Exalted:End of an Era

[Biologist]

((I'm very bad at politics. What you are saying all sounds logical to me ))

 

Commander Lenco sat at his desk staring into his third cup of khaf. With the summons sent, it was time for one last messenger. He called in the sorceror and handed him the message. "One last message to our special liaison in Great Forks." He said and then he dismissed him again. It was a risk bringing her into this, but she was the best. And as far as assassins went, Lenco never settled for less...

[Takhesis]

[Hehe Evil Lenco ]

 

Pheonix mentally started sketching out a plan for defending the commanders. She began with unit roles.

 

 

Most of the unit she could count on in combat, all that was needed was a game plan. That was the hard part of not knowing the area.

 

Mouse was a non-combatant as far as actual fighting went - but as a Thaumaturge could disrupt enemy castings. That would place her in a support role.

 

Pheonix considered Hanzo's placement next: his skills were more support orientated as well. Next to the Lancers would be the best plan then - that way he could keep them operational if the fight became protracted.

 

The other problem was whether the unit could be present or would have to be held in reserve concealment. And if in concealment, how to get them in fast.

I suppose an Essence bolt fired into the air would have to do...

[Takhesis]

Tinker and Web had formulated a plan - if they were going to convince Great Forks and Nexus of the others involvement, those two would need to be visited simultaneously.

 

Simply to convince the watching spies from the opposing camp that the other parties involvement was true.

 

As such they'd be first on the list.

 

Travelling together to the diplomatic section, Web and Tinker parted ways. Tinker kept the list of states as he headed for his first meeting with Great Forks.

 

Web was going to the Nexus ambassador, wondering how things would go...

[Mistress of Whispers]

The Ambassador of Nexus was... possibly not what Web expected. A lean and fit man, he embodied all the shrewd business-thinking of his city, but none of the overreaching posturing or indulgences. Nevertheless, he welcomed her warmly (he served a bitter tasting root tea that was supposed to have all kinds of health properties and certainly left Web feeling somewhat invigorated) and was very interested in what she had to say.

 

 

((Shall I roll a dice to see how Tinker does? 1d10 with 1 being horrible and 10 being 'nailed it'? Because of his skill, I'll let him roll 3 times and keep the highest?))

[Takhesis]

((Sounds good to me - saves on the typing somewhat .... Idea - since Mia's snuck in to the council building - would she notice Web's movements around the area?))

 

The more simplistic style of the Nexus Ambassador was a welcome change to the normal politicians - as was the refreshing tea. It certainly eased the long hours she'd already pulled - and was going to pull.

 

The traditional hospitality and courtesies exchanged, Web settled into the reason she was visiting.

 

"The up-coming River council will be voting on a proposition that would effect all members. What have you heard about it? I'm here out of concern that the information on the proposition has been slightly vague and I'd like to ensure that voting parties - such as yourself on behalf of Nexus - are making a fully informed choice."

 

Web was hoping he hadn't heard much - so she could play on the Great Forks' rivalry more. Perhaps even implying they'd hidden the agenda from Nexus for their own gain... although she didn't want to cause too much friction between the two of the biggest members.

[Mistress of Whispers]

Rising with an elegance and grace that belied his height, the ambassador rose to pour Web another cup of tea. "Since you are here to fill *me* in, why don't you tell me what you think I should know, rather than ask me what I already know?" He smiled as he said it, but it was clear that he intended to *extract* information from Web rather than provide it.

 

((Good idea about Mia! I'll write a post for her soon.))

[Takhesis]

"Very well - that would probably the easiest method." Web concurred as the Ambassador poured her another tea.

 

"The River Council has been called together to vote on a proposition to resurrect the Seventh in the wake of the city of Lookshy's destruction," Web began, "with one major change, the old Seventh only answered to and looked to Lookshy for supplies. The new Seventh - should it be formed - would be answerable to the council and its members as it would be dependant on contributions from all the founders."

 

That covered the basic proposition, and so far she had hidden nothing except her Exaltation.

 

"In principle the resurrected Seventh would act in the same capacity as the old did - as a defence against the Realm and incursions from the Wyld. In practice - that would depend on the outcome of the voting, but I'd suspect if the motion passes, those that voted against it wouldn't receive the same attention as the supporting members."

 

There was the first attempt at bait - implying that the supporting factions would have more influence over the Seventh.

