow allowed himself a small smile. "At the time, however, you allowed me to assume that there would be only one monarch present when we did."
"As you see, our spymasters are better than yours." Cayleb smiled back, and his tone was light, almost whimsical. His eyes, however, Pine Hollow noted, didn't smile.
"In point of fact, Your Majesty, we'd already deduced that in light of certain other small surprises we've suffered of late. I believe it had something to do with what happened to our fleet — among other people's –" he allowed his eyes to flit briefly sideways to Sharleyan "– in the recent . . . unpleasantness."
"An interesting choice of words," Cayleb observed. He, too, glanced at the queen seated beside him. Then he looked back at Pine Hollow. "It was indeed 'unpleasant,' My Lord. And, in the event, rather more unpleasant for some than for others. If we were inclined to spend our time rehashing all of our mutual reasons for enmity, we'd still be sitting here this time next year, however. So, bearing in mind the reason your Prince sent you here, Queen Sharleyan and I propose to move forward, rather than look back. Neither of us, however, is blind to the past, My Lord. In fact, we remember everything that's passed, and it would the wise of you and your Prince to bear that in mind. And to remember what I said a moment ago. Our spymasters are very, very good."
Pine Hollow inclined his head in silent acknowledgment of Cayleb's point. It wasn't one he or Nahrmahn was ever likely to forget.
"You may have noted, My Lord, that I said Queen Sharleyan and I propose to move forward. Allow me to be specific, just in case the contacts I'm certain you've been cultivating here in Tellesberg have failed to provide you with the full specifics. When Her Majesty and I wed one another in a few days' time, we will lay the foundation for a new realm, the Empire of Charis. Queen Sharleyan will continue to rule Chisholm in her own right, and I will continue to rule Charis, in my own right, but both of those kingdoms will become subordinate to and included in the Empire of Charis. The crown of that empire will be held initially by me, but Queen Sharleyan will be my coruler, not simply my consort. She will become not simply my wife, not simply my senior councilor, but my regent and my deputy. Any decision she reaches in my absence will be as valid as any decision I myself might have reached. And, should I predecease her, the Empire's crown — and the crown of 'the Old Kingdom of Charis' — will pass first to her, and only after her death to our eldest child.
"What this means for you and for Emerald, My Lord, is twofold. First, the terms which will be offered to your Prince are those which upon which Her Majesty and I have mutually agreed. They aren't the terms of Charis, and they aren't the terms of Chisholm; they are our terms, and they aren't subject to negotiation. Your choice, My Lord, is to accept them or to reject them. Is that point clear?"
"It is, Your Majesty." Pine Hollow kept his voice even, although it was difficult. It was obvious Cayleb was doing his very best to avoid grinding Emerald's pride into the dirt any more thoroughly than he must, but the fact remained that he — and Sharleyan, Pine Hollow reminded himself — were dictating terms. The fact that they had the power to do that made the experience no more enjoyable from the other side.
"Very well," Cayleb said. "In that case, understand the second consequence for Emerald. Your Prince's independence must come to an end and Emerald must become a part of the new Empire of Charis.
"There are two ways in which this might be accomplished, and to be perfectly honest, the one which most appeals to me on a personal basis, for many reasons, would be to depose Prince Nahrmahn and formally annex Emerald as a part of the Kingdom of Charis. As you and I are both aware, I have many personal reasons to feel less than fond, shall we say, of your Prince, and I suppose it's only human of me to wish to make that point abundantly clear to him.
"However, after further consideration and after discussing the matter fully with Queen Sharleyan, we've decided to adopt a second approach. Instead of adding your princedom to the territory of the Kingdom of Charis, which we would be fully entitled to do, having secured our claim by force of arms, we propose to add the Princedom of Emerald to the Empire of Charis as an intact unit."
Pine Hollow's mental ears pricked. He felt his shoulders stiffen, but he managed to keep any hint of emotion out of his expression.
"Assuming Prince Nahrmahn is prepared to accept the sovereignty of the Empire of Charis and its ruler, and to give expression to any requirements for domestic change that ruler may make upon him, accepting that the imperial crown has the right to issue whatever instructions it, in its own good judgment, finds most appropriate, he will be permitted to retain the crown of the Princedom of Emerald and will become the second-ranking noble of the Empire. Only the heir apparent to the imperial crown will take precedence over him."
This time, Pine Hollow couldn't keep the astonishment — and vast relief — from showing. Cayleb noted it, and smiled thinly.
"It would be well, My Lord, for you and Prince Nahrmahn to disabuse yourselves of any notion that this means it will be 'business as usual' for him in Emerald. The Emperor — or Empress — of Charis will be the master — or mistress — of the Empire. Your Prince will retain his throne only at the pleasure of the Emperor. He would be well advised to remember that firmly, because I assure you, Queen Sharleyan and I most definitely will."
