An arrow nocked and in flight
"Excellent, now think of where the sand has been. Think of what it will become in the future. Allow it to run through your fingers and scatter on the board." Something was definitely happening. Saoirse and Neeve shared a quick grin.
"Now, place jewel into the sand and invo-" Neeve was one step ahead of the Wind Lord. "Yes, excellent. Now seek through the sand for the treasure within, the treasure uncovered, the treasure you've earned".
Neeve let out a squeal of joy as ey found the small piece of chocolate that Saoirse must have snuck in.
Overview
- The Grendel controlling Morajasse have been recognised as foreigners by the Senate
- They have asked that the Imperial Consul handles communications with them rather than the Ambassador to the Grendel
While Feroz has mostly been liberated from the Grendel occupation, Morajasse remains in the hands of the master-strategist Commander Gallum Fiersach. Ably supported by Wind Lord Saoirse - his partner and a master of the lore of Sand - along with a significant number of veteran Grendel soldiers, they control the fortress of Mora's Rock. The Senate has recognised the orcs of the Protectorate of Morajasse as foreigners, distinct from the Grendel.
They carefully protect the borders of Morajasse, and apparently have sufficient supplies to endure a drawn-out siege if needed. They are not just protecting their own borders however. They have shown themselves more than willing to fight both the Children of Wrecks and the Iron Confederacy if it comes to it. After the battle at Oran, the Senate chose to recognise Morajasse as a protectorate under the command of Gallum Fiersach, who will be deemed a foreigner as long as they remain independent from the Grendel. So far, they seem to continue to be independent of the Grendel. Indeed, the protectorate has requested that all negotiations be handled by the Imperial Consul rather than the Ambassador to the Grendel.
The civil service speculate that this request reflects a clear division between the protectorate and the Salt Lords' council... yet there are certainly other possibilities some of them quite intriguing. Given Wind Lord Saoirse has clearly mastered the art of commanding magical couriers its hard to believe they have not at least been in contact with the Salt Lords, but for now they appear to be operating in line with their agreement with the Senate.
Supplies, Spies, and Spice
- The orc quartermasters at Mora's Rock have been attempting to buy provisions and supplies from the Freeborn of Feroz and Segura
- The entrepreneurial Freeborn remain suspicious and uncooperative
For several months now, the orcs at Mora's Rock have been making attempts to trade with their Freeborn neighbours in Segura and Feroz. To date, however, they have had limited success. It is hard for the people of the Brass Coast not to see the "protectorate" and remember the cruel tyranny of former Governor Rahab. They were, after all, part of the apparatus that enforced the authority of the despised ruler of the territory. While the garrison merchants have crowns to spend, their wealth was mostly taken from the people of Feroz one way or another. The Prosperity assembly weighed in in Autumn last year, but without a greater majority their statement did not influence the situation one way or another. The Freeborn of Feroz may, perhaps grudgingly, accept their protection but they do not accept their coin.
In the absence of stronger words, there are some Freeborn in Segura especially prepared to trade food but the situation must be becoming increasingly fraught in the Protectorate. Their situation is doubtless worsened be their reticence to travel to Anvil, and the fact their borders are largely closed. Only the very small number of Freeborn prepared to deal with them are allowed entry and then only to a trading camp just over the border. This fosters suspicion about what Commander Gallum is up to, and what his ultimate plan might be. Last season four ways to gather more information about the Protectorate were presented. Three of them - spy network, army action, involvement of the Shuttered Lantern, or deployment of the Silent Bell. In the latter case, though, the vigilant investigators of the Silent Bell are busy until the Summer Solstice putting together a larger report on the Grendel espionage rings of the wider Bay of Catazar. While it may touch on the Protectorate of Morajasse, it's unlikely to provide anything specific unless Gallum is actively involved with a ring in Feroz (if one exists).
In the meantime, Commander Gallum has decided to take matters a step further. Shortly before the Spring Equinox, a winged messenger arrives from Morajasse dispatched no doubt by Wild Lord Saoirse, master of Autumn magic. In it, Gallum mentions that both both Senator Garviel I Abrira I Erigo and Khalil i Carno i Guerra, who he understands are working with the Imperial Consul, have offered assurances of safe passage and the enthusiasm for a meeting. After discussion with Saoirse, they have agreed that the suggestion of Khalil to meet at the Summer Solstice makes most sense - by that time the matter of the Iron Confederacy will likely have been concluded one way or another (especially with regard to the islands of Madruga) and hopefully some of the problems the Protectorate is weathering - he does not go into detail - will be resolved.
In the meantime, he has a proposal regarding the Spice Gardens of Feroz for the Empire to consider.