[Mistress of Whispers]

The ambassador sat back down and steepled his fingers in front of his face as he sat and thought for a moment. Then, seemingly ignoring the bait for now, he asked a first delicate question: "You say that the new Seventh would be *answerable* to the council, but who will *lead* it? I assume the council won't be invited to vote every time the army is deployed, or it would never move anywhere." He was clearly a smart man, easily cutting to the heart of the matter, but so far he did not appear unfriendly.

[Takhesis]

Web did have an answer ready for the question of command,

 

"Assuming the motion passes, the council would nominate a leader for the Seventh. I'd say the list of candidates would include the surviving commanders of Lookshy's outpost and potentially a leader/two of mercenary companies looking for a more secure employment position."

 

"The answerability would be called into the limelight should the existing commander prove unfit for the task."

[Mistress of Whispers]

"I see," the ambassador replied, still thoughtful.

 

"A few more questions, if you'll indulge me." He was polite about it, but there was an undertone to his voice that made it clear that answering these questions wasn't optional - not if they wanted the backing of Nexus.

 

"This army, will it only deal with external threats to the entire River Province? Because the Seventh did that, but it also did more - it 'mediated' disputes for council states. Why, I remember one time when Nexus..." No doubt he was referring to the same infamous and bloody 'border dispute' between Nexus and Lookshy that had seen Dace Exalt. "But that's neither here nor there. My question is: what if, say, Greatforks and Nexus go to war? Can we expect the new army to take an interest in that, or will it remain passive concerning 'internal affairs'?"

 

"And one more question, if you will. What if we cannot agree on where the threat comes from? I'm certain Celeren would want the army near the coast, to protect against the Realm and certain other parties." The ambassador did not name Thorns, who was officially a member of the council, but no doubt that was what he referred to. "But the Hawkmen might want it closer to the Wyld, to protect against the Fae. Since a divided army would lose on both fronts, how would we decide where to employ it?"

 

By now, giving how quickly he came up with all the right questions, it was apparent to Web that the ambassador had known about the purpose of her visit beforehand. That meant there were spies in or around the Bronze Tiger Barracks, but that was not something she could worry about right now.

 

[Takhesis]

Web dealt with the internal affairs aspect first - since that was the easiest and answered the questions in the order posed.

 

"As far as internal affairs among the member states goes, it is hoped that the new army would be able smooth things over before it escalates as far as war. If a war did break out between states - the army would act as a barrier for the non-fighting states, containing the aggression as a interested - but slightly aloof - third party."

 

Now for the other one.... and how did he get this info? ... Web thought as she answered the question that had bothered Shaya at the outset.

 

"The initial deployment location would be a problem. Especially considering the method used to destroy the original base of the Seventh." Web began, referring to the Realm Defence Grid, "The current idea is to create the base in a more central location, that way it is equidistant from all potential threat sources - and capable of deploying to any front. As the army grows - other outpost locations can be established."

 

Hopefully that covered it.

[Mistress of Whispers]

The ambassador nodded and remained thoughtful for a while. "It would appear that this is a fair and well thought-through proposal. I assume that you're here to ask for money - the Council always does - and special harbour priviledges to allow the swift transport of supplies and troops. Both are possible, but I should tell you that while we will allow troops to pass *on the river*, we will under no circumstances allow them *in the city.* Of course, that still leaves the matter of WHY we should support the army. Nexus is squarely at the center of the River Province - any fair folk seeking to invade would first have to pass Greyfalls, the Hawkmen and Great Forks; and the Realm would have to defeat Celeren and Thorns. So we are in a position of safety already - war never reaches us."

 

He smiled and there was an ever-so-slight tremble near his left eye that only Web could ever had caught. The truth was that the Great Fair Folk Incursion had, in fact, reached Nexus (though Nexus was also the furthest frontier the fae attacked) and that the city still bore scars and wyld pockets from that event even after eighthundred years. War might 'never' reach them, but that did not mean Nexus did not fear it.

[Mistress of Whispers]

As Mia saw more of the Council Hall and its inner workings, it became apparent to her that she was not the only 'spy' abound. As a matter of fact, after a while she began to wonder if there were any servants that were *not* lining their pockets by selling information. She was baffled at this - if she discovered them in only half a morning, others must know about it too - but finally chalked it up to the (in)famous River Province pragmatism: 'it's fine to have spies in the Council Hall, as long as we know they're there and we ALL have spies in the Council Hall.' Equal opportunity espionage.

