NationStates Jolt Archive

this thread is for the Matchlocks, Merchents, and Missionaries (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=558454) RP. please do not post here unless you have joined it.

Fact book:

Angermanland, consisting of the four islands to the north of western Esterna, is an hereditary feudal monarchy, with most of the power resting in the hands of the nobility.

Legally speaking, the monarch has absolute right of command, but in practice this doesn’t amount to much when dealing with internal issues, as the government as a whole is highly decentralised. if enough vassals are antagonised sufficiently the monarch suddenly finds themselves without any way of enforcing anything outside of their own personal holdings.

The various nobles run their own territories as they see fit, within the bounds of national law. There are often disputes between them, but it has been quite some time since this last came to bloodshed beyond perhaps a dual, as the citizens are usually simply unwilling to fight such wars and thus leave the nobles themselves to do the fighting. As the citizens are not serfs by any means, any noble attempting to force them to fight finds himself not only with hostile [and now armed] citizens to deal with, but rapidly losing support amongst his own retainers as well as any allies he may have. … usually, anyway.

These factional disputes have lead to a healthy counter espionage network, but also tie up the best spies and spymasters, meaning that they are not available to the state for work against foreign powers.

Religion: based around the pxhaf fehkxh wy`mot qet qdas mwah mot [the way of being that which you are] and pxhaf fehkxh lef wy`mot qet qdas mwah u^mot [the way of becoming that which you shall be] philosophies, Angerman religion is a strange and eclectic mix. it readily absorbs any new concept which fits, even displacing old ones if the new idea seems superior. Beyond those two philosophies, no two adults will, typically anyway, ever quite believe exactly the same thing in every respect. Temples and Monasteries serve more to keep records, provide a place for reflection away from the world outside, and act as centre points for various ceremonies than they do as places set aside for the worship of any particular deity or deities. Often schools and universe overlap with the temples as well, with debate in the temple courtyard over which astronomer’s theories of the movement of the heavens is correct being as common as discussion of the natures of elemental spirits in the universities.

Military: Generaly speaking, the officers are nobility, though in some cases they gained titles to go with their rank rather than the other way around. [it is Possible to be raised from the ranks and become an officer. It’s just rather difficult because one must also be appointed nobility.]

The general citizenry show comparatively little interest in military pursuits most of the time, leading to manpower shortages. While this does serve to keep internal hostilities in check as efficiently, if not more so, as a major army under direct control of the monarch, it leads to some odd consequences.
On balance, it costs the state more to train and equip infantryman than a cavalryman does. The cavalry typically come from the nobility and supply much of their own equipment and training. The infantry, on the other hand, do not and require high wages just to compete with those available in other professions so that they sign up at all.

The navy has less of a problem as the nobility happily provide the officer corps, and when all else fails, there are always criminals who chose service in the fleet over hanging to serve as sailors. Like the army, it emphasises quality over quantity, though not so much as the Frozopians do. Of the many lessons learned over the course of its existence, however, the Angerman navy has learned one thing above all others: in combat, training counts. To that end, ships crews and officers are trained and drilled constantly. Nobility may make up the officer corps, but promotions only come to those who pass the tests. New ideas and equipment are routinely tested in mock combat and against pirates.


Language: angermanland is, in fact, the name given to the country by it’s neighbours. To it’s own inhabitants it is known as Angepas [lit: anshep(object/place)], and they refer to themselves as giangepak [lit: (indefinite plural)anshep(person)]
due to the need to represent the language in the standard alphabet, some characters have rather different meanings from the norm:

B= th
C =kh [as in khan]
D= oh [it’s a ‘long’ vowel, that is: held for a double count. Can be rising(d^), level (d) or falling (d`)
G= sh
Q= c-h [almost an unmodified exhalation with just a Hint of a k sound at the beginning]
U= oo [another long vowel]
X= ‘ [a short ‘vowel’, the sound you get if you try to make a transition between consonants where there should be a vowel without actually Saying the vowel]
Y= ee [the third (or 7th, 8th, and 9th, depending on how you look at it) long vowel]

Short vowels have only one pronunciation each: pet, pat, pit, of, fxsh (f’sh). This brings the total number of vowels to 8, or 14 depending on which way one counts the different tones of the long vowels.
No character ever modifies the sound of another [with the exception of the ` and ^ tonal marks on the long vowels, which in the standard alphabet are separate characters]

Resources:
Agriculture: while wheat does grow in certain parts of the country, barley and rye are far more common due to the balance of how much land is available, of what quality, to how much food is produced. While there are no great natural forests, many areas are given over to the growth of timber for the construction of ships (buildings are generally made primarily of stone and brick, rather than wood). [need to investigate llamas and alpacas]
Mineral resources: coal, iron, and small quantities of precious metals and gems can be found in the hills of the main island, and there is no shortage of copper. Other metals can also be found on one island or another in various quantities.
Power: water wheels are common for driving machinery of various sorts, mills being the most common, but various ‘powered’ tools can be found also, most noticeably in the laboratories and workshops of scientists. Wind power is also employed. There are few places where one or the other, or both, are not reasonably reliable sources of motive force.

Education: temple schools are reasonably common in larger towns, while smaller towns usually make other arrangements. The cities typically provide dedicated schools, but they are rarely far removed from the temples due to the overlap between scholars and priests. Universities are to be found in some cities also. Learning and discovery are encouraged by pxhaf fehkxh lef wy`mot qet qdas mwah u^mot, however pxhaf fehkxh wy`mot qet qdas mwah mot does offer some guidance as to the what and how of that learning.

Ocianas – a sleepy harbour town Jonas Silk would be quite satisfied never to see again.
It belonged to one of the North-westernmost provinces of Angermanland, and the only reason he'd ever come here in the first place was that the local harbour-master was broke, and thus bribeable.
It had long been known as true that even when your trade was legal, in Angermanland tariffs were best avoided – they were deliberately expensive in order to prevent effective trade, or so it seemed.

As he stepped around llama-shit, he contemplated the craziness of a world where he was paying hefty bribes for the privilege of transporting smelly, ill-tempered animals from one patch of scrubby grassland to another.
In any case, they'd made a profit on this voyage already; the duties on importing cloth were even greater than those on exporting livestock, and Incognitian woollens were rather fine – the demand was great.
The irony was that Revenue officials would be amongst those in whose houses Jonas' wool would soon be found, and they'd never even realise; one bribe to get the stuff in tariff-free, a second to obtain genuine stamps showing duty-paid, and the suppliers who took it would never let on – that would cut their profit margins.

He leant on the poop-deck rail and looked into the town – village, really – as his crewmen finished leading the llamas aboard and got them settled in the hold. Cleaning up after them was going to be a chore, and they'd all be praying for fine weather – if llamas were anything like horses they'd be a nightmare in heavy seas.

The tide would be high within the hour; and then he'd be shot of Angermanland and all her awkward tariffs for a couple of months. Jonas was only a few profitable voyages short of paying off Master Thomson and getting his fifth ship, at which point it would probably be time to move into land-side trading and leave the voyages to his assistants and apprentices.
Not least among his concerns, Elara was getting older – it would be time to marry her off before too long, no time for a man to be travelling months at a time. He'd have to come up with a suitable dowry, vet the various suitors – and for a successful merchant family with no male heirs, there'd be more than a few of those – all while running the business.

He suddenly frowned, as he spotted a – no, it couldn't be – but it was, a sail, well over the horizon by now. Too big for the local fishermen, that was for sure.
The whole point of using this flea-speck was that you didn't get too many visitors, and almost all of them owed allegiance to the local nobleman, Qyliptah, who was...on-side...
He shouted for his sailing-master “Willoughby!”
“Yes Mr. Silk!” came the raucous bellow of Mr. Willoughby, a great bear of a man who'd been sailing with Jonas for over a decade. His voice was soon followed by the man himself, and Jonas' space at the rail shrank somewhat.
“Do you see that sail, Willoughby” a nod “What think ye of it?”
“Yessir. Belated visit from the Revenue, you think?”
“Surely not, they've never caught on to us half this fast when we're this far from the capital – besides, we visit for a couple of days every month or so, what odds their arriving just when we're here?”
“Well, could be this Thief's less friendly than he seemed Boss. It's happened before.”
“Maybe you're right Will. Well, chivvy the lads along, I'll go along to the harbour-master and see what's up.”
“You remember the tide turns in only a glass Boss - reckon you'll be back in time?”

