William + Tokiwong: The leaders of Skullport are interested in peaceful trade with the surface, but warn against further expansion of the chursh of Elistree. They say that if Elistree started getting significantly more worshipers in Skullport they would consider her religion a threat and act accordingly. That would be bad for business.
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Edena, the Meritocracy will approach the Empire of China and offer them aid from the "foreign devils" trying to colonize their country.
The high tech companies we've bought troughout the western world will continue working and investing on Earth but will increasingly start to transfer production to Amn, Tethyr and Calimshan.
Meanwhile we continue to educate (farming, tech, magics, psionics, fighting) and indoctrinate our people with magical books.
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Alarah Gomenei sat in the Chamber of Thrones, listening intently to the governor of Vaasa. The gold and white that dominated the design of the hall seemed too bright to his eyes in the intense noon-light of Calimport, too bright in light of the darkness of the report. The vaasaite spoke in calm, almost cold, tones, about strange sightings in the north. Reports had accumulated and even if some of them were exaggerations or outright deception the shere amount of them still indicated something troubling was going on.
Perhaps another legion should be sent to the area? A division of Special Forces up from Implitur? The troops might well be needed there too in light of the Imaskari situation.
The meeting had gone on troughout the night and several of the delegates showed signs of exhastion. Alarah hid it better than some but still felt the siren-song of sleep. Ever since he had stopped using his ring of sustenance there had been some trouble reconciling the amount of time he had to work with his increased need for sleep.
Nevertheless, there was one issue that could not be postponed. A letter had arrived by courier during the vaasan's report with a most intrguing proposition.
Greetings, I am Muad Dha Bin, Ruler of The Zakharian Empire. I have watched your recent dojngs and congratulate you with the crafting of a great empire! I have a proposal for you.
I propose an Alliance between both of our lands. We both have a greta Naval force and a great Empire under our control. We seem to be made for eachother. I hope that this propasal is what you want as well and await your answer.
Noble Greetings
Muad Dha Bin, Grand Caliph of Zakharian Empire.
"Jeh'gana," he adressed the representative from Thindol. "You are the one among us most knowledgable about Zakhara. What do you have to say about this message?"
"Grand Caliph Muad Dha Bin has in a short time brought a greater degree of unity to the continent of Zakhara than most of our analysts thought possible, by all accounts he is an extraordinary individual. He would seem to be an honourable man, but does not allow himself to be blinded by preconceptions and dogmatic formula. He is a dangerous man to any who would make himself his enemy and would thus also be a powerful ally. Zakhara is a better nation with a man like him as its leader."
"So you recommend that we accept his offer?"
"There can be no doubt that we'll need capable allies in these troubled times and there are few powers more capable than Zakhara. An alliance between us would make perfect sense geopolitically and there is much we could do the each others benefit. And yet..."
"And yet we can never know the heart of any man." Alarah nods thoughtfully. "True, my friend, it always comes down to trust, to faith in trustworthiness. Even the Gods do not see all the paths of the future (hail Bane, hail Gruumsh, hail Maglubiyet, hail Waukeen), but there is one thing we can trust. That so long as the alliance prooves useful to him he will have no reason to leave it. In time our two nations will be bound tighter together and a true trust can arise.
The meeting is adjourned, I thank you for your councel."
Later in his study Alarah writes a reply to the Zakharan letter.
"I greet you in friendship, noble Grand Caliph Muad Dha Bin. I see the many tales I've heard of your wisdom are only exceeded by the truth. The Supreme Council has decided to accept your most fortuitous offer of alliance and it is my personal hope that our alliance shall prosper trough both peace and war. Should one of us come under attack the other shall come to his aid. Should one of us aquire new works of technology or magics the other shall have his share. And if we both decide that an enemy must be removed we will both do what must be done to achieve that end. And so we shall both enjoy greater security and prosperity.
Alarah Gomenei, President of the Meritocracy Confederation "