The Good Counsel
of Alban
The Ambassadors’ League
As the end of that first century of peace drew near, by the year 95 of the Confederacy, the Secretariat of the Bloodline became known colloquially as the Ambassadors’ League, because of the ability of its emissaries to settle disputes peacefully. It was the main factor for maintaining peace within the Confederacy. Governing assemblies adhered tightly to the agreed Rules of Interaction. The League’s umbrella spread across Europa — as the lesson was reinforced that consensus was better than coercion. The fabric of the Confederacy of Civits and Fastnesses was held together with the League maintaining the necessary stitching, and all populations understood that.
By the Year of Confederacy 138 there had been as many years peace within the areas under the League’s guidance. During that time the number of diplargs concerning digressions had remained fairly constant. There were only a handful of cases of transgressions recorded, all of which ended before ultimate sanction was placed into effect.
Ambassadors were deemed important people. When leaving the comfort of the Cantons to settle a diplarg, they could look forward to being treated with due deference and respect. This was supported by the fact that Confederacy governments accepted that the League was strictly neutral. Answering only to the agreed Rules of Interaction.
The League had well known and clearly defined protocols for Ambassadors to follow. Support for Ambassadors included a system of patronage within the carefully balanced hierarchy of the League. This kept more experienced Ambassadors in touch with, but out of direct involvement in any negotiations. It was a system that worked.
With this in mind Ardel Penaul, a Noviate Ambassador on his first solo diplarg, had set out for the Fastness of Alban in the sixth period of the Year of Confederation 138. His mind was at ease, he knew what greeting to expect, and roughly how long the diplarg should take to solve satisfactorily. Yet now Ardel sat in a cannion over some unknown void. This was not the way to treat an Ambassador.