Jonas called over his shoulder as he left “Oh, if you're worried send some of the lads to fetch me. It's only five minutes 'round the bay, twill be easy enough.”
“Very well Boss. We'll be all ready to go when you get back.”
Willoughby watched his employer wander off into the afternoon sunshine, shrugged his shoulders, and returned to work.

Migah stood on the deck as the transport ship came into the port of Dgyanas, which the incognitians called Ocianas.

recently, significant quantities of woolen cloth had been appearing in some of the larger markets at unexpectedly low prices, with the duty stamp of this province. this was a new development, and unexpected. the harbour was small, out of the way, and a significant distance from the major cities of the nation. there was no logical reason for a trader to offload his cargo Here. citizens who had an interest in the woolen industry had noticed this, and made inquiries of the local authorities. this started a rapid process, as trade duties were one of the few areas of life where the central government typically took a hard line.

when this was brought to the attention of the trade duty office, they had investigated the records. if it had simply been a case of unusual decisions on the part of the traders in question for innocent reasons, there would be record of the duty, even if the funds themselves had been 'misplaced' along the way. that sort of trick was not unheard of, bordered on common, in fact. as the usual destination for diverted funds was various projects of benefit to the local area of the harbour in question, no one worried much. the point in the duties was, after all, to control the flow of goods in and out of the country, thus allowing the various craftsmen and workers access to what they needed without undercutting them in what they produced.

the investigation quickly reveled, however, that not only had the money it's self not arrived, but no payment of duty had ever been recorded. so, in reasonably short order, Migah had been dispatched to investigate. the office had provided him with a ship, and to lend weight to his position he had brought five of his own guardsmen, as well as fifteen marines loaned from one of the warships currently assigned to enforcing customs duties and the like. he himself was no slouch with rapier and long knife either, though like many Angerman nobles he preferred pole arms when the situation allowed.

the marines were commanded by one Lieutenant Wu`zik. so far as Migah could tell, he was competent enough, at the least. obviously most experienced with boarding operations, but any fighting likely to take place would hardly be more organized than that.

hopefully, however, it would all be a misunderstanding, or failing that the involved parties would accept the rule of law and the machinations of justice.

that said, the incognitian ship in the harbour might explain a few things. he gave orders to the captain to see that they did not leave without his authorization. the cannon for arming ships were so easy to come by that even a ship of the Trade Duty Office, built mainly for transport, was reasonably well armed. it would lose to a warship, no argument there, but should be enough to discourage merchants from taking issue with official business. useually.

still, if all was in order the incognitians would not miss the tide unless their captain decided to take exception to the process and try to imitate a disgruntled lama.

these were the thoughts he had in mind as he stepped onto the dock and met the harbour master. "you are the harbour master for this town, yes? Migynd^?"
"i am he."
"good. i am Migah, in the service of the Trade Duty Office. i have been tasked by that office, in the name of the king, to investigate various anomalies in this area. from now until my investigation is complete, no ships shall leave this harbour without my personal authorization" as he spoke, his guardsmen, followed by the marines, tramped down the gangplank onto the dock
"it shall be as you say, Migah-bef" the harbour master was obviously nervous, though that didn't mean much in and of it's self. armed guards and TDO investigations would tend to do that.
"very good. first, i will see your records, if you please" he smiled slightly.
"this way, Migah-bef."

Coming along the dock, Jonas eyed the scene in front of him; armed guards, always a bad sign, and a man bearing himself like a noble at their head could make it even worse.
Still, he had come this far, he might as well find out what it was all about.
He swiftly decided to ignore Migynd^, as if the man was in trouble it might be best not to be associated with him.

"Excuse me gentlemen."

"My name is Jonas Silk, merchant-errant, and my ship First Fruits is the one you can doubtless see there." He pointed extravagantly in the general direction of his vessel.
"We stopped in yesterday to replenish our victuals, and intend to depart on the tide; I saw your arrival and thought it best to clear up any minor administrative details with you gentlemen before departing."

It was not an outright lie; they had indeed re-victualled here, and the manifest, as ever, showed that they had loaded the llamas days ago and in another port entirely, just to add to the difficulty of tracing what duty was owed and to whom.
His hope was that this official would realise matters were somewhat irregular, but not have quite enough to go on, and let them go with perhaps a small fine for breaching whatever regulations he could prove had been broken in the meagre time before they left.

"i am Migah-bef, of the Trade Duty Office. sad to say your ship shall not be leaving until After it has been inspected and it's paperwork gone over throughly. fortunatly for you, I'm reasonably good at what i do. if all is in order, you'll still make the tide." he paused, considering how much to say, before deciding that the man's reaction should probably provide useful information "there have been some... discrepancies... in the records for this area. i am charged with investigating them. normally would take longer to notice, but some of those involved with the relevant industries noticed some rather weird things about what was going where if the goal was to turn a profit and, well, I'm sure you know what such people are like when they feel their interests threatened... there was one man looked fit to order his apprentices to torch the local office if 'something wasn't done', actually..." he trailed off, then turned and addressed Wu`zik "lieutenant, if you would be so good as to take five of your men and secure the harbour master's office? the last thing we want is for anyone to do a little creative record keeping Now...

Migynd^, you will come with me and the rest of the men. we are going to go and begin inspecting mister Silk's" here he stumbled and mispronounced the name horribly, for to his tongue it was all but unpronounceable, having too either few vowels or too many consonants, and those in awkward combinations. after a few attempts he settled on what sounded to incognitian ears as something to the effect of " Sin-k' " " ship so that, all being in order, he may leave as soon as possible." a few brief orders set men to the task of organizing a boat for the trip.

"Very well sir, I will see you there."
Silk immediately set off for First Fruits. Not hurriedly, such as would suggest he was taking one last chance to destroy incriminating evidence - he was careful to ensure such wasn't present in the first place - just because he had no time to waste. After all, time and tide wait for no man.

When this official arrived, he would find an orderly, well-run trader - ship-shape and Nescia fashion, as in the old saying. They had papers for the livestock from some port along the coast, he forgot quite which one, but they were there, and short of going to that port to check, Jonas didn't expect that it could be easily discerned that they were fake.
These documents also, if accepted at face value, separated Silk's ship from the cargo of woollens just recently offloaded.
There was a risk, of course, there was always a risk; the risk was part of the reason he loved playing the game in the first place.
But Jonas was confident that if he could put himself across as the well-meaning, baffled trader, they'd be sailing on the tide.

That night the ocean was a ravenous beast pawing madly at the surface. With one sweep it stole the weak and unfortunate into its depths from which there would be no return. Its roar was felt across the islands of Angepas where even the bravest cowered behind their stone walls. But a few men gamely battled the beast. And with all their experience and courage: They won.

Dominic muttered his prayers as he desperately held onto the ships mast. He was not alone: Half a dozen other sailors clutched onto the ropes with white knuckles praying too various deities. Most had their eyes closed. As men of the sea they had seen alot of things in there time. However They had never seen anything quite like Wiseman Fen, Dominics friend and mentor, before.

Fen was dancing up and down the deck oblivious of his observers and any danger he maybe in. He danced to a strange rhythm singing a song no one could hear over the roar of the waves. Many times he was hurtled from his feet as the ship struck a wave, falling dangerously close to ships edge but his only response was to throw his head back and cackle madly.

Dominic could bear it no longer. For a second he was tempted to run forwards and grab the old man. However another sudden lurch in ships motion made him change his mind. Instead he closed his eyes and prayed for the storm to end.

It took a few hours for the storm. Some how Dominic had fallen asleep during the storm....Something for which he was grateful for. He promised himself that he would make a sacrifice when they landed next. It would be the Frozopians final port and destination: The city kapitalas in the lands of Angepas.

-------

Dominic gaped at harbour. They had departed from a small town and now they were in the Angepas capital. For him it was a sight to behold. So many great ships in one place, penned in between two great stone forts that blotted the sky. In the town itself merchants winded in and out of compact alleys trading a vast array of luxuries and neccessities from all across Esterna. Smoke from a thousand coal fires rose above the city.

"Where next father?"

Fin looked tired. Sometimes Dominic forgot how old the wise man was and today he looked older then ever.

"We let fate decide."

