Quietude
Sometimes his friend would climb a tree just for the fun of it. Not today though - today they were after top fruit. Fresh apples were hard to get. If you were content with windfall, you could pick them a few off the ground, but if you wanted to gather the best apples that would keep for days, you had to go up the tree and get them.
Ten minutes later and Toric's basket was being lowered down to him, three quarter full with apples. He quickly untied it from the hawser and replaced it with an empty one. In less than an hour all four baskets were almost full and he was shouting to Toric to come back down. A good day's haul and there was still time to relax and enjoy a quick meal before they headed back.
He opened his pack, pulled out a thick blanket and spread it out. Fortunately the ground was dry, so it was more for comfort than anything. That and something to spread their dinner on. He returned to his pack and brought out a fresh baked loaf, a wheel of cheese, and a jar of pickle. He popped the lid off the jar to release the heady aroma before he placed it on the makeshift table.
"That smells good!" Toric's voice startled him as he dropped from the bottom branch with a heady thud.
Hywel extended his hand towards the hastily arranged meal. "Well - fair words won't bury grudges as the Marchers like to say."
He laughed as he said it, but Toric looked serious for a moment. "Do they?" he asked. Then before his friend could respond he pressed on. "I thought it was 'Fair words only buy rotten apples'. That's what Dour Allan told me."
"Nah - it's definitely grudges." Hywel shook his head. "No-one buries rotten apples anyway. Come on, lets eat."
Overview
The Barrens is quieter than it has been in living memory. Not silent, not yet. Dawnish nobles and yeofolk fan out across the territory in search of glory and they make plenty of noise. There are monsters in the Bleaks and miners in the Fangs and they make plenty of noise. This season, there is good news from the Barrens, and there is bad news from the Barrens, and both make plenty of noise.
But it is quieter. The stain of Druj rule is ebbing away. A silent scream is slowly fading. Things are not completely still. Conflict is not yet a stranger to the Barrens. But it is quieter.
There are three remaining septs of orcs in the Barrens; the Great Forest Orcs in the Forest of Peytaht; the Rahvin in Bitter Strand; and the Karass spread out across the Bleaks and the Untrod Groves. Around them the territory grows more Dawnish by the day. New noble houses are slowly spreading eastward across the wilderness. And in the south the Navarr fan out from the Last Battle - their wayhouse built in the Bleaks has attracted many of the refugees from Therunin.
So not quiet. Not yet. But it is quieter.
Crass Accusations
- The Karass continue to nurse their grievances and remain widely unpopular
- Two members of the sept have aided
The Karass are not a well-liked sept. The other septs in the Barrens have always loathed them, though many of those are now dead. The Vendarri, who they murdered in their beds after the Empire declared them barbarian, had a long-standing feud with the Karass. The Montanians, ill-fated adherents of Anarchy, regarded them as dangerous Druj sympathisers who were not trusted - but they too are gone. The Black Wind hated them, but those who still call themselves Black Wind are far from here, fleeing beside the Druj after a failed invasion of the Sarangrave.
Of those who remain in the Barrens, the Rahvin detest the Karass, and claim they are just pawns of the Mallum. Those feelings are mutual and the Karass make similar claims of the Rahvin. The Great Forest Orcs have always vocally claimed that the Karass are no good, barely better than the Druj - but the Karass point out that some Great Forest Orcs still serve the Druj in their weirwood groves. This enmity for the Karass extends further than the septs of the Barrens. The mysterious Earl of the Groves, that strange creature who lives in the wild untrod heart of the Barrens and styles itself an Earl of Dawn, has a particular dislike for their leader, Anka Karass.
In their defence, the Karass claim they have been reliable allies of the Empire since a treaty was signed between them. Even though they did not get their own region of the Barrens. Even though they have endured the indignity of the Navarr constructing the Last Battle wayhouse on the land they were permitted to live on in the Bleaks. Even though they helped the Empire explore the Untrod Groves and understand the danger of the manticore. They have done their duty as foreigners on Imperial soil and very conspicuously pay their taxes.
