Meeting of the Thanes (Govannon)

[Atl Myrsa]

Era XIII Post Fractum in the Age of the Darkening
Immanis 21

To His Grace, Lord Thane Yasho Hijoko

Serale

I send greetings on this brightening. I realize that their has been no personal communications between, and I apologies for not sooner contacting you. The governing of Mystique has taken up a large among of time that has been given me.

In the interest of inter provinces union I wish to improve the relations between our cities. I was wondering if it would be possible for myself to visit the city of Zinn’Sunn and meet with your person. I wish to talk about trade between our to cities and also to see in what ways we may help each other.

I was hoping that we could meet with each of in the fifth cycle of Immanis. Would this be possible for you?

Atl Myrsa
Lord Thane of Mystique

[Govannon]

Literally only a couple of brightenings later, a reply was Teleported to Mystique for the attention of it's thane.

To His Grace, Lord Thane Atl Myrsa

Serale,

It is indeed good to hear from you, and I hope that this letter finds you and your people well. Given that we both hold the same positions, I can understand that the job does require a lot of time.

With regards to a meeting, I would certainly be honored to have you visit me in Zinn'Sunn. Mayhaps we will have the time to take a look around the city so I can show off some of the more finer points. Discussing trade would also be welcome, as I believe our cities currently trade a few commodities, but it would be prudent to re-evaluate the situation and see if there is anything else we can offer each other.

I look forward to receiving you and any entorage you may bring.

Yasho Hijoko,
Lord Thane of Zinn'Sunn.

[Atl Myrsa]

Era XIII Post Fractum in the Age of the Darkening
Immanis 41

Atl was dressed in his green druidic robes on this particular brightening. Atl had long since discovered that he preferred to travel in his druidic robes then in the fancy clothing that the nobility of Mystique demanded. His short cut brown hair had recently been cut again to help provided the Thane of Mystique with the crisp appearances. Atl had realized before that he needed to look the part, but the addition of wife had taught him how much he had previously failed at it.

Atl presented him self for Tariel’s inspection one final time. She looked him over and then nodded. The elf smiled and leaned forward and kissed his beloved. “I will be back.” Atl said as he departed the room.

Shortly after that Atl arrived at the outdoor ballroom were his party was gathered. It was a small and simple part consisting of Sam, Atl’s body guard, and a Sorcerer. Atl came forward to Sam.

“Everything is ready your Grace.” Sam said as Atl came with in speaking range.

“Good.” Atl said. He looked at the Sorcerer. “When ever you are ready Master Sorcerer.”

The Sorcerer nodded his head. “Please step closer your Grace.” The Thane and his bodyguard stepped closer. A moment latter. . .

The residences of the Thane of Zinn’Sunn came into view. Atl paused for a moment to recover. Teleporting tended to do that to him. While the thane recovered Sam approached the Thanes guards. “Atl Myrsa Lord Thane of Mystique to visit with Zinn’sunn’s thane.”

[Govannon]

The city of Zinn'Sunn was a sight to behold. Houses were made of wood and typically only one story, but appeared to be very roomy. The native Kemites moved about the city, conducting their daily business.The Thane's residence was a spraling complex of one-story houses, seemingly all interconnected and having a courtyard in the middle. Again, they were all made out of wood and it almost appeared as if the windows were made out of paper or something along those lines. Atl could see that they could be opened and closed, plus there were wooden shutters on the outside of the windows to protect them against the rain. The buildings were simple, yet very functional and actually appeared as if they could withstand the elements fairly well.

Glancing around, he would also be able to see the famed monastery in the distance, and what appeared to be the arcana academy that was well-known for it's Song classes. The guards at the gate stood upright, giving a crisp salute as the entourage arrived. Once the message was given, one of the guards gave a nod in recognition to the messenger and to Atl himself. "Of course. Please, wait here and I shall inform him. He made it quite clear that he would like to come out and see you in himself rather than having us usher you inside." The guard quickly turned and marched directly into the compound. It was clear that the group was expected, which was a good thing in itself. Soon enough, the guard came back into the courtyard with a single figure following him. He was dressed in a dark red tunic tied closed with a black belt, dark red trousers and sandals.

