The Institute Envoys

## Overview

The Institute Envoys is an institution within the Institute specialised in diplomatic conduct with outside powers. It is lead by the Speaker of the Envoys, and is headquartered at The Envoys HQ in the First Bastion.

## Envoys Action Log

### The Tjootoki

> *"Envoys of the Institute enter the hall of the Governors of the Aangtje-te, giving gifts of Chalcipapyrae of the highest quality, exhibiting Gold Leaf and Lapis decorations that depict the Discovery of the Elder Texts. The Envoys demonstrate the virtuous properties of the unique material. Afterwards, they describe the process of producing such a beautiful papyrus document. In a subsequent invitational ceremony, the Institute Envoys sample the Pjuurak-uurak's hallucinogenic Tjootoki flower. They are shown the process of making dried Tjootoki-toki into tea and experience a rare glimpse of the clairvoyant nirvana that comes from a proper Tjootoki ritual, while also seeing the wonderous mystical visions of swirling colour that constitute the more common effects of Tjootoki usage. After the ceremony, the Envoys are led on an expedition to learn how to locate and harvest the flower in the wild. Before departing, the Governors gift some unprocessed Tjootoki-toki flowers for the Institute to research."*
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### Institute-Tropicagical First Contact (69 PC)

> *" 3 sailing triremes were spotted off the coast of Tropicagical, with sails of white painted with a black circle. Black-skinned squidfolk and short racoonmen wearing white robes could be seen from afar, with the ships carrying seemingly exotic goods. The people of Tropicagical did not know its uses, but they instinctively knew they were of great value. As the triremes neared the coast of Tropicagical's capital, a crowd gathered to witness this historic moment. Commotion was also prevalent within the Institute triremes, however, as it was also their first First Contact after the Institute's founding. Both sides were nervous, but it was a nervousness of excitement.*
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> *As Institute triremes docked in port, members of the Tropicagical ruling class attempted to greet the Institute Envoys, but was unable to open direct communications, as the difference in their languages blocked any real chance of dialogue. They did however spot a few men wearing white robes painted with a green circle scribbling something black on a strange piece of cloth, trying to emulate the words of greeting. These items would later be revealed to be Ink and Paper, included in the list of gifts from the Institute to Tropicagical as a sign of goodwill. The message of peace was delivered not by word of mouth, but by the various gifts exchanged in the process.*
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> *The Tropicagical people were hesitant at first, making sure to ready their soldiers. As the Insitutute made contact, their worries began to simmer. The Tropicagical had stayed isolated, and the Insititute would be the first society that they would interact with outside their own. Three groups of the races of the Tropicagical people, the Ortrolls, the Wingfae, and the Frogentine were made up of soldiers and respect politic figures. Meeting with the representative of the Insitutute, they were shocked by their invention of ink and paper.*
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> *After receiving their gifts, the Tropicagical people decided to give their own. They sent the Insititue two plants of the native Tropicagical land, the Psycheed and the Mushergic, plants with magical properties that can help with both injures and are used as psychedelics to gather info on magic that couldn't normally be gathered.*
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> *The Institute envoys were fascinated by these plants, but the one who seemed to be the captain confiscated these plants and seeds, worrying that the sailors would get high. After the incident at Aangtje-te, Institute protocol dictated that these plants would be under strict regulations until their properties were fully mapped. While the sailors, especially the raccoonmen, seemed displeased, they nonetheless obeyed.*
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> *On the second day of First Contact, the Institute presented its first Metrum Rod and Metrum Papers. The response was mixed in the room, as Tropicagical scholars were amazed at the simplicity and the logic of the Institute Metric, while its high priests and politicians were worried that these would have degrading effects on Tropicagical cultural distinctiveness. While the decision was made that the Institute Metric would not be officially adopted, Institute envoys were nonetheless pleased to see the Metrum Papers be understood even without much knowledge of the Institute's language.*
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> *As the time of stay neared its end, the Institute envoys thanked the high chief of Tropicagical for their kindness and hospitality. To their relief, their first First Contact had gone surprisingly well. With what meagre vocabulary the Institute managed to learn over their short stay, they asked that a learned man among the Tropicagical people be invited over to the Institute as a way to enhance their understanding of Tropicagical culture, language, and most importantly, their understanding of magic and the natural world.*
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> *One of the bravest of the soldiers of the Tropicagical people, a noted Ortroll general accepted into going with the Insititute to teach them their society, as well as to learn about the Insititute and outside world. the Tropicagical people are nervous and gossip between the three communities had been going on but the council and the leader of Tropicagical had agreed to the two nations trading and interacting for the foreseeable future."*
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### Institute-Elvain First Contact (108 PC)

