Opportunity unfolds [Ceaden]

by **Aelosia** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 5:19 am

Soundtrack

The sleek forms of the fariselian ships advanced through the water quickly, leaving their ports towards the East, towards the contact points they had made for exploration. Two of them sailed forth from the ports in the Lunai islands, and other two from the southern port of Falasanor. They were dhows, the smaller kind of elven ships available to the sailing elves. A big sail propelled it forward, its mast a tall construction that occupied most of the vessel's space. The space aboard the sleek and fast ship was limited, so it could only hold 5 to 7 people in standard conditions. Given the own nature of the travel they were making, with a unspecified time of arrival, the crew and passengers were limited to five. One diplomatic envoy, one trade envoy, and two fariselian marines that doubled up as the crew of the ship alongside the captain.

The charts they followed were ancient, and more likely outdated. Their instructions were vague, just to sail East until they found some sort of port or anything resembling a civilization, then establish contact. The elves aboard knew that more likely it was a suicide mission, one they would not return from, and yet they were willing to do it, given the promise of great rewards and the gratitude of the Queen herself.

South:

Soon the two that went southeast found the civilization they were looking for. One crossed the Cape of Fulfillment, and found a pair of ports on the coast. The elves still did not know, but those were the ports of Arleni and Irlena, the ports of Fardoor. One of the ships was detached to go into the port of Arleni, meanwhile the other continued its trip alongside the coast.

The elven dhow that reached the port of Arleni entered it smoothly, with its sail removed, letting the port's guards to guide it into a pier of their choosing and leaving the ship. the embassy was composed by elves, one trade envoy, one diplomatic envoy and a pair of guards.

Soon it reached another zone of the continent, the delta of a mighty river, and so forth the dhow from Farisel traversed the islands around it, and into the port of Apesh. Following the same protocol, the elves gathered their sail, let the Numerian authorities guide them into the port, until they could disembark. Their embassy also had one trade envoy, one diplomatic envoy and two guards.

North:

On the north, the pair of dhows left the Lunai archipielago to sail into the recently Achesian occupied island of SummerClaw on the ocean, pausing to be seen at the Dragon Watch Castle, there, they became separated, one of the ships setting its destination to Bisonmane, while the other entered the narrow bay to the south to explore it and found the Sabyeman enclave at its end, following the same procedure and docking at its facilities.

The first ship continued until docking at Bisonmane. At Bisonmane, the embassy disembarked composed of the same components. A trade envoy, a diplomatic envoy, and a pair of guards.

Map of the routes

by **Tuthina** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 8:45 am

As the Fariselian dhow sailed from the Acherian island towards Sabyema, it took them almost an entire day to sail through the shallow and sometimes treacherous narrow bay that led to the Sabyeman port pointed by merchants back in Achesia. It was apparently a recent creation, as it did not appear on the ancient chart of the elves – even the existence of the desert dwellers were not known by them until very recently. The sun was setting when the lone convoy arrived at the end of the bay, where the port resided. As the still and shallow water reflected the golden glow from the sun, the entire port, along with the bare, flat coast nearby, was stained in a mixture of red and yellow dye, making it seemingly a land of gold – and if the rumours were true, the “golden seas” were indeed a land peppered with precious metal, gems, and strange, instinctive people.

The port was mostly built in some kind of stone and sand, perhaps magically enchanted to keep them rigidly in place. The outer structures were apparently circular in shape, and each of them connected together by walls that defined the border of the port. At the middle of it was a unique square building, notably decorated with shiny metal and gems. It seemed to be the centre of the port, both due to its unique location and decoration, as well as the avenue of trees, shrubs and pools leading from its main gate to the port, where the dhow slowly proceed. Despite not being very big in size, it seemed to be quite a prosperous commercial hub. Surprisingly, the most common ships the locals used were dhows similar to what Farisel used, but with a more crude build, and somewhat different materials.

The dhow approached and docked easily, as nearby ships easily noticed the foreign crew of it and gave way to it. Some land-bound inhabitants rushed towards it to get a better view on them, while some ran off, perhaps to inform the authority for this unexpected, but not unwelcomed visit. Soon after they docked, several people appeared from the crowd and approached the elves. Like most of the people they had seen since entering the port, their skins were dark, almost like they were casted with some kind of shiny bronze and copper. However, their blond hair of several colours, as well as the white clothes made of thin silk, created a sharp contrast with their skin. On their relatively slim but, at least for the female, generally well-endowed bodies, numerous exotic garments and adornments made of gold, silver, and gems decorated the limbs and neck of theirs. Of those six people, four of them at the side were apparently guards, with metal and leather parts reinforcing their silk armour, while a large, curved steel sword with strange bands was hoisted on a leather belt around their waists.

The focus of the welcoming party, though, was on the two female standing at the middle of it. Dressing noticeably more scantily than their guards, most of their skins, from limbs to midriff, even parts of the lower chests was exposed to the others without care. However, despite their exposing clothes and generally carefree attitude towards it, minor details revealed that they were no pleasure dolls of some powerful lords, as both the walking style and gestures showed that they were skilled in the art of riding and fighting as well, if not warriors of their own. Though, they seemed to look quite peaceful and without the aura that usually signified warriors.

The older and taller one appeared to be around the age of 25, while the younger one 14. For the elves, the most surprising thing about these foreigners was that the younger female appeared to be pregnant, perhaps for four to five months, as the rather slim body of her enlarged at the bare midriff, incidentally fitting the shape of her clothes perfectly, almost like every part of her was designed to emphasise the beauty of hers.

“Welcome to the port of Chabla, travellers from a faraway land.” The soft voice of the older female caught the attention of the crew again. With a hair of red and a pair of green eyes, she smiled and bowed to the crew, as the rest of the party followed. Surprisingly, she knew of the tongue of the elves, although a heavily accented one, and had some strange mistakes. “May we ask the reason of your far travel towards our humble port?”

by **Aelosia** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 1:42 pm

The fariselians had entered the narrow bay with the intent of exploring them for their own ends. The Captain of the ship in particular said to the others how the Admiral of the Fariselian navy payed extra for those captains able to explore possible future locations for fariselian naval bases. the bay, with its narrow stream and protected course, was the perfect spot from the expert fariselian point of view. So it was for them a surprise that after navigating through the last part of the canyon, they found a port waiting for them. "It was too good to be deserted" commented the Captain with a smirk as they navigated towards the harbor. Both the diplomatic envoy and the trade envoy exchanged expressions of awe at the play of the light on the waters of the port alongside with the golden bottom of it, already making the golden sea comparison even before meeting its inhabitants.

"Maybe with luck this people are barbarians and we can send the fleet to educate them and further our civilization", said the Captain, looking around the bay as they approached the piers. "This is not on the charts. So this must be pretty new, newer than the old Iselians at least", he added, trying to identify the ships that sailed nearby, amazed at the relatively likeness of their making to his own ship.

"There are several reasons why it won't happen, captain", said the trade envoy, a special looking girl with inquisitive emerald eyes and green-dyed hair, encased in a pair of leather breeches and a jacket with a motif of leaves. "First, buildings, walls, ships. These people are no barbarians, they are developed, and Farisel does not go to war with developed people", she paused there as she pointed at the square buildings and the curve-shaped constructions of the port. "Those circular buildings even show the beginnings of good taste, I might add", added the diplomatic envoy, a rather old male elf with white hair that had allowed the pleasures of life take away part of his vitality.

"Second, the Queen said it is time to stop our expansion and consolidate our gains. That is why she is sending envoys now and not ships filled with warriors, we look for allies and not vassals. No more conquering for a while", followed the trade envoy, her name Besseryn nos Lórindel. "So we are going to initiate a peaceful relationship with these people, unless they lynch us on the spot, and that might, and only might, attract the fury of the navy, nothing more".

"Is there a chance for that?" asked one of the guards looking clearly nervous.

"There is always a chance for that, fine lad", answered the wizened old diplomat. "We are here to try to stop it happening, but maybe these people have ancient stories about pointy eared devils, and then kill us and burn us and rape us, maybe even in that order. I guess you marines thought we diplomats had it easy right?"

The guard swallowed hard, but returned to take care of the sail without further questions. The elves looked at the growing port and were clearly amazed and interested, although there was some nervousness about the reaction of the natives to foreigners. Besseryn eyes glittered at the sight of the gems and metals that decorated the square building in the center of the settlement. "Whatever or whoever dwells here, it is rich alright. Business to be done and everyone happy. If they do not kill us, we might even get a profit here".

After docking, a process that went surprisingly smooth for the expectations of the captain, the gorup of elves went out of their ship, having different reactions to the fact that the local population were quite interested in them. The old diplomat smiled to the kids and winked to the women, waving with his hand to the men, maybe overdoing his attitude entirely, but without doubt with good intentions. The guards stood nervous when people approached, but the lack of unsheathed weapons seemed to calm them down a bit, and finished their work of securing the Dhow to the pier. Besseryn tried to fix her hair and her clothes, trying to look as good as she could after such a large trip aboard a vessel. While the diplomat wore an ancient long robe of white silk, she was more "manly" dressed, as was fitted for adventure.

Besseryn's mind raced as she tried to get and process every detail during their first moments on land. No torches, no screaming, no bare weapons. Good sign. They like jewels, and have many stones. Interesting. They use silk too, so that's an exchanging market for both fabrics and dyes. Also curved swords, but different kind of armor. Now... Then suddenly her thoughts were erased as she got a full view of the mkain figures of the welcoming party.

The guards seemed to recognize the warrior aura about the two women instantly, something that seemed to be lost for Besseryn. The diplomat instead felt their aura of authority, and knew that if someone here was in charge, more likely were those two women. They approached and spoke, in elvish, a fact that left the elves with their mouths open in surprise. Literally.

“Welcome to the port of Chabla, travellers from a faraway land.” The soft voice of the older female caught the attention of the crew again. With a hair of red and a pair of green eyes, she smiled and bowed to the crew, as the rest of the party followed. Surprisingly, she knew of the tongue of the elves, although a heavily accented one, and had some strange mistakes. “May we ask the reason of your far travel towards our humble port?”

"Chabla it is on the charts, then", said the mischievous voice of the Captain from the deck of the docked fariselian Dhow, quickly followed by a chuckle, his words able to dispel the spell that had fallen upon the elves after hearing the words of their languages in the mouths of humans.

The diplomat was still in shock. It was impossible! The sounds....The bowels were too difficult to master without decades of proper intonation! How these...these...And even more...Who did teach them elvish? Did they had former contact with elven cultures? then, which elven cultures. The old elf was so shocked that could not start to speak.

Besseryn took the lead, given the circumstances. "We came in friendship, to bear an invitation for your leaders", she said, her gaze suddenly drawn to the perfection of the round belly of the youngest woman as she took a step towards them. "We also want to discuss about trade and belly buttons", she continued being completely oblivious to her slip. "We come from Farisel, a land to your west. We have gifts and an important message for whoever is in charge of the nation and the bellies of this port. My name is Besseryn of the Baby, and yours?".