Unsure what that meant Dominic proceeded unto the decking that connected the ships with the city. Behind him he could hear the Captain of the ship arguing with who Dominic guessed to be the trade duty officer but this was quickly drowned out by the babble of city life. Once off the docks the two men found themselves lost in the crowd. Feeling distinctly uncomfortable Dominic pushed his way through while Fen lashed out at anyone who got in the way of his staff.

After 10 minutes the two Frozopians fought their way clear of the crowd to stumble across a quieter side street where a young man in robes not unlike those worn by the Frozopian wisemen was bargaining with a trader in the Angerman tongue. It looked like he was purchasing fish

"Savage! Yes I mean you!" Fen snapped. "Give me fish!"

"Father I told you they are not duty bound to feed us...I dont think he even speaks Frozopian." Dominic spoke somewhat exasperated.

"Silence!" Fen swung his staff at Dominic but he was expecting it and quickly leapt out of the way. Fen turned back to the robe wearer.

"Of course he speaks Frozopian! You see those robes? They mean education. He's an educated savage. Now feed us! And to repay you I will tell you why the God's crafted you so ugly!"

Zd`oj, acolyte of the peaceful moon temple, who was actually considered by many of the young women of the town to be rather attractive, was startled to say the least. it was not exactly common to have a strange old man start just randomly come up and start making demands of an acolyte, and ranting in Frozopian was also unusual. though as he regained his sense of what was going on the two facts linked together in a way which made perfect sense.

"sir, i am afraid i cannot help you in quite the way you wish," his Frozopian was slow, as he used it rarely, but clear and correct, albeit with a noticeable accent "i can, however, translate for you if you wish to purchase some for yourself. alternatively, as an acolyte of the temple of the peaceful moon, i can offer you our hospitality there so long as you are willing to follow such rules as we have for guests."

while he was speaking, Zd`oj was also keeping an eye on the citizens around them, some of whom had gathered into a small circle to watch what was happening. none were doing anything worrying yet, but it was fairly easy to tell that the old man had better watch his tone and actions, if not his actual words. easy going and willing to accept new ideas the giangepak might be, but few would take kindly to one who abused a priest, except perhaps in those few instances where the priests abused their position.

fortunatly, or so he thought, a pair of watchmen were approaching the scene, wearing the rather distinctive turquoise and red uniforms that the government mandated and the city provided, as well as well polished, if slightly worn looking, breast- and back-plates. they were, predictably, carrying the equity distinctive black jivulatas, a thick wooden staff which, when rested on the ground, came to the hight of it's wielders armpit. the 'master of rest' was so called because of the watchmen's habit of clouting particularly troublesome criminals [or brawlers, or drunks] over the head [or sometimes in the genitals] with it, rendering them incapable of doing much, if anything, Other than resting.

"Acolyte" the senior of the two nodded slightly as he arrived, speaking angepaf "we've been having reports of some foreigners causing a disturbance in the street the whole way along our rout from the harbour... specifically a 'crazy old man in robes similar to that of an acolyte, laying into people seemingly at random with a staff'" he paused, looking at Fen, "i suspect this is him, yes?"

"indeed, lat, i would think that it most likely is. however, if you would allow me to speak to him, i think i can resolve the situation" he responded in kind, turning back to Fen and Dominic. returning to Frozopian he calmly informed them "it is worth noting that the latter might be your best option. these good gentlemen may otherwise be required to arrest you, sir, for causing a public disturbance and undue injury to various citizens."

Dominic nodded gratefully. Then speaking slowly so the acolyte could understand:

"I apologise for Fen...." "Pah!" "His ways may appear a little harsh to you....foreigners. But as Wisemen of Frozopia we are used to being treated with nothing but subservance. We will gladly take your offer of hospitality."

Fen growled but he eyed the guardsmen warily. With all his fire he was not a stupid man. Infact he was a long way from it.

"Oh and my name is Dominic. I am a trainee Wiseman of Frozopia and as I said earlier this is Fen my mentor. We have travelled a long way to give on our knowledge of the Gods who rule this world."

"humm. you may need to adjust your view of the world a little, i think. who is truly the foreigner here, for example? reguardless, i shall resolve this situation with the watch, and then we shall get going... of course, i do still need to finish my business for the temple in the city, but that'll give you a chance to familiarize yourselves with the area a bit, i guess," Zd`oj smiled slightly, thinking on just what he'd got himself into. addressing the senior watchman, he continued 'lat, i shall take responsibility for these men and they have accepted the hospitality of the temple of the peaceful moon. none the less, it may be a good idea to have one of your fellows accompany us until we return to the temple today, as a reminder... and to reduce the likelihood of unfortunate reactions to any... ill advised? remarks which might be made."

a short discussion followed, with the result being the junior watchman coming along to 'maintain the peace' while the senior continued on his rounds.

"right now," the acolyte returned to frozopian, signing off on the purchased fish, which would be delivered to the temple, and paying the fishmonger, "fortunately, the rest of my business today is not much. a couple of letters to deliver, nothing more. come on." and with that, he started off down the street.

"this is one of the wider streets in the capital. all the hills mean flat space is at something of a premium, so most of the streets are quite narrow. the temple is to the south, just inside the city walls. of course, it's one of several in the city. which reminds me, i need to tell you of the rules for guests. they're quite simple. it's called the temple of the peaceful moon for a reason. do not raise your voice within the buildings or after dark, be respectful and polite to all others. oh, and no violence within the temple grounds. ever. at all. quite strict on that one. it is, of course, appreciated if you can make a donation or at least help with the work to compensate for the resources you consume, but not required. "

as he spoke they turned off the street and entered through a gate into a reasonably large, though noticeably not flat, courtyard. on three sides it was surrounded by large, multi story stone buildings while the fourth was the street side wall. every wall in site was covered in neat, flowing script, and monks, priests, and sundry other older individuals sat with groups of younger people, mostly but not exclusively men, debating, arguing, speaking, and listening.

"one of the cities universities." Zd`oj stated " i have to pass on a letter here, then we go down to one of the training halls, and then to the temple."

"Ah a place of learning! I have heard of these! Fen has even had the fortune to visit one of the few we have in Frozopia!" Dominic was impressed.

"Pah! A bunch of homosexuals debating the meaningless and mindless babble that they call Philosophy." Snapped the old man.

"Fen!" Dominic reddened with embarrassment. Fen was sometimes a hard man to be around. He hoped few of the men in the forum spoke Frozopian. He was eager to change the subject:

"What does the script on the walls mean? What exactly are these scholars debating?"

"Very well sir, I will see you there."
Silk immediately set off for First Fruits. Not hurriedly, such as would suggest he was taking one last chance to destroy incriminating evidence - he was careful to ensure such wasn't present in the first place - just because he had no time to waste. After all, time and tide wait for no man.

When this official arrived, he would find an orderly, well-run trader - ship-shape and Nescia fashion, as in the old saying. They had papers for the livestock from some port along the coast, he forgot quite which one, but they were there, and short of going to that port to check, Jonas didn't expect that it could be easily discerned that they were fake.
These documents also, if accepted at face value, separated Silk's ship from the cargo of woollens just recently offloaded.
There was a risk, of course, there was always a risk; the risk was part of the reason he loved playing the game in the first place.
But Jonas was confident that if he could put himself across as the well-meaning, baffled trader, they'd be sailing on the tide.

Migah was aboard the Incognitian ship in short order. he checked the manifests against the duty stamps and the actual cargoes themselves. some of the stamps seemed to have been made with non-standard inks, a little unusual, but it happened sometimes simply due to less than perfect inventory records leading to the standard inks running out at inopportune moments.

for a ship full of lamas which had been at sea for a while, there was remarkably little waste... asking random crew members produced slightly different stories as to why this was so, but they all amounted to 'captain made us clean the whole ship 'soon as we got into port. bastard.'

the First Fruits it's self was also not quite standard for this kind of work. while on the one hand it made sense to use a fast ship so as to not have the animals at sea for longer than necessary, most traders would rather use one with more cargo space so as to reduce the number of trips required.

Migah, however, was not satisfied with the results of this. oh, there was no obvious violation, but something about the whole situation stank. and not just the lama excrement. he made a note to investigate the port where the lamas had supposedly been picked up, and to have the office's agents keep an eye on this ship's movements, in as much as was possible.