And yet, the accusations of disloyalty continue to swirl, a bad smell that just doesn't seem to go away. Recently, the Druj attacked the Last Battle - the wayhouse that the Karass have made no secret of despising. Reynard of de Gauvain and Sławomir Rabovich Bolotstrazh have both written to the Karass, levelling accusations that members of the sept are implicated in these attacks.
Anka Karass, widely regarded as a wily operator even by those who loathe her, responds quickly. After persistent efforts by members of the sept, they have uncovered the two individuals who revealed the location of the Last Battle Wayhouse to the Druj. They furiously deny the accusation, but Anka has held them and is preparing to hand them over to Imperial justice.
However, she claims that their grievance are fundamentally legitimate. That, despite a good faith attempt by the Karass to engage with the realities of being subjects of Imperial rule, they have received only persistent accusations and suspicion from Imperial representatives. There has been a point-blank refusal to consider moving or dismantling the wayhouse that has violated the Karass' privacy, and there have been attempts to coerce information about sensitive and spiritually important treasures from them.
Still, treachery to those who hold dominion over you is unacceptable. To betray those who have power over you puts the entire sept at risk. She assumes the Empire will execute these members of her sept - as their leader, she insists on being present to bear witness and inform the rest of the Karass of the consequences of defying the Empire. She would dispense summary justice herself - but she has been informed that it is illegal under Imperial law for her to execute members of her own sept, something she seems particularly insulted by. As such, she requires Imperial justice to deal with these Druj-friends and quickly - before the reputation of the rest of the Sept is further besmirched.
There's just one small problem...
Spies And Traitors (Conjunction)
- The Karass have identified two members of the sept they claim revealed the location of the Last Battle to the Druj
- They are prepared to turn them over to Imperial justice and expect them to be executed
- It is not currently illegal for a foreigner to aid enemies of the Empire, even if they are on Imperial soil
- This is a Combat Possible encounter
- The Envoy to the Karass is responsible for dealing with Anka Karass and the orcs she has imprisoned
- There may be innocent people present on this conjunction; magistrates advise caution must be taken to avoid innocent casualties
Chief Magistrate Cosme i Zuhri i Guerra has investigated the claims, and is troubled by them. If the accused individuals had planned the assault on the Last Battle, there would be charges to answer. However incredible it may seem, it is not currently illegal for foreigners to pass information to the Druj who then use that to attack the Empire. Such an act would constitute treason if a citizen did it but that only applies to Imperial citizens.
Given this problem, the civil service has not even attempted to explain it to Anka at this time. A conjunction has been identified leading to the Bleaks, to a place called the Execution Field. This is a dark place of ill repute - apparently the site where the Druj meted out "justice" to the Karass and other local septs. Anka Karass is waiting there with the "traitors" in custody to hand them over to the Empire. She has been very clear that she expects the Empire to execute the pair. That can't happen based on the reports given to the magistrates, so she must be told to free them immediately lest she face charges herself, for imprisonment.
It is the responsibility of the Envoy to the Karass to ensure that someone explains the situation to Anka Karass, and try to straighten things out. Given the complexities of the situation, the Envoy, or their representative, should not go alone. It may be appropriate to take a Dawnish advocate with them to explain the precise technicalities of Imperial law. Chief Magistrate Cosme has asked the Envoy to come and speak with them before they go, so that they are quite clear on the precise details of the legal situation. Their advice is that there is no need for members of the Anvil militia or a magistrate to go.
Likewise, the Chief Magistrate will make themselves available to talk to any senator who wishes to address this apparent oversight in Imperial law.