Besseryn of Gilorodrim.

by **Numer** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 5:42 pm

Meanwhile in Numer, another Fariselian convoy entered the delta of the Reegarsh. While traveling to Apesh, they could see the beauty and danger of the land. Fish swam in abundance, some being snatched out of the water by multicolored cranes and eagles of all sizes. A menacing crocodile stalked an antelope which drank slowly on the muddy, papyrus-covered islands of the delta. A sly Numerian cobra slithered close to the boat itself, but soon went ashore to hunt mice and other rodents.

Finally they arrived at the port of Apesh, the sounds of street performers and the loud haggling of the bazaar already heard from the harbor. Apesh was devastated when conquered by the forces of Kad and Sepris, during the war that created the empire. But its people stood strong and the city was almost rebuilt, stability brought about by the new Lugalesh Sansid, brother of the Ensi Resgaal Uran.

Two Sentinels, elite warriors of Numer, first looked with suspicion at the dhow arriving at the port, but then with shock when the angelic faces of elves, the first seen in the country for centuries, emerged from the vessel. One of the guards approached the delegation, shooing away a fire-breathing performer who was about to swindle the new visitors. Although they did not know the language of these pale-skinned and light haired figures, he gestured them to follow him.

They passed through the noisy and intense market which they had heard earlier. Although the elven diplomats probably found the blaring haggling, outside noise, and many scents and smells of the bazaar uncivilized and distasteful, they could see several important products such as ivory, artisan made items such as carpets, and spices traded along with grain and livestock. The truth was, the bazaar the life force of most Numerians, as power depended on wealth in the nation. A beggar could start a business and become a lugalesh of a prosperous city.

As they continued, they soon arrived in a quieter and more wealthy part of the city. they could seen the clothing of pedestrians grew more extravagant and showed the persons status. A great temple, the Ziggurat of Manthamen came into view, and despite the elves lack of knowledge about the Numerian religion, they could see the great faith and hard work put into the detailed structure, the many gods and the female personification of the country, the goddess of beauty Numera, portrayed in beautiful sculptures and paintings. All the buildings they had seen were made of mud-brick, the pale yellow-tan building material which was painted over for the homes of the wealthy and for the most important public buildings.

Finally, they were led into the smaller but no less illustrious Palace of Apesh, where the they would meet the lugalesh. He was very young, and like all the Numerians they had seen so far, he sported black hair, tan skin, and dark eyes. As they entered the court of the "governor" of Apesh, they saw the look of stoicism on his face as he presided over the daily business of the city.

by **Tuthina** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 8:55 pm

The welcoming party certainly noted the awkwardness that plagued many of the crew, perhaps due to the shocks of the vast differences of their cultures. While the diplomat and several crew members with better perception could see the foreigners noted the nervousness, the female leaders seemed to keep their gentle and welcoming smiles. Maybe they were helping to ease the tension, or pretending to do so. However, the collected manner of them was brief lost when they heard the slip of tongue by Besseryn.

“You seem to be a bit nervous, my friend.” The older female replied after another bowing, perhaps asking for a pardon of their brief giggles. It was quite a friendly gesture in the first place, though, and was more likely a reaction to ease the awkwardness the elves posed to themselves. The leaders walked towards the green-haired elf and smiled to her, and then the remaining crew. “Please relax a little, my friends. You are welcomed to stay here like Chabla is your another home. We welcome all people with opened arms, as long as you maintain the friendliness you showed.”

“You are also welcomed to discuss trade to us, or even our high priestess. Of course, if belly bottoms are on your list of concern, we can discuss them too.” The older female said, as her hand gently patted the head of the younger one, whom smiled in reply. “My name is Bsgröndma Ketubu Bhasündara, or Basyndar nos Sgrend, if you prefer so. We are priestesses of the shrine of Chabla, as well as the leaders, if you may.”

The girl with the beautiful round belly turned to Bhasündara and said a string of consonants, occasionally accompanied by vowels, to her. Her voice was clear and high-pitched, typical of young girls in her mid-adolescent. She seemed to be quite eager to be introduced to these foreign elves, too, as her large blue eyes looking towards them curiously showed. “Of course, I did not forget you. This girl is Bsgröndma Bhasündarabu Kälsang. She is certainly eager to know you. It seems that such feeling is mutual, though.” As Bhasündara introduced, Kälsang bowed to the crews with a large, innocent smile.

“It is our great honour to welcome you, my friend Beserin.” Bhasündara smiled again, as her hand patting on the head of the young girl to calm her down a little. “Now, since you arrived here from such a faraway land, you must be tired. My we have the honour to welcome you into our shrine for a good feast and rest? After all, it is hard to discuss without a filled body and well-rested mind.”

As the priestesses and their guards lead their way through the crowd and towards the plaza, she seemed to be reminded by one of the background events, and turned to the elves. “Oh my, I almost forget.” She smiled. “It would be very nice of you to tell us if you are in procession of scrolls, parchments, or tomes. The high priestess had ordered us to copy and translate as many writings and knowledge into our script as possible. Of course, it does not include personal records, although you are welcomed to lend us them too. We can offer compensations if needed. Please forgive us for this strange action.”

Afterwards, the party and the crew continued their way on the shrine, which seemed to be the square building at the other end of the plaza. It was quite a prosperous plaza, though, as rows and rows of merchants could be seen sitting on their felts and carpets, yelling and selling the various goods they had, while more natives and even Achesians could be seen bartering for a good price. This market had a good assortment of goods as well, from everyday items and food, to all the exotic and elegant garments made of precious metal and gems, even to beasts of burden, such as some kind of sand-coloured, horse-like hump animals.

The circular buildings surrounding the plaza, though, seemed to be homes of some more well-fed merchants, as they peeked from the openings of the wall and showcase their goods to passer-bys. In several of these buildings, male and female alike could be seen standing in line in front of the buildings, only wearing a simple silk robe and a strange bronze collar. People with notably more adornments could be seen inspecting these people, scanning every part of them with their sharp eyes and nimble hands. Some of them appeared to be satisfied. Then, the collars were changed by the patrons, and the collared people following them and vanished into the crowds.

Other than merchants, patrons, and maybe con men who were trying to make a fortune on innocent people, the plaza was decorated with pools of water and shrubs, all of them forming a nice combination of blue and green in this yellow-dominated settlement. The water itself seemed to flow from the shrine, passing through several steps and ultimately ending up in a round main pool, where people and animals alike scoped it with clay pots and had their refreshments.

“We are a commercial port, as you can see.” Bhasündara said, as they walked upwards to the shrine, which sat on a little mount of reddish rocks. It only barely lifted the shrine from the rest of the port, though, and all in all still within the picture of Chabla. “Since it was the only major port of our people, many arrived here and trade with locals and foreigners alike. As such, almost everything that can be bought in the desert can be bought here. Once we finished our discussion, or during it if you wish, you are also welcomed to trade here. I am sure you all can find something useful here.”

The party walked through the big gate of the shrine and entered it. Although there were almost no windows in this building, torches, oil lamps, and other illuminations more than made up of the lack of sunlights. It was apparently built with sandstone and sometimes decorated with pillars of wood and stone. Many parts of the wall were plated with a gold-like metal, and strange scripts and pictures could be seen inscribed on them. The script was mostly made of curves of all kinds, but there were always a straight horizontal line at the upper parts of every alphabet, forming a continued line through the entire sentence. The line seemed to be an invention for inscriptions, as the writings they saw in the market did not bare such lines. Maybe it was to ensure the writing would not bend after writing a long sentence.

As they pass through the corridors, the crew could see some of the rooms through the opened doorway. Although doors made of wood and metal existed in most gates in this building, they seemed to be always opened. There were both similar and alien activities within the rooms and chambers. Some of the rooms seemed to be dedicated to mediation and scroll-copying, as the priestesses worked like any people would be, with the assistance of younger priestesses and the collared people they saw earlier. Some rooms seemed to be dedicated to education, as older priestesses taught her students and subordinates, even the collared people seemed to be part of it as well. Even some of the room seemed to be dedicated to... some other activities, as male and female were seen sleeping together, or having some other interactions. They seemed not to care about being seen by others, though, as they continued after a brief look towards the elves.

At last, they arrived at one of the larger chambers in this shrine. The most notable structure within the chamber was a statue of a female, kneeling and appeared to be praying with her eyes closed. The statue was surrounded by a pool of water, with a distinctive clear blue tone. In front of it was several piles of felts and carpets, which some of the priestesses were trying to clean up, but stopped as they saw the arrival of them. It took a small but rapid exchange of foreign words for the priestesses to understand the situation, and they bowed to the elves, welcoming them to here.

“Please be seated. We are still preparing our food, so maybe we can discuss or chatter a bit before that.” Bhasündara nodded, as she and the priestesses – including even Kälsang – laid the felts in a circle, and welcome the elves to sit on them. It seemed that there were not a noticeable hierarchy, at least within this circle. Soon, they were all seated, as Bhasündara and Kälsang sat together, the former gently touching the round belly of the latter, as they smiled with a motherly touch together.

“We have heard of your people, both in distant past and recent activities. However, we still know few about your people, so may we have the honour to hear about you?”

by **Aelosia** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 3:31 am

In Apesh:

The small ship travelled through the straits towards Apesh, the crew marvelled at the sights of so much fish populating the waters and the fauna that seemed to inhabit the area. the Captain was openly laughing at so many fishes, and eagerly looked for his own fishing rod, although it kept it at reach for use later, once they docked. The sight of the crocodile also raised exclamations of awe, as such beings did not exist near Farisel, although the legends of the wingless river dragon was recorded somewhere in the elven stories.

If the fauna surprised the elves, the humans they met in the port awed them even further. The guards of the dhow came out of the ship without any weapon on sight, although their crist swords remained tucked on their belts. They went in to secure the ship to the pier with the surprisingly delicate and thin silken ropes, and then nodded to their numerian peers with their hands raised, away from the hilts of their weapons. A wooden plank extended from the ship and through it the rest of the aelosian delegation touched land. A lavinshingly dressed elf came out, followed by a rather young elven maiden in simple white robes with a blue swan symbol embroided over her heart, who carried a backpack on her back.

The elf looked left and right, clapping for a second at the fire spitter and throwing him a silvery coin, laughing openly. He seemed to be more at ease at the busy streets of the port and the bazaar, his piercing green eyes analyzing every thing he saw with increased interest and marvel. He nodded as soon as the guard waved him and quickly followed, the rest of the delegation, the girl and two guards, quickly following him. For some reason, the tall and regal elf seemed to be the leader of the fariselian embassy.

