A Glimmer of Hope [Private: Taralon leadership only]

[Gauls]

TimeStamp:
Season of Summer,
Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIV Post Fractum,
the Second Era of the Regency of Milo L'Evienne

It is a wonderful day to be out and away from the cities and crowds. A time to think and cherish fond memories. Summer has arrived and with it, all the wonders of the wild, trees with full canopies spreading their shadows across the ground like a blanket beckoning the passer-bys to stop and rest upon them. Unfortunately, this is all a pleasant fiction that is the space, the no-man's land between the ravaged lands of Narim proper lined by the forces of the orckish Horde and the border of the Sherian provences untouched by war and guarded by the forces of the Empire. It is here that the Orckon delegation has chosen to stop and wait for the envoys from Taralon to discuss an end to fighting and forge a new treaty to reign over the land for another generation.

The delegation was sent with the authority of the City Master (Gothmog Kitot) of Orckon with the task of gaining a new treaty that would solidify the gains made by the actions of the Horde these seasons past. They are a group of barbari humans and goblins numbering only about a dozen total. The goblins do not appear to be in command but are carrying out menial tasks as pointed out by the humans like brushing and caring for the 4 horse teams that are pulling the 4 wagons that make up the delegation. Most of the humans are either guarding or doing other security type tasks making sure that the group is not attacked first then questioned later.

The wagons are arranged around a huge tree where the shadow covers all in the group keeping the sun off their bald heads. None are trying to hide and a large white sheet is fluttering from a pole tied to the back of one of the wagons. All precautions are being taken to ensure that it is obvious to everyone this group's intentions. The tree is located on the edge of a larger grove of trees sitting on a slight rise. This makes them a very plain target.

Here, the group waits for the envoy that was dispatched to Taralon to return.

[Gauls]

It was already mid morning when the delegation arrived upon this spot on the rise and by mid afternoon, they were now all idle sitting around and kicking rocks still waiting for the return of the envoys dispatched to Taralon. If anything goes wrong with the envoys visit, the group would probably have to make a hasty retreat toward Ire but for now, they sit and waited.

Suddenly, one of the barbari humans came running back to the rise from his observation post yelling. "They return! They return!"

Everyone jumped to their feet as two men on horseback gallopped across the field toward them. It was their envoys. The one with the white flag of truce tossed the pole to the ground when they started up the rise. "They come!" the lead envoy yelled.

Immediately, another man jumped upon his mare and swung it toward Orckon. Spurring it forward, the man rode full speed down the rise and across the field disappearing into a tree line. He was on his way to inform the city master to send the Gothmog Ushtar, (Horde Master).

The others on the rise began to prepare for the visit. The two envoys dismounted to rest after their hard ride from Taralon. They were visibly relieved to be away from that place. The goblins scurried around placing a small wood table and four chairs around it next to the tree trunk. Spears were stuck in the ground (tip down) in a radius around the table and tree making a boundry which ceremonially would be where only the leadership would be able to enter to hold their meeting. The wagons were backed up and placed one on each side (north/south/east/west) of the tree outside the circle. This was to provide somewhat of a barrier for the leadership to ensure no shots could be taken from afar. All seemed to be ready for the meeting.

[Anvael Andares]

It was with some caution that Anvael and his entourage approached the border of the orcish lands where the meeting would take place. Until the last moment he had though about whether he would really go there and talk with those orcs. Part of him had been convinced that it was nothing but a trap, that they’d capture him, lock him up in Ire and blackmail the Empire. He wasn’t entirely convinced of the white flag the envoys had brought with them, wasn’t sure whether the orcs honored it at all.

He didn’t speak any orcish. Whatever he had learned of their culture and history was second-hand knowledge, had been gained from books or soldiers that had fought in Narim and been convinced that sending the Legions down there and killing them all was the only possible solution. What if he made a mistake here? What if he made everything worse? Maybe it would have been better to just go to war with them.

