THE RESPONSE FROM THE NORTH
Bury The Hatchet... In Our Shared Foe
Mikoro tapped her finger on the black desk as she listened to the speaker. It was the first time the Ambassador-Officer of Gehenna visited them. He was acquainting himself quite well; his voice was clear and confident as it reverberated in the carefully tuned acoustics of the Shitomo Council Chamber.
Under the watchful eye of the Goddess Faithful's decisionmakers, Ouda read out and contextualized a letter from their sworn enemies.
More than a hundred meters above him: the vaulted ceiling of the Chamber, engraved with a bas-relief depicting the Final Yab in all its intricacies. Every known deity was shown here, meeting their end. A Rightful Death for all of creation was shown, distributed impartially to humanity, animals, greenery, the lands and seas, the firmament, myths, and even the very foundations of the universe. In the center of it all, Our Mori stood, arms open and welcoming all in a motherly embrace as the existential volcano erupted behind her. Mikoro never tired of looking at the masterpiece and its recursive details. Activated chuubanite was infused into the stone skillfully to create highlights that glowed gently against the painted stone. The section dedicated to the stars was particularly beautiful, a multitude of shining gems were embedded in the carved basalt...
Behind him, an enormous window which faced the North, and the Underworld. Through it, on a rare clear day, the white peak of Mont Mori could be observed, over two hundred kilometers away. This was also a great spot to observe Heavenly Atmospheric Phenomena occurring above the great mountain. Letting Mori look into the going-ons of her closest and most loyal servants was only basic decency; as far back as the Deadbeat records went, the Goddess Faithful's highest assemblies were always conducted within line of sight of Death's residence.
And in front of him and to his sides, the entire Shitomo Council. The priestesses varied widely in appearance, but all wore the black and red of their faith, and kept elaborate vulpine Death Masks at their waists. Some of them, near the center, looked as old as the mountains themselves. The public biographical records of the priestesses were expunged every fifty years, and Mikoro had heard some of the most ancient Shitomo's records had been expunged many times. She was one of the younger women here, only thirty five years old, though by her supple appearance, one would put her in her mid-twenties still.
Ouda was accompanied by two other men. To his left, the Coordinating Priest of Gehenna's 3rd district's shrine, the largest in the municipality, Priest Yuluko. To his right, Timward Temporal, Kronie diplomat assigned to the city's Infinitum military base. The former was as comfortable as if he was standing in his living room; as a coordinating priest, he was familiar with the Shitomo Council. If her memory served well, he'd had a term in the Council a few years ago.
As for the latter, he was a wise man, Mikoro could tell. He was much more concerned with remaining in the good graces of the dozens of veteran killers arrayed in front of him, instead of admiring the architecture, as did most foreign visitors.
Ouda finished his speech, and quiet returned to the chamber, before being replaced by the low mutters of the Shitomo. A voice rose above the rest, one of the crones'. "Ambassador Temporal. This... Proposal, was it borne out of Infinitum suggestions to its cannibal legions?" A tactless question, as expected from the ancient Butcher Maiden. She was ever the hardliner and a warhawk, especially in questions regarding the Matiyotl.
The Kronie cleared his throat, before answering. "Venerable Priestess." He slid a respectful bow into the address, before continuing. "The Matiyotl are a complex society. Their bilateral alliance with Infinitum is only a small facet of their multifaceted foreign diplomacy. The proposal Ambassador Ouda received was the initiative of Fellcoatl and Ryonaheim, and them alone. We had no part in this." This seemed like a sensible assessment. The Matiyotl Minister of Propaganda let foreign populations believe otherwise, but Mikoro knew their country was remarkably federalized and politically refined, based on the intel she had access to.
The old priestess settled back into her chair. "Hm. An obvious ploy, to break the peace with a surprise raid. Such exercises would put us in a vulnerable position."
More mutters, another voice, this time from priestess Yuka, Lethe's Miracle. "It would be absurd to set a surprise attack around a wargame, where evenly matched forces face each other. I am more concerned about a possible subversive scheme on the cannibals' part. This seems like an ideal opportunity to introduce heretical cultists." This prompted more impassioned discussion.
Priest Yuluko raised his arm next, and the room quieted to let him speak. "My brethren, based on interactions at my station in Gehenna in recent years, I am willing to believe this proposal came from a place of honesty. The Matiyotl are an adaptable people. While they have been our ancestral enemies for centuries, I think some elements in their society could see more benefits to extending a friendly hand to us. I see this as a success in our foreign policy of increasing military might at sea. As dangerous an enemy as they are, they could be an even greater ally, as Ambassador Temporal could attest." Timward bowed slightly and nodded. "Moreover, there is shared ground between their faith and ours, their pantheon does include a death-loving skeleton Goddess, their worship includes aspects beside deiphagy. Do we not pride ourselves on how welcoming our faith is?" The assembly talked among themselves once more, for a few minutes.
Finally, the ex-Coordinating Priestess of Dis, Samiko, asked a question to Yuluko. "Priest Yuluko, our truce with the God Eaters is a feeble thing still, even cordial relations seem presumptuous, nevermind an alliance. Theological compatibility is a secondary concern for the time being, what exactly do you envision the Goddess Faithful gaining should we allow this operation to take place?"
Yuluko smiled to the tall priestess; Samiko had the blood of hundreds of cannibals, schizos and other raiders on her hands, but somehow she often ended up being a voice for acceptance in the Council. "The Matiyotl are pioneers in the esoteric fields, perhaps our only rivals in those domains on this side of Vitubia. It is my belief that an opportunity to work with their catalognauts in a friendly setting would be educational."
Samiko's face did not let a single feeling reach it. "As educational as an opportunity for them to work with ours would be."
Yuluko shrugged. "Thus is the nature of trust and cultural exchange."
The guest trio was escorted outside while the Council deliberated. A priestess left the room only fifteen minutes later to give their ruling.
"Priest Yuluko, Ambassadors. We will respect the wishes of the Gehenna institutions, and allow the operation to take place. You should have all the resources needed for it to proceed smoothly. Priestess Nathanata has been selected to oversee the proceedings, and lead the military forces aligned with the Goddess Faithful. She'll accompany you back to Gehenna with her team." Ouda and Timward let out sighs of relief; back in the chamber, things hadn't looked so promising.
Yuluko on the other hand, was both reassured by how seriously the Goddess Faithful was taking this event, and worried by their pick. 'Frostmourne Nathanata? Her?' He wasn't sure the veteran catalognaut had a non-lethal setting, he'd never heard of one surviving a meeting with her cold mastery of the Deathly Arts. Well, he'd get a chance to become more familiar with her in the coming weeks.
Gehenna would soon become a very interesting place...
Abattoir Ryonaheim
Altepetl Ryonaheim
Yectic Teocuacayotl
Summer 1132 VTE
To Stadrtlatoani Fellcoatl Yalisson,
Greetings. May Death look fondly upon this meeting of minds.
Your people's proposal has received careful consideration from the most forward thinking minds of Moriji, and has found support. All involved look forward to meeting the Matiyotl on our lands once more, not to fight and die for the glory of battle, but to rejoice in the gladness of friendly combat, and the betterment of our nations.
Arrangements are being made to send vessels to a location of your choosing and escort your group to the harbors of Gehenna. All needed accommodations will be provided; do communicate with us any specific requirements our guests may have. Enclosed with this response is a list of the HQP* who will be involved in this operation, to reciprocate your display of trust.
Memento Mori.
Ouda Shinko
Ambassador-Officer
City of Gehenna
Moriji
* HQP: High Quality Personnel