[color=f26522]♦ The Power of Friendship[/color]

Tzallimi, or Chayimi, was the community that naturally developed on the meeting point between node 12 and 7, a river port and garrison at first, soon it became a colourful place populated where the cleverness and innovation of the council and their traders met the cold discipline of the magistrates. 

Although the ideas were obviously radically different, the societies were almost incompatible at first glance, with effort and respect from both sides the proper arrangements were made for peaceful coexistence, making the difference into a strength allowing each culture to have access to things that they could never produce on their own.

The council soon noted that exchanging goods for services from the dusklanders was a profitable endeavour. They provided a consistent, frontier-dwelling, well-managed workforce, the cost of iron tools and local crafts that while expensive was still less costly than outfitting an entire working crew of paid local workers, furthermore the well-oiled management of the magistrates made sure there was no cost-cutting or slacking off when the dusklanders promised to build a road, house or mine in x days, there was no doubt they would do it.

Of course, the council was not stupid to fully rely on dusklander for such tasks, they mostly were helping in the north, as to avoid having too much reliance on what was still a foreign group, equally, the magistrates would never send their own people to slave away at dark dangerous mines or for an unequal gain for the sunlanders, all that was being done was to help develop key areas for the mutual benefit of both lands, improving roads, security and resource extraction in a way that both sides were richer for it.

The fast-paced, flexible and shrewd mentality of the merchants of Xavior was at time alien to dusklanders, but none the less fascinating, especially in how advanced it was becoming. Even with the Halle Kemiha and the unorthodox experimentation in Badja Kiri, they always found themselves lagging behind the Xaviorards in many techniques, it was no secret to anyone, as the flow of tools, utensils and devices from the 12 to the 7 had become the main form of trade in the dusklands. While there was some discomfort over it, ultimately, a certain sense of conformity took over. 

"Why spend our minds and focus on retreading what they did in Eunomia" became the mindset of intellectuals in the Halle Kemiha, instead of trying to find their path to iron and catching up, they took that as a chance, "Since our allies provide that, let us focus on other things, explore the unexplored, the unusual, instead of trying to recreate the hammers and saws of the 12th node, we will be grateful we are given them, and focus on what other tools are yet to be created."

This had already been done, to a sense, as seen in the army. The core elite forces were characteristically dusklanders, clad in the light and opaque plates of Tzurkortze / Orichalk, with halberds and heavy shields, or the swamp-born light scouts, with elegant bows and poison coated arrows. Meanwhile, the bulk of the force, was made of bronze, iron and steel soldiers, levied from the ranks of civilian society, lancers and crossbowmen. 

But that was the military, now, said mindset was dominating the rest of society, making dusklander sciences more akin to a branching off and being as isolationist as the rest of their night dwelling society. Soon said the focus would result in what most foreigners would call "Alchemy" after the group of magistrates of a similar name, soon, but not quite yet.

This led to a further friendship and reliance on the 12, no further exemplified than when the magistrate and the council finally realised an advantageous deal. The land-lease act gave to Eunomia a rotating right to lands and facilities within Dusklander administered zones. In Node 13, this was perhaps a bit of a ploy, giving the locals a taste of rougher more demanding farmers and landlords in the fertile lands of the west so perhaps they become more willing to join the dusklander owned communitarian farms to the east, but the act also included land within the Dusklands, most in the southern highlands of Node 7 were of little use to the dusklanders outside of a few llama herds, the land was however good for husbandry, with cattle, horses and some saurians being able to make use of the flat grassland with a notable lack of predators and chaos riddled wolves, and with just the signing of a few terms and conditions, aspiring or veteran cattle ranchers from the 12 could have a piece of that.

[color=92278f]♦ The Notes of Marcus, the Pseudo-Paladin II[/color]

Be warned, traveller, of very real danger in the dusklands. 

Accustomed to brighter lights, of a morning with singing birds and rays of sunshine, my body completely lost its sense of time, I was aiming to wake up at the hour when the rooster crows, but by the time I was up, it was almost midday, far from the morning time I had sought.

Rushing down, almost forgetting to dress properly, I caught the last servings of the accommodation's breakfast, narrowly avoiding a fate of imbalanced meals for the rest of the day.

This was also my first serving of the local breakfast, and well, it is an experience to be sure.

I already knew that in my heart, we all know the dusklanders hold extreme prejudice towards pastries, seeing milk and eggs as unclean, filthy even, how they think that but are more than okay with devouring ants, snails, frogs and whatever crawls in the shores of rivers is truly a mystery to all the normal people of the world. Nevertheless, what is important is that the typical pies, biscuits, bread too, would be off the table, and so would a hearty eunomian eggs and bacon breakfast. For a moment I was even scared it would all be honeyed fish or ants.

