[NPC Event] Absconding with the Prince

[Alanston]

Constantinople, Byzantine City State, 6:17am (GMT+3), Sunday morning

A scream tears across the royal palace, as Empress Anastasiya enters the room of her son, Justinian. Two members of the Varangian Guard, who are always nearby, rush into the room and immediately scan it for threats, guns drawn. Noting no immediate threats, they relax slightly, before their gaze turns to the Empress, and what lays before her in the crib of her son, Justinian. Turning to one of the guards in the hall, the commander tells him "Get the Emperor, immediately." The man nods and runs off as fast as he can, headed for the Emperors chambers. The commander then brings a chair for the Empress, who sinks down into it in shock, to stunned to say anything. Another guard summons a servant who brings a glass of water for the Empress.

No more than ten minutes later Emperor Alexander III enters the room, his keen eyes scanning the room for signs of a threat, seeing none, he turns to his wife. "What is the matter, my love?" He asks softly, placing a hand on her back.

She looks up at him, with tears in her eyes, and points silently to Justinian's crib.

As the Emperor looks into the crib of his baby son and heir, the blood drains from his face. "Whoever did this will pay." He states with cold resolve, his voice like ice.

---

Four hours later, a public speech is held from the steps of the Imperial Palace. This speech would be broadcast live to the world, and although it is made in Imperial Greek, it would be translated to many languages. The Emperor steps up to make his speech, surrounded by Varangian Guards on all sides, many of them holding weapons of varying types. Varangian Guards are also wandering amongst the crowd, eyes ever vigilant. If anyone in the crowd were so inclined, they would spot snipers on the rooftops surrounding the area, also scanning the crowd. A key absence, however, would be Empress Anastasiya, who was always at the Emperor's side when he made public speeches. "Greetings people of Constantinople. It is with a grave and heavy heart that I must inform you that my son, the Royal Prince Justinian, has been taken from us while we slept." He pauses as gasps and murmurs ripple through the crowd. Narrowing his eyes, he scans the crowd, looking for any hints of those responsible, yet what he sees is only shock and grief. Refusing to show any signs of weakness, he continues. "That is correct, the Prince has been taken from us. This morning, in his crib was a note held in place by a knife. I would like to read it to all of you. He clears his throat, before reading the note. It is in English, which he switches to and reads with a strong Greek accent.

"Dear Emperor Alexander III,

We have your son. He is safe. He will remain that way as long as we get what we want. We do not ask for much, only that you give us 50 billion US dollars, by the end of the week. We also ask that the Imperial family abdicates from power, also by the end of the week. If this does not happen we will begin sending you pieces of your son, starting with his fingers and toes. You have been warned."

The Emperor looks out across the crowd, before switching back to Greek to continue. "My family has ruled this nation for centuries. And I can assure you, we are not about to stop now. We will stop these criminals and bring them to justice. I promise you that. The Byzantine Empire is strong, it is powerful, and it will continue! Anyone with any information with regards to the kidnapping will be handsomely rewarded. Long live the Empire!" He finishes with a strong and stoic voice, with a fierce gaze. Throughout his entire speech, the Emperors voice is cold and void of emotion. Immediately following his speech, the crowd begins singing the national anthem.

---

A couple hours later, a more private message is sent to the leaders of the nations of the world.

As you are aware by now, the son and heir of Emperor Alexander III of the Byzantine Emperor has been kidnapped. This is an official request for any aid and assistance you may offer in assisting with his safe return. Those who assist will be rewarded for their aid. Please come to Constantinople to entreat with the Emperor to make your offers of aid in person. Offers to pay the ransom will not be tolerated. Please be aware that the Varangian Guard will also be searching for Prince Justinian, however they will share all information they find with those who offer assistance.

A photocopy of the ransom letter is also sent to nations with the private message. It is typed in a standard font of size 12, and at the bottom is a bank account number for the West Indisch Bank. Aside from the bank account number, there are no identifying markers on the paper.

