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Post by psychopathickids on Sept 30, 2014 18:19:14 GMT
Looking about from side to side once more to ensure no one was around to happen to overhear what she had to say to Gormith of House Wargchaser, Kallista, once satisfied with their privacy, turned to face her guest, solemn in tone and demeanor, her speech barely above that of a whisper, wide amber eyes ponderous yet all too obviously scanning Gormith’s every body movement for signs of his reaction to the meticulously worded message she had been constructing since receiving word of the Firetooth ambassador’s arrival upon the Southern Shores, if not for some time before. “As a human nation founded upon the southernmost corner of our Northern lands, the Crowned Republic has long straddled the lines between the peoples of the North, and the Red Empire to the South. Even Hessnya was founded by humans of the Northern reaches pushed from their lands by overseers less malleable than those of the Southern Shores, as opposed to mine own city state which has existed upon these coasts even before the Southern Empire was unified under the Prophet. When coupled with my people’s proclivity towards trade, diplomacy and seafaring this has allowed Juturna an insight unique among northerners into the true intentions hidden behind the respectful words uttered by the diplomats and secretaries of Survaek. I am but a humble servant of Aed, and a young woman no less, but I must beg the proud and noble chief of the Firetooth and the honored elders of your people’s council to consider my words with the care they would attend upon any other.”
A serene moment of silence, accompanied by a lonesome breath, deep with an almost palpable aura of the sadness born of inward reflection and the heaviness of long hours and sleepless nights spent meditating on the pros and cons of servitude to a foreign overseer keen on tightening his grip upon the supposed, ‘sovereign,’ nations which were in reality puppets to his whims and seasonal fancies broke with her carefully considered message. “When the Survaek ask of us rulers permission to establish military holdings and fortifications within our borders, they are not asking. Now that Northern reconstruction efforts have finally begun in earnest and the ties which bind their empire and the Vaekirate fray at the edges and slowly come undone at the seams the Southern empire sees its grasp upon the North slipping at a crucial moment in their people’s history, and seek to ensure their hold over us does not wither, instead tightening as one might clutch desperately at the surface of an object fumbled from hand’s embrace. The forts now under construction upon Juturna’s Northwestern border were meant for your own lands, is it not so? The Survaek are displeased by your refusal of their, ‘generous,’ offer, and I assure you their bureaucrats and military officers will be back time and time again until they find your elders more pliant to their requests, by whatever means necessary. I urge your people to be prepared on the day the Surv-Akur arrive upon Firetooth lands in force,” with that the young Queen of Juturna got to her feet, brushing absently at her skirts so as to knock away any dirt which might have found itself clinging to the silks of her gown.
“If your Chief wishes to discuss this matter with me further, I would ask that he send you as his messenger. I’ll be sure to offer something which might earn House Wargchaser the respect you seek in these lands in return for this service, perhaps a monument in the likeness of Ferenath to be constructed in Juturna and delivered by trading barge to Thundercrown? I’ll be sure to have your name inscribed upon its base with something respectful towards House Wargchaser and the Firetooth Clan, perhaps something along the lines of, ‘Commissioned on behalf of Gormith of House Wargchaser, honored friend of the Crowned Republic of Juturna on the Southern Shores, and noble son of his esteemed House, for services rendered in establishing trade between the proud and venerable Firetooth Clan, and their humble neighbors to the South,’ so that your elder will have no choice but to publicly acknowledge you as a proud and honorable son of his house, if this would please you? Otherwise, unless you have anything else you would like to discuss in the privacy afforded bare patches of earth in the middle of nowhere, I would suggest we return to the others --, no doubt they find themselves wondering about the meaning of this discussion,” and with this last statement Kallista would offer her arm to honored guest, hoping that he would take it as they walked back to the party proper, unless he had other matters to discuss better left spoken in private, hoping all the while that he had understood the meaning of her potentially treasonous message.
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Post by talis on Oct 7, 2014 3:18:15 GMT
"You give the empire much credit." Gormith critiqued, although he could begrudgingly see her point. The Firetooth had not suffered the brunt of Survaek's power as Juturna had. Firetooth lands were a long march inland, largely barren of any resources the empire was interested in, and exposed to constant raids by barbarian orcs. It was easier for the empire to let them continue to guard the west and send tribute than to invade and have to put up with defending the land. "They may be ruthless and ambitious, but the emperor is mortal. They bleed like the rest of us. They can have gold and soldiers if they demand them, but we have been the guardians of the west for centuries. We won't be laying down our weapons for some upstarts simply because they demand it."
"If you worry about the Emperor's influence I recommend you speak with the Vaekir and the chief priest. The emperor may get away with conquering heathens, but the Vaekir will not turn a blind eye to violence against the faithful. Seek allies and friends; they are your shelter against Survaek's influence. Their grip over the north is not so tight yet that we cannot slip through their fingers."
"But I've said too much. I will carry your message to the Chief and let him make the decision. For now we should return, as you say."