He had brought about a dozen of the Governor’s guard with him. They surrounded him as they moved towards the camp where the orcish delegation was without a doubt already waiting. They wore armor and always had one hand at their swords, ready to defend him should the need arise. The two men that he had brought with him from Mystique rode directly next to him. They’d give their lives should it become necessary. Anvael himself was armed as well, even though it was mostly pretense, as he possessed only basic knowledge of combat. He was dressed entirely in dark colors, had tried hard to make himself look like a person of authority rather than an elven boy that had just become Governor because nobody else had been interested in the job. There was so much that depended on the success of this meeting!

He stopped briefly as the meeting place came into view and surveyed the scene, tried to find out how many people were there and how many of them were armed. There was an unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach now. Anvael wasn’t a soldier, he wasn’t a hero, he was a politician who had spent most of the past eras in his office and whose most important fights had been with the Thane of Mystique where funding for the aedile’s office was concerned. He had dreamed of doing great things of course, just like every other boy, but reality was a little different from the things he had dreamed of. He wasn’t sure whether he was really prepared for this.

One of the guards rode forward to announce the Governor’s arrival to the delegation from Ire while Anvael stood there, waiting, wondering how exactly the meeting would go and what the orcs wanted to discuss with him. Would there be a real chance at peace or would this attempt at negotiation end in another disaster?

[Gauls]

The entourage of Anvael came into view and the man that was lookout came running across the field and up the rise.

: panting :
"The shara entourage approaches. Everything is ready?" he asked.

Another man nods in affirmation and they all take their positions for the meeting. There are 6 goblins who clamber aboard a wagon to get a good view of the happenings. The 7 barbari humans acting as guards for the whole affair post themselves at staggered positions around the circle of spears surrounding the tree and table.

The men watched as the governor's delegation stopped out in the field at the base of the rise and the single guard rode forward to announce their arrival. One man took a step forward and saluted with a thump to his chest. Anvael would no doubt recognize this man as the same one that had delivered the scroll to him in his office. He wore the same tattered Narim soldier's uniform. He took a step back to his post and waved for the group to approach.

"All is ready. we wait for the Gothmog Ushtar to arrive from Orckon." he said to the Taralon guard that was in front of him. "You may rest your delegation under this tree until he arrives."

There are only about 13 total people in the Ire delegation (with the addition of the two envoys), not really considered a threat since half of those are unarmed goblins. Besides the two barbari humans dressed in their tattered Narim garb, the other men looked like typical barbarians, brutish and armed with axes slung to their backs. None appeared to have any missile-type weapons with which to take any pop shots at the governor. There are no orcs to be seen.

[Anvael Andares]

He recognized the man that had delivered the scroll to his office. Even though the human had shown himself to be every bit as barbaric as an orc, he found the sight of a familiar face somewhat reassuring. As the guard returned to him and reported what he had been told, the Esh’lahier let his gaze drift to the tree. Apparently this was where the negotations – if that was what the people from Ire really wanted – would take place. He found the location somewhat unusual. He was used to doing those kinds of things in a closed room, in a palace, and not under a tree, surrounded by spears. But then the people he was supposed to meet were Barbari who didn’t care about civilization, about the traditions of his kind, savage, violent people.

He rode to the meeting place, still surrounded by his guards. That there were no orcs here after all came as a bit of a surprise. He’d expected to be surrounded by greenskins the moment he came here, but there was not a single one in sight. Why was this the case? Why had they sent Barbari humans and goblins when this was about the orcs and their presence in Sherian? It didn’t make any sense to him, although he found it comforting that only half of them seemed to be armed. They would be no match for the guards he had brought with him.

For the first time he was willing to believe that Ire was actually serious about this, that they really wanted to talk. Surely, if they wanted to kill him or capture him and throw him into a dungeon in Ire, they would have been better prepared ...

He dismounted, followed by his guards, and approached the tree where he would wait until the Gothmog Ushtar arrived.