The guards seemed nervous as they walked through the busy streets, and the girl easily blushed and kept her gaze to the ground, although the elf leader took some interest in checking from close some of the trading posts and its products, with special attention to the ivory figurines, the carpets and the spice mounds. Soon they left the bazaar, however, and were witnesses of the richness of the higher district and how curious the paintings over the buildings were.

Finally, the elves entered the palace, although they did not try to exchange any words with the guards, being conscious about the language barrier. Once they were in front of the Lugalesh, however, they did speak at last. First the leading elf gave a rather corteous bow in the manner of the fariselians, beding his body forward at the waist and taking one hand to his heart and another extended to his back. The guards and the girl went to their knees and also bowed in front of the governor. Then the leading elf said, trusting that someone could at least get a word of what he was saying.

"Greetings, gracious ruler and host. My name is Brangol of Esgar, and I come as an embassador from the queen of Farisel on the West. We come as friends, bearing gifts, and with a message for your rulers. My companions and me are grateful for your welcoming". After speaking, the elf made a gesture, and the kneeling girl took her backpack and placed it on the floor right in front of her. Opening it, she showed to the lugalesh its contents. There were several silver and golden figurines with engraved gems alongside a lacquered board, a cape made of a strange turquoise silk, and a complicated pearl necklace.

"Our humble gifts for you...", said the elf as he stood upright and pointed at the items in front of the girl.

Brangol of Esgar, envoy to Numer

In Chabla:

Besseryn seemed confused at first, but finally bursted into a bit of nervous laughter as the priestess spoke, now even more feeling comfortable enough as to stare at the priestesses without embarassment. It seemed like they were a relaxed and not too protocol driven lot, which was good.

As they walked through the plaza, Besseryn nodded at the Priestess' enquiry about their writings. "I have a few journals myself, and Lothanol, my old companion here, have some writings of our literature and history. He will gladly share them with you", Besseryn said smiling. "I hope we can indeed exchange information. To be honest, I guess you have your own language, evidenced by your names, which I find pretty difficult to repeat, and getting someone to learn it would be a priority for us if we are going to remain friends in the future".

Besseryn eager eyes almost devoured with unnerving curiosity the wares displayed at the market, getting marvelled at the beasts of burden and the precious stones displayed there. "Your cutting of gems is different to ours...", she said after some sapphires caught her eye. "That's extremely interesting".

by **Tuthina** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:03 am

[OOC: It is to be inserted at its correlated time slot, during their way to the shrine.]

Aelosia wrote:Besseryn seemed confused at first, but finally bursted into a bit of nervous laughter as the priestess spoke, now even more feeling comfortable enough as to stare at the priestesses without embarassment. It seemed like they were a relaxed and not too protocol driven lot, which was good.

As they walked through the plaza, Besseryn nodded at the Priestess' enquiry about their writings. "I have a few journals myself, and Lothanol, my old companion here, have some writings of our literature and history. He will gladly share them with you", Besseryn said smiling. "I hope we can indeed exchange information. To be honest, I guess you have your own language, evidenced by your names, which I find pretty difficult to repeat, and getting someone to learn it would be a priority for us if we are going to remain friends in the future".

Besseryn eager eyes almost devoured with unnerving curiosity the wares displayed at the market, getting marvelled at the beasts of burden and the precious stones displayed there. "Your cutting of gems is different to ours...", she said after some sapphires caught her eye. "That's extremely interesting".

“We thank you for your generosity, Beserin.” Bhasündara nodded and smiled, before turning to Lothanol and lightly bowed to him.

“In such case, once we have finished our work here, may we have the privilege to have a copy of the writings of yours?” The priestess asked, as her green eyes looked into his eyes. The echoes of her elvish still baffled his mind a little. It raised so many questions, yet there were no doubt she – and potentially many more in this unknown land – had learnt elvish before, even possibly from a Fariselian. Though, the desert dwellers seemed not to notice, or at least not mind about the awkwardness such situation implied, as she returned to Besseryn.

“Yes, we have our own language, and it was quite different when compared with the elven tongue. We call it Sabyeskad, the language of the land of sand.” Perhaps to emphasise her point, a string of consonants was spilled from her mouth, as the rapid movement of her lips pronounced sounds that were not supposed to be possible, let alone spoken fluently with all their meanings retained.

“It might be a bit difficult for foreigners to learn it, but, as you said, it will be vital for our friendship in the future, so we will try our best to teach it to your people should you wish.” Afterwards, a priestess from the market interrupted her with another cluster of consonants, and a brief conversation was concluded before the nameless priestess bowed to the elves and returned to the market she was from. “Please pardon us. It was just some minor events.”

“However, I cannot help but notice that your interest is on other things as well, such as some of our goods.” Though, the curiosity of the elf did not go unnoticed by the priestesses. The gentle voice of Bhasündara quickly reminded the convoy to pull the concentration from all the gems and adornments that were practically everywhere. “It is pretty understandable, though. As you might notice, the desert is not the most fertile land in the world. However, we are blessed with the multitude of ores and gems that ri’brug left in the sands. In order to survive, we mastered the skills of processing those precious materials into garments and decorations, which we could wear on our body and sell to others in exchange of food, water, and other things that we need to survive.”

“Therefore, if you may excuse my pride, our people are masters of gem making and metal crafting, as we need to be that in order to thrive in the seas of sand.” The priestess giggled a bit, before returning to their walk towards the shrine.

by **Aelosia** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:52 pm

[OOC: I didn't had finished the former post, but it does not matter anyway]

“We have heard of your people, both in distant past and recent activities. However, we still know few about your people, so may we have the honour to hear about you?”, asked the sabyeman priestess, looking at Besseryn.

"We come here to invite you to our lands, to speak about trade, sharing and friendship. Many nations are supposed to come, as many as we find. Our ships have sailed west and east, north and south delivering messages as the one I am passing you. From the month of Octus onwards people will come to Farisel, to meet each other, to make treaties, to share wisdom, and to enjoy our differences!". As she spoke, it could be noticed that although what Besseryn was talking about was a beforehand learned text, she felt it as if she had written the text herself. "Our queen want to meet as many foreign cultures as she can, and sent us to each corner of the world to summon people like you".

The old elven diplomat nodded softly. "And Besseryn is here to convince you to participate on that gathering. Me, I am here for another reason entirely. I have realized what happens with the collared people we have seen. I do notice that in this trading hub the commerce of the flesh, for both pleasure and work, flourishes and blossoms?", he asked, winking at the older priestess. "I will give you all the writings that you need, more writings in elvish that you can imagine, but for a price, of course. as everything in this world".

Besseryn was looking lost at the conversation, and partly maybe it was the intention of the old wise man from the beginning. He winked again at the Priestess and said. "Our leaf colored young maiden here fails to notice what I am talking about. The flesh commerce is unknown in Farisel. Perhaps it is better that you explain it to her? Then after you do, I want some answers of my own"

Besseryn was indeed confused. These people were masters in the crafting of metal and the cutting of gems, as good or perhaps even better than her own elven countrymen, given their cretivity and ability for adaptation to new forms and innovation. She had been thinking about that, about the trading prospects, but now, now she was lost. What was so important in cattle trading? It happened everywhere, but usually did not hold great winnings and profit as other kinds of trade.

"You people are really good with metals and gems, I'll give you that. But I do not understand why butchers or cattle markets are so important and what those have to do with anything about those collared people", she said, looking at the older priest for an explanation.

by **Tuthina** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:04 pm

[OOC: Well, technically they are two scenes, so I guess it would be better if I reply first anyway.

Also, as the original name of the older priestess might be a bit too hard to type, you might opt to its elven counterpart, Basyndar.]

"We come here to invite you to our lands, to speak about trade, sharing and friendship. Many nations are supposed to come, as many as we find. Our ships have sailed west and east, north and south delivering messages as the one I am passing you. From the month of Octus onwards people will come to Farisel, to meet each other, to make treaties, to share wisdom, and to enjoy our differences!". As she spoke, it could be noticed that although what Besseryn was talking about was a beforehand learnt text, she felt it as if she had written the text herself. "Our queen wants to meet as many foreign cultures as she can, and sent us to each corner of the world to summon people like you".

“It is very nice of you to invite us, my friend.” Bhasündara smiled and replied with a nod. Either she did not realise her lines were rehearsed, or she did not mind. Maybe she was used to that, too. “However, we are but a small port at the edge of the land of Sabyema. As such, we shall relay your invitation to our high priestess, the ruler of our people. Alternatively, maybe you would like to meet her in person?”

The older priestess also nodded to the old elven diplomat and smiled, slightly bowing to thank him. “It is very generous of you to share the knowledge of you and your people. For the price, we can arrange it in gold, adornments, or other materials that you may wish.”

As the old diplomat spoke about another topic, the priestesses looked at each other for a bit and exchanged a few foreign words, before turning back to the elves. From their look, it seemed that they were a bit baffled by the question they posed, but had apparently got used to this question. They must have been asked about this for many times, presumably by merchants and travellers from Achesia, or other unknown people from beyond. Though, despite apparently being a minority on the issue of flesh market, the expression from the priestesses were not of guilt or isolated, but more of a confused, yet somewhat determined, as if it was commanded by some higher existence.

“As you might have expected, this is not a new question to us, as travellers from all corners beyond the desert had asked us and our people for a long time.” The older priestesses replied with a slightly dry giggle, perhaps to ease the tension that might be lurking below the ground. “However, our answer had not changed since we were asked the first time: Yes. The commerce of flesh, human and other races alike, flourishes and blossom in this port, as well as other corners of the golden seas.”

The confused and lost expression from Besseryn was noticed by the priestess as well. She smiled to her, with the gentle and motherly look as before, but it seemed to be shrouded by confusion and a bit misunderstanding.

“Even though our people had taken the use of Brän, or slaves as you might know it, for granted since long before our time, we have understand that it was not as common as we have imagined, especially beyond the sands. For some of our more unpleasant encounters, such subject even triggered hostility against us.” After a strange smiled, the priestess bowed to the elves again, before turning to Besseryn, in order to address her confusion. The old elf was a veteran diplomat, and had probably encountered stranger culture, but the young elf might still be a bit inexperienced, especially about such alien and perhaps impossible to comprehend subject. “It was great that you are more reasonable than those people, and we thank you for that, for we are given the chance to explain.”

The priestess stopped for a while for her words to sink into them, while the younger girl passed several clay bowls of water to her and the elves. The water came from the very water below the statue behind Bhasündara, and was surprisingly cool and refreshing, as if it was not affected by the hot weather that enclosed the desert that surrounded them.

“For Beserin, my friend, and others that might not understand such concept, Brän, or slaves, are people that we hold, mostly against their will, and make them perform various roles, works and pleasure alike. As they are considered property of clans, they can and usually will be traded between different clans.” The priestess explained, “As you might have noticed, it is an important trading both between and beyond our people, and we practice them for numerous generations, maybe even before your time, should we have existed at the time.”

