✅ Somewhere along the ride I found that we can't stop the tide [Maddyn]

[Sliucha Sindosa]

It seemed uncouth to barge in on military business uninvited, so Sliucha would leave the Fifth and the Tenth to their matters. Still, maybe a gift basket, considering she didn't interact with the pair nearly as much as the Fourth?

...yeah, let's stick plenty of booze in there, alongside the usual niceties.

In any case! The initial report from Kirastar definitely giving Sliucha pause at the mention of Fae-anything, but hey! Plot of land! Of course, due diligence should be done, people should be sent out to verify that it was actually suitable for a SETA depot and so on, but if everything seemed good?

Make a deal, ink it! It'd be one step further forward into Medonia, and with a Kirastar location, that'd just make it all the easier to nab entice Natura and Annaria as now there was yet another hub close by that could lean on the SETA infrastructure.

 

[Maddyn]

The Legion’s did as they did, outside the traditional Imperial hierarchy of the day to day management of the Provinces and a very real part of just why the entirety of the Sherian situation had been a clusterfuck of epic proportions. It should never have transpired. The very notion that the locally based soldiers were also native of the region? Antithesis of the entire point. Legions were always recruited external to their deployment pattern and local loyalty simply wasn’t a factor.

But tell that to the residents of the Sherian after multiple wars and a magical mishap that had destroyed the minds of hundreds of thousands of souls and rendered them as braindead zombies (and then, courtesy of a Necromancer, literal zombies too!).

In the meantime?

Kirastar was quite on board, and having better links to the world abroad rather than being more or less on Fae’rel’s doorstep? Most welcome. Especially given the proximity of the locality historically to what had been ‘The Circle’ as one of the more prominent unusual woodlands in the Imperium outside the Dolwoods and Syl’rosyan Forests alike.

Annaria? On board, but the locations were more of an issue. Namely, the locality was more keen upon having transportation be directed down the river rather than caring all that much about the horse and cart industry. Site locations offered? All along the river itself and interior to the little village rather than on its outskirts.

To the north? Natura was quite dragging its feet. A little more local competition there as the local Dwarf Clan? Not too keen on anyone muscling in on their territory, thanking you very much.

 

[Sliucha Sindosa]

Kirastar? Check.

Annaria? Hm... well, Sliucha didn't feel like it was a major issue. As of late, Moonstone had been working on its waterborne presence as it was. The agricultural presence involving the Great Centripax Basin, the new water-based patrol boats of the Provincial Guard? Taking all of that accumulated knowledge and applying it to SETA seemed like a practical next step. Although of course, trust but verify.

She'd at least be upfront with Annaria about the matter. SETA would need to circle back with them on this after determining the viability of the matter. Then, it was a matter of launching an internal investigation - with what they had at the moment, were they capable of taking on the water route to Annaria? And if not, how much investment would be needed until they got to that point?

Natura, though, felt like a trickier issue to untangle. Hmm. For now, it'd be a matter of investigation, for all that the initial overtures would try and be Benevolent and suggest cooperation. Just how much influence did this local dwarf clan have? Were they embedded in Natura specifically, or did they have further control throughout Centripax? Sliucha would see if they couldn't get a clearer picture of what they were up against here.

 

[Maddyn]

Medonia’s Refuge? Wanting to do business, but the theme remained - on their terms, in the areas that they themselves identified the need. Where if SETA and Sliucha wished to expend time and resources to push their own agenda seemed quite possible; it was just a case of the path of least resistance bore said themes.

When it came to Annaria? It was viable, but unlikely to be truly efficient given the waterways themselves. Enough that it wasn’t likely to ever be the sole stream of income. Discounting transportation on the road networks was just going to mean ultimately running the little town’s courier network at a loss. Hybrid was the way to go for true viability.

Natura? Dwarves already in place and hailing from the small Clan of Foundersson who had ties with most of the more major Clans of the Dwarf King’s own network. Which effectively meant that their reach to the West and the Ironfist Clan that had been functionally exiled from around the times of the Xet Invasion was almost non-existent. Embedded in Natura, but largely their operations utilised the Underground now that there was limited risk of the Vysstichi or the Rodenti impacting their own operations beneath Centripax.

