Journals of the Exalted II: The Ruby Tiger

Featured image art “The New Exalted” by Arute (@ast05water)

Welcome to Journals of the Exalted! This is Part II of a four-part series exploring each member of Anna’s new Exalted. Now that she’s accepted leadership of this secret society, she’ll also be responsible for putting it together… before Lord Yixin tasks her with his ultimate objective.

Make sure to follow each member’s story:

Overture: Your Burden

Part I: The Gold Reindeer

Part II: The Ruby Tiger

Part III: The Sapphire Phoenix

Part IV: The Emerald Dragon

BREAKING: “It’s like my heart, twisted into a knot, has been freed”: Anna Overjoyed as Colisa of Chatho Arrives in Arendelle

By Brunhilde, Politics Editor for The Arendelle Guardian

In a remarkable turn of events, Ottoman general Tileke has succeeded in her rescue expedition, having retrieved Prince Hans of the Southern Isles and the Duke of Weselton from shipwrecks off the coasts of the Batavian Republic and Germany. She was also able to rescue Queen Colisa of Chatho, Anna’s primary international ally.

Our queen Anna, upon hearing of the news, was said by courtiers to have burst into tears of joy and emotion. It wasn’t lost on her high command that she instantly gave orders for Tileke to have Colisa come to Arendelle first. As of now, neither Anna nor General Mattias have disclosed their plans concerning Colisa with the press.

The three sovereigns, along with Mari of Vesterland, are members of Anna’s Entente of Small Kingdoms, an alliance that Anna formed in order to collectively resist the pressure of larger kingdoms, empires, and colonial powers. However, the alliance proved unable to mount an effective military resistance against the Russian invasion of Arendelle, with the fleets of Chatho, the Southern Isles, and Weselton obliterated and Vesterland neutralized. With Arendelle now in a position of newfound power and influence after standing alone against Katina Romanov, it’s uncertain what Anna will choose to do with the Entente.

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BREAKING: Anna’s Alliance in Tatters as Vesterland SURRENDERS to the Russian Empire

Featured image “Katina, Sora, and Nykras,” by PURY (@puryartist)

By Mikail, Senior Reporter for The Arendelle Guardian

MOSCOW; VESTERLAND – In a fresh blow to Anna’s struggle against Russia, Vesterland has surrendered to the Russian Empire after a surprise blockade of the kingdom’s main trade routes by imperial tsarist forces.

Our correspondent in Vesterland can reveal that Princess Mari is being held under house arrest in her own palace, with her father King Jonas forced to appoint a “liaison resident” approved by Katina Romanov. As a token of good faith for Russia, Vesterland must further suspend its supply routes of raw material to Arendelle, its main contribution to Anna’s war effort.

Most worrying to Anna’s commanders will be the fact that the “blockade” was accomplished, without a battle, by a single head sent by Katina: Grand Duke Sora.

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The 21st: A Special Surprise for a Special Queen

Birthday chapter by Alan Nadeau III

Life in Arendelle these days went about the same as it had before, though the threat of Katina Romanov’s impending attacks on Arendelle and Northuldra loomed large. What Katina wanted of Arendelle, Anna couldn’t give, and now the Russian princess, even despite Grand Duke Sora’s attempt to talk the young Katina out of this, had led to her choosing war. Only time would tell as to when Katina’s attacks commenced, and all anyone could hope for was an absolute miracle to prevent it.

Despite this, the citizens of Arendelle were currently preparing for the Winter Solstice and season of frost. Today coincided with a special celebration: the birthday of Elsa. Normally, Anna would be in charge of coordinating the festivities, but this year, per his request, she’d passed on those duties to Sir Alan, as he wished to put together the best birthday that Elsa had ever enjoyed in her young life. Elsa meant everything to him, and he knew he’d be able to set up the perfect celebration for her.