“Of course, treating a sentient race, even one that is the same as ourselves, is often considered a horrible crime, and in some place, we would have been executed for such act.” The expression on Bhasündara deepened as a hint of a more unpleasant encounter before. “However, it is important, even vital to our people, and we are obliged to continue it, even if that means we would lose friends.”

“Many had condemned, or at least horrified, by our practice. ‘How can these people do such a horrible things, even to their own kin and kind?’ However, with due respect, many of them had not seen a desert before, let alone living in it. As a brief summary, it was not a very good life.” The speech of the older priestess quickened, and mistakes started to become more noticeable as her train of thought outran her ability to translate them into elvish. “Even though our land is blessed with many beautiful life and precious metal and gems, it is also cursed with scorching heat, freezing cold, and deaths that lurk our people and wait to strike all the time. Many of our kind had lost their lives, sometimes for the gems we work on.”

“As such, we are but a small and weak people, maybe not unlike a carefully-crafted porcelain: good on the surface, but delicate and easy to break even with a positioned poke. If we are to become something that ensures, we must fight for our survival.” The priestess said, with a loud voice that was almost like yelling. From both the determined look, and the aura of warriors that was in her body, it seemed that this people also take fighting serious, perhaps even more than crafting and gem-cutting. However, at least for the guards and maybe the diplomat, it was not of a primitive rage from beasts, but more of a disciplined art. After a short recovery of breath, Bhasündara returned to her usual calm and collected way. She slowly bowed to the elves and apologised. “I apologise for being rude, but every words from my mouth are true. Now, may I continue…”

“Even though we have tried to multiple our people, as you can see, our people is still small, for many of these new-born blessings would not survive to their adulthood.” The hand of the older priestess gently rested on the round bellies of the younger one, as the motherly smiles appeared on both of their faces again. “Without the strength in numbers, even if all of us become strong warriors – which we tried and, for most of us, succeed – we would not stand a chance against foreign invasion. If what we knew of your kind was true, our people would perish under the hands of yours, if you wish so.”

“Because of that, we have to enslave others, especially from lands beyond the sands. We shall treat them with care, show them the way of our living and teach them to live and fight like us, so that they can become one of our brothers and sisters, no matter where they hailed from, or how they look.” The priestess continued with a bit bitter smile. “This is what that have to be done, if our lives are to be lived, and to be lived into yours”

“We do not see the slaves as inferior to us. In fact, we often seek for people who are stronger than us, especially for those purchased with pleasure and procreation in mind, for only strong women and men can give birth to strong daughters and sons.” Bhasündara slowly said, perhaps to let the elves to comprehend all she had said. At the same time, her hand moved from the belly of the younger priestess to herself, and patted it gently like she also carried a blessing with her. “Once they are one with our people in mind, they shall be treated as one, with no difference. Even before then, we treat them with our care, and educate them with all our ability to tell them: We are worthy for them to join us.”

After the last cluster of consonants melted into the slightly cool air of the chamber, a short silence occurred as the priestesses waited for their words to sink into the foreign minds of the elves, and waited for their response. They had tried their best to explain such unique practice to them, and they hoped that the response they would receive was not a stab towards their chest and torso.

by **Aelosia** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:10 am

Besseryn seemed to be shocked, more out of surprise than in disgust, however,as she understood the explanation from the Priestess. She took a look at the diplomat in search of support before talking, but the old elf remained smiling with his eyes closed.

"Commerce with sentient beings is forbidden in Farisel. Nothing that can recognize itself in a mirror can be sold, bought or traded. I...I have read about that in moldy history tomes about primitive cultures but you, you seem so advanced that I couldn't think you would resort to..." she started to say, gesturing with her hands towards the Priestess as to imply that her words did not mean any offense.

"Resort to survival, kid?", said the diplomat, suddenly awake and participating in the exchange again. "You heard her explanation. This culture needs this trade to survive and grow. Once upon a time, centuries ago, before you were aware of things, we elves posed to ourselves the same question". the diplomat nodded to the Priestesses, shifting his attention to them now. "As you possibly already know, the growth of elven population is slow at best, almost unexistant at worst. Once upon a time, we considered a system as your own as our only way to expansion. Birth rates have been blossoming thanks to the cycles our women are going through, but we have already experienced workforce shortages. I understand. And the kid will too, in time, so don't worry"

He looked at Basyndar with a renewed interest, as analyzing her, and leaned towards her as if he was to deliver a secret. "I wonder, high one, how much would be the cost of an elven slave in these lands. A physically tired, yet culturally educated slave. Let's say you want to buy me. I'm far from my prime, but I assure you I can live at least for another century, perhaps more. That's a lot of time to enjoy the services of a slave you bought once. And then more, although I'd be wasted digging holes in a mine, I have unique abilities, like knowing to read and write in several languages, and my mind is still awaken. I could make good work in accounting or any other administrative work, I could learn your language relatively fast and work as a talented scribe or something similar. I'll tell you the price of all the books and information and writings that I have now. Tell me Priestess, for how much would you buy my old hide?".

by **Tuthina** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:34 am

Even though the expression of Besseryn was more surprised than disgusted, and her gestures and eyes meant not to offense, the priestesses still looked worried as she spoke, as if they might just lost a friend and gained an enemy that they wished not to fight. However, as the old diplomat opened his mouth and replied the confused elf, they seemed to be relieved a bit, and nodded in agreement about his answer. Although shreds of worry and uncertainty could still be seen on the face of Bhasündara, the motherly smile returned to her face, as do on the younger priestess. “You have our gratitude for understand our reasons for such acts, even though it was forbidden for your people.” The elder bowed again, this time deeper than usual, to thank them.

However, she obviously did not expect the next question posed by the old elf. Even though she had seen, judged, bought, sold, and traded slaves since she could walk and speak, she never encountered, or even heard of an elven slave. After all, until very recently, elf as a race only existed in tales and myths passed for numerous generations, and even then only a handful of travellers had been recorded and remembered, and none of them were enslaved for various reasons. As such, she was, for a while, rendered speechless as the old elf basically asked if he, or someone like he, could be enslaved.

Though, after taking a sip from her pot of clear water, doubts in her green eyes were shredded, as they became unusually sharp, almost calculating while they scanned on the body and eyes of the old diplomat. It was obvious that she was also a skilled merchant, as her eyes almost pierced the clothes and body of the elf, calculating and assuming factors that may or may not be true, like a trader judging mysterious porcelain. As she entered a kind of trance, the other priestesses stopped and focused on her and the elf she was judging. It took an unnerving long silence until she returned to this world, and took a deep breath.

“Please pardon me for the long wait, for as far as I know, we did not have elf as slaves before, or even ever, for we knew but very few elves and none of them stayed.” The priestess took a slight sigh as she looked into the eyes of the old elf. “However, if the legends about your kind were all true, then such a slave will worth a lot.”

The priestess stopped and collected her mind, before continuing. “For your people, we are but as mayflies in a small oasis. Even if you continued your life for ‘merely’ a century, you would outlive all of us, perhaps even ones that were in us.” Bhasündara rested her hand on the belly of Kälsang and looked to him to emphasise her point.

“That, as well as the vast knowledge and skill you possessed, is more than enough to be welcomed as part of our people. And for the price of such an individual…” The priestess took a parchment and a quill from another priestess and started writing on it. The quill - or the craft that resembled and functioned like a quill – was also nicely decorated like everything in this foreign land, as gold lines emphasised every line and texture of the quill, while a silvery mouth ensured that lines drawn by it were all in identical width and tone. While unlike the signs at the market, or the inscriptions on the walls, the writing of Bhasündara was circular and decorated with curves, like waves of water splashing on a set of grains.

After what was supposed to be some calculations, she wrote some strings of alphabets that was a mixture of her own script and the elven scripts, and handed it to the old elf both her both hands. If her scripts were as accurate as her Elvish, then she wrote a very hefty sum, even for a wise and long-lived sentient being. Depending on locations, the price, if paid in gold, would weight almost as much the diplomat himself, and even more if the fact that it would be paid in the fine garments and adornments that the desert dwellers made was considered. It was almost too good to be true.

“Of course, we would not waste your talent in mine, digging for gold and gem in the dangerous sands. We can at least afford to supply you to work in the Treasury of Books in our… ‘capital’ further inland. Your knowledge alone would already be one of the greatest treasures within.” After he finished reading the parchment, the priestess continued. “And such a slave would not be wasted here either. We will immediately send you to our capital for our high priestess, as she owned the treasury of books.”

“This is what we, as a merchant and messenger of our people, can offer for a slave like you.” She said, before turning to the other elves. It was a very awkward topic, even for a people of slavers, as they returned to silence and waited.

by **Aelosia** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 1:37 pm

Besseryn was shocked at the exchange. They were putting numbers into the value of a sentient being. Even more, on an elf! How could they value such a thing? How could they allocate a quantity to measure someone's worth? She remained silent, however, although her mouth was open in shock as both her own companion, en elf, and these...these merchants discussed something as this?

The old elf continued to look towards the priestesses with a mischievous interest, and raised an eyebrow at the price as it was handed to him. "This is generous, if you were to buy me. I can see you have made some generous calculations here. I take bartering is part of your culture? I would like to add several hundred books to this prize, books that I own, on several matters", the elf smiled and tapped his own temple with a long finger. "The book I speak about, as you might guess, are inside here, but putting those into paper is a matter of time and nothing else".

"Wait!", almost yelled Besseryn, "It's alright. I get the point. There is nothing too bad about slavery, I understand. It is not a custom covetable to us, but it is an acceptable, custom somewhere else, and it is not disgusting or anything. I do understand, now can we move to more serious matters like the trade summit, the Queen's summons and something else?", she asked, now trying to nervously smile and substract seriousness to the conversation.

Yet the old elf did not seem to be fazed by this, he looked at Besseryn and moved his head sideaways. "Kid, I am not kidding, I am deadly serious here. Actually, given the conditions they offer, I am all too willing to take the offer", he said in a flat tone of voice. He looked at the priestesses and made a nimble gesture with his fingers. "Give me a moment, I need to discuss this with her", he said to the sabyemans.

Besseryn seemed to be surprised. This was...Unexpected at best, so...surreal that she could not believe it. "Oh, well, it is not like you can. You are a diplomat to the service of Her Most Gracious Queen of Daeris of Farisel, in a diplomatic endeavour, and you owe yourself to your duty. You can't sell yourself", she said, her surprise making her almost stutter the words.

"Bess, I am pretty sure the Queen would approve. In fact, this is my last mission and after this I retire. The Queen knows that because I told her that myself. She approved on me finding a nice quiet and comfy spot on the travels and settle there, after I delivered the summon message, which I just did, and given my preferences about weather, I think this place suits me just fine", said the old diplomat smiling and placing a hand on the younger elf's shoulder.