"well, captain," he said, now standing once more on the deck with his men and about to leave "it will please you to know that you'll make the tide after all. i have found no evidence linking you to the Office's little... problems... in this area. good day." and with that he left the ship. the next task, of course, was to ... throughly ... investigate the harbour master's office. as it doubled as the local branch of the Office, it was quite possibly the only place in the area where he had as much authority, if not more, as the Qyliptah-bef.

"Ah a place of learning! I have heard of these! Fen has even had the fortune to visit one of the few we have in Frozopia!" Dominic was impressed.

"Pah! A bunch of homosexuals debating the meaningless and mindless babble that they call Philosophy." Snapped the old man.

"Fen!" Dominic reddened with embarrassment. Fen was sometimes a hard man to be around. He hoped few of the men in the forum spoke Frozopian. He was eager to change the subject:

"What does the script on the walls mean? What exactly are these scholars debating?"

"heh, well, i can't attest to the sexual preferences of any individual here, but I'd hardly call the debates these scholars are engaged in meaningless." Zd`oj paused to listen for a moment, "well, mostly... I'm really not sure what use a debate over wither or not a particular orange is perfectly round could possibly serve beyond practice for the art of debating it's self... " he blinked a little before continuing " but yes, they discuss and debate many things, philosophy, mathematics, history... the gilat here teach many more things also, but the more practical aspects are not generally to be found on display in the gardens. as for the writings... most of them Are philosophy, actually. the fundamental tenants of our society as a whole, you could say. they are the texts of the pxhaf fehkxh wy`mot qet qdas mwah mot and the pxhaf fehkxh lef wy`mot qet qdas mwah u^mot, written out in full." here he looked around some more, before pointing at one of the buildings "except on that building, which has the first and most fundamental of the war manuals," he pointed at another "and that, which has the healers oath and miscellaneous proverbs"

he scanned the gardens once more, before apparently finding the man he was looking for and calling out in Angepaf "Qitwih! Zu`t sends you a message!" he quickly went to meet the man and handed over the letter, exchanged brief pleasantries, then returned "training hall next, unless you have more questions. I'm not exactly rushed beyond not wishing to drag you all over the city more than is necessary and needing to return to the temple by nightfall."

with no significant questions arising that required them to remain at the university, the acolyte of the temple of the peaceful moon lead his Frozopian companions towards their next destination, a training hall in the center of the city.

like most reasonably sized shared, if not public, institutions in the city the Joulin training hall was surrounded by a solid wall enclosing a reasonably large garden. this one, however, had more trees and less random decorative flowers, more scrub and less vegetables. in truth, it was more of an outdoor training space attempting to recreate the sort of things one found out in the real world. for now it seemed quiet though.
"i would advise you to stay on the paths here, just because it's quiet doesn't mean the students aren't training. the layout does strange things to the acoustics, and the last thing you want to do is wander through some foliage and into the middle of a duel." Zd`oj cautioned "the hall it's self is just up ahead"

turning a final corner on the path did indeed bring them to a pair of large doors in a stone wall. actually, it was the main building, but the plants obscured it's true size to either side. Zd`oj, expected, simply pushed the doors open. evidence of sundry methods for dealing with ...unwanted... guests could be seen in the entryway if one looked closely enough with an eye for such things.

passing though the entryway into the main hall, he warned his companions "if anyone is on the main floor, within the markers, stay very quiet until they are done and acknowledge us. our business is not an emergency, and the last thing we need to do is cause an injury by presenting a distraction."

within was a large open room, it's floor made of smooth wood. that alone was unusual, as most buildings in Angepas had stone or dirt floors. often covered in straw. and indeed, within the markers, simple wooden posts set about two meters in from the corners of the room, two people were sparing.

the taller of the two wore a long sleeved shirt just loose enough to allow for easy movement, and trousers of a similar design. sandy hair just long enough to move noticeably when he did went with gray eyes and a serious expression. in his hands he held a staff, and he had adopted a defensive stance.

his opponent was noticeably shorter than he, though hardly short when one considered her gender, made obvious by a similarly tight shirt even if it might not have been quite so much so in more regular clothing. hair and eyes made it likely the two were related. unlike the man, her pants were not tight, instead somewhat loose, ending at mid calf and with legs somewhat wider there than where they began. at her waist to either side skin could be seen through what appeared to be holes below her belt. she had taken no stance at all, simply standing ready.

a flash of movement, and blades appeared in her hands, revealing, to those who watched carefully, that the 'holes' were pocket sheaths, of a sort for her long-knives. a leap forward in the same motion an she was coming down, while the man quickly raised his staff to deflect her attack. using the combined momentum of her jump and the staff's motion, she flipped over his head and kicked out, meeting the staff with her foot as it came down in an overhanded strike towards her. as the taller combatant pulled the staff away for a different strike, she shifted her weight to the foot which had been holding it, almost falling into a stance which seemed to simultaniously be ready to attack or defend in any direction, while at the same time looking as if she would fall if someone even breathed wrong. as the staff came 'round again, she proved this to be the case, Falling forward and raising an arm to deflect the staff upwards off one blade while stabbing with the other, stopping just short of the man's throat.

"i win."
"bah, i've got to find a counter to that stance. everything i do you knock aside or fall away from."
"mm. about the only thing that will defeat it is a direct thrust from a blade, unfortunately. oh!" while sheathing her blades she'd turned just enough to notice their guests "Zd`oj! and who are your friends there?"

"Piy-bef, Afdly-bef, i present to you Fen and Dominik, wisemen of Frozopia. unfortunately I'm not sure they speak or understand our tongue at all, though they may. " the final sound in Dominic's name seemed subtly different when the y^pAngep acolyte spoke it.

Piy and Afdly, both educated nobles, could speak Frozopian themselves, to a point, though neither were as fluent as Zd`oj and Afdly had an atrocious accent.

"Greetings to you, honored guests. i be Piy Joulin, and this be my brother Afdly Joulin. our father be hall-lat here, and my brother be more competent than i make him look." grammatical oddities and random y^pangep words sprinkled her speech, but it wasn't difficult to understand.

"Afdly-bef is a captain in our nation's navy. i sometimes suspect the only reason Piy-bef beats him so often when they train is that he keeps expecting the floor to move."
pie briefly switched back to their native tongue "feh, i've told you often enough, Zd`oj, drop the whole 'bef' thing. it's meaningless ceremony for my family these days. we rule no more than what is to be found within the walls of this hall, and even then only on the whim of both city and king. besides, you're a friend. no point in needless formalities."
"mmm. perhaps. regardless, we're being rude here." Zd`oj said the first in Angepaf, before switching back to Frozopian "i have here a message for your father from the high priest at the temple, something about their hxmaz game, i think. though for all i know it could pertain to earth shattering events of espionage or an exchange of paintings of dubious morality. no one tells an acolyte these things."
"i shall see that he gets it."

ooc: stopping here in case there was a response that needed to be made.

This guy was good, Jonas had to admit to himself.
Most customs-men, on inspecting a vessel, could happily poke about for hours and not spot any important details, even when they weren't getting a wage for wilful blindness to infractions.
Migah, on the other hand, had only been on First Fruits a few minutes, and he seemed to have found almost enough to impound the ship while he investigated.
First there had been the duty stamps; they were good fakes, but some aspects of the originals were nigh-impossible to replicate. Migah's eyes had narrowed, and Jonas had been glad of paying the extra to improve the forged stamps.

Then he had literally wrinkled his nose and sniffed gently, as he noticed the nigh-total lack of llama shit. Jonas was proud of his men for ad-libbing so well, in painting him as a harsh task-master who had had them scrubbing the decks for hours.

There had also been the occasional glance up at the rigging, and around at the ship, which showed the clean, fast lines of a smuggler or jacht, not a coastal trader, but again, he had said nothing.

When Migah announced that First Fruits could leave, Jonas had surreptitiously let out the breath he'd been half-holding throughout, and got his crew moving with almost indecent haste. Almost as soon as the last man of Migah's party stepped ashore, the gang-plank was moved, the hawsers slipped, and First Fruits on her way home, on perhaps her last voyage...a new name might be prudent after this little incident, as Migah might well put her down to be watched by the Customs-men throughout Angermanland.