[Danubian Federation]

8:43am (GMT +1)
Byzantine City-State Embassy
Maria-Theresien-Straße
Vienna, Vienna Capital Region, Danubia

Three men in sharp suits sat in the foyer of the Byzantine Embassy in Vienna. The opulent space largely conformed to the neoclassical stylings of the foreign quarter of Vienna, stately marble and porphyry in orderly designs, but it was clear that the building belonged to the ancient city-state. The wall behind the receptionist's desk boasted a magnificent mosaic drenched in gold and turquoise depicting the skyline of Constantinople, and the faintest scent of incense wafted through the air. It was still early in the morning, and though the Cathedral of St. Adelaide of Italy was only a few blocks away for the Orthodox staff, the morning's drama had likely called for an impromptu ceremony among those present.

After a short wait, a bleary-eyed staffer bade the three men further into the embassy. They were led to an intimate sitting room with a bay window overlooking the historic 1st district of Vienna. The staffer returned moments later with an ornate tray carrying four delicate cups and steaming pots of tea and coffee. He set them down before the visitors and offered each a drink. A handful of Viennese citizens were out and about. No doubt some of them had already seen the news - it hadn't been suppressed, but the early timing of the news had caught most of the city, and the Federation, in bed. By midday, it would certainly be the talk of coffee houses from Stuttgart to Corfu. The three men in the embassy, however, had been rushed to the Byzantine embassy within minutes of the Foreign Department being informed of the situation.

A few minutes later, the Byzantine ambassador gingerly opened the office door and took a seat across from his visitors. He rubbed his eyes and took a long drink from the coffee that had been left out for him before apologizing for his tardiness.

Stefan Rottmayr, Chief Minister of Foreign Affairs, waved him off. "Nonsense, Ambassador, your nation is undergoing a crisis. I'm certain you have more pressing business than handling a few foreigners who want to pester you." The Byzantine ambassador raised his cup to that, and Rottmayr reciporocated.

"We wanted to ensure that we gave our deepest condolences to the Imperial Family. Given the circumstances, though, I'm sure such things are cold comfort. Rottmayr gestured towards the quiet man with an angular face sitting to his left. "This is Commander Georg Thalmann, head of second division in the Directory of Intelligence. I believe he had some more... active information for you."

Thalmann spoke in a low voice. "Ambassador, the Directory has been looking into the matter since they first heard about it. It's short notice, so I don't have any actionable intelligence for the moment, but we're working to change that. Our financial sector has connections to the West Indisch Bank, so we're looking into any leads that might develop there. We've also monitored anti-monarchy groups in our own borders, so we're seeing if there's any international connection there. The long and the short of it is that we have somewhere to start looking at this point.

Only, of course, with His Imperial Majesty's consent. Rottmayr injected. "We'd like to offer our assistance in the matter, but given the personal nature of the crime, we have no interest in overstepping our bounds in the matter. To that end, I wanted to make you aware of our intention to travel to Constantinople and inform His Imperial Majesty of our willingness to help. We wouldn't want to catch the diplomatic corps flat-footed with an unannounced drop-in."

The four men sat in silence for a moment, the Ambassador's eyes slowly moving to the third guest who had not spoken yet. That guest took a moment more to compose himself. "I'm afraid, as a private citizen, I'm a little out of place here, and I can't offer any services as impactful as my esteemed colleagues, he gestured to Rottmayr and Thalmann, "but as a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and cousin to Emperor Matthias III, I wanted to extend a formal invitation to the imperial family. I would never suggest that His Imperial Majesty should accept the extortionate demands to abdicate, but should a situation arise where the imperial family needs assistance, they will find open doors with the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

[Rhineland]

Upon receiving this notice, King Diomidis of Antigonea clears his schedule and immediately confirms his intention to help, boarding a plane for Constantinople as soon as possible.

[Alanston]

Byzantine Embassy:

Ambassador Manuel blinks at the three men a few times, then downs an entire cup of coffee in one gulp, wincing at the heat, before responding. "I only just received word of this less than an hour ago myself from the Emperor's press conference. Likely the same place you three heard of this. I understand that the emperor will make an announcement with regards to seeking foreign aid shortly, but he will do so privately. If you wish to help, make your way to Constantinople and speak with Emperor Alexander III. You may make your offers to him in person, along with anyone else who seeks an audience with him. Good day gentlemen." With that he would stand, dismissing them from the room. The flag at the embassy would be lowered to half mast out of respect.