 

In addition to the many servants-turned-spies, she also spotted a frail, somewhat sickly looking woman entering the chamber of the Nexian ambassador. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about the visitor sent shivers down her spine. And she was not the only one alarmed: one servant, a woman whose delicate ears and large, almond-shaped eyes marked her as having a trace of fae blood in her ancestry, left in a hurry after witnessing the scene. Watching the servant as she left - did the fae have spies in the council, or was she working for one of the more lenient city-states? - Mia approached the door...

 

 

--------------------------------

 

Tinker was in a good mood as he popped another of the delicious cakes served by the Great Forks ambassador into his mouth. His keen eyes had already spotted several people hastily leave the building after his arrival; no doubt to inform their masters that the Lookshyans were calling on Great Forks. And after a slightly rocky start when he was unpleasantly surprised that the old ambassador had been replaced by a half-fae (Tinker wasn't sure which he disliked more: his information being out of date, or the new ambassador being part fae) his diplomatic efforts were going well.

 

((Tinker rolled 4 - 9 - 8.))

 

[Takhesis]

[Lol even the fae don't like Abyssal Essence.... and yep - spies are an accepted part of councils - as long as trade isn't interfered with.]

 

Web picked up on the subtle twitch at the mention of Nexus being safe from war. In fact - it was relatively safe, unless another Contagion occurred... since that was when the Fair Folk invaded last time.

 

"While it is true that Nexus's position does provide protection from the usual threats, one must agree that the actions that caused Lookshy's fall are far from routine." Web started, after all it was the truth - an extreme break from the normal was responsible for the first (and only) war to reach Nexus's walls.

 

"This is purely speculation on my part, but it could be a precursor to worse. The Seventh is likely to be needed soon if that feeling is correct."

 

Web paused, to assess her words and to take a sip of her cooling tea, she had noticed that a few had scattered from her approach - assumption being they were spies reporting her movements - which meant those in Great Forks' camp would probably be reporting soon too...

 

"Vague feelings aside - I'm certain other members of the council are being approached by interested parties from either side." Web knew that the reference to spies was blunt - but then again, no-one would be there long if they remained ignorant - and their time would be shorter if they tried to intervene in the status quo.

[Mistress of Whispers]

While the ambassador ponders what Web has said, a servant comes in bringing fresh tea as well as a tray of figg-like fruits and nuts. Tucked under a corner of the silver teapot, is a small, folded piece of paper which the ambassador reads then tucks away.

 

"Let's say you have convinced me. What exactly would you ask of Nexus and what would you offer us?" says the ambassador as he offers Web a figg. Aparently, the time for number-crunching has begun.

 

 

--------------------

 

Waiting until the food-carrying servant had left again, Mia resumed listening at the door. The thick walls and carved doors of the Hall provided excellent protection against eavesdroppers and, even with her keen senses, she could only hear bits and pieces of the discussion. Nevertheless, she understood the gist of the conversation: Lookshy was here to raise a new army. To Mia's dismay, it would appear that they were intent on bringing large-scale war to the River Province.

 

[Takhesis]

[Hmmm I'm assuming Mia can't ID Web as an Abyssal - unless Web slips up and uses some....]

 

Web noticed the note - even though it was removed from her sight quickly. Spy report?

 

In answer to the ambassador's question, Web said:

 

"As you already surmised earlier: monetary support and free passage for the new Seventh when needed." Now for the compensation for the request, "In return - apart from the protection of the army, I can only offer this: the gratitude and favour of the divine patron of the Seventh and her allies."

 

Web was referring to Yu Tien - of course it was only an assumption that she would feel grateful enough to repay anything. But at the moment, Yu Tien needed her strength back.

[Mistress of Whispers]

The Nexian ambassador considered the pros and cons of supporting the new army. It was obvious that he was leaning toward supporting the new army , but like any seasoned ambassador, he wouldn't commit until he knew exactly what the other River States would do.

 

"Very well," he nodded. "I think your proposal would be valuable to Nexus, but I'd like to give it some more thought before deciding." Making small talk until Web had had a chance to finish her tea and any treats she'd chosen, he rose to see her out.

((OOC: I think that went well, though we won't know for sure until it's time to cast votes... dumdumdum!

 

Takhesis, do you want to RP the other meetings or write cutscenes for them? I think Tinker will take the Hawkriders (he can play up the fact that Looksy and Mt Metagalapa are long-standing friends despite the distance between them) and the Hundred Kingdoms (since those require a LOT of intimate knowledge of their situation). Then Web can do Sijan and Celeren (and if there is any time left, she can then join Tinker working on the 100 kingdoms). What do you think?))