[Gauls]

The lead envoy that had met Anvael earlier in his office once again stood before him. He thumped his chest again in salute as he did before with the same result, dust flying up off his jacket. The man stood to the left and motioned for Anvael to enter the circle and take a seat at one of the two chairs at the table in the center of the circle.

:Pointing at the chair:
"For you sir. But your guards will have to stand outside the circle as the Gothmog Ushtar will do also."

The man looked at Anvael reassuringly and noted; "It is customary."

After the delegation has placed Anvael and his group, it was a longer than expected wait before the Gothmog Ushtar's lead page rode through the treeline across the field from the rise and motioned from atop his worg that the Gothmog had arrived. The Horde Master had already been dispatched from where ever he was at about the same time as the delegation was sent to setup the meeting. For this reason the wait was not as long as it could have been.

The rise that the meeting was to take place on was in the middle of a field. The treeline surrounding the field was at least 100 yards away but even from this distance snarls and growls could be heard through the trees but nothing could be seen yet except the lone orc on his worg waiting by the edge of the treeline in the field. Shadows could be seen lurking between the trees, large shadows and at times glimpses of the worg beasts that the orcs were riding. The orcs dismounted within the treelineand began to walk out into the open. The orcs did not ride their animals up to the rise simply because the sight of the beasts would have scared any horse, even those horses trained for war. The other reason was that the orcs feed their worgs horse meat and it wouldn't bode well for the outcome of the negotiations if the governor's horse was being ripped apart while the meeting was going on. By the way, what happned to the man that rode off on his horse to call the Horde Master to this meeting?

The Horde Master walked across the distance from the trees to the rise where the meeting was to take place. He was flanked by 2 orcs on each side of him. The orc gaurds with him were slightly out of the ordinary. The usual green skinned orc is what most people see but this orc was massive (over 6ft tall) and had black-ish skin instead of green or tan. They held some wicked sickle-looking halberds and kite shields. On the face of the shields were what looked like 3 spires representing the city of Ire drawn in in black. The guards had crossbows strapped to their backs as well and wore black armor breatplates.

Once the group reached the top of the rise, everyone could at last see the Horde Master up close and personal without having to dodge a swinging axe at the same time. He was a standard looking orc about 5'6 and brutish looking with a broad brow that made him appear like he was scowling all the time. He was obviously a different breed than his guards because the Horde Master had the standard green skin instead of black like his guards. The orc did have one other main difference that stood out, his 4 large tusks protruding upward from his lower jaw. These tusks were signs of his stature and only other orcs with the same number of tusks could challenge him in combat for the right to lead the Horde. Just looking at the orc one would expect to hear the broken common tongue and simple mentality of a normal orc but this was not the case. This was the Horde Master.

:One of the guards announced his leader:
"Vrassun Tallarak. Gothmog Ushtar Orckon!" he bellowed.

These orcs were full of themselves but Vrassun entered the circle and took his seat just like a human general on the battlefield entering a meeting with his field officers to discuss battle tactics. The guards that accompanied him as well as the humans that had set up the site all took their places surrounding the circle of spears. The Horde Master glared at the Governor with his orange eyes. One could not tell if the orc was happy or angry with that scowl permanently fixed upon his face. the way the orc sat it was noticable that he was here against his will and was looking to ge this whole thing over with.

The orc waited to see if the shara (human) had anything to say before they got started. It also appeared that he was waiting for something which he did not have with him at the moment. One of the guards kept looking out over the field in the direction of where the Horde Master had arrived as if looking for the arrival of someone or something.

[Anvael Andares]

Anvael didn’t like the fact that his guards would have to stay outside the circle, he didn’t like it at all. He didn’t really trust anybody here, but he had little choice but to comply. The only alternatives would have been walking away or getting into an argument with the barbari, and neither was really an option for him. He wanted this to go well!