"But...but you would be selling yourself! Using yourself as property? Losing your dignity? You would belong to someone else, like a dog or a horse!", almost exclaimed the younger elf, although the wetness in her eyes betrayed her about her true feelings.

"No, Bess. You don't understand. I would not be lashed everyday or mistreated. Or dishonored. Given the price they have given to me, I am pretty sure they will take care of me as you would treat a porcelain vase of that cost. Mistreating me would be losing money. And to be honest, I love the place and the people, I will get used to it in no time, and I don't mind working in things I love, like writing in a library. I bet I'll eat everyday here better than I have done in the last two years of travelling with biscuits and dried salmon soaked in rain water", said the ambassador, his smile steady. "This place is surprising, and Farisel and elves holds no magic to me anymore. I'm too used to their stagnant ways. I always wanted to live amongst humans and their vitality. Given that I am already old and weary, this is the perfect chance to do so".

"Then stay if you want, but as a free man! You don't need to sell yourself as a slave. You can tell these...Girls you can stay with them! For free if you feel that generous! You would lose your freedom!", said Besseryn now almost sobbing.

"Those are not their ways. The possession of such a being as me would give the owner a great amount of prestige, apart from my natural skills. I do understand that they would prefer me a slave than a free man, and I totally agree with them. Regarding freedom, Bess, you will understand when you are older that sometimes freedom is overrated. Right now I prefer someone else to decide for me what to eat and where to sleep than do it myself. And finally, I must confess in front of our esteemed company that my reasons to do so might be altruistic, but not completely altruistic", said the elf now winking at the older Priestess.

"What do you mean", asked an even more confused Besseryn.

"I need the money. To be more honest, you do", he said almost bursting into laughter as he did so.

"What?", said Besseryn now completely lost.

"You need the money to start your own trade enterprise with these people. The sum they are offering is generous and will handsomely pay for anything you would like to start, niece. Even a ship, a crew, a warehouse and some merchandising to start your dream", as he did so, the old elf finally gave up and a lone tear came off one of his eyes, but without sobs, or anything else that could point he was crying.

Besseryn thought for a moment to answer in fury, to deny everything, to say that she did not want to start her merchant career upon a mound of filthy slavery money. But then realized that this was her uncle's gift. Her uncle's greater and final gift. He has raised her since her mother died and his father went to war and never returned. He knew what was her ultimate dream, and now had crafted a masterplan to let her have it, no matter the cost. And that anything she could say to refuse it or reject it would wound the elf so hard that it would kill his remaining will to live. It was an epiphany to Besseryn to understand it. No matter what she said, no matter what she thought, he was going to do it, and anything she could say right now against it would only achieve to spoil the moment.

"The Queen would never agree to a fariselian being sold as a slave", she finally said, burning her last cardridge.

"The Queen agrees and encourages this...", the old elf answered placing his hand on Bess' hands.

"Oh...But how do you know that...Wait...You planned this all along, didn't you?", Besseryn said, now almost dissappointed.

"Not everything, but many things. Now here I have been gifted with the perfect circumstances, and I guess we can close this conversation now", he pointed at the priestesses there. "We are being extremely rude to our hosts talking like this in front of them as if they never existed, but I also wanted them to be convinced of my own honesty".

He turned to the priestesses and smiled broadly. "Given that I am torn by emotion, I don't think I am in the spirit of bartering the price further. I know it is not the custom of your people, but I'll accept your first offer. To be precise, Besseryn, my actual owner and the merchant who will trade with you on this occassion, will accept your offer in my name", he paused for a bit and coughed, not out of disease but as to break the tension. "She will sell me to you, and I will become your slave as per your customs. This way she can already understand your culture and your way of trading. I won't barter the price, but I would highly apprecciate if you can help my niece to find a nice place where to setup a trading company with Farisel from here. I beg my future mistresses to give her your advise on this matters, and given her capital, perhaps even participate in her enterprise as partners to further her fortunes and yours".

Besseryn looked at her uncle, her eyes ravaged with emotion. "Thanks. I know why are you doing this. And thank you, uncle", she said.

The old elf now bursted into laughter "Kid please! I am doing this for the weather, and although my reproductive cycle has ended, to be honest the chance to enjoy the view of the females around here is not half bad! Even the food is better than the meager sailor rations we usually eat! What else do you think I am doing this for? It is the perfect retirement plan!", he ended laughing, and looked at his future Mistresses now seriously. "We have a deal, I imagine there is some kind of contract to fill the details. Please indicate Besseryn how a contract is made on these parts. This will also teach her a lesson about tolerance, I imagine".

by **Tuthina** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:50 am

Seeing that the old elf was satisfied by this deal, Bhasündara smiled and slightly nodded, while translating the previous events to the following priestesses. From their expression, and the small talks that ensured, it seemed that they were equally surprised by the decision of the old diplomat, as well as the fact that there would be an elf slave, whose body and mind were superior to most desert dwellers. She was obviously glad about the aforementioned books came as part of his mind, too, as she smiled and nodded in gratitude.

However, it was briefly interrupted by Besseryn as she yelled. Admittedly, it was quite amusing to see someone who was supposed to be calm as an elf to shout and be nervous like that, even though it was not supposed to be a topic that could be joked, and the priestesses remained their gentle and calm expression of a smile, as well as keeping their silence when the elves discussed such event themselves. Bhasündara, though, was amazed by the plan of the old elf for selling himself for his niece, and nodded several times during their discussion.

After the old uncle seemingly convinced her niece to agree, however reluctantly, to this trade, he turned back to Bhasündara and the waiting merchants. They noticed that several more rolls of parchment, as well as a pot of ink and quill, were put in front of the priestess at some point before, and were set ready for the writing of the contract. She seemed to be relieved that the deal would be sealed without trouble, although traces of sadness could still be seen, perhaps due to the expression given by Besseryn before. However, they were gone as soon as she noticed the old diplomat turned back to her.

“We understand that. Besides, at least we also get a very decent deal, as well as a trading partner in the future.” She giggled a bit, perhaps to ease the tension about the nature of this trade, as she unveiled a parchment before her and picked up the quill from the pot. It was not a normal pot, but one made of maybe bronze and plated with gold and silver, with inscriptions on the side of it. From the drops from the silver mouth of the quill it seemed that the ink was either enchanted with some sort of magic, or traces of gold were melted within, giving it a unique reflection and gold dust. “For that, we are more than glad to help her to establish trade here, since we are sure both of us will benefit from it.”

“Now, as the first lesson of trading in here, may we show you our way to seal a deal.” As she said, the quill quietly landed on the clean, well-made parchment in front of her, and her hands started to move swift, as the black ink, decorated with golden dust like stars in the night sky, connected into alphabets, alphabets into words, and words into sentences. It was written in the script of the desert people, just like the grains and waves drawn by the priestess moments earlier, and every drop of ink became part of a greater picture, not unlike an abstract but beautiful drawing, but precisely worded and stated the function of this contract. After finished several paragraph, Bhasündara took a deep breath and dipped the quill into the golden ink again.

“For such an important deal, we often use this special ink to write the contracts and sign them, as well as alter them when needed. Since it is hard to be made, we can ensure that no one would be able to alter without the consent from us.” She explained, before starting to write below the contract. This time, the lower part of the parchment was written in a different script, one that was of elven language, although a bit twisted in the form of the Sabyeman script, as a result of the original script being passed for generations without careful replication. It took noticeably longer to write, as Bhasündara frequently stopped to think of the elven word she was supposed to write. However, the product of it still looked quite fluent, and pieced together nicely as a fluent writing. “Since we speaks and writes different languages and scripts, the contract would need to be written in both of them, too. While it was not always necessary, keeping a formal format is important in important deals.”

“While we prevented the buyer from altering the contract, this will also be used to prevent us from doing so.” After she waited a bit to let the ink sank into the contract, she unveiled another similar parchment, and started writing on it. It was noticeably that she was making a copy of it, word to word, sentence to sentence, and the product was identically elegant and well-made as the original copy. “Both sides will keep a copy of the contract, and if they became different for any reasons, the one with less altering would be followed. As such, in case you ever want to change the contract, you will have to bring your copy to us, too.”

“This, of course, was only needed when we are dealing with a large sum, or something that would possibly be future alterations. For everyday trades, as long as both sides agree, then the deal will be sealed. However, it would obviously be easier if you record every transactions for records.” She passed the dried contract to Beserryn for her to read through it. It was a concise, yet detailed contract, listing the names of all sides, including the “product”, his status and ability. Perhaps as part of any contracts that concerned the trade of sentient being, or just specially written to accompany Besseryn’s feelings, it was stated that he would be treated nicely and with respect to his knowledge and skills. Among the lines, it also stated the price of the old diplomat, conveniently translated to a more understandable, but undoubtedly large sum of number. Last, but not least, it specified that the owner of the slave could offer freedom to the slave as one saw fit, or the slave performed astounding feats, or was converted to the way of living of the desert dwellers. At the bottom was a blank intentionally left blank, followed by the time it would be in effect – dawn of the next day.

“If you agree to seal the deal, then please sign, or otherwise provide a way to identify yourself from others in the blanks below, on both contracts.” The priestess passed the other contract to her, and waited for her action. Afterwards, she took back them, and use the same golden ink to sign beside it, sealing the deal. “This is the copy for you. Please keep it well. The contract will be in effect until dawn, where we will become the owners of him. You may wish to finish whatever that were still in your mind for the time being, my old friend.”

Soon after the priestess carefully rolled her copy of the contract and put it away, another larger scroll was given to her, and unveiled between them. It appeared to be a map of the town, including the location of every structure within the walls, as well as few beyond them. Even though the elves did not know the Sabyeman script, they could recognise that most indoor buildings had their names crossed, changed, and signed beside it. With the help of Kälsang, the elder priestess laid her fingers on one of the buildings between the gate of the port, and the docking space itself. There were several names on it, all of them crossed out with a red ink.

“This is a good place to set up your store, for it is one of the busiest corners of the market. It should be a good place for you to start your trading quickly.” While Bhasündara was smiling in happiness and traces of eagerness, Kälsang gently patted her shoulder, and asked what appeared to be a question in a worrying face. Though, the red-haired priestess dismissed her with another pat to her shoulder before returning to the elves.

“You may wonder why such a good location would be available to you at this moment, even if we just made such an… ‘important’ deal.” She smiled, although nervousness could be seen on her face.

“It was previously used by several gem-making merchants to sell their finest goods. However, it was if that corner was cursed, that everyone who rented it would perish under the wrath of ri’brug on their way to find the best gems and metal in the mortal world.” She shrugged and gave a dry laugh to them, as if to make it more like a rumour than a series of unfortunate events. Then again, it WAS more like a particularly unfortunate coincidence, even though the elves did not heard of what that “ri’brug” was, and the priestesses seemed to forget to explain it.

