Post by Kalindyl on Sept 17, 2016 7:46:23 GMT
A long sheet of oiled parchment hangs by polished copper nails to the inside of the town wall nearest the gate. Written in the careful script of Kalindyl it is a report of his activity for the past week;
The onix and red skinned people call themselves the Baracour, they live entirely underground in a complex and masterfully crafted series of tunnels and caverns. I have been graciously allowed to live among them for this past week. They do not have inns so I have been staying in quarters normally reserved for nobility traveling between settlements. The Baracour are recovering from a failed coup that ended in patricide when one prince slew the king. The heir apparent seems an honorable and lawfully minded man and has many bold plans for his people. Ideas perhaps even too bold for many of his people. Although not at open civil war I get the uneasy feeling that the possibility looms close. The heir apparent has many brothers who favor the old ways of slavery and murder, and though they will be slow to act after the first brother was brought to justice many plots are likely in motion. As a result the Baracour are tense and even aggressive with outsiders.
Their stonework and jewelry are very impressive, a match to many a dwarven work. The jewelry is nearly as fine as elven craft in fact. Something I would be loathe to admit were I a less honest person. Their magic is capable though dissimilar to ours. Their earth magic is skillfully potent but nothing we are not well familiar with. Their celestial magic seems functional but crude. Their alchemy is almost entirely fungus based and not fit for general use on the surface. I fear any exchange in these areas would be almost entirely one-sided with them getting far more in return than we might. Some rare components, such that might only be found below ground may be obtainable in small quantities at some point if trade can be maintained. If we can demonstrate that we are trustworthy.
lastly the Baracour use a system of currency unknown on the surface, they place little value on gold or gems. As such the best we might hope for in trade is a "breaking even" in exchanging goods. Fortunately for us wood is at a premium and we may be able to get increased quantities of stone in trade.
At this point I would not recommend opening wide scale trade between us. The heir apparent has cautioned me not to give too much information out to those he does not trust. The threat of civil war (which I caution you not to mention to them as it seems a painful and insulting topic) poses far too great a risk for the common traveler. That said I believe I have earned enough trust that I could negotiate simple trades easily enough, particularly for quarried stone. My intent, should it meet with the Mayor's approval, and the approval of the Duke, is to trade wood for stone in equal measure. This will provide the town with better building materials to reinforce the town wall and build better homes with minimal risk and cost to us. Should the kingdom be in need of stone I believe this could be achieved as well. If I can establish these terms in fair trade further trade will become possible, moreover if trade with the surface proves lucrative the heir will find his political position bolstered making such future trade safer for our citizens.
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The twisted dwarves and their friends the dark-skinned people are nice. Their new king wants to undo all the evil from long ago and trade rocks for wood with us. But the king has brothers who are not nice and may start a war so that they can be king and not trade with us at all. They make visiting there very dangerous for us. And they really don't have much we want except allot of rocks, but we can use rocks to make the town wall better. So if the Duke says it is ok I will trade wood for stone to so we can build the town wall better and to make better houses too.
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The parchment ends with a detailed and intricate drawing depicting an epic struggle between good and evil within the Baracour cites, the potential for good trade in stone, and the danger to our people if we interfere in their situation.
The onix and red skinned people call themselves the Baracour, they live entirely underground in a complex and masterfully crafted series of tunnels and caverns. I have been graciously allowed to live among them for this past week. They do not have inns so I have been staying in quarters normally reserved for nobility traveling between settlements. The Baracour are recovering from a failed coup that ended in patricide when one prince slew the king. The heir apparent seems an honorable and lawfully minded man and has many bold plans for his people. Ideas perhaps even too bold for many of his people. Although not at open civil war I get the uneasy feeling that the possibility looms close. The heir apparent has many brothers who favor the old ways of slavery and murder, and though they will be slow to act after the first brother was brought to justice many plots are likely in motion. As a result the Baracour are tense and even aggressive with outsiders.
Their stonework and jewelry are very impressive, a match to many a dwarven work. The jewelry is nearly as fine as elven craft in fact. Something I would be loathe to admit were I a less honest person. Their magic is capable though dissimilar to ours. Their earth magic is skillfully potent but nothing we are not well familiar with. Their celestial magic seems functional but crude. Their alchemy is almost entirely fungus based and not fit for general use on the surface. I fear any exchange in these areas would be almost entirely one-sided with them getting far more in return than we might. Some rare components, such that might only be found below ground may be obtainable in small quantities at some point if trade can be maintained. If we can demonstrate that we are trustworthy.
lastly the Baracour use a system of currency unknown on the surface, they place little value on gold or gems. As such the best we might hope for in trade is a "breaking even" in exchanging goods. Fortunately for us wood is at a premium and we may be able to get increased quantities of stone in trade.
At this point I would not recommend opening wide scale trade between us. The heir apparent has cautioned me not to give too much information out to those he does not trust. The threat of civil war (which I caution you not to mention to them as it seems a painful and insulting topic) poses far too great a risk for the common traveler. That said I believe I have earned enough trust that I could negotiate simple trades easily enough, particularly for quarried stone. My intent, should it meet with the Mayor's approval, and the approval of the Duke, is to trade wood for stone in equal measure. This will provide the town with better building materials to reinforce the town wall and build better homes with minimal risk and cost to us. Should the kingdom be in need of stone I believe this could be achieved as well. If I can establish these terms in fair trade further trade will become possible, moreover if trade with the surface proves lucrative the heir will find his political position bolstered making such future trade safer for our citizens.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The twisted dwarves and their friends the dark-skinned people are nice. Their new king wants to undo all the evil from long ago and trade rocks for wood with us. But the king has brothers who are not nice and may start a war so that they can be king and not trade with us at all. They make visiting there very dangerous for us. And they really don't have much we want except allot of rocks, but we can use rocks to make the town wall better. So if the Duke says it is ok I will trade wood for stone to so we can build the town wall better and to make better houses too.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The parchment ends with a detailed and intricate drawing depicting an epic struggle between good and evil within the Baracour cites, the potential for good trade in stone, and the danger to our people if we interfere in their situation.
