Aerta had gotten wind of the "aggressive tolls" being collected by Rughoi's fledgling kingdom. While it amounted to little more than banditry covered in a sheen of officialdom, it wasn't worth going to war over. After having contacted the various dracon kingdoms, she advised them to issue a warning to their merchants to stay clear of the kingdom for now, and to treat his own merchants in the same manner if they should ever venture into their lands. It was enough to mollify the rulers for now. -------------------- Kali rapped her hand against the wall again. "Kutur? You there? There's some things I think we should discuss. Important things." There was a pause. She didn't really have much to say, but she had to say something. This was a social call, but she needed it to sound official. "There's going to be a shortage of wood. I've heard that merchants are going to stay away from our realm because we keep collecting 'fines' from them. This is gonna delay our city's construction by..." she had no idea what it was going to do, and the topic was even more tedious when spoken aloud than it was when she thought about it. "I'm coming in, Kutur." She stepped into his hut, finding it to be far more decorated and well-built than her own, and she wondered where he had acquired so many books. They weren't all stolen from Traeton, as some were specifically kobold-sized and were written in a style of draconic writing specific to kobolds. Granted, it was a far cruder style than the dracons had mastered, and several letters were missing, but it had marks to indicate certain sounds made more readily by kobold mouths, so there was always that to consider. ----------------- Mazdak had some time to figure out how to repair the city of Traeton, as he had been given rule over the city by the major dracon states. His mandate over the city was for a year with an option to extend it another two if conditions merited. He wasn't king, but he was given the honorary title of viceroy, a ruler in place of the legitimate king while the government was reconstructed. He had no power over the laws, but he could issue edicts in their place, to last as long as he needed them to withing the length of his mandate. As for the laws themselves, they were technically the same as they were before Rughoi's conquest, although they were all legally considered to be suspended for the length of his mandate, apart from some very basic rules against theft, murder, and violent crimes. Anything else had to be handled by an edict. This left Mazdak with a pile of paperwork as high as a dragon's eye, or so it seemed. He was in the middle of dealing with this paperwork when he received a very special guest. "Approval for a well in the southern district... granted. Reinstate prohibition on open fires in public... denied. Requirement that all animal owners curb their-" "Do you always talk to yourself when you write?" A brown-skinned dragon with broad gray horns emerged from the doorway, dressed in a black tunic with a purple sash running down its length from the left shoulder. His vestments wwere simple by design, not necessity, and a closer inspection of his clothes would have revealed that the tunic was made of the highest-quality silk. "No, I- Prince Ternoc!" "Grand Prince, thank you very much" "M-my lord-" "Former lord, my friend. There's no need for that kind of ceremony. I'm not even officially here, and my ride leaves in an hour, before he's missed at Hekaga's magic guild. I swear, you remind me of my father filling all that stuff out." "R-really? Is that a good thing?" "Considering that they needed his approval before the next murder could take place, no. He also regulated drug deals, rapes, and the destruction of the unborn in their shells. Made quite a profit from it too. Selling licenses to commit crimes helped fund his secret police, you know. The Fifty-Seven Hells take the old fiend... but I'm getting off track." "To what do I owe the pleasure of this- this non-visit?" "In a word, I want peace. It's no surprise that Hekaga's image as a city and kingdom has been tainted over the years. We sided with Dememoras in the war, much to my shame. Hekaga hasn't been allowed to have a king since then." "But, you rule it like a king, don't you?" "I rule the city as if I was one in most ways, but there are many limits to my rule in the rest of the kingdom. Many of the lords have privileges which can only be overruled by a king, and many important magical and religious ceremonies specifically need a king to do them. Also, many of Hekaga's treaties are inoperable without a king on the throne, as they specify an agreement between Hekaga's king and that of another city. If you help me, I can make you a king in a sense. King of sacred things, a new priestly position. I've consulted with the temples and they are alright with it. Eager, in fact. They want a king to perform many of their high-end rites. That's my offer to you. In return, I need you to second a peace treaty I have planned with Rughoi's kingdom." "That fetid little piece of- why, Ternoc? Why do that?!" "To prove that Hekaga can be dealt with and is willing to make peace with anyone. And to get rid of the kobolds in my city. They're very poor. And basically dead weight, apart from those serving in the palaces of the wealthy. Anyway, I need a king to second my proposal to make peace with Rughoi, and absolutely no other realm will do it apart from some dukes and below. Your title of viceroy will do in this case. I specifically checked that out. In that way, you technically outrank me." "And why should I do this again? I never wanted to be a priest." "The training is minimal, the duties would keep you busy on a few days of the year at most, and to sweeten the deal, I've attached a large estate to the office, as well as a very high salary. Didn't you once have ambitions to live the life of a lazy noble?" "Once, but once I became a general who started actually [i]doing[/i] things, I-I left the ambition to be lazy behind. If that makes any sense." Mazdak admitted. There was a long an uncomfortable pause. "I will help you, Ternoc. But what guarantee is there that Rughoi will actually accept a treaty?" "Common sense would dictate it in this case, but if that doesn't work, I've put together a package of things that I know he'll need. Wood, stone, some food for his construction crews, and some blueprints for a bathhouse." "A-a bathhouse?! What's [i]that[/i] going to do?" "Kobolds may work hard, but they are notoriously hedonistic too, if given the chance. I suppose the two extremes balance out at some point. Anyway, I get the feeling that they will enjoy it, and that it will tip the deal over into being accepted if it's on the fence. So, if you would reach out to Rughoi with a peace offer, I shall do the same." Mazdak sighed. "Alright, done. Just give me a bit of time to deal with this paperwork... let's see... regulation stating that all public statues must be at least a meter away from the street..."