Groves and Trods
- The Karass are being harassed by supporters of the Earl of the Groves
- Knight-Errants aspiring to House Courcillon have been trying to start fights with members of the sept
- The conduct of these knights has not yet risen to the point of constituting a crime
This is not even the end of the travails of the Karass, according to Anka. House Courcillon is a minor noble house based in Dawnguard, who do not send representatives to Anvil. They are known in the area as particular hardliners when it comes to questions of septs and the Dawnish right to conquer. They are also amongst those houses who are sympathetic to the claims of the Earl of the Groves. Their current Earl, Valerie, has publicly supported the claims of this monster to be Dawnish - despite the agreement by most Dawnish that a manticore can never be a member of their nation. The nobles of the house mostly made their nobility through tests of ruthless battle during the Barrens conquest.
Knights-Errant aspiring to House Courcillon have recently been seen in the Bleaks, trespassing on territory the Karass regard as theirs. While the details are not clear, they are reportedly pursuing their tests of mettle. Notoriously, the Earl of the Groves has set tests in the past asking for the murder of Anka Karass - it seems this practice of tests that deliberately target the Karass has spread to the Dawnish Earls who support him.
The Dawnish are careful to never strike the first blow - but a trained troubadour can wield insults like a knife until their adversary is driven to respond in frustration and anger - and then they can fight back, claiming self-defence. On occasion the Dawnish have been fined, but for the most part the Karass are the ones being punished for the encounters. It is only a matter of time before someone ends up dead. The Karass claims the House are deliberately antagonising them, picking a fight and using that as an excuse for murder. The house appear to genuinely believe that there is glory to be found in this - they seem to regard the matter as a kind of sport.
Insults and jeers are not illegal. House Courcillon are deliberately causing trouble for the Karass, but it's not illegal under Imperial law to be an arsehole, nor to deliberately antagonise a foreign population. As such, the Envoy to the Karass will also need to let Anka Karass know that harassing somebody until they attack you is not illegal under Imperial law.
One could claim the behaviour of the knight-errants is hardly befitting of a knight of Dawn - it might be appropriate for Earl Courcillon's encouragement of this behaviour from her knights-errant to be scrutinised by the Dawnish Assembly. She seems to see no need to reign in these excesses - indeed, she and her nobles are the source. Earl Valerie Courcillon is dedicated to Prosperity - much of her animosity stems from a belief that the Karass are lazy, grasping wastrels.
It is clear that while the Earl of the Groves remains, this kind of poisonous behaviour will continue to arise, even if House Courcillon is dealt with. He represents all that is brutal and raw and uncompromising - glory red in tooth and claw, perhaps, and with little love to it. He is encouraging an unsettling darkness in the hearts of those who listen to him, and slowly but surely their numbers are growing. It is a venom no less poisonous than the sting of his tail. There is nothing magical in this - there is no sense that people are bewitched by him. He is simply giving people an excuse to be the worst version of themselves.
Yet it is unclear how the Earl of the Groves himself is to be dealt with. By all accounts the heroes of Anvil are actively working to a solution to that problem, but if there is a plan it is not clear to many Dawnish what it is. The Earl himself has rarely been seen abroad over the Winter. There are rumours he and his supporters are making some kind of preparation in his manse in the heart of the Untrod Groves - though for what, it is hard to say. There are also rumours that his loyal servant Alice Retainer may be once again travelling to Anvil.
Poems and Paeans
Under the brutal rule of the Druj, the Karass have been entirely deprived of the beauty of poetry. They are free of the Druj, but scars remain. Troubadours of Dawn - let us share our glorious art with the Karass! Teach them to craft with words and emotion! What better way to form bonds with our neighbours than to forge a common understanding of glory and love?
Lord Killian Mortére, Autumn Equinox 387YE, Vote: 194-0- Dawnish troubadours have attempted to share the ideals of poetry and love with the Karass
- The Karass have not responded positively
House Courcillon are not even the only Dawnish citizens harassing the Karass. The Assembly backed a judgement by Lord Killian Mortére encouraging troubadours to visit the Karass and share poetry, the language of glory and love, with their neighbours. The judgement did not get a greater majority, but a handful of troubadours were inspired none-the-less. What could be more glorious than bringing an entire sept to Virtue - inspiring them with poetry and paeans to Glory?