> *As advances in sailing technologies allowed Institute envoys to travel beyond their known world, an expedition was sent to venture to the unexplored lands to the south to discover new lands and civilisations. With the ship full of Institute goods of Chalcipapyrae, Hexapapyrentae, Solidatrae, and the distinguished Metrum Rod and Papers, there was high optimism in the exploratory fleet for yet another peaceful First Contact.*
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> *After several days of sailing, the fleet chanced upon an especially flourishing forest, full of wildflowers, fruits, and fauna of varying colours and odours. The herbologist and biologist were most excited to have ventured into this treasure trove of exotic biota and begged the captain to make a landing. Their plea was accepted, and the fleet drew near to this strangely enchanted forest.*
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> *Peering closer to the land, the expedition could make out tiny, wooden houses and small, thin humans mucking about in the forest, which was full of exotic, and yet pleasing, odour. Racoonmen amongst the Institute crew were visibly excited, keen for all things hallucinogenic. Perhaps it was due to this hallucinogenic odour that the forest looked so enchanted. The crew decided to land on the mouth of a nearby river, where a crowd of these little thin humanoid creatures had gathered. From among the crowd, a female, clearly of high status and authority, emerged and introduced herself to the crew in their foreign language. The only word they could make out was 'Fae', which the crew decided to name the species.*
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> *The Fae had never been an especially friendly people when there had not been Forever May Queen. Their misery at the May Queen's death which would usually only last a few months would often be a mark of attacking other people and any visitors would quickly vanish. But when the fleet on the horizon appeared, the fae queen's eyes glimmered, seeing the advanced ships and potential for trade, but that does not mean she was not mischievous.*
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> *The thickest odours had been gathered and the sweetest scents had been brought, even the fae was dazzled by the bloom of flowers that crept forth and the variety of colours. The men were tall and thick-chested compared to the runt-like fae, they also look in confusion as there were flowers often sticking out of fae arms and legs.*
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> *The Forever May Queen glimmered in all her beauty as the brightest and sweetest flowers swirled around her arms, bright colours engulfed her in a vast dress of flowers. The people that walked into the bloom seemed ugly and dull, having plain clothes and strange accents. But still, the Fae gave them a feast of fruit and berries, offering berries, druggy flowers and dyes.*
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> *After the feast, it was time for the Institute envoys to present their gifts. As the brightest among the Institute, these men had learned a few words and phrases of the Fae language during the day. They first presented the Forever May Queen with the Metrum Rod and Papers. She seemed disinterested, as a system of measurement was a foreign concept to their culture. The bronze rod, however, was accepted as a token of friendship between the Institute and the Faes.*
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> *Next, the Institute envoys presented the Fae with the Hexapapyrentum, a famous toy made from paper in which new hexagonal surfaces would emerge from the previous surface by simply folding them inside (See Hexaflexagons). The one gifted to the May Queen and the other Fae children was decorated with fine gold leaves and ground lapis, telling the story of the Founders' journey in discovering the Elder Texts. The children were amused, and there was much rejoicing.*
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> *The last gift the Institute Envoys presented was the Chalcipapyrae and Solidatrae, utensils for writing and the foundation of literary culture. The Fae accepted this gift generously, though their expressions left vague whether the gift presented a technological leap forward or not.*
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> *After a few more days in which the envoys collected the local fauna for study, it was time for them to leave. As the Forever May Queen said her goodbyes to the envoys, the captain asked the Queen that one among the Fae be invited to The Institute, from whom the Institute may further their understanding of the Fae language, culture, and biology.*
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> *The Forever Fae Queen sad to see the men go, enjoying their pure curiosity at the sea of fauna around them, accepted the offer sending a scientifically minded fae, called Ashera, go and presented them with one particularly special flower, a violet outline with ultramarine blue petals glowed and hummed, many of the men's eyes were drawn to the flower. It was a flower, much like the Forever Fae Queen, said to never die or grow old, when fae use this flower though it quickly results in their death.*
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### Institute-Rusmenstar First Contact (211 PC)

