For Jamshied this was a new experience. It was his first official overseas duty as Emir and the start had been a little bumpy, literally. First he had to have his military go to each of the tribes and bring back one of their daughters to act as a "hostage" while he was out of the country. His 27 year old son and heir Junaid had clear instructions that if anyone so much as think coup he was to execute their daughter straight away. Next there had been the flight, Wadden may have an "international" airport but in recent months it had not been well cared for and as his aircraft had taken off he'd felt more than a few jolts he was sure shouldn't be there. Now he had arrived here and was the coldest he'd ever been. He had never seen snow before nor felt such cold temperatures. His long flowing traditional robe was perhaps therefore not the best of attires to wear. As he had arrived at the airport he had all but sprinted into the car hoping for warmth. He nodded approvingly at the horses, he recognised good ones when he saw them but then this odd creature being ridden by one soldier looked odd, he knew horses were not the only creature you could ride, he had hundreds of fine camels back home but this was something else. It made him chuckle a little until he realised he would now have to get out of the car. He watched from inside as Queen Stasya spoke and then when it was his turn he was delighted to be wrapped inside the fur coat. "I bring greetings from the 24 tribes of Wadden. I represent them all here and hope to bring them joyous news. I am extremely grateful for your gift of warmth. You must forgive me this is very different to my homeland. I do you a gift in return." He waved at a servant in the car who hefted something weighty and emerged. It was a dark brown saddle. "I was pleased to see your fine horseman so I was sure this gift would go down well. A King must have fine horses and therefore needs a fine saddle, I am just a little bias but the horseman of Waddan make some excellent ones and I hope this is of use. We have a matching one for you in Wadden ready for the day you accept our hospitality in the future." The saddle had careful embossed patterns and on the side panel in gold the letters KA for King Aldwin. "I wonder if I may make a small request, perhaps for once the talks end?" There was a little hint of playfulness in the Sultan's voice. "We enjoy riding in Waddan, horses mainly, camels just as good but I truly would like to experience riding that!" He turned and pointed to the Reindeer the Sergeant had ridden alongside the motorcade.

The sun was now well above the horizon and it was time to make the announcement. Helicopters headed off to the various chieftans with instructions to bring them and their families to the capital. Meanwhile the large market place was being prepared for an announcement. While nothing was being confirmed to the general public at this point it was clear something major was happening. Scenes like this happened only with the deaths of important chiefs, royal marriages or births and following the long illness of the Sultan many began to guess what was going to be said. The forces from the military drawn from the Talafha tribe got themselves ready for any potential disruption of the smooth transition of power but it was highly likely that nothing much would change. By midday almost everything was in place. A tremendous crowd by Waddan standards had gathered in the dusty market place and as instructed members of the army had mingled among the crowd with small arms secluded in their robes. They knew the Seleucid had similar people but all others had been checked for weapons with the exception of small knives which were all but ceremonially religious objects. The large wooden platform that formed a stage had been erected and a white robed figure ascended. Everyone knew what this meant. Shahin Karim was "The Tribeless Man" or the "Keeper of the Book", it was a ceremonial duty that was carried out by one individual for life. They were selected from people who, for various reasons, had no tribe to call home. Historically this could have been because they were excluded or for some reason had left but in Shahin's case he had been a member of the Al Ghardaqa tribe but at the age of 12 had failed their coming of age ceremony, then again at 13 and again at 14. In shame he had left the tribe and moved to Sabhā where he had become a scholar and apprentice to the "Book-Keepers" a group of men who like him had no tribe and took responsibility for updating and maintaining several books important to the nation, most importantly the "Book of Lands" which stated which tribe had the right to which land and when they had it. Two decades ago he had inherited the role of the "Tribless Man" which put him in charge of the Book-Keepers and now the duty of updating the "Book of the Sultans" fell to him. Shahin walked up to the platform carrying a heavy leather bound book and placed it on a table. "I am Shahin Karim, the Keeper of the Book and member of no tribe except Waddan." he proclaimed for the crowd to hear. "Today I use my pen to strike through  the name of Sultan Yahya IV and as I do I pray that whatever Gods he believes in show mercy and compassion to him. A space exists beneath his, my pen stands ready to write in the name of the new Sultan once the Chiefs of the tribes command me as to what to write."