Assuming the men make their way to Constantinople, they would be greeted at the airport by members of the Varangian Guard and brought to the Imperial Palace, where they would join other arriving nations' representatives in waiting for an audience with the Emperor. The guards would tell them to wait until the Emperor summons them.

---

King Diomidis of Antigonea would be greeted at the airport by members of the Varangian Guard. He, much like the men from Danubia, would notice an increase in security in the airport. As with the men from Danubia, he (and his entourage) would be brought to the Imperial Palace, where the guards would leave him in a large chamber with the men from Danubia, instructing him to wait for an audience from the Emperor.

---

After about half an hour, the Emperor would summon them into his chambers. The chamber would be lined with Varangian guards, each ready to engage if needed. [If anyone else arrives, feel free to skip to this meeting]

"Welcome, and thank you for coming." The Emperor eyes those gathered before him wearily. "Thank you for agreeing to help me find my son. Here is what we know so far. The prince was in his crib safely at 1am, when his nurse checked up on him. At 6am the Empress discovered him to be missing, with a ransom note stabbed into his crib with a knife, the one each of you should have received a copy of. The Varangian Guard performed a thorough sweep of the nation, and found only one clue." He motions to one of the Varangian guards, who opens a side door. A drunken man stumbles in, there is evidence of him having been beaten. "This man reportedly saw the abductors taking my son. Captain."

The guard holding him slaps the man across the face. "Tell these good men what you told us earlier this morning."

The man rolls his eyes to the guard, then to the men in front of him, and shrugs. After another slap from the guard, he opens his mouth to speak. "Alright, I'm telling. I was out on the docks late last night, when I see me these six men dressed in all black sneaking towards a docked boat. I'm thinking to meself, that don't seem right, not at these wee hours. So I call out to them, 'Hey what're you folks doing?' and this one man, he looks over at me and calls back, 'Me and my friends are going out on a trip.' And I go, 'At this hour of the night?' and this man, he laughs at me, he does. He goes, 'Why I want to get there tonight, my friend. There's lovely girls waiting for me.' Heh, wouldn't that be nice..."

The mans voice drifts off, only to earn him another slap to the face. "Right, right. Where was I? Oh, yes. Then I hear me this baby crying, and the man, he says something in another language. It sounded like a swear to me, so I go to move closer. These men see, they are walking towards the boat as I'm talking with them. The men they start talking to each other in this different language, it's not one I've heard before, that's for sure. The one I was talking to, he turns to me and say 'Friend, if you come any closer I will have to kill you.' And I laugh, and say 'Surely you kid, but what about that baby? He sounds rather upset to me.' And this man, he looks at me, then he says 'Friend, what baby? That noise, it's my friend, he's just a little drunk.' and just like that one of those other men starts staggering and such. Just then they go under a lamp, and they really are dressed in all black! Even more, they're not white, they were... I don't know, darker. So I say to meself, man, maybe I need to stop staying out so late. I didn't think much of it until I saw the Emperor's speech earlier, and I thought to meself, maybe there was a child with those men. So I found me a Varangian Guard, let me tell you, it was easier than normal, those buggers are everywhere today!" The guard next to him glares. "See? Anyways, I found me a guard and told him everything that I told you."

The Emperor shakes his head, then motions for the man to be moved off to the side. "This man was found knocked out drunk on one of the docks. One of his friends said that he had bragged about fighting ninjas this morning, something he doesn't normally do. Eager to find out more, the guards sought him out and interrogated him. Although he makes himself out to be a hero, what he said does sound to be what happened. A security camera near the docks confirms that six men did pass by there at around 3:57am this morning. Unfortunately the camera has very poor quality, and we were unable to confirm anything more than that." The Emperor then mutters something about wishing he could afford better security cameras in Greek, before continuing. "My men looked into it, and a private boat did receive permission to leave our port at around 4:13am. The port authorities provided the details for the boat within our monitoring range, as they do for all vessels passing through out waters, and it was headed into the Black Sea. They lost contact with it around 42.27, 31.78. This was around 6am. God knows where they are now."

