The Old and the New (Meridia)

[Rezua]

45th of Medraut
Beaver Bay, Near the Coast of Druid's Rest
Aboard the Shalarin

Princess Viratha breathed an internal sigh of relief. The tension of the near deadly encounter fell away as safe passage into the foreign nation was secured. She nodded with a smile "We would be grateful if Mr. Bottrel would do just as you have described. We have traveled quite a far way to meet with ruling officials from your land. Tell me, what other customs do your people have, so that we might avoid anymore misunderstandings with them, such as the one we almost had with your cannon display."

The princess took a few steps back and held her arm out, sweeping it towards below deck, "If you wish, we can discuss such things over dinner, so that we don't have to stand around for a longer period of time than we need."

[Taledonia]

Aboard the Shalarin

A look of delight crossed the faces of the Taledonians. Delighted to accept such hospitality, they said, and would be most pleased to attend upon Their Majesties over a meal. Just a moment, if they'd be so kind, as the gig could be sent back to the Adventure to fetch Lieutenant Bottrel's effects. A few orders were shouted down to the seamen waiting in the boat that swayed with the waves at the foot of the Shalarin; their repetition shouted back by way of acknowledgement, and then they released the ropes and began to pull back to their own ship.

With the awkwardness first meetings always entail, the Taledonian officers allowed themselves to be ushered into the hold, where the banquet was to take place. They stood, summoning all the authority they could while simultaneously attempting to stay clear of those preparing, and when finally they were sat, it was with peculiar attention that they looked upon the seating arrangement. The order of precedent was rigidly upheld in Taledonian society, and it hadn't even entered their minds that these people did not do the same, so each was conscious of their perceived position at the meeting.

"I apologize if we gave you a start, Your Majesty," Captain Erikson said, "So used are we to our own ways that we assumed all civilized peoples followed the same protocol. The firing of cannons is something you'll need to grow accustomed to in these waters, as we northmen enjoy nothing more than a good bang. Bottrel will of course inform the citadel at Vermillion, that is port you will be sailing to, that you are royalty, and they will of course welcome you with another full twenty-one. A reply of ten would be the civil thing to do, though I do not mean to tell you how to conduct yourselves, Your Majesty."

He paused, allowing a peculiarly exotic dish to be set before him. An entrée, perhaps? Did these people have entrées? His mind started swimming with possibilities, and it was a perfect segue for his next point. "Not to sound impertinent, Your Majesty, but I am at a loss as to what I can tell you. I'm sure there are many differences between our two peoples, but I would be hard pressed to expand upon them without some frame of reference. I must admit that my officers and I are quite ignorant of your kind, and cannot know what you do differently than we."

[Rezua]

Aboard the Shalarin

Steaming hot plates of cooked fish, squid, octopus, and shark flowed from the kitchens to the officers' mess hall. Being people of the sea, the Aventi natually dined on creatures and plants that were also located in the ocean. Thankfully, bread and wine were also served, something the foreigners might know. What they would not known, however, was that the Aventi caught a large quantity of the fish they ate using their dolphin steads to force schools of fish close together so a net could scoop up a larger group. Or that the Aventi used spears and crossbows to hunt sharks. So, as they dined, Viratha decided to share a bit more about her culture.

"Thank you for informing us about the proper salute. We'll be sure to use it, sir. And speaking of reference, allow me to give you gentlemen some." said Viratha. When she spoke, the princess never had food in her mouth. She would chew, take a drink, and wipe her lips before continuing her tales. Once properly finished with that bite, the princess would continue.

"Allow me to begin with saying that, according to our faith, we were a land dwelling people long ago. Our people, the Aventi, were a proud and mighty people, wielder of many powerful magics. When the ancient Aventi grew too haughtily, our great island nation was crushed and pulled under the waves by Aventous, our god. Those deemed worthy were gifted with gills, allowing them to survive."

"Over the years, we have become quite skilled at nautical travel. Our ships are designed so that, once the sails are removed, we can submerge them and use them underwater as well, switching to oars when we do so. We fill part of bottom with water, so that it stays under the water, but with just enough so that the ship does not simply sink."

"My people are also skilled hunters. We use dolphins when we hunt fish, letting them group the fish together so that our nets can caught more. For the bigger prey, such as this squid, we employ our aquatic crossbows. They rely on a longer dart to help stay on target in the water and are often used at a closer range than one might imagine."

While Viratha shared such things, she did so in vague terms. The exact range of their crossbows shouldn't be totally given, nor every secret of their ships told. Still, to give these people some respect for their intellect was necessary, to put a little awe in the strangers.

[Taledonia]

It was a most hospitable affair. The Aventi, as they called themselves, turned out to be most genteel, and conversation flowed easily between small, polite(but no less appreciative) bites. It was truly some of the best seafood the command crew of the Adventure had had in months. But it was when the princess began describing their ships that the Taledonians ceased eating all together, completely engrossed in these wild tales of submersible vessels.

"This is most incredibly, Your Majesty, and I am at a loss of what to say," said Captain Erikson, wholly believable due to the look of disbelief on his visage. "If I may ask, how can you navigate or maneuver with any sort of confidence when submerged? Surely the drag of the water hinders any attempts at rowing, not to mention the constant churning of the waves themselves that would surely play Old Harry with your efforts?"

"Perhaps it is more a matter of magics," opined Lieutenant Bottrel. "Another gift from their god, much as the gills."

"A handsome gift that would be, to be sure. Though much needed, if a god who would destroy his followers wanted to remain worshiped. Oh," Erikson suddenly looked bashful and lowered his head, "Apologies, Highness. I mean no disrespect. Do please continue."

[A m e n r i a]

At this point, the magical shenanigans the denizens of the Cloudburst Mountains are capable of should be no surprise anymore. The bearded humanoid standing before the Dwipantarans produced a gold coin, which glistened under the light of the rising sun. The foreigners just looked at each other and nodded, before turning their attention back to the strange being. It seems what he will say would be in their best interests after all.