Gifts beyond Grace
Fifteenth Day of the Eighth Month 294 AC
The letter from the capital had been expected. Congratulatory, yes, but also containing the ambassador's new marching orders. It had already become something of a truism in the service that the reward for a job poorly done was going home to rest and for a job well done it was more work. In this case, work getting the city's nobility, such as it was and what there was of it, to understand that its future lay with the Imperium no matter what the priests said.
Admittedly, that was not as easily done as it was said. The Highborn of Norvos were like dogs trained to the sound of bells. A time for eating, a time for sleeping. '
A time for fucking and a time for rolling over to show your belly', as one aid had put it behind closed doors, but you could not really train ambition out of people, nor greed, and the Imperium had plenty of things at hand to draw in both.
For the former, there was the promise of Imperial service, of wielding power and control far outside the traditional bounds of Norvosi life. Even a career as a Legion officer, which many nobles in other lands would look upon in askance since it so thoroughly bound you to the control of the state, would look good to generals used to taking their marching orders from axe-bearing priests.
As to the latter, well one could scarce even exaggerate the vast wealth of the Imperium these days. It was in size and in population the largest empire the world had seen within the bounds of history. One would have to search in the dusty troves of arcane lore to find even the barest mention of its like, and if it did not yet have the wondrous might of Valyria the Fallen then it certainly seemed to be going that way, as the sight of the gleaming silver Gravjammer which carried the delegation to the gates of Norvos had shown.
But in the end it was neither bags of gold and jewels or military might which Ambassador Argor thought would turn the scales most in the favor of his lord. No, it was something far more subtle. Like many high ranking diplomats, he had been an Inquisition agent once, though the work had proven a bit too dangerous for his tastes. He had recalled quite a lot from the books on cult creation and expansion.
***
Twentieth Day of the Eighth Month 294 AC
One of the primary means of cult expansion is offering boons which the local spiritual institutions cannot or will not grant. As these grow more transgressive, so too is the prospective recruit more deeply ensnared and more invested in the ideology of the cult.
-Book of the Sword, Chapter Seven, Loved and Abhorred
What could be more transgression to the people of the Lawmaker, whose entire lives were said to be a proving ground for their souls before they stand before the judgement of their god, than the promise of eternal life and no judgement? The ambassador smiled at the head of House Malente, a man most infamous for his many affairs, keeping ever in mind the words of the seer about the time and the place where it would be best to meet with him.
This was the dance he lived for and he was glad indeed to be playing it on this side of the board, for he rather suspected that if Lord Drekelis had not found him when he did, he might be playing for the other side, even if just for the thrill. That would be a pity indeed. The Imperium had a better retirement plan.
What next?
[] Qohor, invasion preparations and intelligence report
[] Wisdom Elaheh's stand in Sorcerer's Deep
[] Write in
OOC: Sadly this is another case where I could not bridge the narrative properly. I wanted to show a little of how the Diplomatic Service works, but at the same time there are no easy transitions from here.