[Takhesis]

[Cutscenes sound like a good idea since its mostly NPCs involved - though Mia is now outside the door so does she approach Web after the door is closed?]

 

 

Web inclined her head in acceptance of the Ambassador's considered response. She'd done what she could with the info she had available - and of course hid her Exaltation well enough, no-one was screaming 'monster' and running away from her yet anyway.

 

As she left she considered the remaining list a well as those Tinker had taken as his share. The smaller kingdoms would be the fiddly ones - if only due to all their pre-existing feuds and alliances.

 

 

[Mistress of Whispers]

((Mia is still in 'observe and learn' mode, so she might follow Web's movements, but she won't approach her (yet). With that in mind, let's go for cutscenes . Biologist, are you interested in writing a scene for Tinker or shall I?

 

I also had an idea for Tinker, who is quickly shaping up to be 'more than a mere mortal'. Submitted for approval:

 

~ The Circle of the Black Night ~

Despite the ominous sounding name, the Circle of the Black Night is a force for good. Or at least: it *hopes* to be. The greatest flaw of the Servants of the Maidens has always been their inability to see beyond prophecy and fate - if it's not represented on the Weave, then it must not be important. It is this 'blindness' that has led the Sidereals to dismiss the Great Contagion (born from the Void), Fair Folk Invasion (sent from the Wyld), disappearance of the Empress (engineered by the Yozi) and emergence of the Deathlords (created by the Neverborn) as 'blips on the radar'. However, there are five Chosen of the Maidens that, through a combination of experience, wisdom, luck and an openmindedness found rarely in their kind, that *do* see what other Sidereals can't. Calling themselves the Circle of the Black Night, named for the creatures and fates that are not governed by the constellations of Creation, they believe that threats from the 'Beyond' may possibly be the undoing of all Creation. Furthermore, they believe that the heroes of old - Exalted that once defeated even the Primordials - are the only ones that can fight this threat. Theorizing that enemies beyond the Weave's control must be opposed by heroes similarly beyond control, they searched for the wildest, most uncontrollable fates and finally settled on a knot of three threads - a Fireblood, a Dawn and a Twilight Exalt - that was alternately besieged and aided by other threads that dipped in and out of existence. Using the Weave to predict when and where the knot would occur, they sent one of their members, a Chosen of [Journeys or Serenity], to forge a bond with the threads in the knot. Meanwhile, the remaining members work from Yu Shan to hide and protect the knot (and its direct allies) from other Sidereals. Apart from offering guidance and protecting the knot from other Sidereals, the Circle of the Black Night does not interfere with the knot - it fears that if it does, the knot's wild unpredictability (needed to combat the Beyond) will be nulled by the Chosens' own immutable fates.

 

Questions:

1. 'Upgrade' Tinker to a Sidereal: yes/no?

2. Introduce the Circle of the Black Night with Tinker as a member: yes/no?

3. Make Tinker a Chosen of Journeys (he loves to travel, speaks a gazillion languages and knows all about the East) or Serenity (he's a skilled diplomat, speaks a dozen languages and is capable of handling both a volatile Fire and Dawn).))

Edited October 13, 2013 by Mistress of Whispers

[Takhesis]

[1. Yes Tinker is now 'officially' a Sidereal - if a hidden one (possibly pretending to be Gold Faction since Circle is hidden)

2. Circle approved - it does fit with the intro blurb. Tinker would make a good contact point - as well as member.

3. Hmmmm Journeys/Serenity hard choice that - both fit the character so far.... I'm holding off on a ruling til something makes one a more obvious choice.]

[Biologist]

1. and a yes from me too. I always suspected he was one!

2. interestig idea of the circle. I really like it. How far are we willing to go explaining it in canon terms? For instance: how did they escape the curse of the Sidereals? Any thoughts? (They might have been in a place where the curse of the Neverborn did not affect them, like the Wyld?)

3. I am not sure yet either whether I think he should be a journeys or a serenity. Let's wait a while until we have something that defines him as one or the other, like Takhesis proposed.

[Mistress of Whispers]

((Ok let's add the CotBN to the game then . We'll hold off on giving Tinker a Caste until it's more obvious. I was thinking that since CotBN has five members, they'd be one of each Caste each.

I didn't come up with a reason why they're not suffering from the Sid Great Curse, but being 'out of range' when the Primordials cast it, could work.))

 

 

Tinker gently petted the young hawk sitting on the perch; softly scratching the animal at the nape of its neck. The creature was still far too young and small to ride - roughly the size of a dog - but it would grow to be as large as a horse and that wasn't counting the wingspan.