“If the Gothmog Ushtar intends to enter the circle alone, I will of course do the same”, he said to the man and gave his guards a sign to wait outside and watch him so that they could intervene immediately should it become necessary. Slowly and with some hesitation he approached the table and sat down on one of the chairs.

He couldn’t help but feel like a criminal that was walking to his execution …

As the lead page on his worg approached, he turned his head. He had never seen one of those beasts before. They were monstrous! Without a doubt such a thing, such a worg would be able to rip a man apart effortlessly. He took a deep breath. There had to be more of them behind the trees. He could hear their growls. Not a comforting sound at all. Had he brought enough guards?

As the Horde Master finally arrived, he tried to force his face into a neutral expression and sat up straighter. First impressions were crucial. He didn’t want to come across as a weak elf, somebody they could treat any way they wanted. He had no idea if he was successful though. Malkaer or Moranor would without a doubt have done a better job at this. He was facing real orcs for the first time in his life. That was probably why the Regent had suggested a trial period rather than promoting him right away, but what had happened had happened, and he could only hope that he’d be a good Governor despite his lack of experience.

He had always thought orcs were green, but the one that came now was black – and massive. If he wanted to kill him, he probably wouldn’t even need a weapon. Those huge fists would be enough. The elf’s eyes darkened a little. He met the orc’s gaze. It was obvious that the Horde Master wasn’t any happier than he to be there, that both of them would probably much rather be somewhere else and do something else, although in the orc’s case this probably included murder while the elf just wanted to get this over with and do some less life-threatening work.

“Gothmog Ushtar”, he said once the orc had taken a seat. “I have been told that you wish to discuss a matter of great importance with me?”

[Gauls]

After Anvael's question, Vrassun turned and looked at one of his escort. He then looked back at the dark elf sitting before him and flat-out laughed.

"Der is a mistake in perception here! The matter that will be discussed here is not jus' of great importance to YOU, it is important to ALL of you in da shara cities on these lands!"
: Points toward Taralon :

Shocking first was the fact that this orc spoke with an obvious education. He had spoke more clearly than most orcs but his common speech was still colored by his orkish dialect. Second thing that was surprising, especially to an untrained government official like Anvael was his directness and willingness to make someone feel really small. It is almost certain that any other politician or official in the Empire would never speak this way in a formal meeting between governments but then again, Anvael would have to realize who and what he was speaking to. It is all a learning experience to deal with an orc.

Vrassun turned in his seat and waved a hand at his page. The orc leaned into the circle but did not enter it as if his feet were unable to cross the boundry formed by the spear circle. The orc outstretched his hand and handed Vrassun a scroll. The Gothmog Ushtar took the scroll then readjusted back into his seat unfurling the scroll. After a quick glance over it, he placed it on the table in front of Anvael.

The scroll itself looked like it was written on parchment but upon closer examination, it is discovered that the scroll is made of skin. It is not obvious what creature the skin came off of but it was gruesome none the less. The ink used on the scroll was a little different than what Anvael is used to seeing. It appears to be a blackish blood ink. Orcs have black blood and it makes one wonder if the person or thing writing this scroll slit his/her own wrists to use in writing.

Upon the scroll was a diagram that was crudely drawn. Looking at it for a moment it could be acertained that it was a diagram of the Sheria Provence with parts of other provences like Prime, Centripax, and Enamoria. Below the diagram is text written in ancient Aelyerian and orkish (if Anvael could recognize such script) about 3 paragraphs long.

: Vrassun glaring at Anvael :
"Ju know what dis is?"

[Anvael Andares]

OOC: I’m an elf. I noticed that you called me human somewhere in your post!

Well, that was a surprise. The black orc didn’t speak in broken Common as he had expected, and he actually seemed to possess some manner of intelligence. He was also rather direct – a fact that the Esh’lahier would normally have appreciated. Those politicians up in Prime always spoke in riddles which confused him to no end. Unfortunately though the words themselves didn’t comfort him in the least. Anvael felt small, really small. Well, he probably was a fair bit shorter than the orc, but now he also felt worthless on top of it. Didn’t this barbarian know that it was bad to talk like that to the most important man in the province, to the one upon whose good will you depended?