The approach is not entirely successful. To put it mildly. At first the Karass assume that the Dawnish troubadours are mocking them. The assumption is that they are in league with House Courcillion, trying to bait the Karass into getting themselves killed by attacking the troubadours. They refuse to rise to the bait, but the looks they give the troubadours make it painfully clear that they would like nothing more than to commit bloody murder on every single one of them. One troubadour, Ser Eddard of House Aethon, ranked them the most hostile audience he had ever encountered.
Eventually Ser Eddard is able to explain to Anka Karass that he and his fellow troubadours are here to educate the Karass, to teach them to craft with words and emotion. Her response is memorable and frank and more than enough to convince him that the Dawnish may need to rethink their outreach to the Karass.
Somewhat disappointed, Ser Eddard and his companions decide to retreat. For now at least, it appears that the Karass have little interest in poetry.
You are right. The brutal Druj deprived us of poetry. Still, they let us keep our lands. It was you that deprived us of those. Thank you for the poems.
Anka Karass, Leader of the KarassHouses and Homes
- Anka Karass claims the insult of the Wayhouse is the reason two members of her sept betrayed them to the Druj
- She refuses any notion that she or her sept should pay to relocate the building
- She claims it is not possible to take a cutting from a Black Lotus and grow a new plant from it
Even once the matter of the alleged spies and House Courcillon are dealt with, the Karass will not be without grievance. Anka Karass and her sept have openly fumed about the construction of the Navarr Wayhouse in "their" lands. They regard its presence there as a calculated insult - they petitioned the Empire for control of the lands they live in. She claims were told "they would get nothing and like it" by the Dawnish - and then the Empire built this spyhouse here just to rub their noses in the fact that the Empire can do anything it wants and the Karass can do absolutely nothing about it.
Anka Karass accepts that her sept have no way to stop the Navarr coming and going as they please through their lands. She is quite clear that understands that the Empire will wipe them out in an eyeblink if cause trouble, just as they did with the Montanians, the Rahvin, and the Black Wind. They might be foreigners now, but the Throne can declare them to be barbarians with a single word and then the whole sept will die to an orc. She and they are used to living under the threat of death, she insists - they will not be cowed by blatant threats which hide themselves under pretty words. If the Empire means to say that the Karass must do as they say lest they be killed, then say it - but do them the courtesy of saying it.
Her point overall is that they are a very private sept - they jealously guarded their privacy for centuries, even the Druj permitted them that much. They will not renege on this. She accepts that their lives are worse now - that is what happens when you get conquered and must serve new masters! She claims to be doing everything she can to keep her sept in line, trying to make them understand just how close to death they are now they are ruled by the Empire. But the presence of the Last Battle is simply intolerable to many members of her sept, and she fears this disaster with the Druj will surely happen again. It is an inevitable consequence of the Empire pushing her sept to breaking point. She requests in turn that the Empire reconsider once more the idea of rebuilding the Last Battle elsewhere.
She declines the offer to pay the costs of relocating the Last Battle elsewhere. The Karass are poor: they owned little under the Druj and even less under the Empire. They are taxed on what little they have - they have no means to pay for it to be moved elsewhere. If the Empire were to cede the structure to the Karass, they might be able to adapt it into something that turned a profit. Over years, they could find a way to pay the Empire back - perhaps. But they have nothing else to pay the Empire with.
She refuses to acknowledge whether the sept actually has access to a Black Lotus plant. However she does explain that it is not possible to take a cutting from a Black Lotus and grow a new plant from it. With a hint of condescension, she points out that if it were that easy, the Druj would have a house full of Black Lotus plants, and people wouldn't wipe out entire septs just to get their hands on one...