A Garden Proposal
| Accept concedence of the Spice Gardens |
| Motion Type: Treaty |
| Availability: Until the end of the Summer Solstice 388YE |
Limits:
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Effect:
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- Gallum proposes to concede the Spice Gardens of Feroz in return for produce to maintain his garrison
- There is also an opportunity to restore the neglected gardens and to commission an appraisal to allow the Protectorate to trade their expertise
- A treaty could be proposed to enact any or all of these proposals
- The Freeborn assembly has the power to support or sink these negotiations
The Spice Gardens of Feroz were a wonder of the Brass Coast. Overseen by the Keeper of the Spice Gardens, they grew some of the finest Cerulean Mazzarine on the Bay of Catazar and, arguably, in the Empire. Additional luxury spices were sold throughout the entire Empire and beyond, ensuring the upkeep of the Gardens, and provide a comfortable salary for the various farmers, horticulturalists, and merchants employed as agents of the Spice Gardens. Indeed, some of the finest apothecaries on the Brass Coast once lived in Feroz - the art of potion making has been studied here for centuries and even after years of occupation by the Grendel it is still home to many herb gardens. In the winter of 386YE, an appraisal looked at ways to restore prosperity to Feroz, but with the Spice Gardens in then-Grendel hands it wasn't possible for Graciana i Lòpez i Guerra to assess ways they might be repurposed.
Commander Gallum has come up with such a way. He proposes to reopen the Spice Gardens. Despite worries to the contrary, they were not ruined like much of the rest of Feroz. The prestige that came with controlling the Freeborn Spice Gardens pampered Raban's ego and while he used slaves to work them the area was spared much of the wreckage caused by his insatiable greed. For the last year and a half however, the gardens have lain fallow. The orcs of the Protectorate are warriors, not herbalists or farmers. While one of the quartermasters maintains a small herb garden to provide potions to the garrison, they have no ability to tend to something as massive as the Spice Gardens of Feroz.
Gallum's proposal is to allow the Freeborn to take back control of the Spice Gardens. They will be able to operate them as they see fit, and keep everything they grow there. In return, they will also take control of several of the farms in the area and work them, providing the produce to the Protectorate to feed its troops. The wealth from the Spice Gardens provides the means to pay the farmers and still leave a healthy profit. In legal terms, Gallum will concede the Spice Gardens, and relax the restrictions against Imperial citizens travelling into Morajasse.
As it currently stands, all the Senate would need to do would be to pass a motion accepting Gallum's offer. The Spice Gardens of Feroz would once again come under Imperial control, and the title of Keeper of the Spice Gardens would be restored. Given recent guidance however, the restored Keeper title would be a national title appointed by the Imperial Apothecaries Guild; a Freeborn citizen would hold the title but it would be appointed by the Imperial sodality.
The gardens may be a little neglected, but they have not been materially harmed. The Keeper would receive a bounty of 12 cerulean mazzarine, and 2 each of true vervain and imperial roseweald each season, just as before. This would be contingent on the Freeborn continuing to cultivate and provide food to the Protectorate to support their garrison, of course, but this would not come at any additional cost to the Empire.
The Commander is keen to preempt some of the arguments against this arrangement. This is not slavery or even close to it - everyone involved knows the score. The food provided ensures the Protectorate maintains Imperial access to the Spice Gardens, and the produce of the gardens can be used to support the people of Feroz if the Brass Coast wishes. The Protectorate is already offering a service to the Freeborn of Feroz - protecting their borders against further threats of conquest. They and the Grendel conquered Morajasse fair and square, protected, held it, and reinforced Mora's Rock themselves. By right of conquest - something the Empire has never been shy about enforcing in the past - it is their land to do with as they will. Paying the Protectorate for working in the Spice Gardens and fields is no different to a farmer paying those who labour on their land or a parador master paying their serving staff.
| Appraise Aid from the Protectorate |
| Motion Type: Appraisal |
Necessary Details:
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Effect:
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| Availability: Until the end of the Summer Solstice 388YE |
| Special: The Imperial Consul can present this motion as part of a treaty |
If the Senate accepts this offer, Gallum is prepared to go further. The veterans of the Protectorate include provisioners and engineers among their number as well as doughty warriors. If the Consul wishes to present a treaty to that effect then in addition to conceding the Spice Gardens, Gallum will instruct his people to work with the Prognosticator's Office to assess ways that the Protectorate could offer their expertise to the Freeborn in return for mutually acceptable recompense. Feroz is still in an impoverished state, and the damage caused by the eruption of the Scorrero is still unrepaired. If presented as a treaty, the re-establishment of the Spice Gardens and the appraisal into ways the Protectorate might trade their expertise to their neighbours, could be performed as a single motion.
Gallum needs a relatively quick turn around on this matter, so the offer in its current form remains available until the end of the Summer Solstice.
The civil service do sound a note of caution. Taking up Gallum's offer to assist with an appraisal could lead to closer contact between the Protectorate and the Brass Coast - which may be beneficial or not depending in the situation. But if the Protectorate is secretly part of a Grendel espionage effort, giving its people access to Imperial resources and information, and more insight into the civil service and the Freeborn lands, could very well prove detrimental to Imperial interests.
The Freeborn Perspective
- The Freeborn National Assembly could offer guidance to the people of the Brass Coast regarding the Protectorate
The other elephant in the room is the Freeborn assembly. They have the ability to encourage the Protectorate to embed itself further in the Brass Coast, and to reassure the people of Feroz and Segura that further contact with the orcs of Morajasse is a good thing. They also have the ability to effectively sink this proposal from Commander Gallum; it is no good reopening the Spice Gardens if nobody will work there. A clearly worded statement of principle that achieves a greater majority on this matter is likely to guide the people of Feroz one way or another, regardless of the direction the Consul or the Senate move.