you didnt paint her majesties white roses -red-

did you ?

I'm pretty sure you did a quick check-over of your bag while still moving toward the gates.

Alfonso 2011/11/03(Thu)21:43 No. 363506 ID: cbfb9c
File 132038182866.png - (46.92KB , 1068x502 , The title Majesty wasn\'t invented until 1500.png )

>You did a check over of your bag.

Right, I began by quickly looking over my belongings as I--

*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*

Alfonso snaps out of his memory. Silence in the chambers.

The presiding officer stares Alfonso down before proclaiming, "Enough. We will not hear this diatribe from you. Have the Captain bring them."

With a gesture, he summons the Captain of the Guard, who places a series of items on the table in front of the hand-cuffed Alfonso, obviously out of reach.

"These objects were recovered with you by the Captain. Do they account for everything you brought with you?"

[spoiler]Sorry about the slow posting.

I'd say so.

Alfonso 2011/11/03(Thu)22:41 No. 363517 ID: cbfb9c
File 132038528684.png - (24.55KB , 480x360 , Fun Fact - the Aulic Council has not been establis.png )

>Yes

His Supremely Illustrious Highness, Louis IV the Roman, Margrave of Brandenburg and Bavaria, the presiding officer of Alfonso's "trial" seems pleased with this answer. It has certainly stroked his ego well. He leans back into his chair. Alfonso can almost feel the trickle of TRUST accumulating.

Our noble hero gets the feeling that he could tell the court whatever he wanted, provided he doesn't drive their TRUST down to nothing with ridiculous claims. It would probably be wise to remember things in a way that is flattering, or at least not very UNLAWFUL. And, of course, if laws must be broken, they might be excused by showing that such illicit activities are IN DEFENSE OF CATHOLICISM -- the one thing anyone would have a hard time arguing against.

The presiding officer interrupts Alfonso's thoughts to remark, "While you've been cooperative so far, you have failed to follow proper protocol. For the benefit of the court, let the details of this trial commence. The date is January 11, in the 1356th year of Our Lord. This is an emergency convention of the Council of Princes and High Officials to discuss your crimes over the past two days. You are charged with the crimes of attempted assassination, espionage, vandalism, impersonating an official, general lawlessness, disruption of official documents, treason, witchcraft, heresy, apostasy, blasphemy, resisting arrest, traveling under false documents, and conspiracy. Let the documents show that you have moved to have as many charges waived as possible. This plea was denied pending proof of innocence."

He clears his throat one more time. "With official protocol taken care of, NOW you may continue. We know the details of your bag -- how did you negotiate the guards?"

[1/2]

Alfonso 2011/11/03(Thu)22:47 No. 363520 ID: cbfb9c
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>>363517
I remember approaching the guards casually. I had a clear conscience. At this point, I had no illicit objectives whatsoever. It was deemed better for my mission that I not know anything until I met several contacts inside. Thus, my documents were legitimate.

That's not to say I wasn't worried, however. Any faux pas would draw suspicion, and I knew it was important that I keep a low profile.

My first challenge was negotiating the guard without having them remember me. This involved appearing as though I fit in, which meant speaking the right language. I confess, the inner workings of the Empire, and its guards, have eluded me for some time, and as I approached the gate, I was grasping for which language I should address the guards in to get by without incident.

As a man of my persuasion, I command quite a few languages. Which one did I use to get past the guard without causing a stir?

It might make sense to speak in an Iberian language, since I was representing Iberia, though I might fit in more if I tried an Imperial language. And of course, I could appear as a foreigner if I tried a more exotic tongue, like Italian, or English.

>>363520
Low German is probably the way to go, but with a Iberian accent, lets say Castilian.

Also, things might look grim if they sentence you to execution, but the punishment is not carried out all that often, many times the local prince will pardon you to appear more merciful.

Alfonso 2011/11/04(Fri)09:10 No. 363574 ID: cbfb9c
File 132042300841.png - (6.83KB , 375x363 , Plate armor emerged in the 13th century, and reach.png )

>Castilian

Approaching the guard, I considered it wise to use THE TONGUE OF MY HOMELAND, Castilian.

The lieutenant that looked through my papers was wearing full bronze plate -- more ceremonial than functional -- so I couldn't see his expression. I couldn't tell if he was bored, or suspicious. However, he let me through with just a few questions.

"What is your business here?"

Recalling my traveling documents, I told him, "I come on behalf of the episcopal sees of Castille, Aragon, and Navarre, to represent the Catholics of Iberia to the Papal Legate, His Most Eminent Highness, Cardinal Talleyrand de Périgord, who will be overseeing the Diet tomorrow."

