Chapter Fourteen

As the late summer morning breaks over the huts and pallisades of Baranul'an, the Magi count their dead and realise that the orc problem in their lands is one that cannot be dealt with swiftly but rather will require a longer and more organised commitment of men and resources. With the day of the harvest festival fast approaching, the Magi meet up with Benin the nimble and decide to go and pay a visit to their neighbour to the east, the mage Nebunnadar, ruler of Zunshit.

Expecting treachery, Nazeem the terrible summons the magics that will allow him to listen in on Nebunnadar's thoughts while Benin distracts the mage by introducing him to his entire household. Much to the dismay of Hamar, it transpires that Nebunnadar is an honest and friendly man, hoping that the Constellation of Ilmanar will bring the rule of law to the lands surrounding him, allowing him to retire, leaving the battles against fell beasts to the next generation. A spirit of trust and friendship engulfs the battle-hardened young mages and they begin to trade magical knowledge as well as cultural goods. The only cloud on the horizon is Nebunnadar's decision to hide from the Constellation that he had met only a few days previously with the mages of Billal. Spells and words of kindness exchanged and Zunshit celebrating a new religious festival devoted to the light, Nazeem takes it upon himself to visit the mages of Billal. He discovers the early stages of a road being built out of Billal as well as blanket denials that the mages of Bilal had ever met with Nebunnadar. Suspicious, Nazeem accompanies a delegation from Billal back towards AqQallat where the harvest festival begins.

Full of fine food, martial displays and magical pyrotechnics, the harvest festival is an unreserved success and thoughts turn to another festival in the spring. As the villagers gather the mages begin testing the young for one who might possess the gift. None of the villagers appear to be gifted but the group do encounter a seemingly powerful mage who refuses to identify himself and teleports away before he can be questioned more fully. This development gels with the apparently secret talks between Zunshit and Billal and the Magi begin to worry that their fellow Turkhanate nobles might well be plotting against them... as impossible as this might seem.

Paranoid thoughts festering in their minds, the group set off on a diplomatic mission to the halls of the Dwarves. Taking a gift of light pebbles and using Benin's skill with the Dwarven tongue and a good dose of plain speaking, the Constellation have a productive meeting with a dwarf who returns the gift by granting the group 6 virtue. The dwarves seem content to deal with their new human neighbours and they request grain and green-stuffs. Knowing that Zunshit has a large excess of grain, the group decide to spend the winter putting together a grain caravan that will allow them to trade with the dwarves.

• Chapter Fifteen

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