He probably did, he decided after he had taken a look at the orc’s face. He knew exactly what kind of effect his words had, but he didn’t care in the least. He probably thought treating the representatives of the Empire like that was a good pastime, and killing humans was more fun than anything else on Telath. Was Ire really willing to negotiate? The orc didn’t really act as if he had come here to find a peaceful solution, but as if Ire was stronger than all of the Empire combined, and he could make any demands he wanted.

“A mistake in perception?” The elf arched an eyebrow. He didn’t know exactly what the orc meant or wanted, but the way he said it wasn’t good. In fact it sounded a little like a threat. He looked at the scroll that the page had brought, noticing that the material was eerily similar to skin. At least he thought it was skin. He had never actually seen skin used instead of paper before. It would have been too barbaric for most of the people he had dealt with so far. He couldn’t help but wonder whether they had just killed a human prisoner for that. The ink on the other hand looked a little like blood. Maybe they had let the prisoner bleed to death first and skinned him afterwards!

Even though the diagram was rather crudely drawn, he could recognize the province of Sheria on it. It was a map. What did that mean? Did the orcs intend to claim all that land? He looked back at Vrassun. “I know what that is.” His voice sounded a little cold now. He didn’t know where this was going, but it probably wasn’t good. “This map shows Sheria and parts of a few other provinces. Why are you showing it to me?”

[Gauls]

Vrassun scoffed at how little this Esh'lahier knew of the scroll before him. It affirmed his notion that the shara of the Empire cared little about what they scribbled upon parchments or the promises that they respresented. Vrassun was surprised that a documented agreement of this importance was not more widely known to the average Aelyrian. It is supposed that is the reason why they were all sitting here in the first place.

"Ju not recognize promise parchment made by jur shara King? Vrassun not surprised shara not tell a Esh'lahier about der promises. Shara hide everyting!"

As Vrassun spoke, his page came into the circle and with a quill and ink, began to draw upon the map scroll.

"Many eras ago, shara king make promise to da urak not to bother da urak. Dis scroll is da copy of dat promise."

Anvael may remember that a blood oath was given to the orcs offering self governance and protecting their orc way of life for a promise of loyalty to the Empire...

"Da words on dis scroll describe dis promise. Vrassun did not trust dis promise an' Vrassun was right! Da Gotmog Kitot Grogan Thrag personally tore up dis promise parchment after jur Empire break word ta leave urak alone."

Accusations were flying now. It was probably certain that the Imperial version of what led Grogan Thrag to rip up that blood oath differed greatly with the orc version of what lead to that moment but here they all were looking at the here-and-now.

After Vrassun spoke, the page finished drawing on the map and turned it back toward Anvael. There were now lines encircling all the known locations now occupied by the Horde in the Sheridan Cosmopolis.

: Pointing at the scroll :
"Long ago, jur shara king say urak live on dis land. Not long after, shara move onto urak land, build cities (referring to Narim and Autumnus) and towers (referring to Narim Catellum) ta keep out da urak!"

: Vrassun leans back in his seat :
"After shara break promise, Grogan tear up promise parchament din' shara an' urak fight to see who own dis land."

Vrassun had a pleased look upon his face as he continued his story.
"Shara an' urak fight for ownership of land. Dat urak way an' only way Vrassun see dat is stronger dan any shara promises on parchment! Now urak Horde live on dis land we show ju on dis map."

Vrassun now got a more stern look upon his face (more than what was normal) and began to squeeze a fist. It was obvious that this part was the one that he did not agree to but had to say it anyway.

"Da Gothmog Kitot say dis fair fight so wants another shara promise dat ju not march army on urak new lands! Vrassun tink urak will not give up dis land wit' out more blood spilling."

