It Ain't Easy Being a Diplomat

"Tsarina Idalla." The voice came muffled through wood, followed by several thumps from only partway up the door. It was one of the drawves, no doubt, hard at work at repairing the upper level of the keep.

Idalla rolled her eyes and got up. She changed her look to that of a short dwarven female and opened the door. "Yes?"

"There's a visitor from up the vale. They fly the crest of Brindol, Tsarina."

"Word certainly does travel fast, eh? One moment, I will fetch the human diplomat of my masters." She closed the doors, reassumed her regular form, minus two horns, and made her way to the top of the keep. She had been expecting the major players in the human realm to make their way south to inquire about the upstarts in the Dwarvish lands. She was frankly shocked it took them this long. Things must really be troublesome.

As she left the front and rounded onto the winding path down into the holds, three men stood on horse back, two knights and one man in very regal clothing. He hailed, and Idalla hailed back shouting "Come, please, make your way forward and speak your piece."

They rode forward, and when in speaking distance, and Idalla offered them a chance to come down and speak inside. "Nay," answered the well dressed man. "That will not be necessary. Who are you? Are you the one who seeks to rebuild the old fortress in the south?"

"I am their formal diplomat, Lady Idalla. One of several, actually, my masters are quite prolific among the races." She smiled confidently.

"Then I do not need to make clear how troubling it is to my own ruler, Lord Jarmaath, that immigrants have taken up hold in a keep to the south of his great city. I am sure you know of the mounting pressure we have received from the north? To think a new foe may be brewing in the south."

"Not at all!" interrupted Idalla, holding her hand up and shaking her head slowly. "My lords are, to the contrary, friends to the Vale. They drove out the Orcs laying claim to this hold on behalf of the dwarves, and as we speak have set themselves north. No doubt they are hard at work clearing out the pests that have plagued the smaller towns."

"Oh? Because the rumors from the dwarf merchants is they went north to head back to the northern lands and sell their plunder here."

"What? Plunder? Sir, you can not hope to plunder what already belongs to you. This is now a keep, with a standing army, and a keep and army that happily and readily pledges its service to the safety of the Vale, its home. I assure you, if my masters have set north it was to deal with the goblins. A couple raiding parties are no match for those who could take back the old dwarvish halls of Khundrukar."

The man tapped his heels and his horse turned itself around with a loud neigh. "Very well. Brindol welcomes graciously its new tax paying ally." He saluted, and him and the knights rode off. Idalla wore a big open smile until they were out of sight before slipping behind an outcropping of rocks, turning back to a dwarf, and rushing down to the holds.

"You, rider, get a message out to the masters of the keep. Take them this, and let them know, I just got them a new job. Goblin hunting! They can thank me later."