 

[Sliucha Sindosa]

Thusly did it seem like "loss leader" would need to be the strategy for Medonia. SETA was provincially-backed and humming along nicely in Moonstone after all. Taking a loss in order to build themselves up in a new space seemed like a more than acceptable trade. They'd take it for now, build up their reputation and their customer base, and in future hopefully expand to a point where it would no longer be a concern. Better to get boots on the ground now then to worry about cutting an advantageous deal.

Natura remained a bit trickier of an issue. The competition felt a lot more entrenched, which was to be expected given the general differences between Centripax and Medonia. It also felt like this issue in particular was rather wrapped up in the politics to be found in Centripax, which admittedly Sliucha didn't consider herself much of an expert on. Just that there did seem to be something prickly between the "dwarf king" and the "Ironfist dwarves", the latter of whom had begun to trickle into Moonstone.

Which meant that, rather than try to simply blaze onward in a glorious fashion, it felt like it might be wise to get a little more market research done. In fact, considering the fact that the Ironfist dwarves had been moving into Moonstone recently, perhaps this was another chance to get some use out of them? Reach out to see if they'd be willing to act as consultants on matters of dwarven culture and the Centripaxian economy?

Regardless of whether SETA tried to cooperate with Clan Foundersson or box them out, it felt like the approach would need a bit more of a delicate touch. No telling what might wind up offending the dwarves, and given their connections? That could result in losing out on Centripax as a market - or at least make it so that inroads would be significantly more difficult to produce.

 

[Maddyn]

Businesses after all could always be more readily transitioned once the foothold was secured. For now? Property made available at a reasonable price - well below market value in lieu of Annaria’s own vested interests in ensuring that the river trade was bolstered. But as it was now? It was also a business that would bleed wealth - just a trickle, but there all the same.

Natura! Where Moonstone had really had no competition? The Dwarven Clans of Dargis and the Dwarf King was well secured and any weaknesses within the business model had largely been brought low in the aftermath of the Xet Invasion. No longer having to content with Rodenti or Vysstichi locally helped security immeasurably, and with the exiled Ironfist Clan contained to the west? Business was good for Clan Foundersson that had only risen in the aftermath of war.

And a good amount of time to get a solid foothold in the region at that, even if it was largely contained to the Nightlands rather than going across country.

Consultancy with the Ironfist Clan bore the same stalwart, measured response. Namely, sending Sliucha a rather lengthy invoice, a contract that was while on the level - very much designed around a people who lived hundreds of thousands of years and was, entirely on the level. Knowledge was power, and the Ironfist Clan had a fee. Namely, land rights around the disused areas of the Great Mountains with the clear intent upon surveying and suitability for mining operations in return for answers. Or rather, sending one of the Clan to act as a consultant in earnest rather than relying upon couriers.

 

[Sliucha Sindosa]

So, that was the prospective "next step forward" into Medonia sorted, seemingly! Just... Centripax. Where even the expats were quite annoying to deal with.

Land rights was certainly a far-reaching move from the Ironfist Clan. As far as Sliucha was concerned the system followed the Imperial one, where all land in Moonstone by right belonged to the High Prince and could be loaned out to various entities, noble families, and so on. Maybe it was worth prodding the dwarves over the particulars there, as to whether they were claiming the far more valuable 'right', or whether it was the more common understanding of the 'exclusive loan', per se...

Actually, no, Sliucha wasn't even sure she wanted to entertain that. They were asking for something pretty hefty considering that the consultation service might not even necessarily get SETA what they wanted. Moonstone would be trading something quite concrete in return for something quite speculative. Especially since those 'disused areas' could very easily be expanded into given Moonstone's own mining operations in the area, particularly with Gigan's operation being brought to bear. So in other words, if there was no fruit borne of efforts in Centripax, the Ironfist dwarves still got something.

Better to try and make Ironfist success contingent on SETA success.