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Palace Statement: Anna’s Response to British Neutrality in the Face of Tsarist Aggression

Featured image art by PURY (@puryartist)

Signed and sealed by the queen on 7 December, 1843.

Submitted by the palace to the Great Assembly of the House of Ministers and House of Jarls on 7 December, 1843.

Released to the press on 8 December, 1843.

I read with dismay the decision of Lord Palmerston, British foreign secretary, to refrain from a public condemnation of Russian aggression against Arendelle and our allies, collectively known as the Entente of Small Kingdoms. This one stings personally. I remember how, in the early months of my reign, he and I negotiated a mutually beneficial deal that curbed the power of the East India Company – something that both Kristoff’s Princely House and the British parliament had wanted. Why have our overtures been rebuffed this time?

Our diplomats enjoy a good relationship with Britain’s, and behind the scenes there’s plenty of communication and agreement on the direction of Europe’s balance of power. However, I want to note my disappointment at the British Empire’s refusal to throw its support behind the Entente, something that the Duke of Weselton and Mari of Vesterland had been agitating for some time.

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EXCLUSIVE: Anna, Colisa, and Mari in new interview on politics, the world, and each other

By Kris Neumann, Senior Staff Writer for The Arendelle Guardian

In this exclusive interview, The Arendelle Guardian spoke to three sovereign leaders: Colisa the queen of Chatho, Princess Mari of Vesterland, and Her Majesty herself. In light of new developments concerning Russo-Arendellian relations and the expansion of Arendellian interests around the world, the Entente of Small Kingdoms is forming a coordinated front to protect each other’s interests. In this interview they gave a comprehensive picture of their alliance’s present situation, plans about their geopolitical strategy, and fond insights about how they see and relate to each other.

The Arendelle Guardian: Thank you, Your Majesties Anna and Colisa and Your Highness Mari, for sitting down with us in our printing press room by Arendelle’s beautiful dockside. Let’s start with the fallout from, if you’ll pardon the word, failure of Anna’s talks with Katina Romanov of Russia. What has been the response from Arendelle’s allies, and are there fears of tsarist aggression or reprisals?

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Arendelle’s Delegation in Saint Petersburg for Talks with Russia, Part Three

Featured image art by PURY (@puryartist)

Read Part One here! Grand Duke Nykras reveals his dread necromantic powers!

Read Part Two here! Honeymaren and Amira take on Grand Duke Yaraslaf the werebear!

“Check.” Anna moved her bishop along the chessboard, cornering Katina’s king piece. Her eyes glinted. “I wonder if I can put you in checkmate soon?”

Surprised once more at Anna’s aggressive play style, Katina grimaced, looking at Anna with a strained smile. “You’re pretty good, Queen of Arendelle.”

Anna smiled. “Thanks, Katina, and I mean that. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent many a late night playing with Elsa and Kristoff.”

She reclined, hands behind her back. “Honestly, I have to admit – I thought after Elsa and my team left, you were going to have Nykras put me under house arrest or something.”

“A sovereign doing such a thing to another sovereign? And why would I worry about you attacking me? I have Nykras and Sora in the palace with me. And just because I hate you doesn’t mean I play dirty. You’re the one who sent Northuldra spies into my city. But I’m so straight with you, I’m even showing you my hand: the Grand Dukes that will lead my invasion.” She stared at Anna. “Mr. Harrison is the one who loves to play dirty. He’s a wily fox, a typical merchant prince. But I prefer war to be a duel. Just like a face-to-face conversation, or a game of chess.”

They were sitting over a game table in Katina’s drawing room, which was so large that it was twice the size of Anna’s drawing room back in Arendelle Castle. It was lavish and sumptuous, with voluminous curtains and gold leaf wallpaper, the walls themselves festooned with portraits of Katina’s ancestors, including Peter the Great. He was the one responsible for kicking off the reforms of feudal Russia and transforming it into an early modern superpower in Eurasia. There were mechanical trinkets, dolls, and toys on mahogany shelves, lavishly painted tables, and burning candles mounted on the most elaborately decorated candlesticks.