Thinking of which, the man had left for the Customs-house, and would now be going through the records...perhaps no longer being in the First Fruits would be prudent in any case. A little shifting of her rig to optimise for pure speed and also change her appearance somewhat, a re-naming, a striking of the figurehead, and while she would still be a fast trader, she would no longer be First Fruits. Perhaps Elara...yes, that was a good name. As soon as they were out of sight of Ocianas, the work began. There'd be no figurehead, but that wasn't unusual, and Jonas would rather not have a statue of his daughter topless beneath his bowsprit, much as the crew might like it.

The Frozopians were strangely quiet as they entered the training hall. It was not out of politeness: More it was their way of absorbing their surroundings. As the Wisemen stopped to watch the sparring match, Dominic glanced at his mentor. He was relieved. Instead of bursting into laughter Fen had managed to hold a expresion of amusement and contempt. As the match ended Fen opened his mouth. Dominic sighed.

"A woman fighting? Or I assume this is what you foreigners call fighting. In Frozopia we would call this dancing. Ah! I see! She is dancing! For a second I thought you Angermen might be below contempt."

Dominic winced.

"Excuse my mentor. Women in Frozopia tend to lack wit or strength enough to partake in anything other then serving their husbands or fathers, normally in a domestic role. Forgive his ignornance. Tell me are you the lords of this land? And you rule no more? Did you forfeit your lands?"

The Frozopians were strangely quiet as they entered the training hall. It was not out of politeness: More it was their way of absorbing their surroundings. As the Wisemen stopped to watch the sparring match, Dominic glanced at his mentor. He was relieved. Instead of bursting into laughter Fen had managed to hold a expresion of amusement and contempt. As the match ended Fen opened his mouth. Dominic sighed.

"A woman fighting? Or I assume this is what you foreigners call fighting. In Frozopia we would call this dancing. Ah! I see! She is dancing! For a second I thought you Angermen might be below contempt."

Dominic winced.

"Excuse my mentor. Women in Frozopia tend to lack wit or strength enough to partake in anything other then serving their husbands or fathers, normally in a domestic role. Forgive his ignornance. Tell me are you the lords of this land? And you rule no more? Did you forfeit your lands?"

surprisingly, Afdly responded to Fen's speach while Piy was still finding the words necessary, his voice quite but hard, "single combat between skilled and unarmored combatants with melee weapons truly Is a dance, albeit a deadly one. each step must be perfect, each motion precisely in balance... put my sister against a foe who knew her less perfectly, or was less skilled, and it would seem less dance-like, for the other Would misstep, and lose limb or life, if the situation warranted it. i have seen it. it is so."

of course, he spoke in his native tongue, and Zd`oj was therefor required to translate exactly what he had said. "wiseman, i would advise you not to antagonize Afdly-bef. if he chose to, here in this hall, his home, as a noble, he could challenge you without fear of consequence from any but his father."

Piy, having found the words she needed, responded to Dominic's apology and questions, as well as, to a lesser extent, Fen's remarks, "many women here be the same, but it be their choice and their advantage, and enough chose otherwise or have otherwise chosen for them. to fight with the paired knives truly be to dance, for there ibe no true defense against most other weapons save to move.

humm... Dminik, be it?" she pronounced his name 'oh-min-ik' "you understand more than it would seem. my family be of the nobility, it be true, but one must trace our ancestry far back before one comes to one who ruled their own lands outright. the simple passage of time and machinations of fate have meant that, now, we own only that which be within the walls of this compound. some be sold, some be lost in one war or another, some simply passed into other hands due to lines of succession. there be no grand catastrophe. in rank, here and now, there be no 'greater' or 'lesser' nobility, but, save for my father's title and the resulting eligibility for governmental positions, a particularly wealthy merchant would be at least as well off as we be."

This guy was good, Jonas had to admit to himself.
Most customs-men, on inspecting a vessel, could happily poke about for hours and not spot any important details, even when they weren't getting a wage for wilful blindness to infractions.
Migah, on the other hand, had only been on First Fruits a few minutes, and he seemed to have found almost enough to impound the ship while he investigated.
First there had been the duty stamps; they were good fakes, but some aspects of the originals were nigh-impossible to replicate. Migah's eyes had narrowed, and Jonas had been glad of paying the extra to improve the forged stamps.

Then he had literally wrinkled his nose and sniffed gently, as he noticed the nigh-total lack of llama shit. Jonas was proud of his men for ad-libbing so well, in painting him as a harsh task-master who had had them scrubbing the decks for hours.

There had also been the occasional glance up at the rigging, and around at the ship, which showed the clean, fast lines of a smuggler or jacht, not a coastal trader, but again, he had said nothing.

When Migah announced that First Fruits could leave, Jonas had surreptitiously let out the breath he'd been half-holding throughout, and got his crew moving with almost indecent haste. Almost as soon as the last man of Migah's party stepped ashore, the gang-plank was moved, the hawsers slipped, and First Fruits on her way home, on perhaps her last voyage...a new name might be prudent after this little incident, as Migah might well put her down to be watched by the Customs-men throughout Angermanland.

Thinking of which, the man had left for the Customs-house, and would now be going through the records...perhaps no longer being in the First Fruits would be prudent in any case. A little shifting of her rig to optimise for pure speed and also change her appearance somewhat, a re-naming, a striking of the figurehead, and while she would still be a fast trader, she would no longer be First Fruits. Perhaps Elara...yes, that was a good name. As soon as they were out of sight of Ocianas, the work began. There'd be no figurehead, but that wasn't unusual, and Jonas would rather not have a statue of his daughter topless beneath his bowsprit, much as the crew might like it.


Migah smiled grimly. when he had returned to the customs house, it hadn't taken much effort before Migynd^ had sung like a bird. the records here also showed the relevant details. apparently Qyliptah-bef, though he would like hold that honorific for but a short while longer, had been responsible for the records not going through. the habourmaster had been all set to pass it off as the usual sort of tax fiddle until his lord had intervened. a mistake, and one Qyliptah would pay for dearly.
his expression shifted to one of anger "Depths take Sin-k and all his kind." he spat. the ship and crew responsible had been in his hands, and he'd let them go! in a way it was fortunate he had, otherwise, like as not, he'd be facing Qyliptah's men in a messy and pointless confrontation by now... but even so... "the King's justice will do for Qyliptah-bef, and for this worm" he kicked Migynd^ once more, eliciting a frightened whimper "but damn Sin-k to the ocean's deep embrace!"
he rounded on the soldiers in the room "come! we leave for the capital at once!"
with that, he swept out of the room, leaving the soldiers to gather up the unfortunate harbour master and hurry in his wake.

his investigations had never taken him past the dock, and in the space of a day he had discharged his duty to the trade duties office, hopefully discouraged a smuggler, and set in motion events which would eventually lead Angepas into a conflict for which it was, perhaps, ill prepared.

surprisingly, Afdly responded to Fen's speach while Piy was still finding the words necessary, his voice quite but hard, "single combat between skilled and unarmored combatants with melee weapons truly Is a dance, albeit a deadly one. each step must be perfect, each motion precisely in balance... put my sister against a foe who knew her less perfectly, or was less skilled, and it would seem less dance-like, for the other Would misstep, and lose limb or life, if the situation warranted it. i have seen it. it is so."

of course, he spoke in his native tongue, and Zd`oj was therefor required to translate exactly what he had said. "wiseman, i would advise you not to antagonize Afdly-bef. if he chose to, here in this hall, his home, as a noble, he could challenge you without fear of consequence from any but his father."

Piy, having found the words she needed, responded to Dominic's apology and questions, as well as, to a lesser extent, Fen's remarks, "many women here be the same, but it be their choice and their advantage, and enough chose otherwise or have otherwise chosen for them. to fight with the paired knives truly be to dance, for there ibe no true defense against most other weapons save to move.

humm... Dminik, be it?" she pronounced his name 'oh-min-ik' "you understand more than it would seem. my family be of the nobility, it be true, but one must trace our ancestry far back before one comes to one who ruled their own lands outright. the simple passage of time and machinations of fate have meant that, now, we own only that which be within the walls of this compound. some be sold, some be lost in one war or another, some simply passed into other hands due to lines of succession. there be no grand catastrophe. in rank, here and now, there be no 'greater' or 'lesser' nobility, but, save for my father's title and the resulting eligibility for governmental positions, a particularly wealthy merchant would be at least as well off as we be."

Fen was irritated, Dominic could tell. In Frozopia threatening a Wiseman would be madness. There had been a few occasions in history where a wiseman had been killed by soldiers and others. All of the killers had seen retribution exacted upon them, whether it was at the hands of men or the Gods. But here in Angepas the God's of Frozopia held little power. Fen knew he could not guaranty himself safety. So he remained silent.