The crowd whispered to each other, some about the news that the Sultan had died while others discussed what they thought would happen next. Yahya had been Sultan since 1983 and there were many in the tribe who knew of no other Sultan. A voice called almost immediately back. "I am Prince Fadil, son of Sultan Yahya IV. I nominate my brother Prince Jamshied as the new Sultan as was my fathers wishes" there was shouts from around the marketplace and while some called for Fadil as eldest son to the new Sultan many shouted their support. Shahin held up two hands and the crowd began to fall silent.

"I am Zafar Qadir, Chief of the Marar and I nominate Chief Jamal al-Din Zaman of the Anazzah to be the new Sultan." The call was meet by choruses of laughter by most. The Marar were the smallest tribe in Waddan, thought to number less than 500 people and so the support of Qadir would mean little. To add to that the Anazzah were the only settled tribe and considered strange by most of the other tribes. Qadir looked embarassed but had made the call purely for the fact that his small tribe relied on the Anazzah for their trade.

"I am Muhammed Saab, Chief of the Al Nahyan tribe and with the blessings of the Almighty Allah I nominate Chief Faruq Karimi    of the Taym-Allat to be the Sultan of Waddan In sha'Allah." There were more jeers. The nation had two Muslim tribes, the Taym-Allat being the largest and everytime this ceremony had taken place they had seen their Chief nominated by the Al Nahyan.

There were whispered talks as various other tribal chiefs gathered in a circle and discussed other nominations. There was a nod of agreement from a few while others spat on the ground in disgust and walked away. One then yelled out their own nomination. "I am Chief Tarik Karimi of the Banu Lakhm and I nominate King Heydar of Royal Seleucid as the new Sultan." There were shocked gasps from through the crowd and then yells and a scuffle between several people that soon others pulled apart. The Banu Lakhm tribe were the only ones to follow Anahitaism which was the native faith of the Seleucid. There had never been a case of a foreigner being named as part of this process but Heydar had cultivated a good relationship with the previous Sultan and of course the Banu Lakhm.

Shahin held up a hand and again the crowd fell silent. "Chief Tarik has the right to name anyone of his choosing but they must be a member of a tribe and they may not be a member of their own. Does anyone here claim King Heydar." No one yelled out and Shahin spoke directly and softly to Tarik "I am afriad you nomination can not be accepted." Tarik nodded respectfully and with a smile. His intention had been to flatter the Seleucid King and show his respect to the leader of the faith he held dear. Tarik was certain that there would be a Seleucid or two in the crowd and his actions would get back to Heydar. Shahin waited and no other names were called and so he could move onto the next stage. He read a name of each tribe and their Chief and one by one they made their way to the front platform before standing in a line shoulder to shoulder. Shahin's pen stood ready and as he once more read each Chiefs name they stood forward and loudly declared their name, tribe and choice for Sultan. Many brought sarcastic comments from the assembled crowd while a few who voted in an unexpected manner got jeered. Until finally they reached Prince Fadil who declared for his brother. Shahin glanced down the list he had created and counted, it was actually pretty clear cut, 4 votes for the Islamic chief  Faruq Karimi, five for Chief Jamal al-Din Zaman and 16 for Jamsheid. There were cheers in the crowd and only a few hisses of disapproval. Shahin wrote carefully into his book "Sultan Jamsheid III of Waddan" and closed his book. "I declare our new Sultan is Jamsheid III, may his Gods bless his rule."

Jamsheid made his way up to the platform and removed his head-dress as Shahin handed him a large colorful hat the symbolise his new start. "I accept the position and pray that I will be guided to make our union even greater than my father."

"You are a city dweller, the sands do not know your name. The stallions mock you and the vultures know the taste of your flesh." A booming voice from the back came loud over the crowd. "I shall make it my duty to ensure that the Wadi Qor becomes a nation in its own right. The Dahaminah believe that the Talafha have no right to our people." and with that the orange robed man and a following seemed to storm towards the stage until Waddan soldiers blocked his path. He didn't try and force his way through but instead threw a riders crop towards the stage, "Learn to use it......oh Sultan" he turned and followed by some of his tribesman left. Jamsheid made a note that he may need to deal with Chief Ziyad Hakim down the road but for now he was pleased to be done. 

OOC- Just to clear up some OOC stuff


While my father the Sultan is incapacitated it has fallen to me to respond to the request from King Heydar of Royal Seleucid. We welcome members of the Seleucid Air Force willing to undertake operations to support troops protecting the nuclear power plant. Furthermore we shall add our four A-6 Haboob Attack Aircraft will also be put under the direction of the Seleuicid Officers.