“In any case, you will be able to afford this location for long, as well as ships and crews that you would need for your trade – that is, assuming you would buy them from us. For the brief moments we saw your dhow, it was crafted better than what we could only hope to achieve. We are an inland people living in the arid desert, after all.” The priestess giggled, although from her lucid green eyes, she was serious about that.

“Since the remaining wealth would be paid in garments and gems, in which your people seem to like very much, they alone should be enough for you to initiate your trade when you sell them back in the land of Farisel.” The priestess continued, “Alternatively, you can also exchange them for other goods - including many that can only be found in the desert – and sell them back in your land. Such decision, which you may already know as the most important aspect of trade, would be leave to you, although we can offer you advices and suggestions when needed.”

“Now, are there any questions or other issues that need to be settled now? If not, may I ask if you prefer having a feast before we continued our meeting?”

by **Aelosia** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 1:58 pm

The old elf smiled again at the Priestess, quite interested by the care they had taken in adding everything to the contract. "I am extremely happy on how all of this have been presented. All I ask, before the dawn arrives, is that you send that message to your supreme rules in haste, so I can retire from free life with the satisfaction that my last mission is completed. The message states that you have 3 months to send an envoy to a worldwide summit to be hold in the city of Farisel. You can send one ship, fitted with guards and companions as you see fit. The dhow in which we arrived is supposed to escort you to Falasithil, the nearest port. With that, I can consider my job done".

Besseryn read the contract carefully, quite marvelled at the practical use of elven grammar of the Priestess. Any elf would had been more poetic regarding it, but so far it was an utilitarian use that was perfect for the fact at hand, a contract. She suddenly realized she now had the idea of using these simplified forms for trade contracts, as they took the pains of interpretating the most poetic forms. That could be an advantage when dealing with the other fariselian merchants, too entangled in the webs of poetic scribes.

Besseryn took what the Priestess offered her signed the contract, in the place where she was supposed to, and then in the other, using the same fluid combination of elven runes, then pressing the edge of her signature ring over the last trace of ink. She extended her contract to let it dry, and returned the original to the Priestess as it was custom. Once the issue of her uncle "sale" was over, Besseryn relaxed and even although she sighed for a second, she seemed to be lighter in mood now. "It is done", she said in a whisper, and directed a sad smile at both her uncle and the priestess.

When they extended the map, Besseryn realized that she was dizzy. She had planned to make a few credits of profit selling a bit of merchandise, but now she would have to plan an entire merchant company from scratch in a few moments! She realized she had something that proved to be of great help, she had the cooperation of the rulers of the place themselves, who seemed to be willing to help her in order to get benefits for themselves, without doubt. According to the basic rules of trading, she had every edge she could count on to be successful on this venture.

She nodded, as she realized on the map that the open spot was indeed favorable. It looked almost too good, but she realized that some kind of superstition were holding the locals from buying it. So be it, the rational mind of Besseryn would not care. She would take the offer right now. "I'll take this spot. If you want, you can already discount its value from the amount you need to pay me", then she thought better about it. "You were doing to do it, no need to say that again. My only question, and I am sure you can explain it to me later, is what a Riburgh is, just for curiosity, I do not trust in old folk tales anyway".

The old elf snorted at that comment. "Kid, you need to be stupid to live in a world were your ruler is a wizard dragonrider immortal being, and not believe in old folk tales. I suggest you open your ears when they tell you the story".

Besseryn nodded, chastised by the wise words, and continued to listen to the Priestress' proposals. There were more details to attend to. "All the ground crew will be hired from the local population, of course. Ships and crew will be fariselians, however, given that I do not think any of my clients or providers would trust me on transporting their merchandise of foreign boats. No offense intended, but the speed thing matter too". She pondered for a moment, and listened to the Priestess talking about the trade of gems and metals. "I will be willing to accept those metal and gems. they will indeed sold by hefty prices on Farisel. I also have an idea about what product I might bring back through the same route. Rice flour, fish, and fresh fruits, as I imagine you can be on lack of those given the characteristics of the terrain in which you live. Farisel have a surplus of foodstuff, and I guess your merchants will be interested in getting those at a low price"

"There are no more questions for the time being, I guess we can feast now", said Besseryn, now almost happy with the prospect of great winnings and benefits with the business she was going to start soon.

by **Tuthina** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 7:33 pm

“We will relay the message of yours to the high priestess of Chuklungcän immediately.” Bhasündara nodded in reply, at the same time turning towards one of the following priestesses nearby. It took a while for her to translate the message brought to her by the elves to her, but it was still a rather quick conversation, perhaps something that was due to the cluster of consonants, as well as the fast speech of hers. After they bowed to each other, and what presumed to be a gesture of confirmation, the elder priestess turned back to the elves, while the messenger quickly walked towards the door and disappeared at the corner. “I believe a decision from the high priestess will arrive around dawn. I hope it would not take too much time of yours.”

The priestess nodded and slightly bowed to Besseryn as she took the spot at the moment, though she seemed to express some doubts about her disbeliefs in ri’brug, as if she was declaring the sun and moon does not exist. “With due respect, ri’brug, at least to our people, were as true as the sun and moon, and arguably as important as them. Though, I can understand that it was hard for outsiders to believe in such thing, but I will try my best to explain it after the feast.” Otherwise, she seemed to be quite satisfied with the deal made by Besseryn, and expressed her approval on the fine Fariselian ships and crews. “It would be very nice of you to provide more food to our people, as you might know that desert is not a very arable, even though it was teeming with life if you know where to look. However, our people had few needs for… rice flour, for we do not… or more accurately, cannot consume it.”

“Though then, we shall first feast. We are sure you must be tired and hungry after such a long journey to our land.” Bhasündara and Kälsang stood up and led the elves from this chamber, which seemed to be a place reserved for official meeting, to another chamber for feast. On their way through the golden corridor, it seemed that more people had returned to the shrine, as priestesses and slaves alike walked beside them, many of them working to maintain the function of the shrine, as well as to prepare food and drink for everyone – especially the elven convoy. Even though the shrine was easily the biggest enclosed building in the port, it was still relatively small, and they quickly arrived at their destination.

Unlike the relatively dim main chamber, where all light from lamps was concentrated to the statue and the pool beside it, this chamber was well-lit by candles, torches, and lamps alike. Combined with the metal-laced wall of it, this made the chamber of feast a bright and somewhat colourful place, despite being dominated by the colour of the desert. There were no chairs in this room, but short round tables, as well as numerous felts and small carpets were in place, enough to cater several dozen people with comfort.

“Please, be seated.” The priestesses sat around one of the tables and asked the elves to follow suit. At the same time, several other people also arrived and sat around other tables. It seemed that maybe with the exception of guests like the elves themselves, everyone was to eat and drink together, no matter their status. As plates of food and pots of beverages arrived and were distributed among the tables, priestesses, warriors, merchants, and slaves alike ate and drank together, like they were all members of a big family.

“May your first feast in the land of Sabyema be one of the best feasts.” Fortunately, the priestess was not fond of lengthy speech before meal either, as she raised her bowl of milky beverage after a short introduction, and drank it quickly. It seemed that such white and slightly sticky beverage was the most common drink for the desert dwellers, as men and women, old and young, all drank them, or some varieties of them, including even young kids and the pregnant Kälsang.

The food they provided was very in tune of the people who prepared it. Almost all of them were meat, cured with salt, smoke, or other incense, and decorated with some kind of mushroom. The preparation technique was crude and somewhat primitive, but great care was applied to them during the process, and it reflected on its good taste and scent. There was a kind of sophisticated crudeness that could not be found in most elven cuisine.

While some fruits and even herb leaves could be seen, if only rarely, Besseryn noticed that apart from some people obviously of Achesian ancestry, no one here ate anything made of flour, rice, or other similar grains. If not for the Achesians being perfectly fine with everyone else here, she would think it was like a religious taboo to do so. Even then, she suspected something as powerful and influential was in place.

“We did not explain about the rice flour to you, did we?” The confusion and assumptions within Besseryn and other elves did not escape notice, either, as Bhasündara giggled and said. After another sip from the milk beverage, she started to explain. “Our people cannot consume foodstuff made of grain and flour. If we tried – and we had, they will not be consumed as part of us, but will make us sick and be forced out of our mouth.”

“We believe that our ability to do so, along with many other things, was revoked by gods long ago, as a price of the arrogance of our ancestors. It was a long story, though.” The priestess shrugged and smiled, as if it was just another tableside gossip. “As such, we can only feed them to livestock, or people who were not born in the desert. Therefore, you can save your fine flour to your people, while our livestock consumes the… less fine ones.”

As the feast continued, some other priestesses and slaves finished their meal relatively fast. Some of them took out their music instrument, seemingly out of nowhere, and started playing some lone music. It was like only a fragment of a complete song, but the elves could feel the rhythm and vital nature of their music, and it was confirmed by other instruments joining the play. Although a majority of the instruments was of lute and drums, the music they produced was weaved into a vivid, beating score of song, as some priestesses and warriors joined with their singing voice.

It did not take long for some of the priestesses to walk towards the empty space between tables and started to dance. Like the music, the dance of the desert people was an alive and lively one, as their body spun, twisted, and swung around each other. As the music intensified, the dancers started to pair with each other, sometimes dragging warriors and slaves nearby into their intimate dance. As their body pressed against each other, and limbs folded around theirs, the dance became more and more intimate and rapid, almost like a ritualised courting process. As the white silk of the priestesses flew across the heated air nearby, it seemed that they had become some kind of white flame, consuming themselves and their partners into a burning fire.

At the climax of the music and dance, it seemed that many of them had entered a kind of trance, as their body twisted and swung in poses and speed that was hard to achieve, even for normal people in their prime. However, all was well and elegant, as the performance ended abruptly with the priestesses being hugged on the bare midriff, and laid on the hand of their partners. Their face was almost in touch with each other, like they will kiss each other in any moment. The sudden silence and stop persisted for several seconds, and the rapid heartbeat within the body of everyone could almost be heard by each other, as if their bodies were asking for more.

“Do you enjoy our dance as well, my friends?” Bhasündara smiled to the elves, as the action slowly returned, and the dancers rested nearby while new ones replaced their roles.

by **Numer** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 11:55 am

Sansid smiled greatly when the elves presented their luxurious and valuable gifts. He stepped off his throne and examined each tribute, remarking in Numerian to his attendants and personal servants the fine craftsmanship of the goods, especially of the pearls and the brightly colored cape, something the Numerians did not have access to. As artisan-made items were one of the main goods produced in Numer, the Lugalesh's trained eyes recognised that the gifts could rival any made in his homeland.

