They were led to a small clearing a short distance off the main road winding down into White Sky territory. Here there were a number of soldiers dressed in lighter uniform than that of the main White Sky force. She could see the similarities to Inzha and Rostams clothes in the flowing cut and geometric patterns. The layered scale patterned armor under their cloaks had a reddish burnish to it that she wasn't certain came from the metal itself or some kind of enamel. Their primary weapon of choice seemed to be heavy, barbed spears, with short, highly curved sabers as a sidearm.
There were no structures of wood and stone here. Rather at the center was a huge weatherworn red circular tent. A yurt, she thought they were called, though the cloud tribe examples she had glimpsed were much smaller and less ornate. Two of the guards stood at the entrance flap and clapped their fists to their chests as Rostam and Inzha approached.
She and Xuan Shi were welcomed inside right after. The inside of the yurt was not what she expected. It wasn't the silk and cloth of gold and richness of a nobles traveling pavilion nor the simple undecorated inside of a nomad's shelter. Rather, it was a warm, almost hot interior. At its center was a scentless and smokeless fire, burning on top of some manner of cut red-brown bricks that looked like dirt or clay. She didn't think it was animal dung either, the way she had heard many nomad tribes made their fires.
The ground was covered by thick carpets of richly dyed wool, covered in geometric patterns. The walls similarly were hung with wool panels depicting what she assumed were legendary events interspersed with everyday scenes. The supports of the conical ceiling were bone and ivory. It was well furnished as well, with a round cloth covered table across from the entrance on the other side of the fire. Around the edge were set what looked like long low couches or divans, with cabinets and other containers set between them.
"Welcome, welcome. Home is far away, but we bring a little with us, take any seat you like," Rostam said generously, turning to face them as Inzha moved further in to tend to the fire, she took an iron poker from beside the hearth pit, carefully nudging a few of the burning bricks. The flames flickered briefly black and green as she did.
She saw Xuan Shi looking intently at the fire, but she herself kept her eyes on Rostam, she wasn't going to be distracted with technical things. "Thank you very much, Emissary," she said, subtly tapping Xuan Shi's hand.
"The hospitality of thy home is most welcome," he said, only barely missing a beat.
"Ha! It is a very good home, my wife built it herself," Rostam laughed, turning to follow them as they filed in and took the couch on the right side of the fire, a comfortable and polite space between them.
"Our eldest helped greatly," Inzha said easily replacing the poker in the rack by the fire. She took a seat by her husband on the couch opposite. The two sat right up next to each other, untowardly close by imperial estimation. Openly entwining their hands even. "But let us not deflect with personal matters."
"Yes, I agree," Ling Qi said. "I think the most relevant question is this. From your perspective what is the goal of this summit. What do you wish to take away from it, as members of the White Sky."
"Hoh, you can hardly expect one to reveal their price before the haggling even begins," Rostam said.
"Your opening offer then, if you would like," Ling Qi said, bowing her head.
Rostam hummed, rubbing his thumb across the back of his wife's hand. He didn't look at her, nor she him, but Ling Qi could all but feel the silent communication between them.
"The obvious, an agreement of nonagression, mechanisms in place to adjudicate disputes between us without immediate escalation," Inzha said. "These are things we are here to establish before anything else."
"An institution which both parties respect, words set to paper and bound in blood and oaths. Such a foundation is the bare minimum," Xuan Shi agreed.
She gave a small nod, she'd talked to him, occasionally in person, mostly through letters, on the subject of how the Xuan handled foreigners. They did so with a careful distance. Quarters set aside on certain Xuan Wu cities, or smaller isles and ships marked as neutral ground. They had a set of laws and treaties, a compact of behavior which all present at these places were required to follow. Being able to understand and agree to this compact was a requirement for docking. There was some kind of judicial element as well, but they hadn't fully discussed that.
"Yes, you understand," Rostam agreed.
"One must trust that their objections will be heard and not simply replied to with force, this is the foundation of any agreement or contract," Ling Qi said. "We can agree on this goal certainly."
"It is easy to agree on goals," Rostam chuckled. "As for the rest… new goods are always an interest, and new markets for ours, but this is far. Insights into the matters which effect both of our lands would also be a boon… What of your Empire. Tell me true, why are you bothering with this, when we are still so far from you?"
"To a large extent, because I and my Lady are pushing for it," Ling Qi said, frowning a little. It was best to be somewhat honest here. "We are young but we feel that reducing the scope of Southern conflict is the best course. The mountains have long troubled us, and this war with the Twelve Stars and the underground folk is enough high conflict for many generations. We seek peace because we do not see value in further war. If the southern borders can be made free of conflict, our province and people will be relieved of a great burden."