The truth was gentler. They do make bread, be it flatbread, made with sugar and dried grapes or nuts, there is something akin to a bread loaf, but it seemed to have been made by planting seeds onto a flour and honey mix and letting it germinate and create a few roots before it was baked. The taste was... nut-ish, sweet and a bit spicy, very hard to chew and harder still to digest, not for me but I would not say unpleasant. There was a variety of confectionery such as flavoured acacia gum, and what I noticed most dusklanders eating in the main hall was an acai paste with sliced fruit. Many sweet options, a very little savoury, I could see the struggle in the face of the Eunominite envoy as he could not find a thing to replace a meat and eggs filled breakfast.

For drink we were set off well, tea, most gentle, but there was one dark thing, made of this bean, I think it called kohfii? coffee? A very bitter tea, but recommended over and over to me because it was among the 'flame teas'. Not to be confused with fire tea. I will try to explain, but it confuses me still, the dusklanders separate their tea into various categories, the flame tea is one that seems to make one more energetic, active, while fire tea is a spicy, warm ginger tea meant to warm up. Once the servants understood I did not want coffee they finally offered me alternative options of flame tea, ginseng was pleasant and guarana was sincerely closer to a juice, but tasty.

Continuing with drinks, there are options beyond tea, juices for example, and we all know how the dusklander love their lemonades and citric juices. There wasn't much of a surprise outside of the fruits rare in my homeland, the one thing I wanted to share was a peculiar drink, it was made of a soy broth mixed with lemon juice, dense and yet with a hint of acid, pretty good actually. Soy was recently introduced to Dusklander society as their occupation of the 13 progressed and both it and sheep wool had become the latest fascination in their society. 

Why, the main river of the 13, The core river of Anak'Thas first city, with so many noble names given by the followers of the accursed god, was simply called Mopotofo Tsonya by the dusklanders, Sheep River. Isn't it hilarious? I know for sure I am not calling it anything else.

Anyway, continuing on, after breakfast and my thorough analysis of all dishes served, it was time to face the city and continue my investigation of topics key to the interests of my people. And what timing for that it was! Because at that very day, a massive movement of troops was happening within the city, some were even training not too far from me, and since there is an interest in the dusklander military, especially to the paladins who have been seeking to recruit locally, I saw it as my duty to report on it.

They were marching down the stone walkways of the swampy city and

[color=00a99d]♦ A well oiled machine[/color]

"So. What should we do? There is a crime, but I do not think we should push for charges. The man is obviously no spy. Today he was set off to take notes on our army, instead, he wasted all of his paper on page after page of food descriptions, and I mean all of it, he is begging for more paper right now" the female magistrate with short hair questioned. Her superior agreed, he was a tall man with a sharp moustache that further enhanced the contrast of inky black hair and paper white skin.

"But, he did use harsh words against our goddess." she added.

Shaking his head, her superior dismissed such concerns. "We are not Anakists, we are not zealots, we are a people of logic who will not be thrown to a fervent fit by mere words against our goddess," he said. "He did not see you checking those papers, correct?"

"I was invisible and he was a snoring mess on his bed." she waved off the worry "He barely tried to hide it and had no system in place to avoid tampering, if I wanted I could learn his handwriting and by means of that forge letters, if that finds itself necessary." she stopped for a moment. "To clarify, I was not offended, I would never be a victim of strong emotions and sunlike behaviour, my worry was the perception he might give to others through his writing."

"That is valid, and you did well with what you had, your plan would have been good, but, I think you assume there is worth to him when there isn't, I sought information already, compared it, and it turns out he is just a minor administrative clerk, I do not even believe he was officially sent." this made the woman raise an eyebrow. "So not a spy, as you said, but maybe someone who thinks he is one? Or just... a complex character."

"And a potential diplomatic faux pas." she added, rubbing her chin. "You intend to poke at the actual incoming diplomats using him?"

"Possibly. Yes. The Halle Koholle has reached a good stance with the Xaviorard sunlanders but the Benean and their Paladins are still a wild card, the military and provincial guards are worried about them trying to hire from our ranks, so we need some active situations to test them." he smiled. "So, for the time being, I will need you to act as the nanny of this man. If that is fine with you. Here, he requested paper after his little issue, it will give you a good chance to present yourself to him."

She took a deep breath. There went her plan to be hired in the newly made policing force to go occupy sunlander cities in the 13, suggesting it now was to basically spit in the face of her superior, so was voicing her doubts if such a close watch over a mere overweight man was an actual necessary task. "Of course my commandant. I will keep you informed."


[hider=Summary]
A collection three posts.
1: It establishes that Xavior and Tsunya's societies are getting along well, helping each other out with their specialities, it establish a trade port in the river on node 12 closest to node 7 and that dusklanders have been helping with some infrastructure work since they are cheaper to hire and have good work ethics. It also reveals a land-lease of properties in node 7 and 13 to ranchers and farms from node 12.

2: Marcus spends an entire post talking about food, that is it

3: Magistrates talk about Marcus, they see through the fact this overweight unfit man isn't a paladin (GASP!) but keep him around as a potential wild-card / 'faux pas in a pocket' should they need to test the actual Benea envoys.
[/hider]


[hider=Might]
Initial: 5
Bonus: +2

-3: Advance technology for the dusklands to Tier 4

Final: 4 might
[/hider]