Zakroti listened to Nenra carefully as she spoke, relating the story of the so called blessing disease. He was still ill at ease with this prospect, it was foolish of the Drakken to take anyone from these regions, particularly if their only argument against it was superstitions about it not travelling beyond its borders. Pestilence had little care for foolish superstitions in his experience, and the Mother could be a cruel mistress with her diseases, that much was true.

"If Vivari had wanted to protect you with a blessing, she'd have done better to bless you with military knowledge or a great marshal to lead the troops." Zakroti commented, eliciting a slight chuckle from Aurien who was sitting nearby.

Nenra went on to describe a plant, 'simple Garden weeds' she had called it. Great Mother's Roses. The name tripped him up a little at first but he soon settled on it. Naturally, he was not particularly familiar with such symbols of Gemmenite culture and so did not know the full extent of this little symbols spread- Not that the inkling of understanding he did have from osmosis and from the reaction of Aymiria caused him any particular distress regardless. The Oshweli were nothing if not experts in appropriation; Their culture, their infrastructure, their weapons, their society, even their very biology, vast swathes of it had been cut out of something else and imported into their own, warped sometimes beyond recognition as it was altered to suit a new purpose. The idea of subsuming such a plant and stripping it of its original connotations, perhaps even giving it new ones, would not strike the Oshweli as particularly unusual and if it worked to keep the peace with those he was incorporating into his household - and no doubt brought great prestige to the garden to have such exotic plants from the eastern side of the continent - why not?

"I have vague recollections of that flower from somewhere, but have never seen it first hand myself. Perhaps once you see the garden and speak to Ashvarg the two of you could come to a decision on such arrangements, to ensure the plants do not clash and compliment each other well. I can assure you we'll have plenty of water and time, though naturally I can't bring water from those rivers all the way across the continent- Although I should very much like to head that far east myself some day to see those lands and flora first hand, it is always described in such exotic and magnificient terms. The Gemmenites might object to a heavily armed warlord and his hearth troops marching around though, my Gemmenite is... not the sharpest of my languages, I admit." Zakroti said carefully, drinking from his cup again as he thought. It would be somethign to see, but it was risky to come even this far out these days and leave his holdings in the care of another. Political manouvrings consumed much of his time and energy, it was an inevitably part of being a lord in one of the most unstable periods of Oshweli history and left little time for pleasures. The expeditions they mounted now were of a far less cultural or scientific note, there were few stories of great lords who travelled off to the distant lands of Ptaz in search of the answer to the disappearance of the Dragons these days. No, all expeditions now served primarily military or economic interests; Invasions of the neighbouring provinces, wars against each other over who should be the ruler of a reforged dominion, forays into the lands of the Welebak in search of Frostglass to loot - and twist into weapons and armour, rather than the architectural great works they had once been used for.

"As for the Yugryn and the blightlands, again I have heard much about these beings but never seen them first hand. I am aware they're a problem the Gemmenite peoples face and that the Drakken provide- military assistamce, shall we say, in exchange for the trading of brides. Not that its so much a trade anymore as a tribute and obligation, as noted, given it sounds as though they protect you now with the same grace and intent a shepherd protects his lambs before leading them to the slaughter." Zakroti continued. The Blightlands. Everyone knew that tale, even in the war west- though perhaps they knew it only because the Oshweli had a tendency to remember their enemies failings. It was said that a network of great magical academies and universities had banded together to created a linked network of powerful crytals and magical energies, desigend to interlink all the great hubs of research of the east. This was in a time when Gemmenia was thrice the size it was now, and they were a proud people for certain. 

The Academy of Natural Philosophy, the premiere magical institute of the Oshweli that was based within their capital city, had petitioned to join this project. Why wouldn't they, after all? The institute was still among the most prestigious and important on the continent and had been the centre of the then recently collapsed Unalim Dominion. Their knowledge would have been invaluable to the program and in turn they could have benefited much - indeed, perhaps there would have been knowledge that could have saved the crumbling Dominion from its fate.

The easterners did not see it this way, however; They rejected the petition and stonewalled the Academy, keeping it from assuming its position. This angered them greatly, naturally. So it was of little surprise when some members of the Academy took particular glee when news reached them of the distaster, that the linked acadmies had been involved in a major magical incident that straight up blew some of them to pieces- and which destroyed half of Gemmenia, transforming it into the twisted blightlands, killing the inhabitants and overruning it with the Yugryn. From the perspective of the Oshweli, this was an arrow they had been fortuitious enough to dodge and had been karmaic retribution from the gods for the snub.

Since then, Gemmenia had been reduced to a fledgling status, its influence over the Mannish kingdoms eradicated and it losing all its power, slowly becoming little more than a tributary to Drakka. Zakroti saw some parralels in this, and some Oshweli did see a kindred spirit of sorts in Gemmenia as another great former power that had lost its place in the world. 

"Although where would we get the seedlings for the Great Mothers Roses? I suppose I'd have to import some from Gemmenia. That could be awkward and expensive, but doable... Although I am slightly wary of some of the cultural connotations, over in the west this is hardly as contentious as it would be in the east. Indeed, I myself have only a foggy understanding of it, perhaps you'd be so kind as to explain it? There's much of our symbology and culture that I imagine I will have to explain in time after all! What other plants do the two of you think might be fitting? My library undoubtedly has some books on the Gemmenian flora and fungi, but I don't think that the gardens of Mu'Jupostat have ever known the touch of a Gemmenite Garderner before." Zakroti finished, raising his brow lightly and smiling warmly to Nenra and Miry in turn; He was not joking about the symbols and culture, in truth he was eager to know more about the far east and he knew he would have to describe much about the West of Drakka, let alone the far western lands that they might have cause to visit some day in the future...