> *Institute Envoys sail further south than before, even beyond the lands of the Fae, where the air grows colder and the plants less lush. What was once a rainforest slowly turns into forests of green and brown, filled with a freshly wooden aroma and sounds of exotic bird hoots. The Envoys and Archivists alike on the 3 Institute triremes are fascinated by this colder world, as their knowledge of the world expands beyond the tropics.*
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> *As the sailing continues for weeks on end, the envoys start to spot farmlands. A lush brown colour, it seems that they have come just as the harvesting season began. They spot a variety of people of differing colours and sizes harvesting these plants, who stop their work to look at these exotic ships. They are finally making First Contact.*
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> *Sailing further south, the envoys could see the density of villages and farms slowly growing, so as to signal their approach to the centre of their civilisation. When they arrive at what is undeniably a developed city at the mouth of a large river, masses of greenfolk, halflings, and other sentient humanoids gather to see the ships dock at the harbour. Thankfully, this civilisation was sufficiently advanced enough to have harbouring infrastructure, saving the envoys the trouble of manually crafting an anchor. Archivists start scribbling on their papyrus scrolls of the exotic peoples and architecture of this distant land, as Envoys make landing and deboard the ship.*
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> *Seeing the strangers scribbling on, something, after docking eases public fears a bit. A kalashtar man comes out onto the dock as strangers deboard, seemingly unarmed. While the ruling council decisions regarding this have yet to make it back to Regalia. Everyone expects it to take two days just for the messengers to get to Thialmal, & two days to get back, so the townsfolk will just have to make due until then. The man appears to cast a spell of some kind. He then intensely stares at the nearest stranger to him, as he uses his telepathy. While the words themselves are obviously foreign to the stranger, they can understand their literal meaning thanks to the spell the man cast.*
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> *"Who are you & where are you from?" the kalashtar man asks telepathically.*
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> *The people see these ships & immediately send messengers to tell the Ruling Council all the way in the capital. Some are amazed at the size of these vessels. Others recall the visions priests saw of peoples to the North & South from 10 years ago & begin to panic. Townsfolk in the city of Regalia gather at the fishing boat docks that these strange ships seemed to have thought to be a major harbor of some kind. Sensing these strangers' intent to dock, dock workers rush out to help guide two of the ships into spots that they can dock at safely without damaging the fishing boats currently docked. More war-fearing individuals brace themselves while intensely staring at the dock workers. The dock workers start grabbing their own heads in pain & run off, one by one.*
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> *A man amongst the crowd come out, with the assumed intention to greet. However, awkward silence ensues as the man simply stares. Intensely. The envoys, first assuming this to be an exotic way of saying their greetings, stares back. The man, seemingly displeased by the envoys' response, starts to say something in their own language. While a very strange first contact, the envoys were thankful that no military action had occurred. The Archivists were very amused by this 'First Eye Contact'.*
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> *The Institute first assumed the tall, hairshifting man to be the ruler of this civilisation, with his unassuming garments as a symbol of their egalitarianism. However, when the Institute started to unload the gifts from the triremes and present it to the man, he was noticeably confused and uneased. Perhaps he was not the ruler.*
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> *The man explains that this is not the capital, & they won't be able to sail to it by ocean or river due to its location. He is simply the local judge, & he decided to take charge until the Ruling Council could figure out what to do. He tells the Archivists that they best wait on their ships until then, but that he will have people bring them food & drink, & explain their culture & political system to them while they wait. Over the next few days, different people show up to do what the judge said would happen. The Archivists have plenty of notes written down already by the time nine people arrive, along with the judge. The judge introduces them. The Ruling Council members dismiss the judge, & he leaves. The halfling members ask to see the gifts they were told about.*
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> *First, the envoys present to the Ruling Council the Metrum Rod and Metrum Papers. Though the Metrum Papers were designed to be intuitive and not require any understanding of the foreign culture's language, the telepathic translation magic made this function obsolete. The Archivists explain fervently the advantages of the Institute Metric, and many in the council, particularly its scholars, are fascinated. While the Institute Metric was declined to be the Rusmenstari official system of measurement, it is certain it will see widespread use among the civilian and scholarly circles.*
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> *Next, the envoys present to the Council its Chalcipapyrae and Solidatrum, demonstrating its use by grinding the Solidatrum, diffusing its powder with oil, and producing a beautiful calligraphic work on the Chalcipapyrum. 'It reads For Peace, Friendship, and Prosperity,' the Envoys explain. While the use of this paper and ink might be limited in such a telepathically oriented society, its use for recording information will certainly prove useful.*
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> *Finally, the envoys unveil a vial of crystal clear liquid, that gave off a sweetly pleasing odour of freshly made paper. 'It is our newest gift, not even recorded in the wikis,' the Archivists explain. 'Its aroma is that of the sweetest papyrus plants, steamed and grounded and mixed with oil from the palm trees.' This new 'Papyrus Extract' will certainly be used well by the elites of Rusmenstar, with its property to calm the mind and heighten concentration.*
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> *After the great audience, a young member of the Archivists, Miron, sneaks out and into the house of the wizard that had cast the telepathic translation spell on him. The wizard had invited Miron to demonstrate a few of his magics after seeing Miron's great enthusiasm to learn about his craft.*
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> *He introduces himself as Jeril Fievw. While he doesn't know any spells that temporarily or permanently grant telepathy due to him being born with it innately, he does teach other spells to Miron. A few simple spells are chosen to start with. Minor Illusion allows for small scale 3 dimensional illusory images appear with this spell. Jeril's pet huffruff mistakes one of the images for a toy & tries to grab it, only to pass right through the image, demonstrating that the illusions don't hold up to physical inspection. The Light spell & the Dancing Lights spell are both ways to allow one to easily see in the dark. Mage Hand creates a spectral hand that can grab things up to 30 feet away. Comprehend Languages is a slightly more complicated spell, but it's the simplest translation spell Jeril Fievw knows. Jump is a spell about as complicated to cast as Comprehend Languages, & it lets the target jump triple the distance or triple the height that they are normally able for one minute. Jeril then gives Miron directions to the house of the only witch in town who became a telepath through magic ritual rather than by birth, by magic anomoly, or by soul selling. Should he choose to, Miron can learn how to become a telepath from her.*
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> *Meanwhile, the Ruling Council offers the envoys & archivists some magic items, some huffruff puppies, some jawline cubs, some samples of the different wood types native to Rusmenstar, & some wixberg vines that had their leaves all removed beforehand. The magic items consist of some Sending stones, which are like magic telephones that have a 25-word-per-day limit that has the option to use those words telepathically instead of out loud; spell scrolls; bags of holding, which allow for extra-dimensonal storage space; & helms of telepathy, which gives the wearer telepathy, but not very powerful telepathy compared to other methods of becoming a telepath.*
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> *They explain that those magic items are hard to make, which is why there aren't many they're able to just give away like that.*
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> *Miron is excited to become a telepath, and enthusiastically asks to meet the witch. Jeril then takes Miron through an alleyway in the city, stopping at a middling house with nothing of note. He knocks on the door of the witch, and the witch emerges from the house.*
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> *The witch is an older lightfoot halfing woman named Kithli Praet. She answers the door. Jeril greets her & explains the situation. She invites them in. She explains that it can take years to learn all of the spells that grant temporary & limited telepathy, & even longer to get the ritual right even with attempting it daily. However, if Miron is willing to put in the work, she is willing to teach him. It is also explained that should he ever decide to sell his soul for telepathy or if a magical anomoly makes him a telepath, that the ritual wizards & witches use will straight up fail even if performed correctly. The choice is Miron's now.*
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> *Miron explains that he will consult with the captain, but since the Institute envoys are due to leave in 2 days, the chances are slim that the captain will accept. When the captain hears of this, he is greatly interested in the ritual, and explains that while he does not have the authority to leave behind crewmates, he does have the authority to officially invite the natives to the Institute for further study and cultural/technological exchanges. A formal invite was sent to Jeril and Kithli, inviting them to the Institute.*
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> *Jeril declines due to his political position. However, Kithli accepts. It takes her time to pack her things & say goodbye to friends, but she does make it in time to board one of the ships before they depart.*
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> *Meanwhile, the Institute envoys are in awe over the various animals, wood saplings, vines, and the magical items. A few Archivists, curious about the Bags of Holding, attempt to put one in another as an experiment, but are thankfully caught just in time to be warned of the consequences. Dialogues quickly erupt as to the potential uses and experimentations using the Bags of Holding, and its trans-dimensional technology.*
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> *The Institute envoys, unloaded of their gifts but full again with another's, departs after a 1 week's stay in Rusmenstar. This was their most successful First Contact yet; they learned of advanced, unheardof technological wonders, and a native teacher fluent in all these magics. Should the Institute be successful in fully deciphering the mysteries behind Rusmenstari magic, the world is sure to face a technological and scientific revolution.*
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### First Contact between the Institute and Nyannar (288 PC)

