Uncertain Terms (Attn: Armos)

OOC: These negotiations are taking place in mid to late September, before the end of the war and possibly before the Ironhull coup, but after the negotiations with the HE have been concluded for some time.

Ciltesse was at his desk when the doors opened and the emissary from Ironhull was escorted in, looking rather the worse for wear. Ciltesse stood to welcome him, walking over and ushering the man to his seat. "Please accept my apologies for the behavior of my captain," he said. "What she did was against my wishes, and unknown to me. Although it is too much to hope that I have not inconvenienced you, I hope that you are not too offended by this." He paused to allow the other man time to reply.

Bartsch looked at the elf. His beard had grown slightly unkempt and he was dirty. For three weeks he was locked up, three weeks he was forced to stay in that prison. And why? Some captain locked him and his crew up for no known reason. He allowed the moment to sink in as he glared into the eyes of Ciltesse. Finally he broke the tension and spoke with a gravely voice.

" I, am a diplomat, here on a mission of peace and good will for his majesty Durn Grushna III. Neither my men or I meant any harm, yet we were thrown into a prison for unknown charges! You even have the gall to tell me you had no knowledge of these events! What kind of leader does not leave someone capable in charge when on leave? What kind of leader does not know of something such as a DIPLOMAT being LOCKED UP!??"

He was shaking in anger, no, seething in rage. He was a diplomat, not some criminal. Bartsch let out deep, heavy breaths as he continued to glare into the eye of the leader. Somewhere, deep within the recesses of his being, something was tugging at the fact that this elf truly knew nothing about the incident, but he paid no attention to it. He allowed the rage in.

Ciltesse kept his face smooth, save for a slight tightening of his jaw. "I assure you, I had nothing to do with your imprisonment, save being on a diplomatic mission of my own. The captain responsible for your arrest has been stripped of her rank and punished, but perhaps you would like to add something of your own to her discipline? A gesture of goodwill on my part, perhaps?"

Offering Caleth to this scruffy diplomat probably wasn't going to endear him to the other captains, who would see Caleth's meteoric fall as a warning of Ciltesse's hunger for power or something equally ridiculous, but Ciltesse was worried more about another country's ire than his captains'. There were always malcontents in the Isles, and that was unlikely to change.

Bartsch's rage simmered down slightly. The man was still angered about the events, but much more willing to deal with a fellow diplomat. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out an angry sigh.

" Do whatever YOU wish with her. I have no need for vengeance. We from Ironhull may have once been barbaric in nature, but those times have passed. What i do request, in honor of Ironhull that is, is the concept of trade and good relations. The latter being something im sure will be something we can BOTH improve on. Ironhull is willing to make an offer, but we would like to know what our potential friends have on the market."

"You will find that the Erynnen Navy is the finest on all the seas," said Ciltesse smoothly. "We have long-established trade rights with all of the civilizations bordering the sea... apart from your illustrious realm, of course. We have freight of all kinds, from every country: silks and spices from Kyokai, metals and ores from Capua, Solarian-forged weapons, and all manner of other goods which we pass on to others. Where does your greatest interest lie?"

"Ironhull is in need of a basic commodity, Lumber. ironhull is based mainly on plains, grasslands and mountains. We have many average sized forests and what little wood we have know is placed into the transportation and economic sectors. We desire a navy. One able to trade as well as protect our borders, but seeing as though we have barely any working materials, our force is relatively small."

"Ironhull would also be interested in any commodities your traders would be willing to part with. I can assure you that once the people realize the trades of other nations, they will surely start spending and boosting BOTH our economies."

"In return, we offer you a some of our own products. Gold and silver will be brought in as our people buy your goods, wheat, flour and salt can be shipped in bulk and we are always willing to demonstrate our line of rifles, cannons and explosives."

"I fear that lumber is one resource we cannot offer you," said Ciltesse. "Erynnen is a small island, and our forest is not vast. What little wood we cut is for repairs, and rarely making new ships. For every tree we cut, another is planted. If we were to begin trading lumber wholesale... no, I'm afraid we must decline this proposition. Is there anything else you need?"

"As i stated earlier, any amount of commodity would be welcome. We need the people to begin spending again, and bringing in new products would be a reasonable way to start. In return we would once again offer you goods from wheat and salt to arms and explosives"

"Very well. We will provide you with luxury goods in exchange for basic supplies equal to the value of the goods we send. Erynnen's population is growing too large for our terrace farmland to sustain them." Ciltesse mentally ran over the list of confirmation gestures in the cultures across the sea, and finally settled on extending a hand. "Do we have an agreement?"

Bartsch looked at the elf's hand. He grasped it firmly and shook it. " I believe we have a deal." He let the elf's hand go and then walked to the door before giving an Ironhull salute.