So, the counteroffer. The Ironfist Clan would get a fair cut of SETA operations that expanded into Centripax and the Nightlands based on the expertise provided, as well as preferential rates when it came to SETA usage in the meantime. If the relationship between Moonstone and the Ironfist Clan continued to be good, then discussions of a joint mining venture in the area of the Great Mountains could be further discussed.

 

[Maddyn]

The Refuge of Medonia? Rather straight-forward. No real complications that could be found along the border where the river ran, and while much, much further south there was pirate activity? It was a good way off where SETA was setting up shop. For now? In roads and securing a location by which the courier network might yet expand.

Centripax though was a much more ‘tough cookie’, quite lacking in the same devastation and turmoil that had affected its southern neighbour.

Threllius might have held the notion that ‘the center could not hold’ and that the various Governor’s would have to bandy together. But reality had simply proven that each of the neighbours that were bereft with their various problems were functionally acting akin to a shield against anything that might have actually upset the status quo. In time, perhaps the Viceroy’s prediction would hold true - but for now? The Province was stable and the events around Fort Pellwyn largely the worst of it.

Negotiations with Clan Ironfist, and the Dwarves of the Great Mountains quite deliberately making use of their own people to courier information at that rather than making use of the local SETA outposts.

Namely, hard details on what a ‘fair cut’ was valued at by Sindosa Enterprises.

 

[Sliucha Sindosa]

Straightforward was good. Straightforward was nice! And unsurprisingly, thins were rarely straightforward.

Hard details on what a 'fair cut' was and uh... Sliucha'd forward that request to somebody else on the SETA side of things. What was a reasonably fair cut for consultation services that might allow them to break into the market, exactly?

Delegation! Sliucha would see about getting a quote back and then forwarding that to Clan Ironfist and seeing what they thought of it.

 

[Maddyn]

As answers returned? SETA didn’t much like the idea of a percentage fee at all. Placing considerable value upon what Sliucha and her people had already achieved in a Province-spanning organisation and with the prospect of turning it into something even more expansive?

Ten percent now was all well and good for some information, but what happened when in a century’s time, that same ten percent was taken from SETA one day filling the shoes that had been Lylles Co?

Scaling and value, an expectation in return that said consultation services would indeed be of value rather than largely limited to the West. That this wasn’t just to be services for the now, but rather, SETA and how its services worked against any of the Nightland realms.

Five percent now, with an additional .5% for each Province added to SETA. Confirming the premise with Sliucha and any adjustments she felt needed? Off it would go to Clan Ironfist for review!

Elsewhere? A resolution had indeed been made with the Legions. Token sign-off, a one Era contract shuffled Sliucha's way too. If SETA could showcase their value? Then they'd discuss renewal or adjustments. Plan was a-go!

 

[Sliucha Sindosa]

Well, that was part of why what had been offered to Clan Ironfist was specifically just the percentages that would come from the branch operating out of Centripax and the relevant portion of the Nightlands. Only the portion of SETA that was relevant to what the dwarves were actually going to be helping with.

So, that was an important part of it, and Sliucha would make sure to clarify the matter with the departments, see if that adjusted anything. Anything that the Ironfist weren't involved with, it didn't make sense for them to get a cut of, right? Measure many times, cut once - let's make sure to get that squared away!

In the meantime? Legions! Spiffy! Time to get the paperwork for that sorted. A year to showcase their stuff and push those margins! Which, at the scale that the Legions operated at? Hopefully SETA would be able to showcase that it could make a difference. That, too, was part of the reason why Sliucha felt like it was wise to be conservative with their attempts to expand, and not do too much all at once. Focus, consolidate, and ensure they could keep up the quality that was a large part of why they could argue for others to adopt SETA. Because it, you know... actually made a difference!

 

[Maddyn]

A few token adjustments made, and from there? 6% was the offered mark. Sliucha’s personnel not seeing the point in offering anything more than the existing value - Moonstone and Centripax. Five for base, one if Centripax proved viable.

No great effort made in haggling, though the initial offer was for four and one percent respectively before the back and forth settled upon five and one. With an expectation for priority shipping for Clan Ironfist of course between the respective realms.

