Empire!4 Peace in Our Time

[Minescratcher]

Jannellai sighed as the overdressed Dvatlan spoke. Certainly not a good start to negotiations, she thought to herself, and the Empress's response proved her right. She and the other diplomats remained at the side of the room as the Empress and the Dvatlans continued to argue, but eventually she began to lose her patience. The Premier walked over to Tälir and whispered, "Somehow I don't think his - " here gesturing to Namodl " - presence is doing our negotiations any favors. Does he really need to be present?"

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Spoiler: Purbagle

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From behind the empress' group comes a strange, rasping voice. "Such hubris, to brush aside my kin as mere animals hunting their prey." The vocalization was terrible, emphasis sprinkled here and there among the speech like a farmer spreading his seeds. The source of this profaning of the imperial tongue stepped out from behind the imperial delegation, revealing itself as a cloaked form with a large grayed-blue fin protruding from the top. The Pician surprisingly carried no weapons, wielding only a wooden staff from which dangled a Khirusi mask.

The journey to Avakonia for these proceedings was simple; a boat across the lake between Hosra and [region 47], a boat from [region 47] to the fallen Imperial capitol, and a brief trek to the place of meeting were all it took. He arrived shortly after the Empress' delegation, hanging to the back of the room as the attention was on the Dvaltans' bombastic introductions and the Empress' threats in turn. Only now did the cloaked Pician bother to draw attention to himself.

He was quick to resume his talk. "Pardon my interruption good Emperors, but I feel that our cause is being heavily misrepresented among your kind. We do not seek to devour the flesh of every human on Emjata, as doomsayers would have you believe. Mlagarblargle, our previous Speaker, was motivated by such pursuits. However, he is dead. The mountain harboring the Azen saw to that. We only seek revenge on those who have wronged our Realm and in doing so thought they could get away with it."

Turning to directly address the Empress, he continued. "Does Hosra ring a bell for you, Empress?" The Pician chuckled. "If only you had just left the rebels to their affairs..."

Spoiler: Purbagle

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Purbagle

Just when it seemed there was an opening in the conversation -

a Pician showed up.

Jannellai whispered to the group behind her, and two of the diplomats and one guard quietly left the room. Only after the door had solidly closed behind them did she turn to the Pician.

There was some very important information that needed to be gained here.

"We in the north have learned little of your intentions. Who has 'wronged your realm'? The Pician horde has made war on the Azen, and now they make war on the Empire. Does your list of foes extend beyond them?"

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(Time bubble shenanigans for negotiations, assuming that Dvatlan peace goes through)
Avakonia

When the opportunity finally arose, Jannellai turned to the Empress.

"Ti Linnad, too, is willing to make peace and enable you to defend yourself from the threats to the south. Will you hear our terms?"