 

The Hawkriders bonded their mounts to humans as soon as they hatched and most Riders were continually raising one of the majestic animals. Their ambassador - a small, lithe woman - was no exception to that rule and the baby hawk was hers to rear. She watched Tinker closely now, her eyes as sharp as that of the hawk itself. If the animal snapped at him, or otherwise indicated a dislike, she would take that as an ill omen and likely end the negotiations before they even started. The old man was fully aware of that though. In fact, he was counting on the ambassador also viewing the *reverse* as a *good* omen - this wasn't the first time he had handled one of the hawks. Finally, the creature crooned in contentment and the corners of the ambassador's mouth tugged ever so lightly up - he was off to a good start....

 

(( .... Some small talk, opening negotiations and and tea later ... ))

 

Rilana, Mount Metagalapa's ambassador to the River Council, glanced sideways at her animal companion. The hawk had taken an almost instant liking to the 'ambassador from Lookshy' and, truth be told, so had she, but he was asking for a LOT. It was true that Lookshy and the Hawkriders were long-standing allies, each admiring the independent, noble and militaristic society of the other; even if the Lookshyan had a romanticized idea of the 'wild and free-spirited Hawkriders', and the Metagalapans in turn had a rather exaggerated notion of the 'might of Lookshy'. Indeed, almost all Terrestrial Exalted born to the Hawriders were of Lookshyan heritage. But, affection and admiration not withstanding, there was a vast geographical distance between the flying mountain and the coast. Rilana wasn't necessarily worried about Riders not returning in time to fight off a potential threat - Mount Metagalapa hadn't been under attack since the Balorian Crusade and they had advance scouts in place to warn them if the Wyld stirred again - but she *was* worried about sharing their sole military advantage (not counting the fact that a floating mountain, in and of itself, was neigh-unassailable) with others.

 

"Perhaps," she offered, "we can contribute in a different way..."

 

(( ... Yet again later ... ))

 

Standing outside again, Tinker reviewed what he had achieved. The ambassador had been adamant about refusing to integrate any Hawkriders in the new army, but she had agreed to send a small contingent to *support* it. Effectively, the Riders would remain independent, with their Commander appointed by Mount Metagalapa. The Riders and their Hawks would stay in their own separate barracks (but to be built by the new army, of course) and no outsiders would be allowed to handle the Hawks. However, they would work with the army on the goal of protecting the River Province from outside threats.

 

The unity and efficiency of the army would have been better served if the Hawriders had agreed to integrate fully, but under the circumstances, Tinker was happy with what he could get. And if Shaya had her way in appointing Dace as General, he had no doubt that the Dawn would be able to guide the Riders where they were needed regardless of their independence on paper. He had requested - and the Metagalapan ambassador had gracefully agreed - to keep the exact nature of their agreement quiet until after the Assembly, lest every member state suddenly got the brilliant idea of negotiating for an independent detachment; if that happened, they would end up with an army-by-committee rather than a functioning fighting force.

 

(( ... Next stop: 1/100 Kingdoms ... ))

Edited October 14, 2013 by Mistress of Whispers

[Takhesis]

[Hmmm. reason could be revealed later in plot. 5 members/5 castes makes sense for one of each (think Silent Falling Tree should be the Secrets one - since he's got Web's Oath paper? Either that or he could be a problem for the others to deal with?)

 

Now for Web v Celeren - I think this would be one of the easier ones to convince (Thorns.... need I say more?) I'm assuming Mia isn't calling attention to herself while following Web - so until something happens to make Web notice.... like active Essence use....]

 

Web picked her way through the council area. Next stop: Celeren chambers. She did note that the serving staff got out of her way quickly - whether that was due to some inadvertent indication of her Exaltation showing, or whether it was due to 'other' reasons she couldn't really tell.

 

Knocking on the door, Web waited for an invite. She knew her movements would be observed - so she ignored the tingling feeling between her shoulder blades. Mortal spies couldn't really hope to stay concealed from an Exalt.

 

Once the invite was issued, Web slipped inside and the door closed behind her.

 

--- Tea and pleasantries ----

 

Web waited for the right moment to broach the subject, after all, she didn't lay all her cards on the table at the start of a game.

 

As predicted, Celeren was frightened at the recent events - even if their representative tried to hide it. Without Lookshy - they felt vulnerable, to both the Realm and to their neighbouring city of Thorns.