: Pointing at Anvael :
"Ju are Esh'lahier workin' for shara, dat is bad enough but ju hab chance to act as bridge between da Urak and shara in da Empire by makin' promise parchment dat keep urak on urak land an' shara on shara land."

Vrassun now relaxed a bit and waited for Anvael to reply but then interjected again.

"Vrassun not trust word of shara but maybe word of Esh'lahier better din dat. What should Vrassun expect?"

It was not clear how much Vrassun knew of Anvael's authority in matters of this magnitude but it was clear that nobody was going anywhere without some tense negotiations at this little rise in the middle of a field between two armies.

[Anvael Andares]

„I do know about an agreement between the Empire and the orcs“, Anvael slowly said. “But I did not know that this was the parchment where the agreement was written down.” He looked at the map again, tried to decipher what was written there. He had been told that some kind of contract existed between the orcs and the humans, but he had never found out what it said and what exactly had been agreed on, and his knowledge of Ancient Aelyrian left a little to be desired. It took a while until he had made sense of the words.

The Emperor had allowed the orcs to live here and then broken the promise? Why had he done so? Shouldn’t a contract be honored, even if it was made with a race like the orcs? It seemed as if the Empire itself was to blame for Narim, although Paxia was a different matter. They’d allowed people to settle on a land that didn’t even belong to them, and had complained when the orcs had tried to take back what was really theirs. He felt pity for the orcs – almost. Their land had been taken away, but there was still the matter of a burnt city and countless innocent people brutally killed.

Racist humans that thought the orcs were nothing more than greenskinned savages and orcs that thought that the best way to get their land back was to burn Narim and kill the people that lived there. He’d almost believed himself that the orcs had done this without reason, that they’d burnt Narim and attacked Paxia for nothing more than the need to sate their bloodlust, but Vrassun’s words revealed a new side to things that he previously hadn’t been aware of.

“Justice”, he said as Vrassun asked him what he should expect. “This was your land, and it was taken away. If I had been Governor when the contract was made, it would have been honored, and there would have been no need for the Narim fiasco. But as it is, this happened long before my birth. You are aware of the attitude of the people of Sherian towards your race, Gothmog Ushtar?” The elf looked at him questioningly. He had momentarily forgotten that he was supposed to be scared of the big, black orc and wonder whether they’d kill him or imprison him. The matter of the agreement occupied his mind completely now.

“I think you are. They like you even less than my own kind.” Hatred, pure hatred, that pretty much summed up what the people here thought of the orcs. Monsters that should be killed, monsters that could never be trusted. His own brother thought he should kill every last orc, that Sherian would only be safe if they were all dead. They were barbaric and intimidating and murderous, but could you just condemn an entire race? Could you condemn them for wanting justice, no matter what their views of justice were? Had any other representative of the Empire come here to negotiate, the ultimate answer would likely have been “war”, but Anvael who had been raised with the ideals of tolerance and equality felt uncomfortable with this … just as a positive answer to Vrassun’s request made him uncomfortable.

If he did anything other than go to war with Ire, they’d throw him out. He wouldn’t be Governor much longer. One of the nice, upstanding citizens of Taralon would likely send an assassin into his residence. But if he decided to attack Ire there’d be more dead, hundreds, thousands dead on both sides, a battle with an unknown result … he didn’t like the orcs, would never become friends with them (even though he had been accused of being an orc lover on one occasion), but he could understand them, somehow …

“Your people burnt Narim. They attacked Paxia. They killed people which the Empire considers innocent. To them it doesn’t matter why you killed them and whether you have a reason. We, orcs and dark elves alike, are the bad people, no matter what we do, no matter that we want to protect our way of life.”

“If I were alone in this and the Empire were a different one, I would make a new agreement to replace the old one, but as it is there are certain factors that have to be taken into consideration. What will happen to the humans that are living on orc land now? The human cities are there, there are people living there, and you cannot kill them, even if they are living on land where they should never have settled in the first place. Can you assure me that there would never be another Narim or Paxia again?”