According to Anka Karass, nobody has ever found a way to grow a new Black Lotus plant, hence why it is so utterly priceless. She believes that thirteen Black Lotus plants were created when the world was fashioned, so that the orcs could commune with the Creator. As they were fashioned by the Creator themselves, they cannot be grown by mortal hands.
She seems awfully well-informed about Black Lotus for someone who claims not to know anything about them.
Golden Autumn
- A Dawnish enchantment has brought Prosperity to the Dawnish, the Great Forest Orcs, the Navarr and the Rahvin
- It's power has not touched the Karass
During the Autumn Equinox the Hearth Hearted, a Dawnish coven, laid a subtle enchantment of Autumn magic over the Barrens to increase the Prosperity of those who live there provided they had metaphysical dominion over their homes. Travel became easier, negotiations were more fruitful, tools worked more efficiently, and luck fell more often in their favour. The enchantment primarily aided the Dawnish and Navarr, but it is clear that serendipity also favoured the orcs at the Heart of Peytaht and Bitter Strand. Those two septs have just as much dominion over the regions where they dwell as the Dawnish do over theirs.
For Imperial citizens, the impact of the enchantment is quickly felt. It helps people to negotiate and make deals with each other, and it helps industrious individuals build their new manses, and farms, and homes, and wayhouses with greater surety. While the orcs of the western Barrens are cautious in their dealings, they are more open to listening to newcomers and accepting fair deals. There is also a great sense of ambition and enthusiasm that spreads across the territory.
Following the Winter Solstice, any character from Dawn or Navarr can upgrade their personal resource from level one to level two for one fewer wains of material than normally required, to a minimum of one. This represents reaping the benefits of lucrative deals, industriousness, and general good fortune. It even applies to people whose personal resource is moved to the Barrens during the Winter Solstice (or before downtime closes after the event).
Participation
- The lingering effects of the enchantment provide a source of spiritual strength to Dawnish and Navarr citizens of the Barrens
- Following the Winter Solstice, Dawnish and Navarr characters can more easily upgrade standard resources
Any Dawnish or Navarr character whose personal resource was located in the Barrens after the Autumn Equinox can choose to be experiencing the lingering effects of the Autumn enchantment. This takes the form of a roleplaying effect: You feel an urge to resolve your problems through communication and negotiation, and feel empowered to approach your rivals or enemies in good faith.
This brings with it a source of spiritual strength that lasts for the duration of the summit. When exposed to a roleplaying effect that tries to make you doubt your capabilities, fear for the future, or be suspicious of others you can respond with a vocal restatement of your hopes for the future and belief in yourself and resist that effect. This includes the effects of both the Druj miasma and the oppression of the Black Plateau.
Hopeful Dawn
- The Great Forest Orcs and the Rahvin have also benefited from the Autumn enchantment in their own regions
- The Fastness of Thorns - a fortification - has been completed in the Eaves of Peytaht
- The Rahvin continue to muster their army in Bitter Strand
The orcs of Peytaht have finally completed the construction of the Fastness of Thorns, the weirwood fortification they have been building for a year or more. They have gathered a garrison from among the hunters and warriors who helped claim the Heart of Peytaht with the aid of their Navarr allies, although for the moment they restrict that garrison to protecting only the edges of the region they control and the weirwood grove that lies at its heart. Navarr visitors, and the refugees from Therunin offered sanctuary among the orcs, bring news that several thriving communities are now scattered through the region. As are the survivors from the destruction of Hope's Rest, although the orcs of the Great Forest attempt to keep the two apart as much as possible.
The Rahvin have seen similar successes. They are now well on the way to mustering an army at Bitter Strand. A portion of the mithril they mine from the Fangs each season is offered in trade to the Dawnish, but the rest goes toward arming and armouring the Rahvin and those remnants of the Black Wind that live with them. They still have a way to go, but thanks to enchantment laid across the Barrens they have made significant progress. If the Rahvin are moved by the gift they make no mention of it. In fact they go out of the way to ignore the Dawnish as much as possible. The only thing they do pass on is a short message for Redhand Frith telling him that none of the stolen mithril has been returned to them yet.