Satisfied that my language, accent, and story fit together, he was willing to let me through the gates, pending a search of my possessions: no unauthorized weapons were allowed in Castle Nuremberg. Given that you displayed my possessions, it would probably be redundant to go over them again. My papers were completely legitimate, by the way: I did visit the Papal Legate, and I did come on behalf of the Catholics of Iberia.

I remember him pausing when he picked the... "telescope" out of my satchel, and though I couldn't see his expression, I knew he was scrutinizing it, most likely because of the inscription on the side. I don't expect that Your Grace's Imperial guards know Arabic.

Still, he eventually put it back and let me through, recruiting a number of less-armored guards to open the gates to Nuremberg Castle.

I was finally inside. At this point, I knew based on my briefings that I could avoid the Reichsstädtische Bauten and the Burggrafenburg entirely. My business was inside the Kaiserburg.

I had three goals in mind when I entered the castle. I needed to make contact with the Castilian ambassador, the would-be Doge of Genoa, Simone Boccanegra, and the Papal Legate, Talleyrand de Périgord. All three would be available all day, and there was no rush as to which I should prioritize, though certainly the ORDER I chose to visit them in would be significant to what was HAPPENING IN THE CASTLE. After all: it's not like the world revolved around me, and the remainder of the servants, guards, and magistrates would be going about their personal business.

So, which contact did I pursue first?

New evidence: impersonating an official, treason, traveling under false documents.
As Alfonso accumulates "evidence" through the retelling of his story, he may be able to petition to get charges waived, if he can explain how his story shows he is innocent (or why his actions were justified). You may at any time offer commands for the past -- Alfonso's retelling -- or commands for the present -- Alfonso's trial.

>>363574
Lets start by meeting the Castilian ambassador and then see the papal legate, the wanna be Doge can wait until last.

Alfonso 2011/11/04(Fri)11:22 No. 363600 ID: cbfb9c
File 132043094692.png - (12.93KB , 372x350 , Nuremberg Castle is fully self sustaining, boastin.png )

>Visit the Castilian ambassador first

I decided to start by visiting the ambassador of my homeland, Castile. From what I was told, I knew he was holed up in a small building near the Sinwellturm (Sinwell Tower) and the Deep Well. His accommodations were shared between several of the ambassadors who represented nations outside of the Holy Roman Empire: the finest accommodations, inside the Kaiserburg itself, were reserved for the dignitaries of the Empire.

As I made my way to his lodgings, I made a note of the snow on the ground, and made a mental note to clean my boots before walking inside anywhere: I would not want to leave wet tracks.

Once inside, I received a cordial greeting. He was expecting me. I'd like to take a moment to remark that I was not explicitly sent for any espionage or morally questionable behavior, but I was asked to help the Castilian ambassador in any way I could.

He asked two favors of me while I met with him. He had been assigned, as I understand it, to ensure the Holy Roman Empire would remain neutral in the conflict if a war broke out with Aragon -- tensions have been rising for years, but they're now a breaking point.

The good ambassador didn't ask me for anything illegal specifically. He simply asked that if I should HAPPEN to stumble upon any evidence or information that might hurt or discredit the reputation of his rival ambassadors from Aragon and France, that I should pass it along to him.

This left me at yet another crossroads: should I stumble in the direction of the Aragonese ambassador, or the French ambassador? I would certainly have time for both, and I could even go meet with my other contacts before dealing with the task. There were certainly strategic benefits to different TIMES for snooping around the pseudo embassy for clues.

As a reminder, it was MORNING -- the ambassadors were all in chambers and open for visitation, mostly preparing for the Diet tomorrow. Coming back during LUNCH, or at NIGHT seemed strategically beneficial, but of course, strategy is not always necessary.

Objectives
*Make contact with the Castillian ambassador.
**Neutralize or discredit the Aragonese ambassador.
**Neutralize or discredit the French ambassador.
*Make contact with the Doge-aspirant of Genoa, Simone Boccanegra
*Make contact with the Papal Legate, HMEM Talleyrand de Périgord.

>>363600
Meet with your second contact. Also consider visiting the third one if you can do so before lunchtime.

>>363600
Make contact with the Papal Legate and discredit the french at the same time.

>>363600
nobody could possibly blame you for accidentally having angered the french ambassador with a slip or some trick that may have offered you information; nobody liked the french, so this might be a chance to amuse the court with some light humor at the ambassadors expense.

.