> *This First Contact with Nyannar was rather unusual for The Institute, who have so far conducted 3 First Contacts. It all started with our triremes spotting various flat-bottomed ships whose sails were paneled with wooden beams. This seafaring civilisation had developed advanced shipbuilding techniques, and judging by their numbers, there was a fledgling shipbuilding industry with which to construct and maintain these ships. They have just found a significantly advanced civilisation.*
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> *Trouble began there, however. Institute triremes sailed by these ships, whose contents seemed to be filled with weapons and grain, instead of cloth or metal. Even more interestingly, these men were uninterested in our triremes - perhaps other civilisations were using these as well.*
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> *As we ventured closer to land, it seemed like 2 armies of the same civilisation were garrisoned to meet the Institute envoys. Perhaps this would be their first militaristic First Contact? This proved to be wrong shortly after, however, as these 2 armies charged into one another and started fighting each other. The fighting gradually died down as Institute ships neared shore, with those looking to be the commanders of both armies coming near the docking point with their escorts. This would be interesting.*
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> *A firm hand was held out to the approaching visitors from the sea, a universal sign to stop. One of the commanders, Nya-zi from the North, came up to them first, beating his Southern adversary by a couple steps.*
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> *First, Nya-zi spoke in Nymiian tongue, expecting a response, but the visitors looked at him strangely. Figuring out they didn’t speak the same language, he was about to do hand gestures before an arrow pierced one of the visitor’s head.*
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> *Blood splattered in front of Nya-zi, some landing on his face. The other visitors ran away screaming, followed by a couple of arrows singing in the wind.*
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> *Nya-zi screamed at his men to continue fighting, ignoring whatever brief exchange that just occurred. The boat of the visitors started to sail away, littered with countless of arrows.*
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> *This attempted First Contact with the Catmen of the Transdildic Isles would go down in history as the Tragedy of 289 PC. The Institute would mandate that no vessel travel beyond the Transdildic Isles on grounds concerning safety, and future First Contact expeditions would now carry members of the Arms as a measure of security. The Institute will likely not forget this tragedy that resulted in the death of 5 Institutemen.*
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### Institute-Stryng First Contact (461 PC)

