The general mood and how the press presented the visit
Tamora did not see many visits by foreign HoS and fewer still of those visits where from countries that could be considered friends of Tamora, a visit from Clysperis one such rare occasion. Young Pharaoh Bektaten was visiting Tamora for the first time. Tamora and Clysperis had a long history together dating back hundreds of years a fact mentioned a lot by the Tamoran press. However, some analysts were quick to point out that perhaps the key ingredient to the excellent relation had been the fact that the two did not share a border and many speculated that if the situation were otherwise then Clysperis might have been annexed by Tamora or the two might not be on so friendly terms.
Speculations aside, the Tamoran press focused extensively on the very long history of Clysperis going back more than
four and a half millennium dwarfing by comparison Tamora’s one thousand year history. In a country like Tamora where people cherished the morality of their ancestors, Clysperis immense history was seen with fascination. The press also drew the conclusion that it was this long history and tradition of Clysperis that was the reason why the Tamoran protectorate ended and the Forth kingdom was established, though historians, especially those from Clysperis would probably disagree.
Despite this, not all in Tamora were happy with the visit and the state visit from Clysperis had managed to divide the Manist community along the traditional lines: while the conservatives and liberals where happy with the visit and encouraged people to come and attend, the orthodox Manists on the other hand where far from happy. They did not care much about the good relations between Tamora and Clysperis and instead focused on the fact that the Pharaoh Bektaten was of a different faith, and not just a different faith but a foreign and polytheist one. To make matters worse, the Pharaoh Bektaten was also the head of the Clysperis religion and claimed to be either a living god or at the minimum more than human. All that irked the Orthodox Manists and they weren’t the only ones to be displeased; the Islamic community in Tamora was also not thrilled with the good relations Tamora had with Clysperis. They had a religious connection with
Abydos, the first Islamic country in Mundus , where Mecca was situated and where the kingdom’s the traditional/ native faiths (the one that Clysperis had) were restricted. To have the Pharaoh of Clysperis in Djerb and be met with full honors as a friend was seen as a betrayal of the Islamic world and threatened the good relations Manists had with Mulisms, something that the Islamic community in Tamora was not afraid to publicly state.
The debate got even more heated as the date of arrival of the Pharaoh Bektaten got closer, a few days before her arrival the king of the federated kingdom of
Altai (the Islamic kingdom) joined the debate and asked rhetorically
“What about Abydos? When will we see Pharoah Enna Amenei come to Tamora? Shouldn’t we focus more on the Islamic Abydos rather than the non-Islamic Clysperis”? In order to calm things down,
Emperor Abbas made an address to the nation, appealed to calm and asked the people to greet Pharaoh Bektaten as a friend of Tamora. While that didn’t necessary change people’s minds it did mean that the public debate subsided with the orthodox Manists being content to protest the coming of Pharaoh Bektaten by praying in public just as they did when the Catholic Pope came to Djerb the previous year. The press in order to avoid contentious issues stopped mentioning the religious role of the Pharaoh of Clysperis and instead focused more on the historical events that linked the two countries and well as the strong economic links that existed today with Clysperis using the
Tamoran Dinar and also having indentured servitude, a lighter form of slavery as it was seen in Tamora.
Djerb international airport – the day of the visit
The Tamoran welcoming delegation awaiting the arrival of Pharaoh Bektaten was huge in number: including but not limited to the ministers of the cabinet, the kings of Tamora and Emperor Abbas with his First Wife
Alya. Once Pharaoh Bektaten had touched the tarmac, Emperor Abbas and Alya approached the Pharaoh and greeted her:
“Welcome to Tamora, Your Majesty. We are honored to have you here.” Then Abbas proceeded to introduce Pharaoh Bektaten to the welcoming “committee” starting with his wife, the kings of Tamora and the most important cabinet members. After the formal presentations were done, a 21 gun salute was fired and them the national anthems where sang starting with Clysperis’ anthem as customary. After the anthems were sang, Emperor Abbas invited the Pharaoh to review the honor guard. Once that was done, the two delegations proceed to the next site on the agenda.
Spoiler: main highlights • show 
The Tamoran honor guard arriving to greet the Pharaoh.
From the Airport to the Cemetery of Martyrs in Djerb
The road from the airport to Djerb was clear of traffic thanks to the local authorities that blocked all traffic. That allowed the convoy to reach the city in record time. It made its way to the center of Djerb to the Ancestors' Square, the main square in the city. The Square was packed full of people who came to greet the Imperial family and to see the Pharaoh, the sovereign of the most ancient land of Midaranye as the press called her. Abbas and Alya both waved at the people which waved back and threw flowers at the car. Throwing flowers was not something that Tamorans usually felt comfortable doing when greeting nobles but since Alya become more and popular and liked it became somewhat of a tradition wherever there was a delegation with her present. Some also threw flowers at the Pharaoh but to a much lesser extent though their curiosity was sky-high.
