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With the EIC expanding into the Karaz Ankor, one very important thing needs to be communicated very clearly: Dwarves don't think like us. Dwarves have no truck in concepts like 'close enough' or 'acceptable levels of corruption' or 'it's just business' or 'proportional response'. The price of rocking the boat being higher than the cost of whatever institutional graft is taking place is no protection when one is dealing with Dwarves. Put your promises in writing and then stick to them. Because there's very little as bad for business as a Dwarf Clan that's been wronged, and it can be difficult to make a profit with an axe where your face used to be.
It turns out very easy indeed to gather the materials for the speech you'll be putting on twice, once here and once in Stirland. All you have to do is walk into any tavern in Karag Lhune - and there's more than a couple now that the Dwarf population has begun moving into the Chiselwards in earnest - and announce that you want to hear about times that unfaithful dealings by humans received its just deserts, and all you have to do is prepare your notebook as those present argue about who has the best stories and then jot down notes as the flood of anecdote begins.
The most infamous tale is, of course, the one where a Dwarf clan was shortchanged tuppence for the construction of some type of fortification, and after they quite politely pointed out the shortfall and were told in no uncertain terms that no monetary reconciliation would be forthcoming, the entire Clan went to war, battled the local army and won, and tore the fortress to the ground. You heard five different versions of it, few of which agree on details, and are not entirely convinced that it happened; but if it did, you don't have much sympathy to whoever it happened to. Contrary to what some might think, it's hard to get on the wrong side of a Grudge by accident. Even the most cantankerous and hair-trigger of Dwarves will make their problem clear before they skip straight to the violence, and if you believe that their case against you is unjustified the matter can be escalated to their Clan Elders, then to the Hold's Loremasters, then to the King of their Hold, and even to the High King if you believe it necessary. It's only when one wrongs a Dwarf and makes it clear they will make no redress whatsoever that the Dwarves go to war.
But though the tale might be an exaggeration, it very definitely gets the message across, as do the dozen other tales you gather from the taverns and the relevant laws and precedents pulled from your library. First to the local EIC representatives, who are still getting established here, and then to a full meeting of representatives from every branch of the EIC, you very thoroughly lay out not just what not to do, but also why not. You describe the Book of Grudges, and cite several examples - not from the Dammaz Kron, which describes only the most terrible of wrongs done to the Dwarven race, but from the local Books of Grudges maintained in each of the hold, which records every unsettled score. One in particular seems particularly relevant: an unsettled debt between Zhufbar and the Asoborn tribe, where tribesman made a delivery of a cartload of wild grains in exchange for three good axes, only for it to be later discovered that the grains were mouldy and cut with sawdust. After the destruction of Castle Drakenhof, several Grudges against the Vampires were struck out as settled, but so too were several accumulated Grudges against the rulers and population of Stirland - and then, when it was judged that the Grudges struck out were almost but not quite sufficient, they kept going back until they found a Grudge of just the right severity, and only then were the sins of the long-dead Asoborns forgiven.
Judging by the horrified stares you get, the message has been successfully communicated. What you didn't tell them was that the sins of those Asoborns would likely never be pursued, or at least not until the more important Grudges against greenskins, Skaven, Chaos Gods, Chaos Dwarves, Ogres and Elves were settled first. A little terror would be good for them.
[Instil Corporate Policy: Stewardship, Breakpoints 40/80: 64+18+4(Library: The Karaz Ankor)=86.]