> *After the success of the northern trading guild, a western trading guild was funded by the newly created banks to map the area, establish trade routes… and possibly grow their burgeoning empire. This fleet was compromised of the standard leaf sail wooden ships grown as a single piece and modified whales, but also a new avian carrier, filled with holes and a swarm of sapient birds. Carried on them were humans, kobolds, livestock, seeds, and food for trade. Past the Idaros continent was the archipelago of serpent’s run, filled with minor peoples like the reptilian Breza and mercantile Arii. It was in a small surrounded island however that a developed city of wood and stone was discovered by surveying birds, and the fleet immediately changed course to dock there.*
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> *It was a bright morning of year 461 when a bird, not native to the island, was spotted on the coast of Proidaris. Sensing that a First Contact was imminent, the Envoys of Proidaris activated the First Contact protocols; Scouting triremes were dispatched, while envoys fluent in various local languages were mobilised at the ports. Civilians were evacuated in case of potential aggressions, and the Arms were secretly mobilised in case of an emergency. However, to keep in line with protocol, these Arms were in civilian clothing, so as to avoid any signs of aggression.*
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> *As the scouting triremes neared a large, wooden ship with large birds with leaves for sails, they could make out its inhabitants - there were two different species - one were largely humanoid, with feathers as hairs, colourful tattoos, and furry tails, while the other were half their size, and noticeably busier than their larger brethren. Two scouting ships were sent back to Proidaris to inform First Contact had begun, while the other ships created an escorting formation around the foreign ship, sailing back slowly to Proidaris.*
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> *Upon docking, Commander Jona walked down the plank onto the platform flanked by lizard kobold soldiers with dense bone armor and blades to meet the leadership of the foreigners. Behind her were merchants carrying their goods, eager to begin bartering, while birds mapped the island overhead.*
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> *Various members of the Institutions, wearing pristine, white cotton robes with coloured circles on their chests began attempting communications using various languages, both verbally and telepathically. They spoke in languages of nearby cultures and states, including that of Breza and Arii-Tesh. Whatever responses the foreigners gave were being carefully recorded on Papyrus books by the Archivists, while the ever watchful Arms and Arsenals were monitoring the movements of their exotic birds, who were seemingly scouting the island for intelligence. Meanwhile, the Works were continuing to ship goods for the foreigners to barter with, including Essentia Papyrae, Cotonpalliae, Albixchromae, Perlivitrae, but most importantly, the Metrum Rod and Papers.*
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> *The foreigner’s faces were grey blue and without mouth or nose, only having a smooth surface and solid black eyes with strings of flesh coming out of their scalps. Their leaders in white cloaks spoke no sounds the Stryngers understood and vice versa, but they also spoke inside Jona’s mind, both alarming and fascinating her. They would guard their thoughts for the rest of the day.*
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> *As the day progressed, a proto lingua franca was developed and combined with gestures to enable simple bartering, with the merchants of both sides struggling to determine value.*
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> *The seeds for shape trees and productive crops were brought forward alongside their results, and some even suggested offering kobolds and birds. The last to unload was a large variant of grasstail lizard cattle, used as a major food source in the southern grasslands and containing the recently developed phlogistones.*
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> *In return, the foreigners brought various goods and new species of plants, but the most notable was a strange rod and script covered paper that the scholars immediately tried to decipher with the help of their counterparts.*
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> *As the sun set in the background, colouring the emerald oceans in orange and red, the Institute offered these Strynger merchants a cabin to stay in. Painted in white and blue, made of limestone, paned with arched windows, and scented with a fresh phytoncide diffuser of Essentia Papyrae, the villas were clearly luxurious to any beholding. Lesser, wooden cabins were offered for the merchants' servants, the kobolds and the birds. Hopefully, this gesture would send a message of goodwill and peace to this otherwise vigilant group of merchants.*
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> *Stryngers marveled at the strange materials of the buildings they were offered to sleep in, gesturing thanks and resolving to one day learn it. Over the rest of the week, they furthered their lingua franca, deciphered the metrum, and traded most of their goods, while messenger whales slowly communicated the events to a crowded audience in the capital. Eventually food stores began to run low and the fleet was forced to begin the journey back home, carrying valuable foreign goods and ideas, forever changing their perception of foreigners.*
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> *After the departure of the Stryngers, the Institute was relieved that the First Contact with the Stryngers had gone peacefully and well, but were also worried about their military prowess. They had never before seen avian species used as military assets before - this was a strategic asset that the Institute had thankfully acquired through the first bartering. Large quantities of imported Avians and Lizard Cattle were transported to Great Devin for study and breeding, while their language was starting to be translated by the Envoys. Should the Stryngers return, their texts of scientific knowledge would be the first target for trade. To that end, significant quantities of gold was transported to Proidaris, after realising that these Stryngers also valued gold as a common medium of exchange.*
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### The Signing of the Kashar-Cyge Expressway Pact (KCEP) (465 PC)

