Excerpt: The seal of Masterad

The was a small rug in the center of the round chamber. By the walls stood painted screens that were similar to those used by actors and other who sometimes had to change clothes in people's company. These seemed to be meant exclusively for decorative puposes, the mood was far too tense for any changing of attire to take place. The painting on them portrayed small men and women in various daily activities such gathering herbs and fruits in the forest and cooking and sharpening a blade and riding large hounds. There were two short figures standing to the rear of the room, and two men by the door. Both sides were clothed in luxurious articles that flaunted obvious high status and wealth to eachother, despite the radical difference in styles. The men wore finely woven pants and tunics in pastells of green and blue, embroidered with abstract shapes and curls. Their clothes hung loosely and were a little too wide, all the easier to conceal armour and weapons. On their waists hung sheated longswords with elaborate hilts. The ones on the other side, the gnomes, were wrapped up in various layers of vibrant red, orange, brown and yellow cloth, the one two the front wore brighter shades that made him look somewhat festive and themed after the season that was t come: autumn. The other wore darker reds and browns. Each layer was shaped differently and there every motion, though these were rare as they stared down their guests, shifted the fold and overlap of the cloth. Both also wore long scarves that wrapped around their necks, occasionally crossing under the arms, or around them by the shoulder. The thick mass of the scarves concealed their necks and chins, for the darker one even his mouth. Neatly kept hair flowed from their heads in tens of loosely tied braids of different lengththat ended in loose strands of hair.
"If we are to know where we can and where we cannot hunt down the insurgents, we need you to assign specific borders to your lands and allow us to take these raiders off your hands at clearly specified times and places." The tall man said as he punched his fist onto is open hand.
"Your indiscrimanate hunting of these men is not only insufficient to solve the problems they cause, it pushes them back onto Foturian territoy where they raid and pillage, only to retreat to the outer woods where they are nearly unhuntable!"
"Obviously, how we deal with intruders is our own business." The brighter of the gnomes stated with a smile. "Surely you need not be reminded that it was your kind who pressed them into our forests in the first place? Mr Farizon?"
"We were not aware of your being here. Now that we know we can co-operate in getting rid of this disturbance!"
As the tall man spoke the gnome who had spoken produced an elegant bottle with a slideable opening from his sleeve and sipped silently. It carefully placed it back in one of the doubtless many pockets inside his elaborate attire and said: "I've heard that knowledge of our presence here is quite common among your kind. How is it possible that the greatest of you were not able to remember that we were here?" It tilted its head forward as it said this, which gave his smile a grim accent that chilled the onlookers and surely the adressed as well.
From his vantage Galyn could just barely see the faces of the four figures present, but he could hardly move and it required some strength just to maintain his position, still, he listened intently.
"Well… Meaning no disrespect, I'm sure you understand… Stories of your kind are only widespread if you pay heed to nursery rhymes and greedy foreign workers who want to get more money for their work… Quite understandibly, I should say, we paid it no heed and went about our business as…"
"And our business as well."
"As is our duty to Foturia!"
Farizon looked uncumfortable and said:
"Now listen here sir…"
"Call me Batirae."
"Surely our minor trespassing was not worthy of the heated reaction it induced, let alone your continual emphasis on the fact during this meeting."
"We take our borders very seriously. We needed you clear on that."
Farizon's companion stepped forwards
"Batirae. Maybe we made small mistake, but the problems posed by these intruders are what need solving, not the details of what went wrong or whom should have looked out for who… If you want them and us out of your hair, then talk business with us and we'll have this solved."
The second gnome stepped forward and moved towards the man who had spoken. Despite its size its presence was threatening to all as it slowly moved forwards with carefully weighed steps and his right shoulder slouched, the hand flexed in a strange pose the looked somewhat like the open beak of a gatshy. Farizon's companion looked down on him as the gnome murmured something. The man cocked his head back and said: "You'll not still my tongue! I came here to negotiate, you may be an extension of your boss or his high-educated bodyguard, but I am an officer and an envoy."
"Lyndel! stand back." Farizon hissed.
Baritae laughed and the other gnome cringed. As it turned around to return to its side of the carpet it said: "Leave this room Lyndel. Bring the guard who stands outside to take your place. Your's has been taken."
The two men were flustered and after a heated exchange in whispers, Lyndel marched out of the room and another man, garbed in normal soldiers' attire entered.
Batirae nodded slowly. Farizon allowed his the soldier to moe beside him. And took a moment to catch his breath before moving on:
"So, we propose striking at these men together. We will decide on the location, and then our men will round them up while you… your kind, flush them out into our waiting arms."
"As long as you do not enter our lands again." Batirae cast a sideways glance at the other gnome and smile faded somewhat. "In the foreseeable future. We agree to drive the escaped Turian soldiers out of our woods, where you may fight them."
The other gnome stepped forward with a closed envelope and handed it to the soldier.
"You will open this envelope on the third morning following today. It will tell you where to await the Turian soldiers." Batirae said. "You will move fast and catch them in the late afternoon."
Batirae beamed and skewed his eyes pleasantly as Farizon took the letter from his companion. He stared at it incredulously and frowned.
"This is not how we will do business, Batirae."
"Oh?"
"We will now decide the exact location so that we can secure a large area and prepare it for ambush. We will not rush ourselves to meet a group of soldiers herded together and fight them on equal footing when we can help it."
Farizon unrolled a map from an inner pocket and Batirae touched its nose as it waited intently for Farizon to continue.
"Now," he said while holding the map with both hands to keep it rolled out and bending forward to allow the much smaller Batirae to look at it, "this is our closest city, and we can quite easily look off this area here. The terrain is a little strange, but if you lead them in here, it shouldn't be too difficult, then we can have them surrounded before they can even tell the forest is about to end. Galyn tried to see the map, but it was too old and too small to see well.
"This looks interesting and practical enough..." Batirae said with dismissive nonchalance. "But our way better suits us. And it will take more of their lives in the process so your men should not see much resistance from those we push from the forest."
"Surely you realise that a more tactically sound formation on our end will limit casualties greatly, and our way will make the whole operation less work for you."
"Work is good for the soul." Batirae shrugged with an impish smile.
“Now listen, we need to organise this clearly, we ca...”
"We are finished. Open the letter on the third morning and move to intercept your prisoners, or don't, and let them run amok in their lands once more."
The other Gnome stepped upon the center of the rug and Batirae turned away to on of the painted screens, where it stroked one of the portrayed gnome's robes abserntly, waiting for them humans to leave. When they didn't, the other Gnome pulled an elaborate sheathed blade from among his many layers of clothing. Though they did not seem very intimidated, the Foturian emmisaries slinked away.