The Emperor pauses for effect. "My request is simple. Find my son and bring him back to me. The successful party, or parties, will be rewarded for bringing him back to me. The Varangian Guard will be continuing to scour our nation for clues, but will not be leaving our borders. Those assisting are encouraged to work together and share information, however it is not a requirement. You are, however, expected to keep me posted with your progress. Now, do any of you have any questions for me?" He then looks at those gathered expectantly, a faint hope glimmering in his eyes.

[Magnolia League]

Cigar and cigarette smoke fogged the air in the large playing room. Eight men in military uniforms sat around a poker table, playing, bantering, drinking, heavily. It was nearing midday and the top dogs of the Defense Ministry's various departments had assembled in the 'office', more of a penthouse at the top floor of the Ministry, of Defense Minister Antoine Bechard. "All in." He was pretty bad at poker. Luckily he was filthy rich too.

Général de division Antoine Bechard had been both Minister of Defense, one of the only offices in the democratic government with any real power, and commander of the 1^re Division Blindée, the garrison of the Algiers Department, for the past sixteen years, though that makes him sound deceptively old. He was only three years older than the Chairman, making him just 40 years of age. He even played on the military academy soccer team with Pierre de Gaulle. How does someone become minister and division general at 24? Connections. He was Pierre de Gaulle's maternal cousin. A young woman, his secretary, approached . "Minister, there is a phone call waiting for you." He waved it off. "Tell them I'm busy."

"The Chairman is on the line." An air of anxiety conquered the room. Antoine rolled his eyes. "I'll be right there."

Bechard prided himself with the largest office of any government official, in the largest office building of any government agency. Funny story about that, up until twelve years ago the entire Algerian government, Committee and elected government, was located on a massive campus in the suburbs of Algiers. Then-Chairman Jean de Gaulle and then-President Sabri Boukadoum decided to move the government agencies into the old city center, to bring the government closer to the people. Jean personally donated a large amount of old city properties that had been in the ownership of the de Gaulle Estate for the project, the jewel in the crown being Palais d'Athéna, an old palace by the harbor, one side with a beautiful view out to sea, the other side facing a large square and small park and gardens. It was to be the new government palace, where the Chairman, Committee and President would have their offices. Antoine Bechard, however, had different ideas.

He had become fond of the palatial estate, and had troops from the first division take up guard outside the palace to prevent anyone else from entering it, until Jean and Sabri agreed to give it to the Defense Ministry. Many people called it treason. Even more people called it a politician with a spine. In short, his provocative nature and refusal to backdown made him a popular figure among the general populace, and especially the army. It must also be said of Antoine, appointed through nepotism or not, the Defense Ministry is the most important governmental body in the nation behind the National Liberation Committee. If he did not meet and exceed expectation, he would not keep the seat. The fact he's stuck around for sixteen years is proof enough of his competence.

He begrudgingly got up from his seat and excused himself from his comrades. "I'll return shortly." He walked off, out of the playing room and to the actual office inside the apartment and answered the call on his office phone. "General Bechard speaking."

A few moments later he reentered the poker chamber with two pieces of paper in his hand. "Raoult, Corne." He placed one copy of the ransom note in front of each of his two heads of intelligence. Leaning over Corne, he pointed at the bank account at the bottom of the letter. "Find out who opened this."

---

About 200 meters down the road at the governmental palace, the building which was supposed to be the Defense Ministry, Foreign Minister Émile Bernard had been summoned to Chairman de Gaulle's office. "Chairman. You wished to see me?" Pierre looked up from the paperwork strewn across his desk. It had been piling high since he started mass replacing officials from the previous regimes. After a recent encounter with one of his subordinates, Bernard was beginning to worry he might find himself on that list. "Ah yes, Bernard." He stood up and approached. "I'm sure you've no doubt heard the news from Constantinople." Émile nodded along. "I'm sending you to Byzantium. I need you to collect as much information about the case as you possibly can."

...magically skipping forward to the meeting...