Dominic spoke instead:
"Things are not so different here from our own lands, although a Frozopian noble would almost never be equalled in wealth by a commoner nor would he always be equal in influence as other nobility. Over the centuries land has slipped through the fingers of many: But this has always been a inspiration to take up the sword and carve out new lands. It is how our nation was formed."

"our own nation came together through.. different.. means. there were battles, yes, but the earliest nobility were those who were wise enough to lead well, or strong enough to protect, those who lived around them. he who could provide protection and prosperity naturally gathered loyal followers. in time some of these groups came into conflict, others allied and joined together. some splintered when no true leader was to be found." Zd`oj took the opportunity to explain a little of their society,
"as for equal influence, that's not quite so. however, so far as the Law is concerned, on is either the monarch, a noble, a citizen, or a foreigner. any further influence comes not from rank, but from position. a landed lord will typically have less influence in the royal court, but has influence and authority rivaled only by the king in their own lands.
in truth, on land at least, the vast majority of the king's strength comes from the fact that the citizens and nobility will follow him. for all that the position is hereditary, he does not rule by divine right. he rules because others follow. in practical truth, that is the case with all nobles who's titles are more than purely decorative. they rule, or at least lead, because others will follow.

so, you see, strength is measured, by the typical noble of our lands, at least, not in terms of who can be crushed should they oppose, but on who will follow in the first place."

"besides that," Piy smiled slightly, "there be other ways to advance one's interests. ways which leave one with power less easily taken away again. though they be in reach of the ordinary citizenry as much as the nobility"

"our own nation came together through.. different.. means. there were battles, yes, but the earliest nobility were those who were wise enough to lead well, or strong enough to protect, those who lived around them. he who could provide protection and prosperity naturally gathered loyal followers. in time some of these groups came into conflict, others allied and joined together. some splintered when no true leader was to be found." Zd`oj took the opportunity to explain a little of their society,
"as for equal influence, that's not quite so. however, so far as the Law is concerned, on is either the monarch, a noble, a citizen, or a foreigner. any further influence comes not from rank, but from position. a landed lord will typically have less influence in the royal court, but has influence and authority rivaled only by the king in their own lands.
in truth, on land at least, the vast majority of the king's strength comes from the fact that the citizens and nobility will follow him. for all that the position is hereditary, he does not rule by divine right. he rules because others follow. in practical truth, that is the case with all nobles who's titles are more than purely decorative. they rule, or at least lead, because others will follow.

so, you see, strength is measured, by the typical noble of our lands, at least, not in terms of who can be crushed should they oppose, but on who will follow in the first place."

"besides that," Piy smiled slightly, "there be other ways to advance one's interests. ways which leave one with power less easily taken away again. though they be in reach of the ordinary citizenry as much as the nobility"

Dominic decided to not ask precisely what she meant. It wouldnt be tactful.

"Interesting. I hope to take some time out of our work and study the history and language of this country." He looked at Fen. "Will this be possible?"

"We'll see boy. We'll have to stay in this city untill you have advanced your skills with the language. That will probably give you the time you need. Woman." He turned to Piy.

"Tell me something of the gods you worship here. I have heard only tails."

the noblewoman was puzzled by Fen's choice to ask this of her rather than Zd`oj. surely the acolyte would have been a better choice? and the old man was so rude... a marked contrast to the younger one. collecting her thoughts again, she endeavored to give a useful answer, "well... gods... humm. there be the Fates, Lady Mdrxnbyr, who has dominion over things past, Lady Vxrgin, who governs the present, and Lady Ginyr, who be in charge of things to come," she pronounced the names as 'Moh-r'n-theer, V'r-Shin, and Shin-eer, respectivly, "then there be Lady Death, and Lord Time... those five be the inevitables, though those who work with numbers count the fates as one of three inevitables, rather than saying that there be five inevitables. then there are Lord Acidam and Lord Sekny, order and chaos respectively, who created the world... " A-khi-dam and Sek-Nee "ummm... that's it for gods, as such. many people also worship minor local spirits, in much the same way they pay respect to minor government officials... umm... honestly, Zd'oj would be better suited to answering this sort of question. he be an acolyte at a temple, after all. now, if you want to know about politics, governance, and history, asking me be worth your time. but i must admit that i never studied religion much at the university. i follow my family's traditions and pay my respects at the temples as applicable but, most of the time that's about it. "

Jonas headed for home with light spirits; it might be expected that he would be disappointed that they'd lost their little arrangement in Ocianas, but it had already lasted longer, and been more profitable, than most such; he'd been getting tired of this particular flea-speck in Angepas, and the adrenaline of trying to outwit a man of skill and intelligence made you feel ALIVE.

He didn't foresee any major consequences, but then again he was a merchant of middling rank; such men could not sway the path of nations, could they?
Besides renaming his ship, re-rigging her, and not returning to Angepas personally, nothing would really change. They'd have to find somewhere else that they could cut a deal with the local bef, but that could be done after a few legitimate voyages to test the waters.

On arrival in Menzerte, all the talk was of war with Frozopia, and the ships and regiments soon departing for Saranac, along with the movement of other forces. Rumours crossed and re-crossed, and even a merchant's idea of what was going on became confused. News from Angepas was sparse by comparison, but he listened for it nonetheless; it could become critical.

Elara didn't fail to notice his interest in the slightest titbit of news from the islands, and the little minx wouldn't miss an opportunity to tell him how much freer women were there than they were here, and occasionally threaten to run off; even his threats to move to Frozopia where she would be worse off failed now, with the war. Whatever was he going to do with her?

the noblewoman was puzzled by Fen's choice to ask this of her rather than Zd`oj. surely the acolyte would have been a better choice? and the old man was so rude... a marked contrast to the younger one. collecting her thoughts again, she endeavored to give a useful answer, "well... gods... humm. there be the Fates, Lady Mdrxnbyr, who has dominion over things past, Lady Vxrgin, who governs the present, and Lady Ginyr, who be in charge of things to come," she pronounced the names as 'Moh-r'n-theer, V'r-Shin, and Shin-eer, respectivly, "then there be Lady Death, and Lord Time... those five be the inevitables, though those who work with numbers count the fates as one of three inevitables, rather than saying that there be five inevitables. then there are Lord Acidam and Lord Sekny, order and chaos respectively, who created the world... " A-khi-dam and Sek-Nee "ummm... that's it for gods, as such. many people also worship minor local spirits, in much the same way they pay respect to minor government officials... umm... honestly, Zd'oj would be better suited to answering this sort of question. he be an acolyte at a temple, after all. now, if you want to know about politics, governance, and history, asking me be worth your time. but i must admit that i never studied religion much at the university. i follow my family's traditions and pay my respects at the temples as applicable but, most of the time that's about it. "

"I will have plenty of time to talk to Zd'oj! But it is always important to hear as many different perspectives of the gods of this unknown land. Even from those less informed. Even from Women!" Fen chuckled to himself.

Fen was , perhaps, particularly unfortunate in his timing.

unnoticed during the course of the conversation once it had turned away from him, Afdly had left the hall, signaling the students who's duties for the day included cleaning it that they could begin. after all, Piy and Zd`oj could easily steer their... guests... out of the way.

the unfortunate part of this was that one of those students was one Sd^ma Levcuj. most who knew her made a bit of a joke of her name, at least when she was out of earshot. after all, far from being peaceful, the youngest daughter of the house of Levcuj had a temper few could match. well educated enough to understand at least the broad outlines of what was being said, and thus the vast majority of the insults, as she saw it, directed at Piy-lat, the girl did something most would consider rather ill advised.

she was to have been cleaning the floor, but that lowly floor cloth had another fate this day. taking it up, and dropping the bucket it had been in to the floor with a audible clang and slosh as the handle dropped down against it's side and water sloshed over it, she marched right over to the elder wiseman. raising her hand, she moved as if to strike him, before flicking her wrist so that it was the cloth, still sopping wet from being carried in the bucket, which slapped him in the face.

"you insult Piy-lat in her fathers house and in front of her students." she spoke in angepaf, her voice fair quivering with anger contained only by a duty to observe the ritual of the thing "you insult all present who care to notice it with your presumptions, and i find your very person offensive. chose your weapon and name your repty." she turned to Zd`oj "acolyte, it would do me honor if you were to act as judge for this."