Prince Jamshaid

Over the last few months the health of my father, Sultan Yahya IV, has slowly been getting worse. It is now confirmed by our doctors that he is likely to die within the next week. Under our system of government an election shall take place that will see each of the 25 tribes cast a vote for who they wish to become the next Sultan. As things stand I have secured the nomination of my own tribe, the Talafha and our tribe has secured the support of at least 17 of the tribes meaning that I am to become the next Sultan. Our two nations have, under my father, enjoyed close ties and I hope this may long continue. I write though to request help as we suspect there may potentially be a handful of individuals who may attempt to use force to subvert the outcome. I would ask therefore that the military of Royal Seleucid covertly enter our nation and stand ready to support me should my prediction prove correct. At present no one outside our tribe is aware of my father's impending death and so we request that you maintain things this way.

I hope that I can rely on your support.

Prince Jamshaid

It was confirmed today by the Sultan's staff that he remains seriously ill and that the cause of his illness was poison. The poison was detected by members of an emergency medical team helping the Sultan from Royal Seleucid. During tests they first discovered the Sultan has lowered liver fucntion and then toxins from the Amanita Phalloides, more commonly called the Death-Cap mushroom, was present in the Sultan's system. The Sultan as a result of ingesting this toxic mushroom remains in a bad condition at his Palace. His staff are currently investigating where the toxins could have come from and have increased security around the Sultan and his family.

As a result of the incident the military have begun increased security in Sabha where everyone entering the capital is being searched and details of identity recorded.

The Sultan picked up the paper and handed it to Amjar. "Have a copy for each of our nations made." The Sultan returned his attention to the guests he had before him. "I have enjoyed meeting each of you. We are three nations with a great deal of differences between us but one very important commonality, our distrust of the Soviets. I hope that we will have sent a message to them that their domination of our lives is something long in the past."

As soon as the Sultan had finished speaking a door opened and several resplendantly dressed women entered each carrying a basket which they placed before each of the guests. The first woman in front of Crown Prince Karlis removed the lid to reveal a saddle for a horse. "I believe that the royals all over Mundus have a connection with horsemanship. I hope you will accept the saddle as a gift of our friendship between royal houses."

The next woman removed the basket lid before First Minister Laine. It was full of dates. "It is my intention that a further thousand of these will be delivered to you as a gesture of a friendship between our people."

For Duchess Louisa there was a goatskin coated book, each page on thick parchment. I understand your Sisterhood enjoy the gaining of knowledge. The book is an illustrated set of the Book of the Sands, our most significant law, it tells each tribe where and when they can take residence in their nomadic travels."

Finally there was Melissa Debdale the government minister. "And for you we have a traditional dagger I understand blades are somehow important to your Sisterhood."

The gifts presented he expected nothing back, he was the host and no guest should leave without experiencing his hospitality and generosity. After a few rounds of tea Amjar returned and presented each person with a copy of the document. For the first time he spoke as he stood to the side and made way for a single photographer to take a position to snap the scene. "Your Majesty, Your Highness, honoured guests." Amjar nodded respectfully to each.

"Thank you Amjar" the Sultan took a pen and fixed his name and then offered his document to the next in the circle while taking the other from his opposite side.

"Your offer is very generous." The General was pleased that it had been this easy, he wasn't a man accustomed to negotiations as he simply gave orders and things happened. He knew the Sultan would be happy and that was a good thing as a happy Sultan rewarded those who made him so. "While I would like to accept your kind offer of training men here that will be a decision for the Sultan to make as I merely serve him but rest assured I will recommend that we accept as it will be a great way of my men gaining experience with new equipment beyond just the tanks perhaps, that too could benefit you as our soldiers will become familiar with your equipment and as such who knows perhaps more weapon purchases in the years to come? For now I think it best we shake hands on the purchase and I will pray we speak soon to confirm the training offer. Is that acceptable?"

