If anything had been gained so far from this conversation, it was that Karl Valdemar had finally decided that Rohaan was far more interesting than he would have ever given a non-human credit for. Observing his subordinates from out of the corner of his eye, it was clear that they were far less impressed with the Shifter, but they were soldiers, possessing a much more singular outlook on life. It wouldn't be all that appropriate to fault them for that either, considering they had spent much of their lives in direct opposition to non-humans, at least the ones who weren't enslaved within the Empire. In any case, their open hostility wasn't exactly conducive for the conversation that he wished to have, so with a wave of his hand, he ushered them into different positions, well outside of earshot. The captain showed the usual signs of hesitation, but he complied as usual. No sensible man would ever directly disobey his emperor. Of course, as the conversation continued, it travelled to areas that Karl Valdemar could have predicted that it would have. His father had been a brutal and efficient man, having been the first to earn the title of 'Dragon of the North'. The purges had ended only shortly after the conclusion of the Great Restoration, largely due the wasted resources that it would take to continue the systematic slaughter of non-humans in the new empire. Slavery was the more viable option, though it had already been practiced in most of the northern provinces since the fall of the Old Empire. The south was a different story, and they chafed at the return to something that had been abolished centuries ago, even when applied to non-humans. He had no intention to apologize for the sins of his father. He doubted Rohaan had any interest in seeing any humility come from the Emperor, nor would he appreciate the pointless gesture. Besides, in many aspects he was as guilty as his father, though that didn't really bother him any. His left hand twitched.

"Perhaps your life would have been easier as a slave. Fortunately for the both of us, a common slave would be of no use to me. Your harsh life is the very reason why you're sitting here, though I don't expect you to appreciate that at all, given the present circumstances. Still, I will openly appreciate the dual irony of destiny and fate that has transpired all these events to lead to this very moment."

On the subject of slavery, the lot of different slaves varied vastly within the empire. Those who were forced to work within the various mines had a short, hard, and brutal life. The opposite could be said of those who found themselves in servitude amongst the Imperial nobility. Of course, it was dependent on how exactly the masters chose to treat their assorted slaves, though their opportunities were severely limited even when compared to the poorest of free men. Commoners held open discrimination to their non-human counterparts, and violence breaking out wasn't all that uncommon. Compounded by the fact that tangible action was rarely taken against the human perpetrators. 

It was a present shame that Rohaan didn't appreciate the musings of the Emperor, though the boorish reaction wasn't entirely unexpected. He wasn't here to humor the Shifter at any rate. His hunting and fishing acumen was limited to a matter of recreation more than anything, though he did briefly eye the small boat that he had taken out on the lack only a few hours before. His left hand twitched again. It was a pity that delays and circumstance had caused this meeting to happen at this particular day. However, the Shifter chose to strike when he did, and the Emperor had to react. He only needed to conclude negotiations before the day ended. His reason for being in the wilderness was actually for one other reason than to appreciate the final days of summer. There remained no reason to reveal that to the Shifter, however. It would only serve to weaken his own position.

"The fabrication of your death wasn't done for your benefit, though I suspect that it may aid you in certain aspects. I committed significant resources to your capture, and your presence in regards to the theft of the Imperial Crown Jewels didn't go unnoticed as you so succinctly explained not long before. Your disappearance would lead to questions among those whom I'd rather leave in the dark, and so I was forced to act to dispel any unwelcome rumors. More elaborate than I would like, but it should show the lengths I was willing to take so that I could have the opportunity to render your services."

"Besides, your former associates wanted certain assurances that you wouldn't survive the encounter. Such an interesting reputation that you have, little Shiftling." Karl Valdemar was being condescending, though that was entirely on purpose. There wasn't any express reason as to why he needed to explain himself to the non-human, but perhaps he'd appreciate this gesture, if he was already poised to disregard everything else.

After everything that had happened so far, it was the hearing of Rohaan's request that finally caused the Emperor to finally lose his composure. He doubled over from laugher, with tears streaming down his cheeks. The laugher was all encompassing, entirely consuming the man for an entire minute before finally subsiding. He wiped the tears away as he finally composed himself again, and before long, it was as if the outburst had never happened at all. 

"Do forgive me," the Emperor began as he reasserted eye contact with his piercing gaze, "I was not laughing at the request itself. Only the boldness and audacity of it. It is not everyday in which I encounter an individual who has absolutely no filter like yourself. I must counter your request, at least before I get into the exact details of why I need your services."

It was no exaggeration to state that slavery was the lifeblood of the Empire, at least in its current state. Its abolition would send a significant shockwave through the entire nation, both economically and culturally. The Emperor wasn't even sure if it was possible to take such progressive action in one fell swoop; monarchy was the embodiment of conservativism after all.

"I'm willing to liberate all Vokurians within the Empire. I will set aside an autonomous region for them to settle, allowing them to form communities and regain a semblance of what they once had in the past. Discrimination would remain, and they would lack the same opportunities as Men. However, under the law they would have practical equal status as any other free race. Would that be satisfactory?" This wouldn't be easy to achieve either and slavery would persist for other races, but the populations of the Vokurians had been considerably reduced since the restoration of the empire, though a decent portion of them remained enslaved due to their unique abilities. The total size of the Shifter populations would potentially have less effect overall than the liberation of one of the larger minority races. It did remain to be seen how much of a idealist that Rohaan was, but the Emperor couldn't discount it entirely. He had only just met the Shifter after all.