"always the hothead, Sd^ma. i will do it, but only because it must be done." Zd`oj turned to the Frozopians, who's physical reactions had been checked by the presence of more students. "Wiseman Fen, you have been challenged to a duel. i have been asked to act as judge for this. if you have an objection to my doing so and a suitable candidate for my replacement, now is the time to speak. as the challenged party you have your choice of weapons, and may elect to hold your opponent to that same choice, allow her to chose her own weapon at will, or simply impose certain limitations on what is and is not allowed. you are to name a repty, or second, who will be responsible for any subsequent necessary communication between you and the challenging party, as well as, along with myself and Sd^ma-bef, ensuring fairness and an absence of external interference in the duel. additionally your repty will be responsible for your surrender and care should you be rendered unable to preform such acts as are relevant to those tasks yourself as a result of this, and will be responsible for informing any relatives of your demise should you die in the course of the duel."

he turned to Piy "i assume it is save to say that you will act as repty to Sd^ma-bef?"
Piy's only response was to nod.
"very well. once weapons are chosen, the two repty and i will arrange a suitable venue."

ooc: incidentally, the names don't have apostrophes ['] in them, they have these accent markers [`] instead. it's different. i fully intend all parties to Survive this experience. how intact they are is another story entirely.

"Wait this isnt-" Dominic looked mortified.

He was interrupted by Fen who cackled joyfully at the situation.

"A woman! Challenging me! Does she not know I am a messenger of the Gods!?"

Suddenly the Wiseman seemed to transform into a ancient. Where before he stood tall and straight his stance became a hunch. He seemed barely capable of standing but for his staff which he clung to with scrawny claws. His wrinkles seemed to deepen before their eyes and when he opened his mouth there was a black hole where his teeth once shone with a bright whiteness.

"A old man?" He spoke with a croak barely audible. "Would the lady feel stronger fighting a old man? What courage you have!" The ancient burst into another cackle and once again Fen stood before them, restored to his former strength. He was no young man but for his age he was in fine health.

"Very well. I will use my staff. But the duel can wait untill tomorrow Come Dominic! We must prepare!"

Dominic gave Piy and anxious look and followed his master into the streets.

the duel took place at mid morning the next day. the relevant parties were present at the training hall, the principles armed with six foot staves, their repty outside the marked lines to either end and the judge to one side in the center. all wore the 'shoes' which were proper for such a place, which could almost as easily have been called socks, for in truth they were somewhere between the two.

"the weapons have been chosen and inspected, all parties deem them proper. the arena has been chosen and inspected, all parties deem it proper.
the writ has been signed and witnessed, all parties have accepted it as proper and none shall be held accountable before the law for injuries, no matter how grievous, incurred during the course of this duel save that they should violate the limitations of the institution.

at any time, should one of the primaries fall, their repty may surrender, ending the duel, by the simple expedient of entering the marked boundaries. at any time, the primary may leave the boundaries and thus forfeit, provided they are first injured. baring those two circumstances, the duel continues to the death." here, Zd`oj paused his official sounding speech and remarked " though that seems unlikely to be the case given the choice of weapon."

"when you are prepared, the repty will walk around the outside of the area, inform me, shake hands with one another, and return to their positions. the primaries will then take their places six paces away from the center line, and begin on my mark."

Sd^ma was still slightly disconcerted by the foreigner's actions the previous day, and shifted her grip on her weapon, fidgeting, glancing around the room nervously. there was something Wrong with this situation. still, Piy-lat, the repty title being but a formality of the duel in this instance, seemed calm enough. relaxed, leaning against the wall at her ease.

'ok, obviously there's nothing to worry about. Piy-lat would not be so relaxed otherwise, right? right.' she gathered her nerve. however bad an idea this might have been to begin with, she was a Levcuj, a bef, if not a particularly significant one. she would conduct herself as such.

which really only went to show that she did not know her master as well as she thought. Zd`oj, however, did, and what he saw made him nervous. when Piy was truly confident and pleased with the situation, she was almost as energetic as Sd^ma could be, though she tended to express that energy with non-stop graceful movement and speech, ideas tumbling forth as readily as water from a fountain, while Sd^ma would be at her most energetic when agitated, and tend to fidget or yell.

but did she expect trouble, treachery? or did she just not have much confidence in her student's ability to succeed here?

all this went through his mind as the formalities were completed and the combatants took their places.

it was fairly plain both that Sd^ma knew what she was doing with a staff, and that it really was not her weapon of choice. she had adopted a stance with her left side towards her opponent, feet apart, knees bent and weight on the back foot. had they been in front of her, her hands would have been shoulder width apart. however, her left wrist currently rested on her right hip, staff gripped as if it were a particularly long handled and unwieldy sword, or perhaps a spear, left hand a hand's with in from the end. an effective stance if one intended to take the defensive, it really had only three possible attacks which could be launched, two high and from the wielder's right, and the third a low sweep from the right which left the wielder on their knees. however, one of those doubled as a block, and the other was the first move of any number of whirling power attack sequences, or, if it had been a sword rather than a staff, cutting sequences.

more importantly, however, a simple turn of the right wrist would allow a block, in some cases doubling as a palm strike reinforced by the staff, at any angle, provided one kept one's opponent in front of one's self.

Piy shook her head. it wasn't a Bad beginning, but with a weapon taller than the girl was herself, there were better choices Sd^ma could have made. now, had they been using four foot staves...

"you may begin."

Ooc: this took about two hours to resolve due at least partially to a lack of familiarity with the system we were dealing with. The duel it’s self would have taken all of twelve Seconds to complete, IRL. It was fun though.

IC duels to the death, with edged weapons, between two masters, are either won in who judges the first attack correctly, or in who has the greatest mental and physical endurance, depending on how much armour is worn by the combatants. Fen may or may not have been a master, but he was also an old man, and a staff was no edged weapon. Sd^ma, not to mention Piy and Zd`oj, expected the duel to go on for some time.

What followed was certainly not what they had expected.

Cautious due to the old man’s confidence, Sd^ma moved carefully, circling to her right as she approached him. or at least, that was her intent. Fen had seen what she was doing, and run to his left, swerving slightly so as not to come into reach before he was ready to strike. This put them both on the far side of the marked area from Zd’oj, and on his left.

As Sd^ma stopped, and even before Fen himself had finished moving, the wiseman struck. Here the stance Sd^ma was attempting to maintain, despite degrading some while she moved, saved her. As he spun around and his staff swung out out, she ducked down slightly and thrust her right hand out and up, bringing her own staff whipping up and around to intercept the blow.

For such an old man, Fen was surprisingly fast, using the momentum of his ricocheting strike to make another, lower one from Sd^ma’s left. Out of position from the last attack, this one she couldn’t do anything about, and it struck her across the ribs, leaving a nasty bruise. Her response to this, however, was to clamp her arm down and attempt to use her own staff to hook Fen’s weapon between his hands, then use the resulting leverage to disarm him as she released her arm. As she atempted the hook, however, the wiseman simply stepped back and pulled, leaving her to hook empty air as he untrapped his weapon, again leaving her out of position.

“you’ll have to do better than that, girl!” he grinned. Still, he couldn’t keep up with the young woman for long, he knew this. A stroke of luck then, that the cunningly concealed weak point in his staff, within which was hidden a paralysing agent, had not been noticed, except perhaps by Dominic, who had been good enough not to say anything. When the staff broke, the resulting end would be covered in the stuff. As Sd^ma herself was now between him and the acolyte, he considered it unlikely that anything unusual would be noticed. Staves, after all, did break.

For his next blow, therefore, he turned the staff in his grip, and struck once more. This blow was more cunning, more artful than those previous, and had a lot more power behind it, as he had shifted both hands a lot closer to the end. Still, by some weird twist of luck and skill, the girl managed to move out of the way of the blow repeatedly, having abandoned her defensive form. Thus the final blow, while still appearing powerful and still enough to break the staff where desired, the resulting blow had minimal effect, failing to break the skin and thus deliver the poison. It did, however, leave the staff with quite a sharp point at the end.

‘right, now to show this foolish girl the power of the Wisemen.’ Fen thought to himself, as he recovered from the shock of the impact. It may not have done much to Sd^ma, but any force great enough to break even a staff with a concealed weakness is going to send a shock up it’s wielder’s arms. he began to pull his broken weapon back for a thrust and…found himself seeing stars and falling.

