"Oh! Erm, good morning, wise sister . . . or is it afternoon?" Kutur mumbled, peering out through the little crack in his wall that served as a window. The days all looked the same to him. He gave the air a sniff, and found it reeking of parchment and ink. Likely afternoon. "I don't entertain much, especially not the venerated," he said, shying away from Kali. " . . . Would you help me with these books?" He gestured to the stacks that huddled in every corner, all written in his own messy scribbles. Since the peace, he had been even more reclusive as of late. He built his hut away from the city center, so far as to hug the mountains, and his aching claws were a testament to his work. "Still, nice of you to come. Sorry . . . about the smell . . . and the tax plan, I guess . . . seemed a good idea at the time." How long had he been trapped in here with his books? How long had he stared at nothing but these pages, jotting down every little mote of knowledge he knew?
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Rughoi didn't like this visitor. He was no merchant, at least that's what his national guardsmen say when they tried to loot his carriage. The visitor was a dracon, because of course he was, dressed in bright robes covered in fineries. In the room, surrounded by those in animal skins or dull armor, he stuck out like a banana in a coffee jar. Rughoi got the impression that this 'diplomat', as he called himself, was looking down on the court.

"Esteemed king," the dracon said, bowing. Rughoi twitched at the incorrect title. "I hail from the land of Hekaga, a kingdom not too far from the Talon Pass. We are wealthy, and great in legitimacy, and my Grand Prince has, in his generosity, desired to extend peaceful relations to your humble domain."

"Hekaga . . . " Rughoi mused. He heard worrying reports from all of his borders. Despite the effective peace between the dracon realms surrounding Lake Draconis, such treaties were poorly honored beyond. Border skirmishes were a near-constant affair between the kobold's national guard and dracon outer scouts, and the racial tension did not help in the slightest. "I remember Hekaga. Commander Rebat's scouts were massacred outside the Talon Pass, right at the doorstep to my empire, by soldiers shouting 'greetings from the mighty Hekaga'. Now, I suppose that's settled. Guards! Cut this worm's throat open!"

"Wait!" he shouted, as imperial guardsmen tied down his arms. "The king offers wood and stone! Food and construction designs!" This made Rughoi pause. Being an emperor was difficult. On one hand, he could kill this representative, both twisting the talon of an arrogant dracon realm while at the same time demonstrating his own power, but he also knew that his people could make good use of the offered materials. Ardasa didn't speak, but she squeezed his claw in hers and shot him a glare that made her intentions clear. Rughoi growled. Binding was making him soft. 

"Toss him out of my empire. If this dracon king wants to discuss treaty, he can come to me himself." The imperial guards pulled the dracon away, while Rughoi signaled a captain. "Summon Kutur. He, I think, would know what to do."