There were many more things he needed to ask, but he wanted to know what Vrassun thought about what he had said now before he continued. His choice of words likely wasn’t perfect, and he constantly asked himself whether he was doing the right thing, but what had been said had been said. He could only hope that he wasn’t making a mistake here.

[Gauls]

Vrassun listened as Anvael spoke. He hung on every word and his facial expressions perked up a couple times as he heard things that sparked his interest. He made mental notes at those places in Anvael's reply and was quick to snap back defensively when it was his turn to speak.

: Pointing at Anvael :
"Vrassun was der. You not. Vrassun an' great Horde take Narim wit almost no bloodshed! We take Narim from inside out."

Vrassun was not aware if Anvael knew or not that Narim was taken by infiltrating Narim with a human merc force who virtually handed Narim to the Horde intact.

"Urak not do anything that shara not do in war time when dey take a city. Dos shara livin' in Narim hunt an' kill urak for eras! Urak tink dey reap what dey sowed."

Vrassun looked around at his guards who were all nodding in confirmation as to what Vrassun was saying. Vrassun calmed down a bit and regained his composure.

"Vrassun try ta pull Horde from da city but word come ta my tent dat Imperial Legions were sent ta take Narim back from urak. Dis not goin' ta happen while Vrassun in command!"

: Vrassun pointing at the map in front of Anvael to give him an idea what he was saying next :

"Dey come from dis direction. Dey surround Narim on des sides. Horde not able ta move Horde out of city now."

: Vrassun glared at Anvael :
"Ju know what happen when army kept in one place too long? Dey run out of food an' supply! Da Horde was dyin' in dat city an' dey did what any shara army wud do in same situation. Dey survived!"

That was a nice word to use "survived" to explain what the orcs did to the people they captured in Narim. Whether this was how it actually went down or not Anvael would have to decide what to believe since he has now heard two different versions of the same story. It was his choice to decide which version or parts of the different versions to take as truth.

"Gothmog Kitot say Horde stay on urak lands if shara armies stay on der lands. Da shara dat decide ta live on urak land to farm an' raise more shara live der under urak rules. Gothmog Kitot not mess wit shara if dey not cause troubles on urak lands."

Vrassun leaned back and snapped his fingers. His aide brought another scroll and laid it on the table before Anvael. Anvael would have to remember that Vrassun was just the messenger in this whole meeting. His actions were being orchestrated by the City Master over in Orckon. It really seemed however, that the City Master had a blueprint in his head exactly how this whole meeting was going to flow. It would no doubt make Anvael realize how much more training in diplomacy he would need to match a veteran diplomat like the orc Grogan Thrag.

: Pointing at the scroll :
"Snaga write on scroll all of Grogan Thrag's words dat make promise ta keep Horde on urak lands if you make promise dat urak keep all new lands Horde hold now an' no shara army march on urak lands. Gothmog Kitot also say dat Orckon rebuild Narim wit urak own resources. Dis new Narim welcome all races for trade, living, an' learnin'."

Vrassun once again looked as though what he just said he was uncomfortable saying. The Horde Master no doubt had other plans and if he had his own way, there would be much more harsh words written upon that scroll. The orc knew that the City Master was handing the initiative to the humans when they had their backs up against the wall after losing so much in the war up to this point. It was really aggravating to the Horde Master to be lenient when they should be dictating instead of making conciliatory gestures. Fortunately, it was not up to Vrassun. He was just the City Master's messenger.

[Anvael Andares]

Ioannes, help me!

Anvael wasn’t as religious as an Esh’lahier should be – he could count the times he had been inside a temple on one hand – but now he sent a silent prayer to his god, in case it helped.

He didn’t know what he was supposed to do.

Almost no bloodshed? He didn’t know exactly how Narim had been taken, but almost no bloodshed was still too much bloodshed, too much pain, too much suffering, too many lives lost.