Now the Empire of Charis will have a land army to augment their Marines. The Kingdom of Tarot looks to be on very shaky ground. The Church won’t be able to intervene and will find its newly reconstructed navy in a worse predicament. If the Empire expands in partnership with Emerald and either in partnership, minus a head of state, or in conquest of Tarot, most deep water trading and military naval vessels will fly the colors of the Empire.
I think conquest of Tarot is a bad idea as it would seem to the mainland that Charis was spreading its heresy by force of arms. The threat of invasion with abdication of an internal revolt would serve Charis much better.
That’s just a bit more than even I thought would be offered to Nahrmahn …
I wonder how large the Empire of Charis will grow in time?
Corrisande and Zebidiah first, then worry about Tarot.
Another thought – to the outside (Go4 & Hektor) observers, this will not appear as if Emerald has been forceably annexed into Charis, but will be perceived as Emerald willingly switched sides …. and will strike another blow against the authority of the Go4.
Good point Brom
Also the political arrangement means that more states can be added later.
I suspect say for example hecktors country will be split in two (Northern and southern islands)and both will be co-equal to emerald possibly
Someone called this. I wish it was me, but I certainly didn’t discount this among the possibilities.
Narmahn is a smart man. Having him on the side of the Empire of Charis is going to let things get…
…interesting.
What will be the last snippet we will see from this book? #116? #118? Imho, the Monday snippet will be the last …
When an enermy of Charis is able to join the Empire of Charis with minimal consequences, it will also helps to convince other states to join up with Charis willingly.
@8: up to #126 are in the queue.
the question I have to ask is will this bite them in the rear later? A chance for enemy to friend to enemy again? Once you give Nahrmahn the new weapons it makes him fairly dangerous to both sides. Add a little ambition into the mix and it could easily blow up in either persons face. He might even be interested in the title of emperor as well……..
Tarot first would be a good practice run to get the bugs out of the land forces. It would protect the back door from any group that could get an army ashore in Charis.
Actually, I expect it will be *second*, whether it is Tarot or Corisande. The equivalent of the Dieppe raid, perhaps with more success, will happen in Delfarahk. Indeed, one innovation these people could use is the LCT for getting cannon ashore.
I have to admit to being surprised; I didn’t see allowing Nahrmahn to keep his throne – I expected exile. On the flip side, having the ability for Merlin to see any potential plots is a fairly effective counterweight….
Except Nahrmahn is *smart*, and with time, I’m sure he could find ways to get around that, if he had the slightest grasp of the constraints he’s really under.
But, if he – and his population – is willing to accept this, I’m sure he’d *enjoy* helping pound on Hektor. And he’s certainly lost his respect for the Go4, so the theological consequences will be… interesting
For anyone who wants to look back to the original meeting
http://www.ericflint.net/index.php/2008/04/11/by-schism-rent-asunder-snippet-82/
http://www.ericflint.net/index.php/2008/04/14/by-schism-rent-asunder-snippet-83/
http://www.ericflint.net/index.php/2008/04/16/by-schism-rent-asunder-snippet-84/
I don’t know whether I’m the individual that Summercat compliments, but I feel pleased that I probably got a good “score”.
I still want to know where the Empire’s capital will be. I still feel that Zebediah could be a good central location. Placing a new, Imperial, capital outside Charis would also make the empire appear less Charis-dominated (whatever the reality)
Succotash asks “the question I have to ask is will this bite them in the rear later? A chance for enemy to friend to enemy again? Once you give Nahrmahn the new weapons it makes him fairly dangerous to both sides. Add a little ambition into the mix and it could easily blow up in either persons face. He might even be interested in the title of emperor as well…….. ”
I suggest that the answer is that either Nahrmann or his daughter will be taking up residence in the Imperial court, and any treachery would diminsh their life-expectancy. However, allowing Narhmann to organise the takeover of Zebidiah and Corisande would allow him to get his revenge on Hektor, reinforce his standing as the “second-ranking noble of the Empire”, and blacken his name with the Go4. This should bind Nahrmann to the Empire.
We saw this coming, but the time placement is interesting. Tieing it to the nuptuals is only natural. However, having it fall on the back of the closing of the harbors, and presumably before the news of that action becomes widespread, makes for intersting politics–and propaganda.
Nahrmann is established as the best thinkier in the political world, and bringing him in as a full partner is, guessing here, going to be the master stroke. Adding his strategy to Merlin’s intel and the Crown’s capacity for decisive action gives DW the head for his nation. The three countries will provide the body, with Emerald and Chisholm getting the benefit of the industrial revolution in advance of the rest of the world.
The stage is already set for friendly relations with the superpower on the Church’s eastern border. The Charisian Empire will dominate a swath to the south and west. One is reminded of a game of Go. Charis is a stone caught in a pncer attack, jumping into the middle of the board, and gaining influence in the doing. The Church’s forces are cut, and the Church itself comes under attack, with a solid wall behind, and a growing threat where they had tried to attack earlier. In this case, the Church will probably not recognize its weakness until something invades its porous home position. i suspect that is where the widow cmes in.