Once the convoy reached the Cemetery of Martyrs, the oldest of the military cemeteries of Tamora, Abbas invited the Pharaoh to join him in leading a detachment of soldiers dressed in official military uniform that carried a wreath. At the end of the road they reached the main moment dedicated to the Tamoran Imperial soldiers that lost their lives in the conflict which lead to the establishment of the Protectorate of Tamora.
Abbas then proceeded to give a short speech:
“We have gathered here today, in the presence of HM Pharaoh Bektaten, the monarchs of Tamora, Ayatollahs of our Church and all the other honorable guests to pay our respects to those who committed the ultimate sacrifice to free Clysperis of the Soviet rule and ultimate reinstate the rightful rulers of Clysperis to the throne. The sacrifice of these men and the blood that they spilled is what binds our nations together.
I would like to read part of the letter that Private Namvar Jaamooji of the Imperial Army sent to his family while he fought in Clysperis in 1979:
“Never in my life have I seen such wonders as the Pyramids of Clysperis. I watched in awe of what their ancestors built and the heritage they have inherited. I understand little of what they say but I do understand is that they share their same respect of their ancestors and their customs as we do. They pray often as we do and seek to have their homeland return to their ancient rulers and return the old way of their ancestors."
The officer told us that the battle of tomorrow will be crucial and that many of us will not make it. Please pray for us.“Private Namvar Jaamooji died the following day and is now buried in sector 8, row 9, position 25 of the cemetery. His letter explains best what the values that we share are. But it does more than that, it explains why we as monarchs have a duty to keep the traditions of our forefathers; not the traditions and customs that we would like to have, certainly not the traditions foreign powers want us to have but the ways of our ancestors. We do not bend when others pressure us and we do not need powers outside of Midaranye to solve our problems, we can manage on our own. We have more history and ancient traditions than anywhere else in Mundus.
Private Namvar Jaamooji is just one of the countless martyrs that are buried all around us. We commemorate their sacrifice, pray for their souls and most importantly we must in our daily lives keep true to our traditions so that their sacrifice would not have been in vain.
Thank you all, may God bless our two great nations. “As he finished his speech, Abbas made way for Pharaoh Bektaten to give a short speech if she would like.
After waiting for the ceremony to finish, a much smaller convoy made its way to the Imperial Palace as most of the less important members of the Tamoran delegation returned to their duties.
Spoiler: main highlights • show 
Ancestors' Square saw a huge crowd that where there for both the Imperial family as well as the Pharaoh.
Meanwhile, Orthodox Manists lead by their Imams protested on the secondary streets of Djerb by praying in public just as they did when Pope Peter II came to Djerb.
Hundreds of miles away, the Muslims in the Kingdom of Altai also prayed in public facing Abydos. The words Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest) could be heard numerous times during the prayers. It is also the motto the of the federated kingdom of Altai.
Cemetery of Martyrs, the oldest Imperial military cemetery.
The Tamoran delegation laying a wreath at the Cemetery of Martyrs
Djerb - Imperial Palace
The Tamoran Imperial Palace was also a symbol of the close connection the two countries had. When the soviets invaded Clysperis and established the Soviet republic there it was here that the ruling family of Clysperis first took refugee before a more appropriate accommodation could be found for them and the government in exile. Nine years later, when Tamora annexed Attica after a brief war, it was here that the Safavid emperor of that time and the Pharaoh in exile celebrated the victory. Now, more than sixty years after those events, Emperor Abbas Safavid and the young Pharaoh Bektaten were in the dining room surrounded by a small army of slave servants that were there to attend to their every need.
After the greetings were done, as the two HoS stayed at the table, Abbas addressed the pharaoh:
“I am glad you came to Tamora. Talking on the phone is one thing but seeing people in person and talking face to face is another. You can’t really have a high degree of trust between two people if they’ve never meet before in person. Before we stray off to international politics as I have no doubt we will eventually, please tell me how is the kingdom of Clysperis nowadays. It’s been rather quiet. If there is one thing I have to thank the enemies of Tamora is that at least they put the Empire on the headlines of the international press so part of what goes on here gets out for the whole world to see but Clysperis has been rather quiet. “ Spoiler: main highlights • show 
The large wooden table that the two HoS were using was lavishly decorated and engraved with the map of Midaranye at the center. It also had following quote engraved in both Parthian and Egyptian “If patience is worth anything, it must endure to the end of time. And a living faith will last in the midst of the blackest storm.*” The table was custom made in the early 1950s at the request of the Tamoran Emperor. At that time, the Pharaoh of Clysperis was in exile in Tamora and at times hope seemed lost that he would ever get his throne back or that Tamora would eventually help when needed. The Tamoran Emperor ordered the table and used it every time the two met as a reminder that Tamora will not forget its promise to help and that no matter how long it takes, the Pharaoh or his successor will get their throne back.
OOC: If the internet is right, it’s a quote from Mahatma Gandhi.