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Arendelle’s Delegation in Saint Petersburg for Talks with Russia, Part Two

Featured image art by PURY (@puryartist)

Read Part One here!

It was the dead of night and eerily quiet. Northuldra’s champions were on the hunt.

Founded in the early 1600s by the greatest Romanov tsar, Peter the Great, the port of Kronstadt was a centre of commerce that grew in strategic importance as the maritime defence outpost of the imperial capital. The main base of Russia’s Baltic Fleet was located in Kronstadt, guarding the approaches to Saint Petersburg. Maren and Amira stood in stunned silence as they stared up at the incomplete skeletons of warships among the huge dockyard. The two Northuldra women, who’d never been outside of Arendelle or Northuldra, were gobsmacked by the sheer vastness of the military base.

As the two Northuldra dashed from warehouse to warehouse, unpicking doors and peering inside, Maren and Amira found more evidence of Russia’s military buildup. Their acutely sensitive eyes saw everything with little issue, and they didn’t need torches or light. There were rifles, pistols, and bayonets stored on rows of shelves in one warehouse, hundreds of officers’ uniforms in another, and an entire factory reserved for mortars, howitzers, railway guns, and other armaments and artillery. Amira couldn’t hide her surprise at witnessing so many modern weapons of war as Maren looked on grimly.

She took Amira’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Quite the sight for us unwelcome tourists, isn’t it? Now do you believe me about the danger that Northuldra faces?”

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Secret Files: The Grand Dukes of Imperial Russia

URGENT and CONFIDENTIAL

For the Arendellian High Command: Report on the three Grand Dukes serving Princess Katina Romanov, leader behind Russia’s tsar and member of the Exalted

Re: Sora, Yaraslaf (also purported to be the Admiral of the Baltic Fleet), and Nykras

To General Mattias and Commander Hilde:

Well – here it all is, sir and gracious ma’am. Everything I could get on the generals that Katina has apparently entrusted with leading her total war against us.

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Anna forms elite diplomatic corps to reach out to Katina Romanov

By Frey, Foreign Affairs Reporter for The Arendelle Guardian

ARENDELLE; SAINT PETERSBURG – The queen of Arendelle is confirmed to be working with her predecessor and sister, Elsa, and leaders of other kingdoms to form an elite corps tailored for diplomacy with Russia. Secret Arendellian and Russian mediators are still discussing whether to hold talks in a neutral location, Arendelle, or in Saint Petersburg, the Russian capital city.

Queen Colisa and Princess Mari of Vesterland are reported to be helping Anna and Elsa steer the initiative, which has been conceived as a united lobby robust enough to resist the overwhelming pressure of the vast Imperial Russian state.

Sources close to the queen and General Mattias have confirmed on condition of anonymity that Anna’s objective is to persuade the tsar and his government to negotiate mutually favourable terms that will prevent misunderstandings and enmity between Arendelle, its allies, and Russia.

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Anna’s Column: Realign, Restructure, Recover!

By HM Queen Anna

I want to start this column by thanking my beloved Elsa for her tireless encouragement. She’s supported me in public through her column in this paper, and in private during my most vulnerable and fragile moments. I want to thank my inner court, my government, and all my friends. I want to thank my allies for sticking with my alliance, despite my recent humiliation at Harrison’s hands. I want to thank the Duke and Mari for being so kind to extend their apologies, which I don’t accept, because there’s nothing – zero, nada, zilch – to say sorry for. If you were ever captured again by Harrison, I’d gladly give up the rest of my trade rights with the Celestial Empire to save you.

I want to thank Peony Sinclair for easing the terms of the Treaty of Weselton with Harrison. I know I have a complicated relationship with the Exalted, and I know you were trying to protect me. And most of all, dear citizen, I want to thank you for your faith in me. I promise to do my very best as your most prominent public servant.

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