[@Slamurai] [@SomeWordsmith] [@Noblebandit]

[h2][color=Chocolate]Caslan Interactions with Nagintyar, Kengir, and Basmarra[/color][/h2]

Although Caslan has been fairly silent throughout much of its history since rebelling and leaving the Orduin empire, their presence in trade has always been partly felt as traders in paper and fish. However, troubles on the isle and political intrigue has been pushing the Kerks out of their island home, and moving more abroad, primarily more and more south.

On the large isle itself, the laxing of requirements to the Kycer has intrigued the paper merchant [color=orange]Tesner Uman[/color] and his political ally [color=orange]Lavar Brav[/color]. Tesner’s grand political ploy was to bring prosperity to the isle, proving that despite being a human amongst the Kerks, he was worthy and capable of joining the Kycer by providing jobs, trade, and wealth to the Kerks. To do this, Tesner and Lavar looked south for their goals. Tesner was especially interested in increasing trade from the south, wanting to see the Kel Trach becoming a grander trade port and staging ground for trade between the north and south. However, achieving this had many troubling qualities, and a number of political consequences.

The first trouble was the purpose and location of Caslan trade wise, as reaching Caslan was more of a hassle than just rowing up trade ships along the coasts. The other trouble was the sister county of Olgan. Port Uvan was run by a ‘peasant republic’, made up of many minor clan patriarches who ruled the city and surrounding rivers, a rich land which was less than enthusiastic about giving the Brav clan any edge in the grand conflict. Finding solutions to these issues would be difficult, but Tesner was confident that he could convince the southern nations to come to Caslan to trade.
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With encouragement from the Bravs, two Kerkian vessels went to the trading ports of Basmarra and Nagintyar. The first to arrive was in Nagintyer, which was already a popular spot for Tesner’s merchants to trade paper, but was also visited heavily by the Elkwood and Coladdic merchants to trade iron and gold. The Kerks who came to Nagintyar were envoys from the merchant Tesner, primarily being his son and several merchants aligned with Tesner, who wished to form a trade agreement, in which the merchants revealed they had brought gifts of vodka, seal skin, and vast sheets of blank paper. Although mentioned in passing of the necromantic faith of the Kerks, Tesner’s son avoided any and all mention of it, as Tesner feared that being a bit too revealing of the necromantic mastery the Kerks had would be damaging to the relationship of nations of cultures which was foreign to them.

The second ship sent by Lavar and Tesner was commanded by [color=orange]Cilov Brav[/color], the spiteful brother of Lavar. Although a merchant by trade and an envoy of the Kycer, he had been sent mostly to keep him away from family affairs more than to trade, so when he arrived in the trade ports of Basmarra, he was grumpy and angry. Basmarra was less frequently traveled to the Kerks, primarily due to distance, but had come with offerings and gifts. Cilov wished to meet with the heads of the Zhosa Alliance, bringing gifts of iron and gold ingots, baskets of paper, and bottles of vodka. As a personal worshipper of the god Melakos, Cilov also came to present a tome of Caslandic history as well, a honored gift in Kerkian culture. Cilov’s deal was rather straightforward and overly honest, promising fair trade agreements with Caslan. Outside of Tesner’s own demands, Cilov mentioned that the people of Caslan were highly interested in the sale of fruits and meats.

The last ship was not from Kel Trach, but rather port Uvan, led by a Kerkian merchant named [color=orange]Syman[/color], a farmer. Syman had wanted to go beyond Basmarra and to explore the regions of the Kengir Emirate. Bringing a trade ship full of fish, paper, and vodka, the Kerk set out for the region. When he and his people landed in the trade ports, taking in the sights and culture, the Kerks wished to present their gifts to the leaders of the emirate, and saw several notable opportunities. Syman spoke of wishing to create a lucrative trade deal, offering fish, shellfish, and seal to the Emirate at a decent cost in order to buy sandstone and other building materials. When Syman and his traders came, they had also brought along with them a number of poor Okan sailors and servants, many of them taking in the sights of the Kengir ports. Many looked and talked like they wished to stay, especially when they noticed how rich even the poorest of the Kengir was compared to their own lives in Caslan.

Universally, the Kerks were. . .interesting envoys to say the least. The Kerks are obnoxiously honest and brought tales of Caslan as they traveled abroad, and it became clear to those who talked and conversed with the envoys that their trade meetings had a secondary purpose; to get an edge in the politics back home. Although the Kerks may not bring their priests or some cadre of the undead with them as they traveled, the tales of Caslan was known enough to know all manner of dark things called the island their home, and the Kerks were all more than eager to regale tales and complain of their homeland.