Bitter and absolute

The count pulled at the fingers of the thick leather glove, loosening the gauntlet, allowing him to pull it free. His opponent bowed deeply and retreated. Aubin was a good instructor, not least because he always understood when the lesson was over.The glove finally came free and he tossed it in the direction of the table as it slipped off his hand. It was a poor throw, skittering over the surface of the smooth wood and ending up on the floor behind. One of the slaves moved gracefully to return it to its rightful place."What has the Council said?" he demanded, once Aubin had left the room. His cousin strolled over, the proclamation in hand."A declaration of strict neutrality my lord. We will keep no slaves as agreed with the Casineans, but our serfs will remain at their appointed posts. The rest of it is pretty much as you'd expect. The Council will not sign either Pact."The count snorted and shook his head. "Serf or slave", he said aloud, "what difference does it make?" He gestured curtly at the attending "serf" to fetch him an ale to illustrate his point."I believe it's a religious thing, my lord. Their gods permit all manner of vile debauchery, but they won't permit them to keep slaves."Count Jetiard stared at the "serf" returning with flagon in hand and two tankards. "Well that's strange, because I don't recall them giving two shits about it when that their Senate invited us to come over the border and round up all the Duke's escaped slaves."He tried to remember when that had been, was it four years ago now, or maybe five? He looked again at the fellow standing there holding the ale. He was pretty sure this fella was one of the ones that had run off. One of the lucky ones they'd dragged back in chains. The others... that Ahraz woman in particular... they were not so lucky."They were pretty outraged when the previous ambassador hired some of the duke's orcs to fight the Grendel for them." his colleague said, reminding him of how badly that had gone."Were they?" he laughed and spun on his heel to face his cousin. "Or was that just an excuse to get out of paying us because there were no Grendel to fight?"

Overview

Each season the Civil Service prepares a summary of the Empire's relationship with foreign nations, based on communications received from their ambassador, along with any useful intelligence gathered from other sources. While the Senate and the other houses of Imperial power may respond to these offers, it is important to note that it is the appropriate ambassador that the foreign power will expect to hear from. Their communication with the foreign power is the primary element that will determine the tenor of any response.

The Iron Confederacy sees itself as a potential rival to the Empire, a powerful nation that matches its northern neighbours in size and strength. It's hard to prove or disprove their claims, unlikely as they seem, and despite centuries of grudging trade and even the occasional war, Imperial scholars know little about the south-western nation. The Dukes of the Iron Confederacy are prickly, responding explosively to perceived slights. Their strange beliefs, especially in the patronage of so-called powerful gods make it all too easy for them to take offence. They despise both the Conclave and the Synod, contending that Imperial magicians and priests are pawns of Dumon the Liar. On the other hand, they appear to respect the Military Council and the Throne but very much as worthy rivals rather than allies.

The Suranni ambassador to the Empire is Baroness Katerine Lavasse of Meore, who operates from the Tour Lavasse in Chaubrette, a territory unknown to Imperial citizens that apparently lies to the west of Veroigne. A noble naga, she replaced the significantly more dogmatic Jeanne de Hibernat, a High Priestess of the Suranni god Evra the Smith, Maiden of the Forge. She has already indicated that she is very much more pragmatic than her predecessor and more interested in compromise. She still reports to the Dukes of the Iron Confederacy, however, and so her apparent goodwill toward the Empire cannot be relied upon.

For the last year Tethros i Zuhri i Erigo of the Brass Coast has been Ambassador to the Iron Confederacy. The title is to be appointed by the Imperial Senate during the Winter Solstice, but Ambassador Tethros continues to serve until the Senate reach a decision on whether they will continue in the role or be replaced.

Treaties and Trade

Imperial efforts to encourage the Suranni to give up slavery have met with limited success, seeing Surrani slaves granted the same "rights" as the "serf" class. Serfs enjoy some limited legal protections that slaves do not, but they are still bound to where they live and work and constrained by the will of whoever owns the land they work.

For at least the last year, the Iron Confederacy has been courted by the so-called Freedom Accord - the alliance sponsored by the Asaveans and Jarmish and formed in opposition to the Liberty Pact. The Empire has endeavoured to persuade the Suranni to choose a different path, seeing the Senate ratify a treaty granting Free Trade status to the Iron Confederacy, and making it a crime to sell or export narcotics to Suranni lands. As confirmed at the equinox, these provisions are intended to last for three years, although repealing them at that time would still require action by the Senate.

At the moment, the sale of anything vaguely narcotic to Suranni citizens is illegal. Liao, of course, is already illegal to sell to the Iron Confederacy via ports or the Suranni-Imperial border. Anyone who has concerns about whether a certain trade is legal or not would do well to consult the magistracy.

This decision has seen an increase in Suranni trade, mostly through the Brass Coast. Even with Feroz now largely back in Imperial hands, Suranni caravans prefer to trade via Segura. The unnatural marshes that now spread across southern Madruga worry and frighten the merchants of the Iron Confederacy, who have apparently christened it Dumon's Sump and spread tales that it is full of infernal forces.

A Third Way

Since the formation of the Liberty Pact and the opposing Freedom Accord, many nations have been pushed to take a side. The Suranni have not been exempt from this, having technically abolished slavery and elevated their land slaves to the same status as their serfs. No Imperial citizen would call a serf free, but the gesture was sufficient for the Imperial Senate to lift trading restrictions. Since then, it seems that the Dukes walk a fine line between both global power blocs, neither alienating nor aligning with either side.

This has not been a passive process, as the Suranni have shamelessly sought concessions from the Empire in order to keep them from the arms of the Asaveans, who are apparently inclined to be generous in their attempts to undermine the Empire's influence. The Senate walked a fine line of its own, agreeing to some demands but not others. This situation has gone back and forth for some time, until at last the rulers of the Iron Confederacy have decided to take a firm stance... in favour of neutrality.

The Ducal Council have chosen the path of self-interest. In a statement delivered to the foreign embassies on their soil, they state that they will happily be friends to any nation who will be friendly to them. The generosity of their foreign friends is laudable, but all who are willing to trade and to obey the laws of the Iron Confederacy may dock in their harbours, and all those who are willing to pay may deal openly with those who are willing to traffic with them. There is some further politically flirtatious language holding the door open to a stronger stance in future, but this seems to be fishing for further concessions. The message is clear: anyone who wants to work with the Iron Confederacy will do so on an issue-by-issue basis.

It seems that the conflict between Freedom and Liberty has ended in a draw, then. Neither side has claimed an ally, neither side has technically lost one. The main winners seem to have been the Suranni themselves, a fact that will surely not have escaped them. Yet... is it true that nobody has truly won the hearts of the Council of Dukes? Imperial observers have seen a small trickle of Sarcophan vessels turning into a consistent presence on the waterfront at Robec. It does not take a genius to recall that the Sarcophan Delves, the world's only non-aligned great power, are always on the lookout for the best deal. While this round may be over, like all matters of diplomacy, the game is never truly finished.

A Broken Crown (Arbonne)

There are reports that the Singing Riqueza, one of many ships belonging to the Golden Fleet, is haunted. The Suranni salvagers are ill-equipped to deal with the ghosts of long-dead sailors, and so have asked that the Golden Fleet Salvagemaster, Caleb of the Cenotaph, organise a group to go down and deal with the ghosts.

One of the salvagers will be visiting Anvil before the Sentinel Gate opens and hopes to meet with the Salvagemaster. They have sent ahead a warning that this will involve being deep underwater and warns that only merrow will be capable of surviving such a journey.

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