[CENTER][sup][h1][center][/center][b][center][color=black]M O R G A N  B R A N D  
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[color=#FC8A17]M O R G A N  B R A N D[/color][/center][/b][/h1][/sup][/CENTER]

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A [url=https://i.imgur.com/kQetyTg.png]grim[/url] look on his face, the newly arrived Lieutenant could not believe his eyes at the sight in front of him. This was his first deployment to Sunstrider, stationed at the base in Solstone, near a particularly famous bar. The Marine outpost had been recently built, out of a law enforcement base the locals called ‘ashbringers’ whatever the hell that was. He had just stowed away his belongings on the base when he was called out into the field to join his captain and direct superior, Doster Brust. He met his [url=https://i.imgur.com/FDmEYTZ.png]captain[/url] who was donning awfully casual clothing despite being on the clock, attending official Navy business here in Solstone.  The lieutenant approached Doster, nodding at him and Doster did a quick salute, indicating that Doster’s casual demeanor didn’t mean he wasn’t one for ceremony.

[color=#5f6c81]“You must be the new officer, huh? Here to replace Blueblood?”[/color] The subordinate nodded. [color=#5f6c81]“Good. He was always a prick.”[/color] A slight chuckle was shared between the two men. [color=#5f6c81]“What’s your name, young man?”[/color] The captain asked, smirking under his white mustache. 

[color=#b7410e]“Lieutenant Darnold… Sir…”[/color] the younger officer stated, still shocked at the sight before them, distracted to say the least. Doster Brust chuckled heartily. 
[color=#5f6c81]“First time here on the island, huh? They don’t tell you what this place is like back at HQ. Let me show you around, Darnold.”[/color]

[color=#b7410e]“Should we not do anything abou-”[/color]

[color=#5f6c81]“No no. Don’t interfere. That was Blueblood’s problem. He poked his nose in the local business. Trust me, you don’t want that.” [/color]
As the two marines walked, they came across the mystery to the younger one - the two local merchants flogging each other with whips while arguing over something almost incomprehensible

“Any resemblance to actual persons or objects, living or dead, is purely coincidental!” One shouted before he was cracked in the shoulder by the other man’s whip.

“Well, according to the stationary laws as stipulated in Section 2C of the Strider Lawmen code, this is defamation of my property!” the other shouted, only to be thwacked by a whip from his opponent.

“All sales are final, except for when they're not! Your product is shot, so it’s not!” The original merchant, one with long brown hair shouted at his balding compatriot, cracking his foe over the ribs, a trail of blood following the whip. This had been going on for a good ten minutes, for as long as the Lieutenant had been standing outside. People walked past the two, not paying them any mind, this was a seemingly common occurrence in this district of Solstone.

[color=#b7410e]”STOP FIGHTING!”[/color] He shouted at them, approaching them as they both turned around while grabbing at each other’s collars, having abandoned the whips they were both ready to throw a punch in the other's direction. The two men stared him down, analyzing him from tip-to-toe, figuring he was a marine instantly.
“None of ya’ business, white hat!” they shouted in unison, startling the Marine, going back to socking each other in the face.

[color=#5f6c81]”Why are they fighting?” he asked his superior, whom chuckled once more.[/color]

[color=#5f6c81]“BWAHA, see, young one. Here, this is just how things work. They argue and they fight. These two, Fisk and Noet, they’re traders. Fisk sells beef, Noet sells fish. And they trade with each other all of the time. The thing is… They both think the other’s product sucks. So they bad mouth the thing they just bought from the other, which inevitably turns into one of these encounters.”[/color]

The Lieutenant couldn’t believe his ears or eyes, but once he processed what was going on, he too began laughing.

[color=#b7410e]”That’s funny as hell!”[/color] He shouted, continuing their stroll. As they walked, they saw more and more of the merchants strictly adhering to legal argumentation, or taking to violence for seemingly no reason. They stepped over a four way wrestling match in the mud where everyone involved was in their upper 60's and wearing expensive suits.

[sup]
“No receipt, no laundry!” One clothes cleaner shouted, throwing away a man's freshly washed set of clothes. 

“Forgot your caste card? Don’t ya worry, solstone codex states you’re fine without one! Need that in print? I got you covered my friend.” A bathhouse owner beamed at a man dressed as a factory worker, standing out as a sore thumb.
 
“You bastard, that interest rate is half a percent higher than you promised me yesterday!” One disgruntled older gentleman with a monocle yelled at a poor, meek teenager

“No wait! That was my brother who promised you! But I’ll still cash in, hohoho!” The young banker retorted as he hastily ran away from the far bigger older gentleman.  [/sup]


[color=#b7410e]“They’re all… Just… Shrewd businessmen?[/color]

His superior shook his head.

[color=#5f6c81]“No, they’re actually quite an emphatic bunch over here. This is the true melting pot of this entire country. The rest of the island only houses one breed of these people. This is where they can all truly come to meet. Sure, they fight, but look at Fisk and Moet over there.”[/color]

He nodded backwards, their gazes found their way over at the two merchants, who were now sharing a bottle of alcohol to clean their wounds, helping each other with bandages on the spots they couldn’t reach.

[color=#5f6c81] They are a community, one that cares about each other. We marines have no authority to interfere with the natives' business. Unless something comes that is under our jurisdiction, we do not do much here. I heard you’re quite a battle hungry young man, so you must have pissed someone off something fierce to get stationed here, bwahahaha.”[/color]

His subordinate nodded, solemnly. Yeah, he had.


[color=#b7410e]”If we don’t have any power here, who does”[/color]

[color=#5f6c81]“Well, real power in this country is not that of the one who has the biggest muscles or the best weapons. Politics and fighting go hand in hand here. The politician with the better arguments will win the brawls, they will fight their opponents in rhetoric and in the mud, while behaving as civilized as any noblemen. Their political system, ‘democracy’ they call it is very complicated and despite being here for many years, I still barely grasp it.”[/color]

[color=#b7410e]“The royal family rule because they have… Democratic power?”[/color] The lieutenant asked, and his captain smiled. 

[color=#5f6c81]“Sort of. They’re born into power. That’s why the castle up on top of the mountain in the middle of the capital is off limits. Even to us. As far as ruling the kingdom goes, it’s anyone’s game. Parlament believes that the best argument wins. But trust me, here there’s a lot more to winning arguments than knowing the laws the best.”[/color]

[color=#5f6c81]That’s why we’re here, in fact. At this place. There’s a certain someone I need to talk to.[/color] He spoke as his hand reached the door handle of The Ashes, the single most popular pub in the entire kingdom.