J
The question re Capital has been answered… See an early April snippet for the following:
“….Tellesberg and Cherayth shall be coequal as capitals. For four months of each year — that is, for half the year, allowing for voyage time between Charis and Chisholm — Her Majesty and I will reside in Tellesberg,….”
Also, once Duke Solomon acts to remove or control Graisyn and the rest of the Emerald bishops, there will not be any going back. Narhmann made that step very clear to Pine Hollow in his last discussion before sending him to Charis. Nahrmann would not be as safe from the GO4 without Charis/Chisholm strong support.
The snippet re Capital was http://www.ericflint.net/index.php/2008/04/04/by-schism-rent-asunder-snippet-79/
Since this was Cayleb’s plan/offer prior to his Queen’s arrival, she may have changed this in recent discussions/planning.
Why do you think Hektor will risk a civil war to rupture the empire just to grab a big piece of it? The logical course is to throw his daughter and the heir apparent together. His daughter will be the coruler of the Empire and later on his grandchild will inherit the whole pie, spork and the tray.
Doubtful. it was also probably part of the letter he sent her. I suspected that Emerald would get such terms. What I really want to know is how far the trust will extend. Remember, to get this group functional, we need him to have access to Merlin’s info. that means revealing at least the idea of Merlin having visions. To be at its most effective, the full story must be told, but I highly doubt that will happen.
on a less important note…
JNees, what was that game? Go? It sounded interesting
re Capital
I’m sure that will change as things progress. For example, water-crossing speed has already increased a great deal, and with there being a naval war that will still be going on with the Go4 (when they get a navy, that is) and besides that having Merlin, technology will most likely continue to increase that naval speed.
But, if the empire gets big enough, they’re going to need a single capital. Otherwise I can’t see how they’d manage the empire effectively
Anybody else wondering if Go4 is likely to try anything nasty at the wedding? I’ll breath easier once Weber gets these kids safely buckled…
AVD… Go is an ancient game of strategy, I think from China or somewhere else in Asia, that is — IMO at least — very much “interesting” in the Chinese sense of the word. Then again, I suck at it, so take that with a grain of salt.
RH
I can’t agree with you Geoff, that they can only manage the empire from a single capital. Political power must be united there you are wright, but I think is a matter of organisation to manage that from two locations. If you look at USA with Washington and New York, Germany with Bonn and Berlin or Russia with Moskau and Sant-Peterburg there are posibilities to orgonize such a thing. (I have to admit, that the parallels are not one to one and I see risks and drawbacks in such an arrangement but it is possible)
For now, too much going on in Tellesberg to not have it be the capital for at least part of the time… Consider Patent Office, Church of Charice, Monastery of Saint Zherneau (only such we know about for sure), Royal College, etc.. Then too, the current major players in new technology are in Charis (Delthak is a key resource). If the GO4 or “supporters” have any control over the kinetic bombardment platforms, two capitals make more sense. I can’t imagine they won’t be used against something, although I hope I’m wrong.
Re informing Nahrmann…. Pine Hollow would surely tell him in person, but I wonder what happened to the homing wyverns. I have no knowledge of such “birds” and whether any could survive or still have the ability to home after two years (since Lahang’s murder). Might such have any role in faster inter-continent communications??
One thing I would do to minimize the amount of time either capital is without one of the rulers and for the security of the realm would be to have each travel separately, one leaving when the other has arrived at the other capital. With Merlin to confirm the safe arrival of the 1st ship no time is lost reporting back. Last thing you need is a storm or enemy to pop up and kill the two most powerful people.
I think that they should have laid a few more levels above Nahrman… like the theoretical King of Charis and Queen of Chisholm and their theoretical heirs and other direct offspring, and the direct offspring of the Imperator of Charis/Chisholm, should all rank above the Prince.
Narhmann is ambitious and brilliant. His desire was to increase the “power” of his Princedom. This offer is likewise brilliant in that it does that in spades! As 2nd rank, Nahrmann will give 110% to the new Empire and will become a pivotal figure. He will be one who will soon be informed of the “truth” and will give his all to the future of his descendants.
Jerry – I think you’re close to right there. Narhmann has already been cited a few times in these snippets and the last book as pretty much nailing the political situation – without the benefit of Merlin’s robot spies. The other thing is that Narhmann is pretty close to agnostic/atheistic in terms of the Safehold religion, so the “truth” should appeal to him greatly.
The other thing is Hector – I’ll be curious to see where this goes as DW has been pretty consistant in building Hector up as a good ruler too in a lot of respects. Do you suppose this merging intact will also go to Hector as well? Granted, Charis may not desire to do so as Hector and company were the figurehead of the attack by the Go4.