As the man came closer, the Kemite features were clearly obvious. Long black hair was pulled back in a short and neat pony tail, and dark brown eyes watched the group ahead of him. Soon enough, the Thane known as Lord Yasho Hijoko wandered over to the group and stopped just a few feet in front of them, his hands clasped together and gave a welcoming bow. "Serale, Lord Atl Myrsa and welcome to the city of Zinn'Sunn. I am honored to welcome you into my estate so we can discuss strengthening the union between our two cities."

[Atl Myrsa]

Atl nodded towards the guard as he went to retrieve the Thane of Zinn’Sunn. Atl stood there as only someone who is waiting for someone one can. The Thane of Mystique was different then the average elf found within the borders of Lauryl. He was neither Esh’Lahier nor the other light elves who populated the Lylles Kingdom. He was a nimalni elf. A member of the mysterious race of elves known as the Nimalni. The cold did not seem too particularly to disturb him, and his fading tan showed an almost grayish skin color.

Atl looked around the city admiring the buildings. His nimalni heritage came out in him as the building style sparked some curiosity. His own back ground tended to lean towards stone work and not wood. He could see the uses of these buildings. While stone could take forever to work with the wood should be faster, and cheaper. He smiled thinking how very human the style was. His own race while able to admire it probable would never actually build that with thoughts resources. Coming from a land were stone was plentiful and wood was scares it was too ingrained into them that one needed to spend years building something, and wood was meant for other things.

Atl turned his attention back to the Kemite human who had emerged from the estate. Atl returned the bow. “Serale Lord Yasho Hijoko.” Atl said as he smiled. Atl’s face could almost have been created around his smile. It seemed to brighten up his whole countenances. “I am honored to be received by your good self. Allow me to present the others in my company.” Atl indicated first to his bodyguard. “My friend and guard Sam. This is Sorcerer Ryania, who serves as my means of transportatioin.”

[Govannon]

Glancing at the guard and the Sorcerer, Yasho inclined his head in greeting to them. "It is good to meet the two of you, also." He turned back to Atl and gave a welcoming smile. It certainly didn't appear out of place on the Kemite's face. "Let us get inside out of this brisk winter weather. It won't do to have my guests freeze to death on our first meeting!" The thane chuckled softly and turned, leading the way into the compound. There was a small garden in the center of the compound. The grass was lush and green, and a large cherry blossom tree grew in the center. There were only a few minor blossom's on the tree, which was hardly surprising with it being winter. They quickly moved to a set of wooden doors which the thane slid open.

Inside, the house had a wooden floor with various intricately woven rugs. He slipped his sandals off just inside the door and set them to one side, moving fully into the house so his guests had room to move around. Yasho didn't ask them to remove their boots or whatever they happened to be wearing, as it was more a custom of his people and he realised that not everyone would understand it. He wandered down a hall and moved into a large room. Inside, there was a large rug wih a low table in the middle. A few floor cushions were around the table, and this was obviously where people sat. Yasho crossed to one side of the table and slowly lowered himself, gesturing for Atl and his companions to do the same.

"There, much better. Now, would you like any form of snacks? Or a nice cup of tea?"

[Atl Myrsa]

Atl smiled again at the statement about freezing in the weather. He found peoples comments about the cold amusing. He didn’t say anything about it since Atl was not like that. Laughing at others was not his way. He did briefly remember the winter games he played as a child in his mountain village. Atl bowed his head to the Thane of Zinn’Sunn and then followed behind him into the palaces. Atl paused and looked over the garden. It was simple but beautiful garden.

Atl paused and seeing his host slipped his off his shoes and walk through the house barefooted. Atl bent down and untied his own boots and slipped them off. While he was doing that Sam stood next to him with a raised eyebrow. Atl looked up at Sam as he looked down at his boots. Atl smiled and shook his head. Sam’s feet tended to stink and so Atl felt it was up to him to decide. The sorcerer did slip of his own shoes as the three of them followed their host down the hall. Atl enjoyed the feel of the carpets under his bare feet. There was something to be said about walking barefoot. Atl looked down at the carpets wondering were the came from. Mystique imported most of its carpets from Arakmat, and their prices could be painful.