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Post by psychopathickids on Oct 10, 2014 6:46:32 GMT
Offering her arm to esteemed guest, Kallista considered his words carefully as the pair began their stroll back toward their fellows. "I do indeed give them much credit, Gormith of House Wargchaser, and I do worry as women are 'oft to; their standing armies outnumber mine own fifty to one, and the last time the forces of the Republic stood against the Surv-Akur they bled ten brave men of the Southern Shores for each we took in return. A poisoner sits the throne of Cerdigon, and a woman the throne of Sefti despite boasting a true born prince of the blood, the Survaek whisper sweet words in the ear of Juturna, as well as Hessnya to be sure, all the while choking the will to remain sovereign and free from subject and petty lord alike in our lands. The North has not forgotten, however. We prepare, and with each passing season grow stronger, rebuild our lands, plant our crops, train soldiers loyal to Aed and country… I have at least one friend among mine fellow Northern leaders, and I would be greatly honored to find a second in the proud and noble Garlog Whiteshot, Chieftan of the Firetooth, and, in the coming months, perhaps I might find another…”
With a sigh, the Queen of the Crowned Republic was rendered silent, if only for but a moment, clearly lost in ponderous thought as to the future of the North and the Southern Shores, the concern behind solemn eyes less scheming than trepid, worrisome calculations and internal debate. “But enough of that, for now. We were discussing trade, is this not so?” reclaiming her position among the feather cushions and the fine, thin bedding all of silk which comprised the interior of the royal palanquin upon their reunion with the rest of their party, Kallista turned to face Gormith, presumably mounted once more atop Oreska before returning to topic at hand, “I presume you plan on assuming a monopoly of one sort or another over the route, then?” using your merchant retinue on the route between us.
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Post by talis on Oct 11, 2014 6:11:38 GMT
Gormith took her arm gingerly, as if afraid of breaking it. He had caught enough hints to understand the formal necessity of the gesture, but it was clearly completely alien to him. He said nothing of the Surv-Akur, not trusting himself to provide a proper answer. Like most Firetooth he was accustomed to viewing southerners as "soft," spoiled by luxury and unused to the brutalities of war. Even so he he understood: if war ever came to pass the Firetooth would prove stubborn and difficult enemies, but their defeat would be a foregone conclusion. They did not have the numbers to face the entire Survaekom empire alone.
He caught his book in the stirrup and swung himself up onto his warg as the queen entered her palanquin. "At the moment we seek reliable trade partners most of all." He explained to her. "All we ask is for free and open trade across our borders, and equal contribution to protecting caravans and maintaining roads."
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Post by psychopathickids on Oct 11, 2014 8:25:48 GMT
"Then you shall have it," Kallista expressed without a moment’s hesitation. The peace and prosperity of her lands and people was her first concern, and that of the greater North her second; who could espouse such ideals and yet refuse an offer of free and equal trade? Besides, in the coming seasons the Firetooth Clan might grow to become allies of the Southern Shores, if not trusted friends, and establishing trade between the two nations would be an essential step toward restoring the former glory of her nation and solidifying that of their own, and the orcs were a proud and honorable people --, among the realms of men the Crowned Republic were known for their reliability in trade more so than perhaps any other, a reputation their young Queen had no intention of tarnishing, and the orcs rarely failed to keep their word; the old laws of the North were still largely upheld in the Northern Wastes, and though she didn’t think for a second the elders and their chief would fail to leap at the chance to take everything she had built from her if she showed them the least bit of weakness or an inability in any way to keep such holdings by force if she must, they were a reasonably good bet as far as trading partners went. Honorable yet ambitious, ruthless though tempered by reason and common sense, straight forward when necessary, actually it was quite a surprise that more orcs didn’t find themselves employed as merchants, bankers and sea borne tradesmen.
“Consider the Republic’s half of the costs associated with trade by sea paid. Though I would expect that the noble Firetooth would send an envoy to renegotiate the terms of our agreement should your Chief change his mind regarding the establishment of future monopolies between our two people (usage of a merchant retinue on our route), yes? I would welcome you and your retinue as guests in my home to be feasted and sheltered until you are rested enough to comfortably return to your own lands. The customs of my people dictate a written contract must be drawn up in an official session of the Court of Juturna before the agreement can be considered to hold the crown’s oath of honor, but given these conditions are met you have mine own oath that free trade will be opened between us and a monument in the likeness of Ferenath shall be constructed in Juturna at my expense within the length of our initial agreement (by turn ten) and delivered to Thundercrown by trading barge,” the meaning behind her second statement, or rather first question should have been more or less clear to any with a basic understanding of Southern Shores history and culture. An agreement, once mutually sworn to between two parties was considered set in stone for the length of the contract. To violate the terms was paramount to foreswearing, and those who broke an oath with the Crowned Republic rarely did so without repercussion.
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Post by talis on Oct 12, 2014 5:50:52 GMT
"Then consider the agreement sealed by word of honor." Gormith smiled boisterously. It was rare one got to seal an agreement before even reaching the palace. No doubt there would be many formalities ahead - he would stay long enough that his departure would not insult her hospitality, and would not doubt be dragged into some southern ceremony or other he would be happier not knowing about. No doubt there would be a formal swearing of the agreement before witnesses and dithering over petty details. But the real deal was being made here and now. Everything else was just formality.
"The trading port in Thundercrown should be complete within a season. Once it's completed we will ensure that the northern part of the river is secured against banditry. By the next solstice trade should be flowing smoothly between our lands." He had no doubt the wealth of Juturna, especially its wines, fruits, and grains, would be welcome in Thundercrown. Soon Juturnan harvests would flow up the river and Firetooth furs and craftsmanship would flow back down."
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