He felt pity for the orcs, he really did. He could sympathize with them. His own kind were discriminated against, but where the orcs had decided to answer violence with more violence, the Esh’lahier of House Andares were doing the right thing: They didn’t kill any humans, but tried to show the Empire that they could be trusted through their actions!

How could he make sure that history wouldn’t simply repeat itself, that they’d just go and kill humans again? Could those savages ever be tamed?

He wanted peace, nothing but peace, but was peace with the orcs possible? And if it was, would the so called shara accept it or just demand blood?

“I understand ... I can imagine what happens when you are surrounded by enemies ...” He understood that the situation had been desperate, but what had they done to the captured humans? Had they killed them or eaten them when they had run out of food?

It wasn’t right ...

“We will not interfere with your way of life, if you leave us alone, if you stop killing humans, for whatever reason.”

“You say that the shara that decide to live on your land, will have to live there under your rules. What would those be like?”

If he decided to agree to this, how could he be certain that the orcs wouldn’t simply kill those that had decided to stay on their land or enslave them? Could he believe anything that Vrassun said?

He actually liked the new Narim. A city that was open to all races didn’t sound that bad. It was a thousand times better than a burnt, destroyed Narim. He looked at Vrassun to find out what he thought of this, whether he liked the idea just as much. Unfortunately Vrassun didn’t seem to agree with the City Master’s plan at all.

He was probably thinking they should just go and burn Taralon to the ground, now that it was weak instead of doing negotations.

Not very comforting.

“I find the plans for Narim ... interesting. But how would you prevent violence among those that came to the city to trade or learn? How would peace be ensured there?”

[Gauls]

Again, Vrassun laughed at the most humorous request he had ever heard. Anvael telling the orcs "not to kill humans for any reason". It was a broad request that had too many unknowns. Vrassun had a simple reply...

"No". The orc shot back. "Tellin' da orc not to kill is like tellin' a gnome not to take a nice shiney ting sitting unguarded on a table. As soon as one turns back to da gnome, he will take da shiney ting no matter what he promise. It is in da gnome's blood ta take what is not his. Da same for da orc. Orcs kill, dat is culture an' nature of da beast. Vrassun an' da Gothmog Kitot not gonna be responsible for every urak dat kill shara." Vrassun paused for a moment then leaned back in his seat. "Vrassun will be responsible for da urak in da Horde and in Orckon. Vrassun gib word dat Horde not kill shara outside war".

It was true what Vrassun was saying. Trying to keep tabs on all orcs and keeping them from killing anything is an impossible task. He knew as well as Anvael that the only orcs he could possibly keep any control of were the ones under his direct command under the Horde and in the city of Ire. Again, it was obvious that Vrassun did not wholey agree to this idea either but it appears that he has no choice.

"Shara dat want ta stay on urak lands must live under urak rules. Dos rules not different dan da ones urak have ta live under. Any race on urak lands pay da taxes when called for, any male race on urak lands hab ta provide service to da Horde in defense of urak lands when attacked, an all must obey da religious festivals when called for. Dis not any different or too far from same rules shara hab made urak live under all these eras."

: Holds up fingers as he proceeds to name off conditions :
"Gothmog Kitot say dat Narim will not hab urak garrison. Da garrison will be kaugzi... er how do you say, non-orc races. Dis ensure dat unwanted killings will be about what lat would find in any shara city. Second, da trade routes from Narim all off limits ta urak except traveler, merchant, an' rog urak. Rog are just caravan guards so not heavily armed and only danger to those trying ta attack caravans. No urak mobs, warbands, or Horde block those on trade routes. Dos dat disobey if urak or any other race, Gothmog Kitot will punish under urak rules."

"Punishment under urak rules". Was Anvael aware of what orkish justice was like? There was alot Anvael and the rest of the Sherian people would have to learn about orkish culture to live along side an orkish state if that is what eventually happens here. However, living along side orcs is alot better than fighting against them.

[Anvael Andares]

To Anvael there was of course