Atl was actually used to running into different cultures. Most people didn’t realize it but Atl was from a culture as alien to most found in Alleria. His culture strangely was fairly different from your average elven culture which drove most elves crazy when he failed to perform the necessary action.

Atl slipped down easily, Sam was a little slower and had to reposition himself on the cushion a couple times before finally settling in. “Tea and snacks would be appreciated.”

[Govannon]

With a nod to Atl and Sam, Lord Yasho waved over a servant with a soft smile. "Bring us a pot of tea, three cups and some sweet biscuits please." The female servant gave a bow of respect and aknowledgement before wandering off into the house. This left the two thanes and Sorcerer assisstant alone for a few moments. "So, I believe you wanted to discuss the possibility of trade and possibly helping each other? I believe our two cities generally share a good rapport, at least they have in the past. You will be able to see one of the products that we can trade shortly, it's a particularly rare tea that only we Kemites grow. It's also a bit of an acquired taste, but it goes down well with those whom are used to it." Around this point, the servant returned carrying a wooden tray. She set it on the table between the men and quickly hurried out of the room.

Sitting on the tray was a pot of tea and three cups. There was also a plate of what appeared to be sugar cookies, or at least the top of them glistened with sugar. The tea itself had a strange aroma. It smelt faintly of wood smoke, which was a rather odd smell to expect from a pot of tea. Yasho inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh. "Ahhhhh... I love the smell of a good pot of Kemite Tea." He picked up the pot and poured a cup each for Atl and Sam, finally pouring one for himself. The pot was placed back on the tray and he brought his own cup closer. Once he had his tea, Yasho pushed the plate of sugar cookies towards Atl and Sam. "These are present for a good reason. Our tea is very bitter, hence why it's an acquired taste. But, I find that it helps to relax the mind and promote healthy sleep. Maybe it does... maybe it doesn't, but it works well for me in a stressful job."

A sip was taken from the warm tea and the Kemite thane let out a soft and relaxing sigh. If Atl or his associate were to try the tea, they would find that it was very bitter and thus it became more obvious why the sweet cookies were present as a snack.

[Atl Myrsa]

The tea sounded interesting. Atl paused and then accepted some of the tea from the servant. He also tried some of the sweetened snacks. He gentle sipped at the tea blinking at the bitter taste. He sipped again at the tea and though over what Yasho had said about some of the things they had to trade. “I am not sure how it would be received by the common citizens of Mystique.” He smiled. “I do know that wealthier citizens, the druids, and Priest of Carmeyla would be most interested in the tea.” Atl picked up a cookie and munched on it. He let the sweetness of the cookies fill his tastebuds. “The cookies are excellent.”

Atl took another sip and then continued. “As you mentioned the cities of Zinn’Sunn and Mystique. Trade already does flow between our two cities, but I feel that we should try to make something a little more official. We saw what happened during the previous era’s events with the changing of governors. Trade was interrupted, and I know that Mystique suffered, and I am guessing Zinn’Sunn also suffered from the civil war and the plague that followed on its heels.” Atl paused gathering his words. “I feel that we need to increase the flow of trade between our cities so that our recovers may be speeded up. I also think that establishing routes between our cities will help protect the trade that travels between our cities.” The Thane of Mystique did not speak loudly or with dramatic voice. He spoke honestly and clearly from the heart. Atl smiled. “Sorry. I have just seen this provinces and its cities flow with wealth and prosperity, and I get passionate about seeing that again.”

[Govannon]

There was a slight nod and a genuine smile given to Atl as he complimented the Thane on his cookies. "Thank you, I shall have to pass on your comment to the cook. He will be pleased to hear they are well-received." It was understandable that not everyone would receive the tea well, as the Thane of Zinn'Sunn understood that it was most certainly an acquired taste. However, he knew they also had other products that they could offer to their capital city. From what he could see, it would be a case of having to sit down and see exactly what they could offer each other, and what each city needed from the other. "Well, like you, I would like to see our cities and province prosper. The war, the plague and everything else has taken it's toll on all of us. But that is now in the past and we need to look to our combined futures. As such, I believe I have a bit of an idea."