 

"That is why I'm here.... to make certain that the balance of power cannot be tipped too far." Web hinted, hoping the bait would be taken.

 

It was. Celeren queried further into the matter.

 

---- later on ----

 

Celeren was mostly convinced - the only thing they didn't really like was the placement of the army. They did want it near them - yet they couldn't find flaw in Web's argument of being within range of the weapon that destroyed Lookshy. If the army was based near them - then they proclaimed themselves targets.

 

Not being able to do any more, Web took her leave to 'allow the representative' time to think things through before the council convened.

[Mistress of Whispers]

Tinker liked to consider himself a patient man; simply deciding where to go for tea with his colleagues was a task worthy of any corps diplomatique. But if he had to negotiate *one* more dispute involving stolen cows, cropfields 'just' on this or that side of the border, or 'disrupted' marriages, he was going to start banging heads together. Not to mention that the Hundred Kingdoms were such an incestuous knot of alliances, trade agreements and old feuds, that he had been forced to go back-and-forth and forth-and-back ever since he started negotiating with them; he enjoyed walking as much as the next person - in fact, he often travelled more in one day than most people did in a lifetime - but this was getting ridiculous. And to add insult to injury, only a handful of them knew how to brew a decent pot of tea! One more cup of overly strong, bitter bile and he would.... Well, truthfully: he would *nothing*. Maidens knew that he had considered using his 'special gifts' more than once in the past few hours, but doing so would cross the line from observing to influencing and he couldn't risk that. He could only hope that Web would arrive soon - maybe she could 'prod' some people in the right direction...

 

((I'm assuming the plan is for Web to join Tinker after her visit to the ambassador of Sijan?

 

The CotBN will try to intercept (and conceal) anything that would draw attention to their precious knot and Web's oath certainly counts. But then the question is whether they're in time or not. We *are* talking about a group of five experienced Sidereals, so I'm leaning to them succeeding and SFT being one of them.

 

Mia's charms - Easily Overlooked Presence Method, Mastery of Small Manners & Keen Hearing Technique - are scene-length and she is still in the same scene ('sneaking through hallways and listening at doors') so no need to renew them yet. Even if she did, I'm not sure Web would neccesarily notice her? There are only a handful of charms that detect Essence use and they'd have to be active to work. Usually I would say that Solars vs Infernals/Abyssals might feel a 'tingle' when the other type uses Essence - since they're similar yet anathema to each other - but in this case if would be odd to say that activating a charm that causes you to blend in, actually makes you stand out .))

[Takhesis]

[Yep - that is the plan. And lol at concealment Charms doing the opposite - I assumed the tingling feeling was due to Mia's observation, but was easily brushed aside as standard spy-thing. Since passive Perception is still valid.

 

As for Silent Falling Tree: we seem to have a leaning towards him being Jupiter's representative on the Circle. His visit to the Loom could be ensuring no other Sid noticed as well as confirming his suspicions on the Oath origin. Though he feigns cluelessness.

 

Biologist's vote needed to be thorough on this issue.]

 

Now Web headed for Sijan's Ambassador - still feeling the tingle of being watched. Sijan was one of the more distant members - and one that would be hard to convince - since they traded with both the Realm and the free River States.

 

This time her knock was answered quickly. It seemed that word of her approach had already reached them.

 

--- Tea and terse pleasantries ----

 

As Web had already surmised - the purpose behind her visit was known. And the Sijanese Ambassador wasn't in a good mood. He took it as a slight that other parties had been approached before himself. Web had her work cut out.

 

---- Negotiations and some smoothing over later ---

 

Sijan had calmed down somewhat on the perceived insult - but wasn't truly convinced of the armies necessity.

 

Web played her final hand - if this didn't work then there would be little left that she could do. (bar using Essence and that wouldn't be a good idea.)

 

"I understand your priority is ensuring trade for Sijan isn't disrupted. I would humbly ask that you consider this: How much disruption would be caused by a lack of guided military presence on the trade routes?" Web was counting on the fact that Lookshy didn't just fight threats to safety as a whole - but also discouraged 'independent banditry' on the roads it guarded.

 

Sijan frowned, as if considering the implications of Web's words. Her tone was polite and humble - but it seemed like there was underlying threat to the phrasing.

 

"I will need to think on this, you will have your answer at the council session."

 

"That is all I can ask." Web replied, before being gruffly dismissed. That could have gone better.....

 

Web picked her way towards the meeting place to await Tinker - if he wasn't already there that is.

 

[Another one that isn't certain..... this could get interesting.]