A middle aged gentleman, roughly in his mid fifties, hair greying but not yet grey, with gentle wrinkling on his face and dressed in a dark blue suit, extremely subtle baby blue shirt with Bordeaux red tie stood and spoke up eloquently. "Greetings, your majesty. I am Émile Bernard, Foreign Minister of the Algiers Republic. Allow me to begin by expressing my deepest condolences for the horror you and your wife must be going through, and that these feelings are held by our entire nation. No man should have to face something like this." Briefly stopping to clear his throat he continued. "The government of the Republic is prepared to aid you in any way possible. It is, only right. I'd like to begin such effort with an inquiry for you. Surely, you must suspect someone, or some organization, or some government, whatever the case, of perpetrating this. Who would your best guesses, and intel so far, pinpoint as the culprit?"

---

Meanwhile, the West Indisch Bank would receive a cryptic, secret communique from an anonymous source identifying itself as a 'potential business partner', requesting a private meeting between two appropriate representatives of the organizations. Preferably, someone higher up on the Bank's org chart.

[Alanston]

The Emperor pauses to think for some time, conferring with one of the guards in Greek quietly, before responding. "Well, there are several who could be behind this evil deed. First, and most obvious, would be the Seljuks. They would give anything to take our capital. They've had their eyes on it for centuries. However, we have an uneasy peace with them, and neither side have engaged in conflicts in the past 40 years. Although it could be them, I honestly doubt it. The other obvious choice is the Bulgarians, they too want our glorious city for themselves. Yet the direction of the boat would suggest otherwise. The words of this man." The Emperor says with disgust, gesturing to the drunk in the corner. "Seem to imply that the kidnappers were of a darker skin. Although it was night, it seems there is a truth to this. That, and their foreign language, seems to imply men from Africa or Asia. As far as I understand, there should not be anything of concern amongst those nations, but who can tell?" He pauses as the guard leans over to whisper something to him, and nods before continuing. "Though we have recently changed around our trade agreements, in order to focus more on free and democratic nations, and to focus on Christian nations over heathens. It could very well be a nation in Asia or India that we have renegotiated our trade agreements with. Though the list of those nations is long, and most are too small to even think about. As for where the ship might be headed..." He pauses to think about it for a moment, before continuing. "I would suspect them to be headed to one of the communist states, or to Abkhazia, whom we do not recognize as an independent nation. The other nations, except maybe the Seljuks, are not likely to accept the kidnappers. Does this help answer your questions?"

[Rhineland]

Regas Diomidis III strokes his beard as he confers with one of his men, before turning back to the Basileus. "This man was the only clue, you say? No idea as to how these men bypassed the security of your palace? That may indicate a considerable degree of skill and professionalism in this group of men". He pauses for a moment before continuing with just a bit of hesitance. "I hope this doesn't sound presumptuous, but would you be willing to accept a second set of eyes in this matter?"

[Alanston]

Basileus Alexander III narrows his eyes as he looks over at Regas Diomidis III. "Are you suggesting that my men would take a bribe? How dare you! They are above reproach, why, the Varangians have served this nation for over a thousand years!" He shouts fiercely, before taking a few moments to calm down. "But very well, I will allow this. I just want my son returned safely. My captain will assist you." He sighs, agreeing resignedly, before waving the Varangian captain over to assist.

As the captain steps over to the Antigonean delegation, he clears his throat. "I am more than happy to help, but might I suggest that some resources are sent after that boat? The longer we delay, the further away it gets."

The Basileus looks over at those in his chambers. "Well?" He asks.

If any of those in the chambers were keen observers, and were not distracted by the Basileus' outrage, they might have noticed one of the younger Varangians, a non-Norseman, looking rather uncomfortable at the suggestion of a bribe. Though the young man's discomfort would have been so brief that only those looking for it would have noticed.