One group who seem to have broadly been "ignored" by the Autumn magic are the Karass. While they have settlements scattered across the eastern and southern Barrens they do not have dominion over those lands and so the enchantment passes them by without a second look. They are aware of it, they see the effects in others and have magicians of their own who can detect it, but they know it is not for them. If it rankles even more to be further reminded of the precariousness of their position, existing as they do entirely at the Empire's whim, they say nothing.
Eaves of Peytaht
| Broker of Thorns |
| Type: Navarr National |
| Appointment: Tally of the Votes |
Powers:
|
| Responsibilities: To work with the Great Forest Orcs if the Eaves of Peytaht is ever threatened |
- The Great Forest Orcs offer a bounty of weirwood to their friends among the Navarr
With the Fastness of Thorns completed, the elders of the Great Forest Orcs have given consideration as to what to do next. In Imperial hands, the Eaves of Peytaht could provide as much as 25 wains of weirwood each season. The Great Forest Orcs have demonstrated their facility with working with weirwood - the orcs living at the Golden Trees of Seren and Heartwood of the Great Vale offer this expertise to increase the number of wains that can be gathered each season without harming the groves.
With the Winter Solstice approaching, Chief Vallack annnounces that his people have reached a decision about what to do with their weirwood. They will of course keep a portion of what they produce each season for themselves, to ensure they have enough hunters and herb gardens to support their people. A portion of the remainder they intend to trade to the Rahvin; the renewed friendship that began last time the Barrens were enchanted with Autumn magic has only strengthened over time and they recently finished negotiations with their cousins along the Bitter Stand. The remainder, they intend to share with their friends the Navarr - they know their allies are suffering with the loss of the Thimble.
Chief Vallack asks that the Imperial Senate formally recognise the Imperial title of Broker of Peytaht. This would need to be a national Bourse Seat appointed by the Tally of the Votes. The Broker would receive 11 wains of weirwood each season from the Eaves of Peytaht for the foreseeable future, as a sign of respect for their allies, and gratitude for the aid they have given them over the years. There will be some cost to the Senate, unfortunately; the normal costs for operating a Bourse Seat will apply simply because the Great Forest Orcs have no ability to transport the weirwood outside the Barrens.
All they ask for in return is that the Navarr support them in turn when the need arises. And that they stand ready to come to their aid if the Eaves of Peytaht are ever threatened - something they consider a given thanks to the oaths sworn by the Navarr.
An Invitation to Dance
Dawn extends the hand of invitation to the sept of the Great Forest Orcs in the Barrens. If we are to be neighbours, let us work together for mutual benefit and Prosperity. As a demonstration of our good faith, a ritual has been performed in the Barrens to increase the prosperity of all inhabitants; from which we hope your people will benefit.
Lady Renata de Lagriffe, Dawnish Assembly, Autumn Equinox 387YE, Vote: Greater Majority 250-10- The ritual performed by the Dawnish has been well received by the Great Forest Orcs
- They have reciprocated with a single wain of weirwood gifted to Lady Renata
During the Autumn Equinox, Lady Renata de Lagriffe raised a statement of principle in the Dawnish National Assembly. In it the earl called for the Great Forest Orcs to work with Dawn for mutual benefit. The statement mentions the ritual that has been cast for the benefit of almost everyone who lives in the Barrens.
The Great Forest Orcs remain hostile to the people of Dawn. Their enmity goes back a decade and more, and though the relationship with the Navarr has blossomed, still the distrust of the Dawnish remains. In Summer 384YE they extended an olive branch to the Dawnish - an opportunity for their generals to conduct a ceremony of reconciliation with the Dawnish generals at Hope's Rest but it was summarily rejected.
