Debt Collectors

Zoltan’s day to day wasn’t exactly terribly busy. Most of his duties involved advising. Then there was the correspondence between Arlathan and Valammar, and Tantervale. Making sure shipments arrived on time and in the correct quantities. It wasn’t all that unlike his old job when he worked as a merchant, the principles were the same at least, though he didn’t get to travel really since taking the Ambassador/Diplomat posting at Arlathan.

He’d been there a couple of years now, and he’d made a number of friends. He rather liked the job, it definitely suited him. He had the wit for it and the people skills. One friend he’d made so far was Solana, lovely individual with quite the thirst for knowledge which he admired. Knowledge was power, as far as he was concerned it was mightier than the sword.

He’d just opened a fresh bottle of Antivan red and poured himself a glass. He sat back at his desk, pushing his quill aside. He’d done enough writing for the time being, it was time to relax a little bit. He’d have rather had a nice Tevinter vintage, but alas with Tevinter’s boarders closed off, that was sadly impossible these days.

One of the things Solana admired about the Arlathan they were building was the people their city was attracting.  While this world she'd woken up to was strange in many ways, she took comfort in the fact that it seemed to have a number of people who were driven in the same ways she was, curious about the intricacies of the world and eager to learn.

Zoltan was one of those, and she had developed a certain fondness for the dwarf.  Despite the ever-present danger of their time, they had both chosen the path of words and knowledge to carry them through and it had led to a kinship of sorts.  She learned as much from him as he from her, and given how many millennia she'd walked Thedas she felt that said quite a bit.  He was one of her guides to this new age, and she in turn was able to illuminate some things long forgotten.

While she seldom tired of the Repository, she did recognize the need to leave it from time to time, and on this day she decided good company would be welcome.  Seeking him out, she knocked to announce her presence, taking in the sight of the abandoned quill and glass of wine once she was welcomed in.  [color=#9a00b2]"It seems I have good timing.  Would you care for some company?"[/color]

Zoltan was definitely an extrovert, even if people annoyed him at times, he’d still rather be around people than be entirely on his own. Being alone too long drained him, it was being around people where he truly recharged his batteries, that and a glass of wine of course. So when he heard a knock on the door and saw it was Solana, he smiled glad for the company.

Ah, yes please! He waved her in, he knew he could depend on Solana for an interesting conversation, she’d yet to bore him and he imagined she never would. He grabbed a second glass and grinned at her comment about good timing. You always have excellent timing and I would always welcome your company.

He was more tired than usual, but then a lot had happened in the last few months. The situation with the Crows was tense as usual, then there were the fires that had hit them, then the whole situation with Elgar’nan, and now Vela was missing. It was one thing after another, they couldn’t catch a break.

She accepted the glass once filled, and settled in across from Zoltan.  She took a sip from it, letting it linger on her tongue for a moment before letting it pass smoothly down her throat.  The wines were different somehow now, but there were still some vintages she enjoyed and she mentally put this one among them.  [color=#9a00b2]"Antivan?"[/color] she asked.  She had to stop herself from using the old names of the places around here; she'd been awake for a handful of years now and yet still found herself needing to remind herself of the current lay of the land on occasion.

She looked more carefully at her friend's face, and despite the smile she could see the weariness around his eyes.  Zoltan was excellent at what he did, but that did not mean it was not a large job for any one person to carry.  Especially in times such as these.  [color=#9a00b2]"You seem tired, my friend.  Is there anything I can help with?"[/color]

Zoltan took a skip of wine and tipped his head as she asked if it was Antivan. Though he still wished he could get his hands on a good Tevinter wine, perhaps that was just because they were so rare at the moment, with nothing getting in or out of Tevinter and the North in general.

You have a good taste for wines. It is indeed. Though I’d give just about anything for a Tevinter vintage, probably because it’s been so damn long since I got my hands on one. After the barrier went up, Tevinter goods on the outside skyrocketed in value.

He smiled and took another skip, and then shuffled at some papers on his desk when she commented about him being tired and if there was anything she could help with. He didn’t like to easily admit he was tired, but since it was utterly clear, he wasn’t about to try and deny it either.