Back and forth, and everything at least appearing to go well with the negotiations between SETA and Ironfist.

The Legions? Amenable, or at least the Fifth had been talked around to a short-term contract as a means of giving Sindosa Enterprises and SETA an opportunity to prove their own capabilities. If it didn’t pan out, then back to the same old system it would return and hopefully, no harm no foul. The paperwork did include a clause to break the contract early, without penalty should SETA prove at any point to be insufficient to the task. So long as the Legion’s logistics remained same or better, that was all that truly mattered.

 

[Sliucha Sindosa]

And to think, all this negotiating was just to secure the assistance of the Ironfist dwarves for the actual purpose that was expanding SETA deeper into Centripax. The plus side was that at least this way, the dwarves themselves would have a fair amount of motivation to actually ensure that SETA got up and running - now they were tied to the institution's success! So that was something.

With the Medonian side of things seeming to be humming along nicely, it was good to hear that progress was also being made on the Legion side of things. It wasn't quite as flashy as the full movement of SETA into the ecosystem of the western Legions, but at least they had their chance. Best to go and seize it! With it, of course, came a rather set of crucial paperwork to carry out.

Legion cargo should be regarded as pretty high priority, after all.

It seemed wise, even if only on an internal level, to be able to designate it as something that rather needed to get where it was supposed to go, and treat it as separate from the rest of regular traffic. And not just because of the provisional status of their arrangement with the Legions, either.

Plus, it'd be a good test run of a system to properly be able to categorize SETA traffic like that! See how a system with different levels of prioritization might possibly go.

 

[Maddyn]

Slow, thorough, and working on a timeline based around the notion that they had centuries, millenia to work with. Better by far to measure twice and cut the once - but still better yet to measure a dozen times over just in case of errors. Clan Ironfist remained the more conservative of the Dwarf Kingdom’s people and that same relentless refusal to bend to change had been the cause of their Exile.

That, and the Dwarf King had been wrong and that was simply unacceptable to continue to follow an Oathbreaker.

What was a few weeks here and there compared to an arrangement that could last hundreds of years? Especially given the stability that, while unwritten, was underscoring the negotiations in both Centripax and Moonstone being Governed by an Elf.

Medonia Refuge? Simple and according to the known arrangement, with a little base of operations alongside the river set up that was sufficient for housing both small boats and to act as a stables and warehouse.

Legions were a-go! Time would tell, but for now? The Fourth, Fifth and Tenth were on board with Sliucha’s proposal in the short-term and were happy to see how SETA changed affairs.

Eventually?

A middle-aged Dwarf garbed in full leathers, head to toe. Apron and armour, a square leather helm and a gap that allowed the eyes to see out through even if not seen - fine wire mesh covering the opening. Covering the front was a facsimile of a Dwarf beard in darker sheets of loose leather. No sunlight was to be allowed to touch the Dark Dwarf’s skin, and so, the emissary of Clan Ironfist presented themselves. Hrothjar Ironfist, Scion of the Clan.

 

[Sliucha Sindosa]

And, as ever, the problem was that Sliucha was probably going to stick around about that long, too. So... guys... let's measure a lot before we cut, okay? She still didn't even have the full picture of what was going on over there in Centripax when it came to the dwarves, but Clan Ironfist had moved on over and Sliucha had to deal with them one way or another, right?

So that's how she found herself in a meeting with one Hrothjar Ironfist. Scion, even!

It felt like it was best to just get right down to business. That was the general impression that Sliucha got when it came to dealing with the Ironfist dwarves - straightforward! First, introductions. Namely, how should Sliucha refer to him? A particular title? Just by last name? And Sliucha in kind could be referred to by her titles as governor, given that she was operating in said capacity as the lead of Moonstone's SETA program.

Then? Let's get to work. How caught up was Hrothjar on SETA's work on expanding into Centripax, and the matter of Natura and Clan Foundersson? They'd have the documentation ready for the dwarf to go over if needed, but at the very least? It'd be good to see if Clan Ironfist could provide at least a high-level overview of how they viewed the current situation.