The brutal suppression of the Black Wind horrified the Great Forest Orcs but the annihilation of the Montanians, their closest friends and allies, shocked them to the core. The two groups had walked the trods together before the Barrens was retaken. Indeed it was the Montanians who originally persuaded the Great Forest Orcs to trust the Empire. They know it was the Varushkans who carried out the slaughter, but there is a widespread belief across the Barrens that it was the Dawnish who ordered it. The Rahvin have told everyone that the Dawnish openly confessed as much to them - just before the Gryphon's Pride attacked the Rahvin. Just before Aramis Du Froste, the first senator of the Barrens was murdered by his fellow Dawnish for trying to make peace with the septs.
Trust then, is in short supply, and it will take more than a ritual to fix that. There is an obvious question who the fortification that they have just completed is designed to protect the Great Forest Orcs from. There is a common belief that it is only the alliance with the Navarr that has forced the Empire to keep the arrangements made with them. That were it not for that, then the Dawnish would long since have fabricated some reason to attack and slaughter them, the same way they did every other sept in the Barrens.
And yet... every day that passes and the expected attack from the Dawnish doesn't come, they relax a little more. These people don't posess the Virtue of Vigilance - if they did it would be impossible for them to live side-by-side with the Dawnish given their mutual history. In it's place what they have is hope for a better future. A future that seems a little closer every day. This is not some dewy-eyed naivete. They control the Heart of Peytaht for the first time in living memory. The weirwood of the Groves is theirs to work and use. They can build their own homes, arm themselves, defend themselves. They don't like the Dawnish, they don't trust the Dawnish... but they openly admit that life under the Dawnish is incomparably better than it was under the Druj.
They are also realists. They may have close ties with the Navarr, but they understand that the Barrens is not a Navarr territory like Therunin was. Even with their new fortress, they know that their continued freedom relies on the forbearance of Dawn. They are proud of what they have built, but still they know that the armies of the Dawnish would wash over them like a tide if they cared to. They are nowhere near strong enough to resist Dawnish rule, not yet.
The Great Forest Orcs have not given up the dream that the Barrens might one day be Free. That it might belong to the people of the Barrens - that those who lived there might rule themselves. But they also acknowledge that for them the purpose of that Freedom was that they would control the Heart of Peytaht and the weirwood groves within... They don't have Freedom, but they do have the groves and the Heart. Life for the Great Forest Orcs is - surprisingly - good.
Thus, Renata's Gift, as they are calling the ritual has come at the right time. The Great Forest Orcs are simple people, but they're not ignorant. They understand the magic that was used to aid them, how difficult it must have been to cast and what it would have cost the Dawnish. The Great Forest Orcs simply don't possess the means to cast a ritual that powerful. They can't reproduce it, but they know the cost and the value of it. And they are grateful.
In response, they offer a single wain of weirwood. Fresh timber cut from the Eaves of Peytaht, kiln-dried and ready to use, delivered by the Navarr to the estates of Lady Renata de Lagriffe. Not as payment, but as reciprocation. As a gift. As a token of what might be.
It bears repeating that the Great Forest Orcs do not trust the Dawnish. Still. Renata's Gift has not washed away a decade of bloodshed. But they have responded positively to this gesture of friendship - the first such response directed at the Dawnish from a Barrens sept in years. This proves that is not impossible that the Dawnish could win their trust, and maybe one day their Loyalty. The Way insists that nothing is impossible - for those who possess Virtue, nothing is beyond your grasp.
But it never suggests that things will be easy. The Dawnish can only build on this development if they tread extremely carefully. As the outreach to the Karass this season shows, the wounds in the Barrens are still fresh and raw. A gift of salt is not welcome. That much is true of every one of the septs in the Barrens. It is still easier to offend then befriend. Attempts to win their trust that ignore past betrayals will ring hollow. Attempts to gain their friendship that don't acknowledge what Imperial victory in the Barrens has cost the septs will buy only bitter rebukes. Winning just the Great Forest Orcs round will take patience, generosity, and years of hard work.
But even the most impenetrable forest may fall one tree at a time.