> *The Kashar-Cyge Expressway was first put forth as an idea in the Institute Arsenals, as a way to move quickly between the two continents. After heavy discussion in the Speakership, invitations were sent out to Aangtje-te, Hlehuiehl, Avalonia, and Nyannar to discuss terms on the newly colonised island of Noriparadis. Avalonia declined to attend the meeting, while Institute colonisation of the island had turned Hlehuiehl antagonistic toward the idea. Thus, only the Institute, Aangtje-te, and Nyannar sent delegations for negotiating the Kashar-Cyge Expressway.*
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> *As the delegations arrived, the air was tense, especially between the Institute and Nyannar. Centuries ago, when the Institute had attempted a first contact with Nyannar, a terrible tragedy had occured in which 5 institutemen were killed. The Institute demanded answers and reparations for this action - to which the head of the Nyannar delegation, Head of the Executive Council Nya-Cyr replied:*
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> *"As representative of Nyannar, we express regrets to the deaths of 5 institutemen centuries ago. However, the atrocities were committed during a time of strife on our island, and upon further inspection, the order to engage hostilities was given by the general of the faction that had lost the civil war. It is thus our position that the current government of Nyannar does not bear responsibility for those actions commited centuries ago - if anything, we avenged for the Institute in destroying the responsible faction."*
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> *The Institute delegations, headed by Head Envoy Ilion, was not very amused. He argued that the destruction of the hostile faction did not resolve nor reprimand the death of their ancestors - and that as a faction that had once engaged in hostilities that created the setting in which these institutemen were killed, they did share responsibilities. The arguments went back and forth between Nyannar and the Institute, almost causing the negotiations to crumble. However, thanks to intervention by the Aangtje-te delegation, headed by Governer Pjiikiit Omaru, it was resolved.*
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> *"Perhaps Nyannar and the Institute performing a joint investigation into recovering the remains of these dead institutemen would serve as reparation enough? Nyannar would provide the necessary funds and land for this joint investigation, functioning as an effective reparations without putting their government into political jeopardy." The compromise was accepted by both delegations, and there was much rejoicing.*
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> *Thus, on year 465 PC, the KCEP was signed and ratified by the 3 parties - The Institute, Aangtje-te, and Nyannar, with the following terms:*
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> *1. Every signatory will open their borders without hesitation.*
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> *2. Every signatory will pledge to construct ports within the nearby future.*
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### Institute visit to the Strynger Capital (477 PC)