The Sultan was the last to sign the agreement and did so rather nervously. He looked down at the text and saw three examples of fine penmanship, he smiled as he affixed his messy scrawl that would in years to come be barely recognisable as his, such was the misfortune of a Waddanite education. He believed that perhaps his sons, but certainly his grand-sons would not face the same problems. He held up the document after signing it to show the media. "This shows the importance of this document for my nation. We see three fine examples of calligraphy and then the penmanship of a man who grew up riding horses rather than the fine education these gentleman enjoyed. This though shows the beauty of this arrangement. Today a desert wandering nation have signed an agreement based on an ocean and we have done so in the certainty that our lives will get better. Waddan has perhaps for the first time looked outward with optimism and not kept our gaze inwards. When our grand-sons sign the future treaties that will come between our people I know that their signature will be as beautiful as those of these three fine men here today and looking down I will know this arrangement will have been one of the reasons. I thank the Emperor for allowing me to visit his lands and hope he will not be a stranger to our own." The Sultan put the document down and signed the others before shaking hands with each.

"As you may be aware the Waddan military is not as developed as the rest of you. We will do our best to abide by these obligations but can't neccessarily do so. We are in the midst of trying to modernise our military and in the long term may view this as a way of helping us in that regard. We therefore support the ideas and King Heydar's recommendations."

"At present there are few of these terms that will be utilised by Waddanites but I welcome them for the future."

The Sultan had seen the benefit of selling his nations materials to lands beyond his own control, first Tamora, then Royal Seleucid and then even further afield there was Lijiang. This was something the Sultan believed could help his nation grow.

"I like the idea of creating a way of allowing nations beyond the Gulf to be encouraged to trade with us. I therefore wish to first support the measures put forward by each of you and hope we can consider the introduction of the status of perhaps "Associate Gulf State" that would allow us to recognise other nations, such as Lijiang who two of us have agreements with, to be seen as preferred partners. To this end I would like to include the following.

* Should the Gulf members all agree then a nation may be recognised as an "Associate Gulf State" which will see them granted recognition as a preferred trading partner and thus receive reduced tariffs on a reciprocal arrangement.

General Alkari was still a man more than capable of mounting a horse so the idea of climbing up into the tank was not a challenge for him, however it would be a little un-nerving as he'd only ever really seen images of the inside of tanks and they looked rather cramped. He waited for the locals to get him set up and then clung on as they raced around the various obsticles and routes of the training area. It was not in his view a pleasant experience. How could you enjoy travelling at such speed and not truly see where you are going. Even through the small slot for him he was struggling to see much other than various flashes of green and blue as they bounded around.

The shells were heavier than he had anticipated and he nearly dropped one. He wondered if that would have spelt disaster but listened carefully and had the tank loaded eventually. He looked through a scope and moved things up and down, back and forth as instructed and happy he was on target he pressed a buton and felt the entire vehicle jump and almost fell out his seat. He was disappointed to have missed but  an infant first being taught how to use a rifle wasn't expected to get a hit the first shot, it was a refined art. He suspected another three or four shots and he'd have it down but it seemed that was not to be as they were off again until Alkari was pleased to feel the fresh air rushing in when the lid was opened.

As Chang asked what he thought the General contemplated for a moment. "I have no desire to be a tank soldier, its far too cramped in there" he said honestly "But I am a man who is sensible enough to realise the importance these things can have on the battlefield. Its swifter than any horse and such power. I know that if we reach a sensible arrangement my Sultan will be delighted with them. I think therefore I would need to know a price from where to begin our haggling?"

The various chiefs of the tribes of Waddan hated it when the Sultan went overseas. It was a big upheavel for them as it was a tradition, and one that the Sultan insisted on, that each tribe send a "hostage" to the Sultan's Palace. This was supposed to be one of the daughters of the chief, or failing that a wife, the idea being that if the tribe did anything to oppose the power of the Sultan while he was out of the nation the hostage would be killed. In reality though it was a time when the "hostages" would enjoy the luxury of the Palace and be subjected to banquets, entertainment and various other social niceties. It was such a pleasant time that some of the girls even looked forward to it and had formed friendships with some of the other girls. For the tribe though it was a complete pain to transport the girl across the nation to the capital but once this had been done then the Sultan was free leave for his trip.