"We have some experience with neighboring raiding tribes, so I am sympathetic to this," Inzha said, rating her chin on her hand. "I hope you do not expect us to be responsible for all peoples of what you call 'the Wall'."
"A measure of open places to speak and for disputes of sovereignty to be debated serves in this," Xuan Shi said.
"I do not wish to put that responsibility on you. I have many opinions on the matter…. But the official position of the Emerald Seas is that it is time for all raiding and warmaking on our border to stop," Ling Qi hoped there could be better, less cruel ways to accomplish that, but she also knew it was the ultimate sticking point. The Emerald Seas, even the tribes that had made it up before there was any such entity, had been under threat from the cloud tribes since before the first written history had been set down.
In the exhaustion after Ogodei the reprisals had only been able to go so far, but the deep bitterness of their people had only worsened. And their waxing strength compared to the scattered tribes gave rise to more strident voices. They would not accept the status quo, not with the Duchess here, with the formation of a central army. Maybe it was only temporary, but no one was of a mood to tolerate the state of things any longer. She knew dimly that it wasn't so one sided as that, the Emerald Seas could be brutal in its reprisals, but that was where her own people were coming from.
Rostam frowned deeply, his mouth almost disappearing under his mustache as he observed her. "That will be quite a project. But it will be better for us all if border tribes do not draw our realms into conflict. A terrible waste all around."
She studied his face, he was a bit doubtful of their ability to accomplish that, she thought. Or at the least he considered it a difficulty in negotiations.
"You have spoken of thieving neighbors yourselves, how does your land deal with such?" Xuan Shi asked.
"By the foothills being barely populated," Rostam admitted. "The bog's may be poisoned, and treacherous, but they are ours. The things that howl in the hills and stalk the steppes are less friendly than all but the most vicious bog spirits. The clans which wander there are small and insular… and not attractive raiding targets."
She supposed she hardly heard of the eastern cloud tribes raiding the Golden Fields either, with the Grave of the Sun in the way.
"Some raid the routes further east anyway, and this is dealt with harshly, but mostly, those who come to us are those tired of a life in wandering, the outcast and exiled and disaffected," Inzha said. "Whole tribes… in the past, it is said that Cloud men were among those who founded the Jewel cities, and their strength and speed is what cleared the roads and made the great trade routes with the Men of Light possible. But this is not… applicable, I think."
"Hm, someone would need to patrol the mountains, if we're ever to move move anything back and forth, but aye, not something we can apply to our little talks. The Koliada-"
He cut himself off.
"I have heard that name, Sky Palace Koliada, but I will not pry," Ling Qi said.
Rostam looked embarrassed. "Not my secret to share, but the mouth runs sometimes."
"It does," Inzha said evenly. "Please take no offense. I am sure if things proceed well, Emissary Jaromila might speak on that matter. It may solve some of our mutual issues."
She glanced to Xuan Shi, who lowered his head.
"If this one might ask, It is known to us that thy gods incarnate as cities of your realm. Is it not strange to name a project the same in that?"
Their hosts shared a look of mild surprise. Inzha "...The body of the god Koliada was slain long ago. It is… a prideful thing perhaps, but not blasphemous."
"We will speak no more on it for the moment," Ling Qi said. "You have asked after our position, is there anything else which you seek in negotiations?"
"I think we understand what each other wants here," Rostam said, recovering himself. "We need trust and a method of arbitrating disputes. The rest are merely good to have."
"I will see what knowledge of the Catacylsm and its effects can be shared," Ling Qi said. Knowledge unlike goods did not require expensive trade routes. It was a little troubling that the Golden Fields were the only province which had not made any connection yet though.
"If we are receiving such a boon, perhaps we might be able to share our own experience," Inzha said politely.
"We…" Ling Qi cocked her head, cutting herself off. She had felt a fluctuation of qi at the door, it was ordered, a signal?
Rostam looked chagrined. "Come in, come in."
The flap opened and a soldier of the White sky stepped inside, standing tall and holding his fist to his chest. "Sir! Emissary Jaromila's group is on the approach!"
"Early," Inzha said, pursing her lips.
"Well, honored guests, shall we delay the rest of this for the moment?" Rostam asked.
Ling Qi stood along with Xuan Shi. "Of course, we have gotten to the most critical matter already."
.
. It's pretty integral to Ling Qi, being in her first insight and all but with the death of social arts, we don't have any meaningful sources to explore it.
