Off to see the king

[tim]

I must say I rather like this King Melkar. Melech's completely unfounded objections notwithstanding, he's done reasonably well so far. His gold for good plan, while vague, shows his heart to be in the right place, and this new constitution of his shows remarkable restraint. Under the circumstances he could have claimed a lot more power, but instead he devolved almost everything to the local level, demanding only complete control over the military and the right to select governors from among local nominees (the fact that the locals must nominate the executive candidates, and that in the absence of a long-established governor de facto power would necessarily shift to more experienced local administrators makes this much more modest than it appears at first glance). And then there is the matter of the druids of Kelevor, to whom he immediately agreed to send envoys to despite the fact that they had nothing to bargain with. I think he is ready.

The problem with winning fame here is that the empire will never hear of it. They have no contact with this part of the world, they don't even know it exists. And so no matter how many good and brave deeds I do over here, there I will still be known as a deserter and coward. Relations must be established in order for any respect I earn here to transfer, as well as any allies... I believe it is time I told King Melkar that there are other powers in the world.

The evening after Davin's trial, when all was concluded but the hanging, Yuriel sought audience with the King.

[Monica]

The guards recognize you and escort you into a back room of the building where Davin had been convicted of treason only hours ago.

King Melkar sits cross legged on the floor mats, his hands cradling his face. His blond hair seems a little less brilliant now, perhaps from the dim light of the wall torches.

Yuriel's presence is announced, and Melkar looks up, his forehead full of worry.

"Yes, our friend the Genasi, Yuriel, is it? What is it that you want?" He says, trying his best to cover his emotions with a diplomatic face.

[tim]

He is a young king, after all. Then, genasi have been known to change manifestations when emotional, so who am I to complain.

"I have a question to ask, your majesty, and as apparently random as it may be I assure you it will not be a waste of your time. Have you ever considered an exploratory mission beyond the confines of the known world?"

[Monica]

"Of course I have. Expanding our Kingdom is something that will in time be necessary for our survival. However, there are many more important things that must be done for this Kingdom before I can seriously consider expansion." The young King replied, as if he were reading from a book.

[tim]

"I assume you mean that if the kingdom's population continues to grow it will eventually be necessary to secure more farmland?" Yuriel asked, somewhat put off by the child king's recitation. Who planted those words in his head? Was it someone who thought wars of conquest were necessary to maintain the finances and prestige of the state?

[Monica]

"Correct." Melkar said, he paused a moment, and looked at Yuriel for the first time this meeting, really looked at him. He searched Yuriel's bizarre features. The purple skin, the spiked hair, the tattoos all over his body; It was all so foreign. Yes, he had heard about such creatures in stories and in his history lessons, but he had not seen one in person before Yuriel and his friends approached him with their 'good deed'. It was really Yuriel and his strange form that peaked his interest in this group compared to the hundreds that had came with tidings of good deeds.

"Surely you are not asking this out of sheer curiosity. Please, it has been a long day of traveling and unpleasant affairs, my good sir. Let's not skirt around the issue here, what is it that you wish to say?"

[tim]

"Very well, your highness," Yuriel responded. He had no desire to waste anyone's time, his own especially, and now that Melkar was regaining his composure it was unlikely that Yuriel would get anything more out of him. He would have to trust in his initial judgment. "Should you send out an expedition to the western side of Kelavor, beyond the great forest, you would discover an empire of my people. The empire is powerful and militaristic, but not nearly so large or populous as your kingdom, and so is not likely to initiate hostilities toward you. Should you choose to establish diplomatic ties with them, I think there is much your two civilizations could offer one another, much that you could learn from one another."

[tim]

Yuriel decided to let that information sink in for a while in his absence. He inclined his head in a mark of respect, then turned to leave. Almost as an afterthought, he added,

"Incidentally, if you do enter diplomatic talks with the Empire, I would not mention me to them for the time being. I wouldn't want their reaction of you to be colored by our association." With that, he turned back and walked out of the room.

[Monica]

"And now ladies and gentlemen, we will preform the entire scene, Faster!"

"Hiya King!"
"Leave me alone"
"Just to let you know, there's a whole Empire of militaristic Genasi in Kelavor. KTHXBYE!!!"
"Huh?"

[tim]

"And now, BACKWARDS!"

[Monica]

"?huH"
"!!!EYBXHTK .rovaleK ni isaneG citsiratilim fo eripmE elohw a s'ereht ,wonk uoy tel ot tsuJ"
"enola em evaeL"
"!gniK ayiH"

"Thank-you, and goodnight!" *bow*