The world seems to be going tits up, but then I guess it is Thedas. When isn’t it going tits up somewhere for some reason. We still haven’t recovered from the fires, and although things seem to have slowed a bit where the Crows are concerned. We have a new threat on the horizon and a kidnapped leader. He of course kept in constant contact with Garryn in Tantervale, as well as numerous other merchant contacts he had. Garryn was prepared to send whatever force he could muster if Arlathan needed to defend itself, but of course getting them to Arlathan all through the Eluvian would be quite a feat.

Solana made a mental note of his thoughts on Tevinter wine.  She would have to see if she could find some goods from this Tevinter.  It seemed a curious place, not always spoken of well and with a structure that seemed quite the reverse of the southern nations.  She hoped to see it someday.

[color=#9a00b2]"Well, at least it seems there is some reprieve in there.  Though these Crows,"[/color] she frowned.  An assassins guild, a powerful one that had held power for a long time.  They operated out of Antiva, but that was also where Elgar'nan was beginning to rebuild his empire.  It made her wonder.  [color=#9a00b2]"Do we know why things have slowed?"[/color]

Zoltan had quite recently and frequently wondered about the situation with the Crows. Wondered if they would roll over and form an alliance with Elgar’nan giving Arlathan a combined force of enemies against them, knocking on their door.

However, he also couldn’t rule out the Crows wouldn’t roll over for Elgar’nan, then he couldn’t help but wonder who was the worst enemy of the bunch. From talk he’d heard, he was leaning towards believing that was Elgar’nan, and if that was the case perhaps they could find some truth in the saying, enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Not that he wanted to align with the Crows, but could they really afford to stand against Elgar’nan on their own, and with word out of Ferelden that they weren’t going to stand against Elgar’nan, what other potential allies would they lose.

He shook his head slightly at the question. He couldn’t be sure why it had slowed. He had theories of course, multiple theories, but he was sure of none of them, as none of his contacts had been able to find any particularly useful information as of yet.

I can’t be sure right now. Could it have something to do with Elgar’nan, quite possibly. However what that something is, is hard to say. Have they allied with him, are they against him, all questions I’ve been trying to find the answers to with my many sparrows I have out flying about. King, or rather Lord Chancellor Garryn, is prepared to send men if we need to defend Arlathan. If it comes to that. He took another sip of wine.

Solana took a drink.  Elgar'nan.  She was not hoped to hear that name again.  The one saving grace when she entered uthenera was that he was locked away.  But with releasing magic he too was released and soon enough he would be knocking at their doorstep.  This was relative calm compared to what he would wreck when he was ready.

[color=#9a00b2]"It is good you are forming alliances.  We will need them.  He will not turn a blind eye to us, and he is a force that I do not think your world is ready to reckon with."[/color]  It was a dark statement, but true.  If her people, in the millennia of being, had been brought to their knees by the Evanuris, how could this younger world possibly hope to cope?

[color=#9a00b2]"Our world, I should say,"[/color] she corrected herself.  It was different, but this was hers now too and she wanted to see it thrive.

[color=#9a00b2]"He is a cunning manipulator - these Crows may not realize the threat he poses until it is too late,"[/color] she admitted.  She did not have the same understanding of them as Zoltan, but she would say the same of any faction they might discuss.

It was clear that if Elgar’nan and the Crows were enemies, and that the reason the Crows didn’t seem as focused on them was because they were too busy with him, that Elgar’nan wouldn’t be the enemy to ally with. The way some talked about him wasn’t good. He didn’t like the idea of allying with the Crows, but if Elgar’nan was as big a threat as Solana and others made him out to be, they might not have a choice if they wanted to survive.

If I were him I’d take advantage of the conflicts between the people of Thedas and exploit it. The more we’re at odds with each other, the less time we have to focus on him. It may mean making compromises. As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The idea of making a deal with the Crows made his blood boil a bit, but if Elgar’nan was the bigger threat, it simply wasn’t something they could afford to rule out.

Though if they ally themselves with him, we’re going to need more than just our alliance with the dwarves and Tantervale to help us. The Crows are formidable on their own, with Elgar’nan leading them, I’m afraid we might not stand a chance. It wasn’t a possibility that Zoltan thought about lightly, but he was the sort to think of all possible outcomes, no matter the likelihood.