Having capitalised on the inevitable physical shock caused by a staff breaking in the hands of its’ wielder, Sd^ma had taken the opportunity to launch a powerful attack. She shifted her hands towards the end of the weapon, until they were in contact with one another and barely a hands width away from it’s end. While doing so, she had spin it around her head, tilted down initially so as to move quickly to block any potential counter attacks, but coming level at head height as she took a half step back, put her torso into the motion, and extended her arms. The result was an impressive blow to the head with far more force behind it than any, save perhaps Piy as she had been on the receiving end of such attacks before in training, would have expected from the girl. There was a reason that protectors were worn in training. With naught by a soft hat to protect his head, Fen had suffered brutally from the blow. Blood was streaming down his face, and the sickening sound of breaking bone had been heard by all. Undoubtedly, Sd^ma had pulled her strike somewhat when she saw that he was not going to block it, or else the reason why the verb for breaking someone’s head with a blunt object was to ‘stave it in’ would have been completely self evident.

None the less, the expected reaction to such a blow, at least if the person receiving it was sane and thinking clearly, would be to forfeit. Knowing this, Sd^ma had stepped back slightly, rather than making a new attack, though she did keep her weapon ready to guard.

Fen, however, stumbled forward as he fell, still intent on making his attack. Sd^ma found herself having to quickly step back and away to avoid the point, as the falling man’s weight behind it could result in it causing quite a nasty injury if it caught her.

Instead, Fen fell to the ground, the broken remains of his staff rolling out of his hand as he passed out.

Dominic was running towards him and there were voices saying… something…

Dominic ran to the old man, falling to his knees without even looking at the woman who had struck him down. Blood was everywhere from the vicious blow she had dealt him.

"The Gods....will....have vengeance." That is all the old man could whisper before he passed out, but no one heard him except for Dominic who was too concerned to take it in. Only later would he remember those words.

"Fen! Fen!" As a Wiseman Dominic had some experience tending to wounds but this was beyond his skill. Immediatly he turned to Piy with pleading eyes. "Do you have any skilled medicine men around? His skull might be fractured! If he is going to live we must bring him to a doctor straight away!"

****

Byas, In the Royal Palace

The Frozopians were careful to maintain the various niceties and etiquettes. They were dealing with a sensitive issue and it would be a massive mistake to anger this man who they hoped to bring on board as a friend of Frozopia. The Frozopian embassy was lead by Lord Cambrian, a high ranking Lord and a member of the King's very own inner ring of advisors. The rest of the embassy consisted of spies, bodyguards, advisors and translators. Lord Cambrian was the perfect choice for the diplomatic mission: Cool headed, intelligent and very much aware of what the King wanted to achieve.

"Your Majesty." Immediatly his lead translator began speaking. "As a distant foreigner I can only say it is a pleasure to see a country ruled with such wisdom. I come bearing friendship. We Frozopians have been fools. Fools for not coming sooner." The Lord paused.

"But I am sure you do not want to listen to flattery. I am equally sure that you have heard the news. War is coming to Frozopia. Who brings it? The Terra Incognitians. Several weeks ago a Frozopian territory was seized by traitors. The island of Saranac. These traitors immediatly declared their allegiance to the Incognitians. We acted accordingly: The traitors were dealt with and we tried to reason with the Incognitians. To make them see our side of the story....They wouldnt even see our ambassador. We are still acting to prevent a war. But I do not think we will succeed."

"If we do not succeed Frozopia will need allies. And any such allies will be rewarded. I am sure you have your own grievances with those sly merchants and their deceitful ways..... Together we can teach them a lesson. A hard lesson that their ways will not be tolerated in this civilised continent of ours."

a pause while the translators finished their work, and then a short time longer while the King considered what had been said.

"mmm. an interesting idea. still, it has been said that when fools lead and those who would otherwise show wisdom have no choice but to follow, folly is the only possible result.

i would not be that fool. we have other things which demand our attention at this time. we cannot help you."

behind the Frozopians, the chamber's main door opened once more to allow them to leave.

Lord Cambrian hid his disapointment.

"I am sorry that you cannot help. None the less my offer was not reserved for military matters. I hope in the future we can enjoy a friendship founded on peace and not war."

The Frozopians left. A seemingly wasted journey. Lord Cambrian was annoyed but he understood the refusal. The Angermen could not fight a open war, it was outside their capacity. But he was not surprised later on when the Lord heard the knock on his door of his quarters. Apparently one of these Angermen wanted to negotiate a deal that could never be discussed in somewhere as public as the palace where so many ears would be listening.

the man who was now seated across the table from Lord Cambrian was a minor functionary in perfectly ordinary clothing for a citizen about his day to day business, or at least he appeared to be.

"Cambrian-bef, it is true that Angepas cannot become involved in your wars, it is true that the King cannot help, the nation cannot help, and the provinces cannot help.

this does not, however, mean that there is no help to be had here, if you're willing to accept what it may be and pay what the cost might be to acquire it."

"It is nothing we didnt expect. Now excuse me If I am as blunt as your king was earlier but we need no formalities here: We need ships, we need ship builders and we need promises that are backed up by more then words. You will be rewarded with food which we understand isnt abundant on this island and of course you will be rewarded with gold. What promises you ask? Promises that you will strike at the Incognitians when it is necessary, when it is important for us. Whether it be raiding their shipping or guaranting the temporary safety of some of our own ships. Do not worry. We will never ask you to do anything beyond your capacity or anything that will risk your diplomatic neutrality with those trading scum."

Cambrian sat back.

"Now tell me how much of this can you do."

"you must understand, while i have some level of official approval here, at least unofficially, i do not actually represent our government in this matter.

still, there are a few small ports ... discreet arrangements could be made, not that too many ships could put in at any one of them. there are ships to be had, of course, possibly even one or two frigates on a temporary and opportunistic basis. mostly heavily armed transports, though. perhaps more importantly, and more easily acquired, is training for the crews of the ships you do have. there is a reason why y^pangep ships are feared in battle, and it is not entirely their cannons.

recent events have lead to interesting orders being issued of late to the navy as well. you may find the results... to your liking."

at this time, he passed the Frozopian a piece of paper "this is what is required in exchange."

the list was... interesting. information on various aspects of the Frozopian's centralized government. large quantities of infantry equipment. documentation surrounding the formation and maintenance of the Frozopian grand army, slight reductions in certain tariffs for approved traders, and the inevitable gold, though surprisingly a lower quantity than might have been expected.

"you will, of course, be expected to supply any units conducting activity on your behalf while they do so. as for food, isn't overly abundant here so we don't export in large quantities, it's true, but there is enough. perhaps a note against future years in case of famine or some such might be useful, though of less immediate value."

"These terms seem to be acceptable. We will send one of our military commanders with the equipment you requested. One of our skilled and experienced commanders can fill you in on the organisation and deployment of our forces. I must warn you there will be times when he cannot give you the information you require. It is unwise to give away all of our secrets as I am sure you can understand."

Cambrian read through the requests again.

"Now tell me can you give us ship builders?"

"shipwrights, hum? it could be tricky... the guilds, patriotism, the necessary equipment and sundry other arrangements but..." the man paused, thinking.

"yes, yes, it can be done, and i do believe i know just the men to do it. however, it will probably cost, and to begin with i suspect they will spend a lot of time retraining your own people in how to work more effectively, rather than actually building you any ships. also it is likely that certain guarantees about their status will need to be made before they will agree.

that said, the various craftsmen and workers involved in the construction of the ship will have to be your own men. there's a limit to how much of what and who can be moved without arousing suspicion both here and elsewhere. there is also a limit to how much we can do before, support or no, such activities must be officially looked at.

if that takes place... unofficial approval is no protection for either of us. though that is, of course, more of a danger for myself than you, Cambrian-bef. "

"The Incognitians do not want to force you against them. They will show alot of tolerance towards these activities assuming they discover them. And we will do our utmost to prevent that from happening.


Of course we will provide most of the labour, Frozopia is not short of skilled workers. But they will need Angermen leadership and design. Our ship builders are barely competent enough to build traders. Even much of this is contracted out to foreign nationals."

Cambrian stood.

"Now if theres anything else you need me for, I will be here for a few more days before I return home."