 

[Maddyn]

Important! Or at least, Sliucha as Governor of Moonstone was deemed suitably so as to warrant if not a blood member of Clan Ironfist then certainly one of the Oathsworn that were kith and kin as far as the Clan was concerned. Consultant, and evidently, the Ironfist Clan at least was taking things seriously on their end when it came to fulfilling their end of the arrangement made for SETA’s betterment.

“Scion Hrothjar.” was the means of identification, and the accent thick to the point where it sounded as if the Dwarf was actively trying to gargle quartz.

To work!

Hjrothjar had been given a debriefing based off the information that SETA had provided, but beyond that? If there was anything that the Lady Governor had felt wasn’t suitable for conveying by courier then now was the time to make such information known. Otherwise, the Dwarf was simply going to be providing advice based upon the current information provisions rather than adding anything that might otherwise colour the responses given.

If Sliucha was withholding info, Clan Ironfist wasn’t going to take any culpability in the matter if it rendered any advice improper.

Quick debrief? Foundersson was a Loyalist Clan of the Dwarf King. Trade rights of the Underground had been given in the aftermath of Ironfist’s own Exile, and the routes used by the Dwarven Clan were merely the most commonly known. Safe passage, yes, but not always the most efficient and much of the knowledge of the ways about beneath Centripax specifically hadn’t been lost so much as simply, exiled.

Clan Ironfist was as such, quite willing to provide SETA with the means of undercutting Clan Foundersson right out from beneath them. Risks were likely to mean drawing the ire of the Dwarven King for such antics, but given Sliucha’s relationships with the Vysstichi? It was entirely plausible said maps could have originated from those formerly of Herozzal. Plausible deniability was, Hrothjar understood it, but part of Elven machinations anyway and could be utilised to the advantage of the West.

 

[Sliucha Sindosa]

Scion Hrothjar it would be. To work!

It seemed like the dwarf more or less had everything that he needed - the information that had been sent through SETA should be sufficient. She had just wanted to make sure that he was fully in the loop on the matter. That being said, Sliucha would go over the presented documentation with him once more, just in case there were any details that might have been missed. If they were going to be working on this together, then they might as well do it right. There could easily be matters that SETA might have regarded as trivial that Clan Ironfist could pick up on as being important.

No stone left unturned. Sliucha herself certainly didn't plan on withholding anything.

Now, the intent had been to try and engage Clan Foundersson in a more diplomatic fashion to see if cooperation was possible, but the alternative provided by Clan Ironfist was admittedly pretty tantalizing. On the one hand, you know, it was nice to imagine getting along with local competitors, and working together over time to bring them into a united system. On the other hand, wouldn't it be better for customers to just have access to SETA from the beginning, if SETA was capable of doing a better job? Wasn't it more Benevolent to ensure the best possible customer experience - by, like, totally crushing all competition and establishing the SETA market monopoly?

But the more consideration that was put into it, the greater a potential problem arose. One that had been building for some time with the push into Centripax and Medonia, but felt like it would come to a head if taking Clan Ironfist's route. (Figuratively.) And routes. (Literally.)

Namely, SETA routes through Moonstone had the protection of the Provincial Guard. Striking out into Centripax and Medonia meant no longer being able to afford that sort of protection - for all that it could certainly be worked around in the interim by hiring caravan guards. But specifically delving into the Underground and the Nightlands, one presumably wanted a different sort of pedigree of guard, specifically because of the change in environment. Did Scion Hrtohjar have any recommendations on groups that could be relied upon to provide the manpower for guarding the caravans and had experience working in the Nightlands?

 

[Maddyn]

All in all? Clan Ironfist really wasn’t inclined to pull any punches when it came to ensuring that none amongst the Dwarven King’s allies were able to truly replace the function that Ironfist had brought to the Dwarven Realm. A pale shadow of decency, stability within the Underground and a force that had largely been only second to the King in power within Centripax.