> *After a series of additional encounters with Strynger merchants, some of whom have settled in Proidaris to better conduct trade, Envoys from The Institute were invited to a Unity Day ceremony in the Strynger capital of Alyama, hosted by the government. Eager to visit the land of technological wonders, whose texts full of revolutionary theories on biology and arcanism are still being translated, celebrated Archivists and Envoys all express their eagerness to join in the voyage. A crew of 144 (100 in base 12; Institute Metric) men, both Avalon and Pjuurak, is assembled to travel to Alyama to join in the festivities, headed by Head Archivist Proton and Head Envoy Ouron. A total of 6 ships were used to transport the crew and their gifts to the Strynger government to Proidaris, where they boarded Strynger ships to carry them to their destination.*
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> *During the journey back to the capital, the men of the institute were treated to the music and dancing of kobolds in the central room, then toured through the ship. The language exchange became enough to read the books present in the small library, starting discussions and debates in technology and philosophy. Notably, the meals provided a greater freshness and diversity of food than from other nation’s ships.*
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> *One of the ports the fleet docked at was a city of Hadagar, a nation the institute has not contacted. Their bodies were made of stone, fused with large crystals that possessed the ability to store vast amounts of idae. Their buildings had the appearance of flowing stone, and huge rocky lizards acted as beasts of burden. Institutemen acquired a few differently colored pieces of these crystals for later study.*
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> *As the fleet entered the Alyama harbor, it scraped past the kelp and barnacle farms beneath it, with a messenger bird sent ahead to prepare a welcoming delegation. The docks had the appearance of flattened mangroves with giant lizard kobolds handling cargo along them.*
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>
> *The Institute delegations were intrigued by the looks of this city. The city was grand, colourful, and lively, yet it was strangely... organic. From port docks made of flattened mangroves and houses made out of living wood, it was as if the entire civilisation had been made out of a large, motherly tree.*
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> *Leaving their first impressions behind, the Institute delegation was greeted with much fanfare. Crowds of Stryngers with colourful facemasks and paints gathered to witness the exotic goods and people the Institute had brought, while Strynger diplomats welcomed them in formal greetings. As kobolds started to unload the goods the Institute had brought, the delegation parted ways - the Envoys headed to the government plaza to partake in official ceremonies and negotiations for a non-agression pact, while the Archivists headed to the centre of town to experience the Great Unity Day Exhibitions and set up their own booth.*
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> *The Institute booth certainly stood out from the other booths, made of Shapetree and decorated with graffiti and flags of their respective organisations - the Archivists had brought with them a Bag of Holding with which to house an easily constructable booth made of steel and clear glass. Within the booth was housed the latest of Institute innovations - mechanical water clocks that utilised a miniature waterlift that sounded a ringing bell every Centinium; Essentia Papyrae perfumes and diffusers that encapsuled the entire booth in a sweetly fresh phytoncide aroma; Temporary Telepathic Experiences that poked holes in the soul to transmit and recieve telepathic communications; Institute Soul Therapy sessions that used a combination of aspected telepathic waves and drugs to calm the mind. Institute art was also on display, including lessons on folding various forms of Papyrentae in the shape of boats, birds, and trees.*
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> *The Archivists also took a tour around the festive cities, marveling at Strynger biotechnology; these strange creatures almost looked like chimeras back in the Institute. Avalon Archivists were particularly amused by their facepaintings - with their own faces being blank, they served as the perfect canvas for a highly-detailed painting, with some even getting painted a silly face on their blank faces. Passing through the crowded streets full of fire-breathing kobolds to singing avians to vendors selling cooked and spiced frog legs, the Archivists found a great arena in which giant chimeric monsters fought each other. This experience had a mixed response - from those who wanted to study those beasts, to those who were fascinated by the fight itself, to those who were disgusted by all the blood.*
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> *Meanwhile, the Envoys followed the Strynger delegations to the government palaces, delivering their gifts and letters from the Speakership that spoke of peace, prosperity, and mutual progress. Partaking in official state Unity Day celebrations, the Envoys slowly hinted at a possible Declaration of Friendship.*
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> *The booth from the western land of scholars amazed the local Alyami. The steel and glass of the booth itself was unlike anything Stryngers had seen before, intriguing the metalworking guilds to experiment with new materials. Many bought the timekeepers made of metal and water to show in central clan rooms or study its mechanisms. The foreign scents and drugs were made into new perfume flowers, and the paper folding returned the prominence of paper that had declined with the use of gene script. The strangest of them all was the mind magic that was discovered to interact with souls, leading to the creation of the brain jars. These were a species of neural and supportive tissue that lived in glass jars and possessed the ability to modify both minds and DNA, automating all complex mental tasks.*
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> *The envoys traveled through the first temple, a massive dome of tree and flesh that housed many schools and libraries, before reaching the senate at its center. The gifts and letters flattered the speakers and the news of their technologies sparked curiosity. After a short vote, it was decided that an alliance would be forged with the Institute.*
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### Institute & Stryng - Hadagar First Contact (477 PC)

> *It was year 477, when an Institute delegation in route to the Strynger capital of Alyama discovered a completely new civilisation on their way. While previous Strynger expeditions west took them north towards Elunos and Esteli to reach Proidaris, recent advances in Institute astronomy and navigation allowed them to test a hypothesised new route, taking them along the coastline of Idaros. And it was in this expedition to Alyama that the new route was tested - and indeed, they had discovered a new civilisation.*
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>
> *The first signs of civilisation appeared in the shape of a distant harbour; when the ships neared its ports, the Institute-Stryng delegations could make out that it was inhabited by grey-skinned humanoids with crystals of various colours protruding from their skins. The crystals seemed to exude immaterial energies, and the delegations, at least of the Institute, were quite keen on acquiring a sample of them. The citizens of this place seemed to be quite surprised by these foreigners, comprised of blue-skinned faceless Avalons, little cuddly raccoon-like Pjuuraks, and feathered and tattooed Stryngers. Using Institute golden coins, they attempted to purchase several crystals from a nearby merchant, trying to speak both verbally and telepathically in a variety of languages.*
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> *After passing through the massive fortifications, some proceeded to visit the council of the foreign nation with gifts, while the rest divided themselves to explore the city. The Stryngers copied the genetic information of the grey people, seeking to later grow their own magic crystals for better idae storage and usage. Their beasts of burden were also copied after one learned they used its excrement as building material, isolating the biological processes needed to create concrete for faster construction. Maps of the western coasts were expanded to facilitate future trade, and the merchants’ fear of the unexplored regions began to fade.*
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> *It was year 477, when men from unknown lands landed on our ships in strange, wooden ships, some in strange, white robes while others were less coordinated in their dresses. Members of the council went out to greet them, but were unable to comprehend their language; they did not seem hostile, however, as they presented gifts of paper and ink, and strange beasts that were half our size and yet spoke their language that they called 'kobolds'. It seems that these men were on their way to an unknown city of extravagance further to the east of the continent, and that they were here simply to buy food and water for their voyage. The council decided to give these men quarters in the city, so as to learn of them. The men in white robes seemed particularly interested in procuring some of our Mana Crystals, which they exchanged for hefty sums of gold. Before the strange men left, they gifted us a crudely drawn map of the west of the continent, gesturing to visit their island of 'Proidaris' to learn more of their kind. Such was our first visit from the outside world, from the nations of The Institute and Stryng. Perhaps, by visiting their island, they may learn of their advanced papermaking skills.*
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### Institute-Anstria First Contact (516 PC)