Yasho fell silent for a moment, taking a sip from his tea with a very content sigh. It was quite obvious that he enjoyed it. "So, I propose that we draw up a list of what each city has to offer and what each city needs. I think we should alter our importing and exporting to make sure we supply each other first before we look outside our province to other cities. Since everything that's happened and the rebuilding of Zinn'Sunn, we have placed a large focus on farming. Now, we can provide some livestock, wheat, rice, chestnuts and vegetables. There is no way we are near what Candaceburg supplies, but I believe we have enough to support ourselves and export some to Mystique if that would be of any use? Obviously, we can still provide art, as we have always done, and we still generally need wood as a major import."

[Atl Myrsa]

Atl nodded his head. “That is an excellent idea. Unfortunately Mystique produces large amounts of foods stuff. In the form of vegetable, wheat, and cattle. We do provide plenty of wood.” Atl thought again to the buildings and could understand the cities need for wood. “Mystique also produces crystalium, but until we have a fuller understanding of it the trade there has been slowed down.” He paused. “Mystiques upper classes is once again wishing to provide the art that distinguishes them from the lower classes.”

Atl paused. “You mentioned that you have started producing live stock.” He paused before continuing. “I don’t know if you remember but last summer Mystique ran a cattle drive to various cities of the Empire. I am planning on making that an annual event, and feel that Zinn’Sunn could help there. As it is Mystique is one of the Empires largest producers of cattle, between the two of our cities we could increase the wealth of our cities, and to the provinces through that.” That Thane of Mystique said taking another sip. It was a pleasant drink after one got used to it. Atl wasn’t sure that he would respond to it the way his host did but to each his own. The nimalni looked at his fellow thane wondering what he thought of the cattle drive idea.

[Govannon]

There was a nod given as Atl explained that Mystique produces a lot of foodstuff at the moment. "Well, maybe we can still help each other out. You may produce things we require, and vice versa. I'll have to get you a more complete list." Yashio took another sip from the tea as he listened to what was said about the Crystalium and gave another slight nod to that. "Well, once you know what it does, I believe we will be interested in it. It's very good for making intricate art objects. You can get a good blue colour for glass out of it if you mix the dust in with the molten glass and then blow it. So, when you feel that you can up the trade a little more, I think we will most certainly interested."

Finally, the topic came around to the cattle drive. The Thane of Zinn'Sunn certainly did remember the drive that had taken place the year before, and it had been fairly successful if his memory served correctly. With both cities adding livestock to it, that would certainly help to boost the economy of the province. "I think that is a very good idea. If both of us are contributing to the cattle drive, that gives us more to sell, which will bring more money back into the province and help us grow. As a thought, with both cities working on vegetables as well, is it worth taking some of our food stuffs on the drive too? Anything we don't need after storing it should really be sent away to be sold if possible."

[Atl Myrsa]

Atl nodded. “I think it would be a good idea if both of us appointed a representative who can make the list and together they can work out the details of what trade will go between the two cities.” Atl paused. “These officials will also be able to constantly watch the situations so that the trade will be adjusted as needed. Example being during winter there would probable be a greater exchange of food then say at the end of summer. This way neither of us over provides or under provides the other with the needed goods.” Atl said in all seriousness. “We do run into the problem that our merchants, and not the cities themselves run the trade.” His blue eyes were lost in thought as he pondered about the problem of trade. “The agents would be able to provided us with a list of the things are city needs and the other provided. Then we can lower the city taxes on thoughts goods.”

He then shook his head and responded his statements about the cattle drive. “I agree. Between us we could very well become the biggest supplier of cattle in the empire.” He listened and nodded his head. “I think shipping extra food stuff would increase our profit.” He smiled with a kind of smirking quality to it. “The druids would be able to help keep the food fresh, and help keep the cattle docile.”