Engaging in diplomacy? Perfectly acceptable of course, but Hrothjar was quick to point out that Sliucha was working with Exiles. Those that had been cast out from the Realm - improperly mind, when it was the King that was in the wrong.

A lengthy, oh so lengthy discourse on the why provided. Lest Sliucha think she was treating with those who were not true to their word. Harkening back to decisions made by Prince Milo L’Evienne the First and the concession that the Dwarven King and the realm of the Dark Dwarves was provided - in much the same manner that the Faerie Queen of Fae’rel’s territory was acknowledged.

Only, no. That wasn’t a thing, and the Prince had not the authority to provide such a concession.

The Articles of the Imperium were clear. Nothing, be it land, sky or below was ever to be ceded.

That they fought tooth and nail over the Sherian at the time over such a matter, only to turn around and give away that wasn’t theirs to the Dwarves? Clan Ironfist wasn’t to have any part of that. And for all the Dwarven King had been appointed by the Archon Cetheron himself? This was Improper.

Diplomacy, while entirely Sliucha’s purview, would have long term ramifications with how Clan Ironfist negotiated future contracts with Moonstone. Namely, that she would be conducting business with Oathbreakers and akin to one who tried to sell a nag that’d been given a literal fresh coat of paint. Polite, but firm in that, as the advice given as part of the arrangement but with the harsh, quartz munching tone of one that didn’t have much truck with people being wishy-washy.

Guards within the Nightlands? That brought a simple response. Namely, Clan Ironfist was willing to provide such an escort to navigate the ways though an increase in the percentage value of the existing cost would be negotiated. Alternatively, Clan Ironfist was given to understand that a percentage of the Vysstichi exiles from Arium and Centripax were a part of the population of Moonstone now and should be able to understand the maps. If not, translation services would be provided to their ancestral enemies, though the price would be steep - as was right and proper for those who would also live for thousands of years to then utilise such lore.

 

[Sliucha Sindosa]

Oh! Well that was just... you know... that was just the entire context of what was going on, then. Or, okay, some context as to what was going on, given the fact that it was being provided entirely by one (rather aggrieved) side of it.

So... sure, okay then! The general gist of it being that if they were going to be working together with Clan Ironfist, that working together with the likes of the Dwarven King and his ilk in Centripax was a non-starter. That was a potential complication going forward in future that might've been nice to know beforehand... especially since the Ironfist dwarves had been the ones to invite themselves into Moonstone, as opposed to the other way around. But at the same time? Sliucha supposed it was better to have a fighting chance with the help of the Ironfist as opposed to potentially being totally shut out on a whim of the King's.

That being said, in regards to Ironfist's offer of just guarding the caravans themselves? Sliucha brought up the concern as to whether the optics would work against the matter of plausible deniability that had been brought up earlier. Just to make sure they were on the same page and Sliucha had the information she needed to make a decision - would the presence of Ironfist guards not potentially complicate matters within the Nightlands, if they were to be noticed and word was spread to Foundersson and back to the King?

 

[Maddyn]

Decisions made, but they’d been decisions made on the premise that somehow, the Articles of the Imperium were malleable and a ‘pick and choose’ scenario. Which might well have worked if the Imperium was entirely filled with Humans, and didn’t have to contend with those such as Dwarves and Elves and Fairies who all desired stability and consistency.

The Sherian had burned.

The Dwarf Kingdom had fragmented in half, the damage just beneath the surface of the world rather than in the light of day. So much damage wrought, and even now, a significant part of the Nightlands was still destabilised to the point where now the Rodenti population had been left to expand. Unchecked by the Dark Elves of Herozzal and the Dwarves? Now, the legacy of the Regency was that Candaceburg’s granaries were in jeopardy and starvation threatened the Imperium as a whole.

A snowball rolled down the Great Mountains, and was now a monumental avalanche headed to the towns and villages in the lowlands.

Scion Hrothjar just remained implacable within the heavy leathers that gave away nothing by way of body language. “We are Exiled. It is for the King to enforce that. We welcome the Oathbreakers efforts. Cetheron may have abandoned us, but the Mountain remains.”