Twelfth of never

Strangers Approach

Shortly before the summit is due to begin, scouts of the Citadel Guard in the Salt Flats of Sanath spot a small group of Druj approaching their position under a white flag of truce. After a tense exchange of words, they are taken into "protective" custody. They're carefully checked for weapons, but it seems they really have come to talk, not to fight. Eventually they are brought before someone senior enough to listen to what they have to say. It's an interesting message, to put it mildly.

The Congress of Buruk Tepel offer Emperor Vesna terms of conditional surrender.

If the Empire agrees to withdraw all its forces from the Salt Flats of Sanath and the Forest of Ulnak for the space of a season and a year, then no Druj warrior will attack any Imperial citizen or holdings in that time. The Council have placed a single complete Gift of the Creator, the plant that the Empire knows as Black Lotus, into the possession of the Sovereign Lords of the City of Bar and Bond. They can confirm this.

The Green Iron Gaolers have instruction to release the plant into the care of the Throne, provided that truce holds for five seasons, or at the point where the Druj attack the Empire if that happens before that time. They can confirm this.

Doubtless you imagine that you can take the Creator's Gift from us by defeating us in battle. Rest assured that we will never allow that to happen. We will destroy every Gift we possess before we allow them to fall into your hands. You can tell your new lackeys that.

We know you want the Black Lotus - this is the only way you will ever possess it. These are the only terms we will offer.

Livid-Eye, who is Dayne of the False Dawn, who is Gutsnatcher
Buruk Tepel of the Shadow Krait,
Congress of the Buruk Tepel

The message is taken and passed up the chain. The messengers sent packing - it's tempting to deal with them permanently, but the Druj chose wisely when they elected to approach the pickets of the Citadel Guard, and the soldiers' discipline holds.

It's an interesting development, to put it mildly. The Empire have agreed to dozens of ceasefires with the Druj over the centuries - none have ever lasted, of course. The Druj always break their word the moment they believe it will advantage them. No one ever knows how much information was lost when Nicovar burned the libraries, but most historians think this is possibly the first time since the Empire was formed that the Druj have ever formally offered terms of surrender.

Of course they're the Druj, so they're bound to be planning something. But it's hard to see why they would involve the Lictors for any reason other than to ensure that both parties were forced to keep to any deal. The Druj might break their word, but the Lictors never would.

Whether they would destroy the Black Lotus plants they do have rather than allow them to fall into the Empire's hands is impossible to know for certain. The Druj prize the Creator's Gift more than land, more than wealth or power, more than anything else in this world. Would they destroy the priceless herb, just to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Empire?

They might...