[Grand Serene Republic]

In an anonymous palace in Roma
"So the Byzantines are running out of time eh? Well that's interesting, we could finally see some action and pursue the Dream by adding a new member" a bearded man would smile with a cigarette in hand "I would calm down for the moment Jean-Baptiste, one wrong move and we are all screwed, let's not get too ahead of ourselves, first we are gonna send a few discrete notes to the hostile neighbors of the Byzantines:Abkhazia, Crimea,Rostov , Bulgaria and the Seljuks. At the same time I'm gonna hope on plane and go to Costantinpolis and tell them how the Republic is sad and that we will do our best in helping the investigation okay?"
Said the other man in the room, who was clean shaved and in a tidy two pieces dark green suit.

"Yes Minister, it shall be done as you say"

---

The European government sends a communication to Constantinople telling them of the arrival of Minister of the Interior Cardellini to help the Byzantines in the investigation on the kidnapping of the Crown Prince

At the same time, discrete messages are sent to Bulgaria, Abkazhia, Rostov, Crimea and the Seljuks. If the kidnappers are smart they would be able to decipher the messages in which an offer of aid is sent, in which all the various expenses for the... Job would be paid and that they would be paid a quite nice compensation of several billions if they accept the offer

[Alanston]

The Italian's European Federation's delegate is welcome to come to Constantinople to help with the investigation. Upon his arrival he would receive an update of all the information discussed so far, and invited to speak with the Emperor.

[You can join the meeting taking place]

[Grand Serene Republic]

"Well your Majesty, I'm more then happy to put my man in pursuit of the boat. Even if your neighbors aren't involved per se i think they could still use them as transit points so, I would suggest go follow that trail and try investigate there"

Minister Cardellini says after he is introduced to the Emperor

[Alanston]

The Emperor smiles, "Finally, someone who is willing to do something. Unless you have any other questions for me, you are welcome to go out and get started. Bring my son home to me." He finishes with a sad smile.

[Rhineland]

The Antegonean monarch offers a smile that is almost imperceptibly forcesd. "Basileus, I ment only what I said, that new sets of eyes sometimes see what the previous did not. I intend no disrespect to you not your institutions." At this point, the smile becomes fully genuine. "My kingdom will likewise look into the matter of the boat. We will task intelligence assets assigned to the Black Sea with tracking it down, based on the descriptions and footage we have. I think it might be prudent to preform some patrols in the sea as well, on the off chance that they intend to hold the hold the Prince on the boat, rather than move him inland.[/quote]"

[Alanston]

"Do what you think you must, just find my son. Go on then." The Emperor states, waving the men off.

The Varangian commander would then guide the various delegates out of the Imperial chambers. He would hand each of them a folder with various documents inside. "This folder contains all the information we have on the kidnappers, including the identifying number for their boat, it's trajectory, and it's last detected coordinates. There is also a usb with the security footage. Let me know if there is anything else you need. You are free to remain here in Constantinople, but I would strongly encourage you to go after the kidnappers as quickly as possible. The longer we delay the further away they are getting."

[Alanston]

[Way more than 48hrs - so going with 2 days have passed]

Following receiving word from the kidnappers, several low profile men board one of the regular ferries from Istanbul to Constantinople. Once there, they begin spreading word amongst the people, questioning the Varangians. Some would drop hints about how odd it is that the kidnapping would take place under the very noses of the Varangians. Others would question why the Varangians beat up the fisherman (which is common knowledge at this point), speculating that perhaps it could be the Varangians placing blame, or questioning how reliable a confession from a man who was beaten up is. The people, who are already suspiciously poor, would take these hints and run with them, with one of the local news agencies runs a story speculating that perhaps the kidnapping could be a run on power by the Varangians.

These new stories prompt the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia to make a statement, reporting that a boat belonging to the Varangians arrived in the port town of Gudauta on the Sunday of the kidnapping, before departing in a private jet. Unfortunately they release no further information.

Following the accusations on the news, by the populace, and by Abkhazia, the Varangians make a statement purposely denying all claims. On the streets the news reporter who ran the story is publicly beaten by several Varangian soldiers, an incident that is filmed and spreads online quickly.

For some reason the Emperor does not become aware of any of these events. Similarly, around the time of the beating by the Varangians, internet and cell coverage in Constantinople begins to become very spotty, with many people being unable to access the internet or make phone calls at all.

@European Republic