Then, surprising the delegates, he spoke in near-perfect elven, with only a slight accent regarding some words. He and all of his family of House Uran, including his brother the ensi, learned the language in childhood from an elf that had washed ashore on Numer. The old tutor taught the children elven, as well as entertained them with stories of his long life. He was a slave of House Uran, of course, but Sansid decided he would leave out this little detail if the envoy asked where he learned their tongue. Besides, his old teacher was ancient by the time he arrived in Numer, and schooled the Urans for only three years before dying.

"Welcome to the city of Apesh. I am Lugalesh Sansid Uran, of House Uran, son of the goddess Numera and the god Manthamen, and brother of Ensi Resgaal Uran. What brings you to our lush lands, Brangol of Esgar? You are from Farisel, I presume." As he greeted the dignitaries, he smiled and showed pleasure at meeting a new people. They noticed he was very young, in his early twenties, and still had a sense of youth and adventure.

The courtiers expressed shock at the guests, forming a crowd around the elves. These were the wealthiest merchants of Numer, and they wore fine clothes and jewelry. Due to the societal structure of the land, in which wealth determined power and nobility, they were also the upper class nobles of Apesh, called lugals. They whispered among themselves, admiring the gifts and curious about the reason for these foreigners to appear.

by **Aelosia** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 8:37 am

Chabla

Besseryn stood with her mouth out in awe as the sabyemans danced, almost in ecstasy, only moving her eyes, unblinking, to follow the graceful forms of the dancers. "I...find it wonderful. Such passionate movements, I mean, we only move with such passion when we..."

"When we turn ourselves into passion", completed with a chuckle the now sabyeman slave. "Only our passion dances are alike, those that take place before what you could state crudely as mating, although such a word would probably create revulsion on any elf that hears it", he completed as he looked at Besseryn, who already had a grin of disgust across her face. "For us mating, or making love, is a sacred business, very intimate, but as passionate as your dancing. Otherwise, our dances tend to fall into shows of gymnastics, agility, and adaptation to the music", he finished, before grabbing another piece of meat, dissecting it carefully, and tasting another morsel.

"Such passion brings...Inner fires into people", said Besseryn blushing. "After participating in a dance such as this, any elf would have to...Explode into passion enterely to any other being. It would be hard to contain the emotions. Even watching it had...", and here she blushed even more more, "some effect on its own".

"This generation of elves are easy to arousal", completed the old elf, swallowing another piece of meat. "They say it is on the stars, but they seem eager to mate more than we used to do in my times. Spectacles such as your dancing could get the blood of some youngsters hot and pumped".

"We just don't have a love season every five years as you did back then", said Besseryn almost offended by the last comment. "Mating is pleasurable, so we do not see why we should stop doing it for years at a time". She then turned to the Priestesses again. "The dance was amazing, I did enjoy it a lot", she said in a matter-of-fact tone, then turning her gaze towards the food. "You eat a lot of meat. In Farisel, it is a delicacy", she said as she tasted another tiny bit of lamb, or something that seemed to be lamb. "We eat more fish than meat, as we do not have vast expanses of land for animals to graze. And I cannot believe you cannot eat grain, Farisel would be doomed without rice! How do you survive the winter?", she asked with a naive expression.

"There is no winters in the desert kid, please", corrected the old elf. "Don't be silly, you are making yourself an ignorant in front of my mistresses".

"True, I am sorry about that", said Besseryn, then turning to the other subject still gnawing at her mind as she looked at the Priestesses again. "What about that Riburgh thing? Is it a demon? An evil spirit?"

Apesh

Brangol smiled openly, a glint of greed on his eyes. He had seen the awe of the nobles at the gifts, and knew that with some prodding, he could secure a pair of trade agreements from them and obtain a hefty benefit. This place looked regal and prosperous enough as to let the higher classes spend their earnings in exotic and decorative items. It was perfect, he had feared to end in some backwater nord settlement trading sheep, but instead had came to a place where luxury and well-living was apprecciated.

He heard the words of Sansid Uran, and was even more pleased. The fact that someone could speak elvish was a sign that things were going to be even easier than expected. He also noticed the ruler was young, maybe his contemporary in human years, so it was going to be also easy to create a bond of friendship between them.

"From Farisel I come, yes Sire", said Brangol bowing again at the dignatary. "I come to invite you to a great meeting of Kings and rulers and ambassadors on the lands on my Queen, that will be celebrated in three months from now. The ship in which I came from is supposed to guide you back to our western harbors too. You can attend yourself, or send an envoy to such great appointment, as most of the nations of the world will be represented", added Brangol in a tone of grandeur. At that tone, the elf girl who remained kneeling sighed a bit.

"I come also to show you our desire to create a frienship, and to develop a relationship between our nations that can bring benefit and profit to both sides. I am a trader, and a merchant, my Lord, and as such it is my duty to try to sell my wares amongst your richest and to survey which merchandise could be sold back in my own lands".+

"But the summit attendance should take preference, my Lord", added the elf girl who had remained quiet until then. "The bonds developed there between both us and other nations could bring prosperity and development to all our peoples".

by **Tuthina** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 10:07 am

The priestesses seemed to be amused by the expression and awe given by Besseryn and the praise given by the other elves, as they almost snickered in the reaction given by her during her conversation with the old elf. Though, it was more like being amused by the blushing and embarrassed face of her, perhaps not unlike finding out an unexpected cuteness from her.

“As a matter of fact, these dances can and do take place before making love.” As the elf seemingly trying to change the topic, Bhasündara made a remark about the dance, which probably had made her blush a little again. She also turned to the old diplomat and nodded to him before continuing.

“Like my friend Beserin, we consider sex a pleasurable action; therefore we do not think it as something that needs to be ashamed or blushed over, a feeling which more than some people did not share as we found out.” The priestess giggled a bit. “For us, while we need men to make love with us in order for us to bear the ultimate blessing, bearing and raising it is mostly the business of our own clan, for our people had ventured among the sand long, and we might only meet desirable men for a day when we stumbled upon each other, never seeing them again. As such, unless we welcome them to join as our own, we will have to bear his offspring by ourselves, with the help of the clan.”

“Because of that, most of our people know not of our fathers, but only mothers, and we engrave it in our name to remember who bore us and raised us.” She stopped a while for another sip from the milk beverage, before concluding the topic. “The dances of ours are to serve as a quick and intimate way to ignite the inner fire of our people, and to mate during the little time we might have.”

“For that, we are glad that we confirm the tongue of our body not only can let us communicate despite the difference in language, but also difference in blood, as your kind enjoys such dances as well.” The priestess raised her cup and emptied it, as did Kälsang.

“Our people do eat a lot of meat, as you can see. However, we mostly reserve it in dinner, for they replenish the strength we spent on hunting and other activities during the day. In other times, we usually settle for mushroom, which we grew with log in caves or buildings. After all, preys are not always present, and we might not have the chance of hunting them down every time.” As the topic took a detour for the cuisine, the priestess seemed to be quite excited. Maybe cooking happened to be one of her interests as well, as her green eyes shined with sparkles.

“We do eat fish as well. However, you might notice that fish is not very populous in desert, and until recently, our people are living exclusively inland, and have little chance to eat fish. However, many of us think fish is not as good as meat, in terms of replenishing strength.” The priestess shrugged, and then looked to Besseryn as she changed to a slightly more serious tone. “Our ancestors could eat grains in the past. However, as I said, since all they need to do was to sow the seed and water the land in order to have food more than we can imagine, they grew proud, and declared that they had no further need of gods. As such, the gods revoked their blessings, and we are to remember that we cannot live by ourselves. From hunting to fishing, even killing livestock, we learn that we have to rely on other people and animals to stand, and that will teach us humility.”

As more and more people finished their meal and started their dances as well, the priestesses slightly leant back, giving more space to the filled stomach to begin their work. The expression on the face of Bhasündara, though, did not relax as Besseryn mentioned ri’brug again and asked for the details.

“No, ri’brug is not a demon or evil spirit. In fact, we do not consider beings that are evil by nature exist.” She chuckled to ease the tension, but apparently it was not exactly an easy topic, as the somewhat worrying face of Kälsang showed.

“Ri’brug, or ‘earth dragon’ in your language, is a kind of majestic creatures that roamed the desert, much like gigantic fish roaming the oceans. For few that actually saw one and lived to tell the tales, they are like mountains, with a body larger than this entire port, as well as being covered in hard rocks that most weapon cannot penetrate. Many had tried to kill one, but apart from legends and epics, we know none who managed to do so. For the numerous people who tried to do so for fame, glory, and wealth, or just unfortunate to be caught between, most vanished in the sandstorm as ri’brug returned to their slumber deep beneath the seas of sand, without any trace of existence.” The priestess moved her torso towards Besseryn and looked right into her eyes, as if she was taking of some kind of horror story and to scare her from doing misdeeds of some sort. “Entire caravan, expeditions, even settlements had been utterly destroyed by ri’brug since time unmemorable, many without any traces as everything was brought beneath the sand along with the rocky scales of ri’brug.”

“However, it might surprise you that we do not see ri’brug, or anything, as evil. For our people, ri’brug is more like a force of nature: for it brings both prosperity and death to us, and maybe yet another way for the gods to tell us the ever-changing nature of the desert.” She smiled as her speech increased in both speed and volume. However, after realising that, she slowly broke the contact as she turned to the old diplomat and nodded to him as well. “You may wonder why we have all these beautiful and precious metal and gem in our disposal, even though we dwell in such a poor land of death? The answer is the blessings given by ri’brug, even though it might not notice it at all.”

“Every time ri’brug awake from its slumber and emerged at the seas of sands, numerous precious materials, from these common gold and silver, to gems and other things that are almost magical in nature, are brought along with it, in the form of its rocky scales. As the scales broke off, they become accessible to us, as we mine them and craft them into these garments and adornments.” Bhasündara raised her arms, both wearing an assortment of garments to show them the blessings of ri’brug. “As such, many have attempted to hurt, or even kill ri’brug in hope of more precious gems, or even things that were out of this mortal world. However, none have succeeded, and if anything, I urge you not to try that, no matter how tempting it might be. If it was indeed a plan of the gods, then ri’brug may be their harsh but effective way to teach us not to wish for more we should have.”

by **Numer** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 9:34 am

Hearing the elves words, a sudden look of shock appeared on Sansid's face and soon after he began to chuckle quietly, not trying to offend the elves. Once Brangol had finished talking, he quickly said the reason for his laughter. "You are mistaken," he smiled, "I am not the leader of Numer, just the 'lord', as you would call it, of this city. In fact, Apesh is the smallest city and territory. The capital of Numer is in the delta of another sacred river of my people, the Suppir. My older brother by two years rules as ensi there."

Trying to describe the concept of an ensi to the elves, he paused for a moment. "An ensi, you see, is what you would call an emperor, but he is also the high priest and richest merchant. This concept may seem foreign to you, but in Numer, your political power and social standing depend entirely on your wealth. Therefore, whenever you are talking to a leader, you are also talking to a rich businessman. I am sure this makes things easier for your traders." He smiled again, revealing how interested in trade Numer was.