The Sultan like most Waddanites didn't like flying. It was unnatural but as he opened the world up Yahya understood that he would need to get used to it and that Waddanites must get used to commuting via planes. Thankfully this was a relatively short journey and Yahya was happy to see the Seleucid had already arrived. He believed Heydar was one of the closest friends his nation had and while the Sultan lacked foreign diplomacy experience he hoped the Seleucid might offer some at least moral support. Yahya followed the Seleucid monarch through the airport until he too found himself in the prescence of the Emperor. "Good morning Emperor Malachi" the Sultan gave a nod of respect before extending a hand to Heydar, "Great to see you again Heydar. I'm looking forward to your proposals Emperor"

Prince Fadil understood that the pale women of Kaitaine considered themselves "desert people" so he recognised the symbolism behind the gesture of the gift. He uncapped the flask and drank a little, "Very nice" he said as he carefully capped the flask. "I hope on day to walk upon the sands of your homeland." He sensed a kind of tension between those from Chistopol but that would be none of his concern. He was merely the person responsible for ensuring that these delegations get to the The Palace at Sabha. Unlike how he imagined many nations the road, more just a wide tarmac strip, that lead to the capitals walls there were hardly any cars to be seen. Once they reached the gate a gaggle of men with guns and a variety of jackets, turbans, berets and various other attires appeared. "Each tribe wished to have a member of the guard present and well that means no dress code." Fadil motioned a sweeping hand around their escort who formed a protective circle around them. Much like the road the city itself was quiet, while people were slowly heading into its wall from the desert it was never busy once the annual markets of livestock had gone. The walk was uphill as the Palace sat ontop of a series of rocks making it climb above all other buildings and by the time they reached the front gate Fadil could feel his legs burning despite the climb not being a long one. He imagined how his father managed this several times a day, perhaps the Prince had become too reliant on his horse.

Sultan Yahya was waiting for his guests. Without need of an introduction he gave a small polite nod to Crown Prince Karlis and then a handshake, next was Duchess Louisa. The two noble born guests greeted he turned to the commoners, first Laine as he was a leader of a nation and then to the imposing Debdale to whom he addressed his first words. "Minister Debdale I had hoped your Reverned Mother would come with you. She sounds a rather intriguing young woman and to have achieved so much at that age, well I believe you will convey my best wishes to her." He then turned to Karlis, "Your father too is a man I admire, to lead a nation to freedom against the Soviets is a legacy he can rightfully be proud of. While we largely avoided their gaze we regularly heard tale of the horrors inflicted upon your nation. We ourselves did nothing, our military being far too small to do anything of worth in that situation, and for that I am sorry. The Soviet way is one we should keep within their walls. Please come with me." He took them up through various floors of the Palace, none huge but all comfortable. On the top floor was a huge room, not much furniture though. A large ornate golden chair sat as the only obvious place to sit but instead Yahya crossed to a series of cushions on the floor. "I hope you do not mind our ways. We're more accustomed to living in the sands so at times furniture is sparse." He slowly lowered himself to the floor his ancient knees creaking as he did so. He settled himself on a mound of soft cushions and then rang a small silver bell.

A girl in her early teens appeared carrying a tray, it was a simple wooden affair and she placed it on the floor in the centre of the cushions while kneeling. "This is my great-grand-daughter Mina" the girl kept her eyes lowered as she poured each guest a sweet tea and a glass of water. She said nothing and when done regained her feet bowed and walked away backwards. "She is one of the first women in our family to be able to read after she briefly attended some of the facilities your Missionara established last year. Now she wants a library, I have no idea how our camels will transport that." he began chuckling. "Now as for our business I hope we can send a message that our region is one that will no longer tolerate any attempts by the Soviets to impose their will upon the world. I see us as being the first barrier to Mundus falling to a system designed to eradicate everything good about our world, faith, individuality and ambition. I would appreciate gaining an understanding as to how your people now see the Soviets, each of us come from very different experiences."

To My Esteemed Receipiants

Our four nations share vast differences but we do share one thing in common and that is a border with a Soviet state. For some of us that border once swallowed the land they call home forcing people to turn their back on their heritage, culture, language and faith in order to be "Soveitised". I am perhaps fortunate that our lands desert and lack of understanding of our true resources during the highs of Soviet expansionism where not known or perhaps Waddan would have suffered under the oppression. While I am aware the Soviets are not currently in pursuit of expansion we must forever be on our guard against an ideology that seeks to destroy what we each stand for. As such I would like to invite each of you to send representatives to Waddan Blue to discuss an idea to support our safety should their eyes ever look at violent expansion again.

It would be a great honour to host each of you and an oppurtunity beyond this issue for us to build a friendship.

I look forward to recieving you should this be of interest.

With Great Blessings

Sultan Yahya IV