"I will relay the message of this summit to my brother and his wife, the isis, immediately. If you wish, you can also travel to Sepris yourself. Beautiful city, I assure you. But for now, we can talk about any trade or diplomacy between our peoples that you may have an interest in," He chuckled slightly as he spoke again, "I hope it pleases you to know that you are the first elves known to arrive in Numer for centuries. Then again, that could still be in your lifetime."

Finishing his sentence, he quickly nodded to some slaves to begin preparations for a feast. Regal furniture resembling sofas without backs or support, looking like a narrow bed, were brought out, and a large rectangular table in the center of these was placed. Showing the dignitaries how the Numerians dined, the lugalesh lied on his side on one of the ornate sofas, as food began to be brought out. A atmosphere of pleasure and festivity began to set into the court, people talking louder and laughing as slaves became busier and busier.

Musicians began to play, their instruments melding together to create a lively Numerian song. Bells, flutes, and drums could be heard in the court, yet it was low enough to allow talking and served merely as a backround noise. The musicians seemed as happy and jolly as the courtiers. They played many songs, and seemed not to grow tired as they were passionate about what they were doing. Some servants sang along, adding to the powerful and warm feeling of the music.
Soundtrack (OOC: I was just playing this game and I thought, hey, this fits.)

The feast was quite excessive, as dishes with all assortments of spices and sauces, as well as bread and loads of fruits and vegetables, were served. Conventional meats such as cattle, lamb, pheasant, and chicken could be eaten, but the elves could also see smoky crocodile meat, spiced antelope, and tender peacock. The many fish the envoys had seen earlier in the wild could be seen here being eaten as well. Many combinations of both sweet and hot dishes were eagerly eaten by the court. As for drink, Numerian honey-beer as well as fine wines and other spirits were sipped and chugged along with fresh water. It was clear that many of these animals and all of the grain, fruits, and vegetables, were taken from the delta or farmed through irrigation from it. The elves could seen how the Numerians depended on their "sacred rivers" in every aspect of their lives.

Trying to make conversation as the meal began to die down, Sansid Uran spoke the delegates in a friendly, informal tone. "I have heard that your people are legendary seafarers and have an impressive navy. We Numerians also have somewhat of a naval force, but not nearly as powerful as yours. You must have some tales from distant lands. What other nations lie out there? We have only had contact with the desert folk, the Sabyemans, and have already started trading slaves with them. Tell me of your most exotic journey." Although Sansid's demeanor was jolly and his intentions were good, he assumed that all other nations also practiced slavery.

by **Aelosia** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:06 pm

In Chabla:

Besseryn heard as the Priestesses detailed the spirit and nature of their dances, and found that they had a lot in common with what the new generation of elves understood as dancing. No more the aesthetic pursuit of old, where complicated figures and steps were the norm, but as a way of body expression, passionate and deliberately designed to send messages to others.

Besseryn did not fail to notice how Bhasündara got excited when speaking of cuisine, and this was a point she would not forget. These...Mushrooms could be interesting in the case of a trade, although the main product of the fariselian food industry, the rice, was not part of their diet, according to some old curse? She smiled and tried to get her old uncle to speak, but he seemed distracted watching the forms of some of the dancers, both male and female. She would have to continue the conversation all by herself. "I understand about the mushrooms. Our stories say that in the past, we traded with dwarves that ate nothing more but mushroom they cultivated inside caves and underground fields. We do not eat mushrooms now, but I guess our seaweeds qualify as similar, we use them as vegetables, and also as spices and complements. You should try some someday, if your hex does not extend to sea vegetation, that is. In any case, you should try our giant crab meat and our lobster, octopus and squid dishes. They say they are good for rising vigor".

Besseryn tried to imagine a world without cereals. Specially without rice, her main diet ingredient. Rice, or its derivatives, were present so much in the fariselian culture that was impossible by any elf to try to conceive life without it. Eating meat everyday? Every dinner? She could not hold it any longer and spoke. "We also eat meat, but it is harder to produce. The nets of one our ships can feed entire towns for weeks. We have lambs, and cattle, but we use them more for their milk than their meat, although meat dishes are not unheard of in Farisel. We usually consume them once a week, or during holidays. Is it true that consuming meat everyday...Raise your lusting spirit?" she asked the priestesses not without a slight blushing.

Then came the explanation about that Riburhg thing. She understood perfectly what Kälsang explained. "It is Gaeramlug brother for sure!", she exclaimed suddenly, as if some memory appeared without warning on her mind. "We have a similar myth. A Dragon as big as a hurricane, that dwells beneath the waves and is stirred by unknown reasons. It is said that it follows the lineage of our Queen wherever it goes. They also say that Gaeramlug cannot be tamed, captured, slew or even talked to. That is why we trust in the line of Iregore and cannot trust the line of Gaeramlug, because Iregore is a dragon who talks and thinks, meanwhile Gaeramlug does not. The Queen says that Gaeramlug is a force of nature, and that when he appears, the sea itself is filled with fishes and riches. She also says that he is not evil, as hurricanes and maelstorms are not evil, but just...Fierce. I understand perfectly what you mean with Riburhg, we have a similar belief, although the last sighting of Gaeramlug predates my birth. Because of Gaeramlug, we respect the seas in the same way you respect the desert. He who does not respect the Old Leviathan dissappears beneath the waves, and many of our ships have done so".

by **Aelosia** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:41 pm

In Apesh:

"Then your nation should be considered an Empire, as you are a King all by yourself, and yet you pay heed to an even higher ruler", said the elf, seemingly unfazed by his lack of wisdom at speaking so openly in front of the City ruler.

The talk about the "ensi" interested Brangol greatly. This people had so much interest in trade that they were ruled by a merchant and categorized by the wealthy! Oh, if only the fariselians were as wise as these numerians! he said to himself. To throw away the shackles of birth and merit and embrace wealth as the true measure of a man's worth.

As Sansid spoke about them being the first elves stepping on this land in centuries, he was relieved. That meant that elven goods were unknown here, or treated as exotic or antiques. He was lucky that Sansid could still not read his age, as then he could realize Brangol was a relatively younger elf than most, although he was barely past his first half century.

Brangol soon realized half way into the feast the reason why Numer was such a prosperous nation. They had access to rivers, that were like the arteries and veins of both farming and trading wealth. Rivers let nations move goods easily into the sea, and also irrigated lands to produce larger than normal amounts of crops, specially of grain, and as many fariselians said, civilizations followed grain. As they were a civilization dependent on their own large rice fields, they could see how prosperous the Numerians could really be. The elves were amazed at everything their hosts threw at them, eating small quantities and bites, but tasting everything that was placed on the table.

Brangol nodded as Sansid brought the affair of the fariselian navy and fleet into the conversation. "I would not say we are legendary seafarers, sire", said the young elf nodding, his flawless protocolar manners still intact, "but really devoted to it. We are called elves of the sea, but not because we live at its depths, but at the shore. We have been building ships for some time, and we tend to think that we are pretty adept on it. Most of our traders and armed forces dedicate themselves to tame the waves and perform over them. Our navy is powerful, yes, although not as big as you might think. Big enough to maintain our enemies out of our waters, yes, and send envoys over the ocean, but still small".

"Regarding other nations, sire", said Brangol with an elaborate hand gesture. "We have known of the Achesians, a rather huge Empire north of your position, and of Wistwallen and Fardoor, but those nations are still shrouded in mistery for most of us. They say that further north and beyond the sea lie the Nord nations, places were men are as tough as ice, and with hearts also that cold, but our exploration is still underway".

Brangol did not seem to find the mention of slavery, not at all, in fact, he was already aware that many of the human nations practiced slavery or other versions of it, as serfdom, and was interested in joining the trade, if not as a buyer, perhaps as a trader or merchant. "My journey is still not interesting enough, as Apesh is the first big port that we touch. We surrounded the coast of Fardoor, but another ship landed there. I have see sea for days, sire, that's all I can say. If you want to know about far away lands, your lordship should meet Celecrist, our Paragon, it is said that she has even crossed the big blue and meet cities in other continents. But to separate fables from truth you would have to speak with her yourself"

by **Tuthina** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 6:01 am

“Of course I will. However, our ships do not venture beyond the bay outside our port, and seaweeds are hard to find here. The same applies to all the dishes you mentioned too… However, since you are interested in our mushrooms, maybe we can exchange our food? I am sure the ships of yours will be able to sail much further and harvest more foods from the sea.” Bhasündara nodded in excitement, as she started to write down the exotic food mentioned by Besseryn with a quill from nowhere.

“Though… from what I know, creatures from the seas mostly do not have red blood and vigour from their flesh?” After thinking about the dish – and accidentally tasted some of the ink from the quill – the priestess turned towards Besseryn and asked. “For us, meat is not easy to produce either, but since we have to work, hunt, fight, and mine every day, the strength from those red meats is essential for us. As such, while we do milk them and use their fur to make clothes and armour, many of our livestock are raised for meat – and skin, for that matter.”

“On another hand, I suppose you can say that every dinner of ours is a festival. After all, we survived another day in the desert, and managed to bring much wealth back to their clans.” The priestess giggled, although it was not exactly a funny topic. “Not to mention, the spirit from these bloody flesh did increase the body strength of us… in many ways.”

“I am not sure if it applies to your kind, but from those Achesian merchants, it seems that eating more meat do raise our lusting spirit and physique!” The priestess emptied another cup of beverage and laughed, notably acting more straight than when they initially met. Maybe it was due to all the alcohol she drank, or maybe they just started to get used to each other. “Well… It is a shame your uncle is not in his prime anymore. I wonder if you can hire some elves in their prime for us to examine?”

After several sexual jokes and chats, the priestess – as well as Kälsang, who was trying to participate through the translation of Bhasündara, seemed to be interested by the “Gaeramlug” she mentioned to be a relative of the ri’brug. On one hand, they were excited to know more about the world outside the desert. On another hand, there were more manifestations of natural force lurking in the world outside. These connections were too interesting to be dismissed as coincidence.

“Interesting… So while ri’brug is the manifestation of the desert, Gälramlug is the manifestation of the ocean?” After thinking and drawing on the parchment, Bhasündara gave her conclusion to Besseryn and her uncle. Afterwards, she discussed it with Kälsang about this subject for a while, before returning to them. It seemed that after a while, even the energetic dancers were exhausted, and started to return for a short rest. As the dance and music started to end, the feast appeared to be ending.

“Time surely flies by when talking with you, my friends.” The priestess smiled, as she finished her last pot of water. “Since night is colder than you might expect in a desert, maybe you would like to take some rest? We would like to show you where you will be sleeping tonight… I wonder, would you mind sharing a room with us? I still want to know so much about you two, as well as your people.”

Opportunity unfolds [Ceaden]

Opportunity unfolds [Ceaden]

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