> *On the quest to expand their understanding of the World beyond the Great Wall, Anstria's intellectual seafarers known as the Ūvin Ūprim encountered their first island of great magnitude and coexisting cultures. The island, known as Devin to some, Deuvin to others, seemed to accomodate three distinct civilisations, two of whom were frightfully advanced, the other comprising of intelligent humanoid rodents; by far the most fascinating discovery yet. While a state of peace had been beautifully arranged by the three societies, they were by no means completely content with one another from what the Ūprim saw. Despite this, all three were relatively kind in their dealings. The first to be encountered were The Institute, who shared a similar interest in philosophical reasoning. What excited them about this new contact was the proposition of finally deciphering a collection of ancient scripts known as the Elder Texts. This puzzled the Ūprim for some time as they toiled to find some kind of primordial link between one or more of the texts and their own language of Anstese. The second to be encountered were the Avalonians, a people characterised by their strategic approach to political organisation, with a number of systems far more complex than Anstria's own. It was clear that Anstria's Tertiarist philosophy was not one that was immediately obvious to a thinker raised elsewhere in the world. Finally, the Pjuurak folk of Ãangtje-te at the Northern end of the island proved to be the most Amicable of all, with a particularly rich spiritual aspect of their culture. The various shamans, religious ideas, psychedelics and esoteric wisdom that they demonstrated to the Ūvin Ūprim were exactly what the Anstrians were so eager to grasp in their journey to understanding the universe on a physical and spiritual plane. By the end of the year, the now not so newly arrived Anstrians formally proposed international alliance and trade to all three nations. Let the negotiations begin.*
>
>    *After the visit, the First Contact by the seafaring Anstrian civilisation to the southwest of the Serpent's Run, the Institute sent a delegation comprising of various Envoys, Archivists, and Arsenals to Anstria to initiate an agreement for trade and diplomacy. The Anstrians seemed to be most amicable to the Aangtje-te; thus the decision was made to appoint a Pjuurak, Head Envoy Tjatja as the head of the delegation. Learning of the Anstrians' spiritual and maritime tendencies, the gifts brought by the Institute constituted the following : several vials of Essentia Papyrae, used as a diffuser to ease the mind by a fresh and sweet phytoncide aroma; Pjuurak therapists that used telepathic waves and drugs to calm the mind and ease its negative emotions; and a newly developed brand of Shapetree clipper ships, designed to be lightweight and quick in cruising the oceans. By default, the Metrum Rods and Papers were included. The delegation's mission was simple: to learn about Anstria's technologies and traditions (Primarily those pertaining to Naval and Navigational technogies) and to archive it, to secure Institute holdings in the Serpent's Run against possible agressions, to invite willing Anstrian immigrants to the Institute, and to convince the Anstrians to adopt Institute Metric.*
> *Anstria happily and warmly accepts these gifts! Our extensive maritime knowledge (clearly the result of being divided into several islands) is something we'd gladly hand to your people and their future generations. We are also greatly appreciative of your hospitality and would humbly like to grant the same for your inspiring citizens. An ally who keeps a watchful eye on the ambiguous peoples of the North and East would be most useful for us, given that our Great Wall primarily protects the South and West. Lastly, we will have to kindly reject the proposal of the Instute Metric, not out of spite or cultural preference, but due to the already integrated systems within our country's sciences and mathematics. Not only does Anstria use base 10 in all areas of everyday life, but we also have a well established measuring system based on the constants derived from the mysterious black cube of alien origin (pictured). That being said, we would be perfectly happy to convert measurements between systems when communicating such ideas between our nations.*
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### Institute-Echo Accidental First Contact (548 PC)

> *It's been a fair few years since the Echo Empire claimed an island off the northwest coast and things have been going well although increasingly lonely. It was a common belief by now that there was nothing beyond the sea or the mountains. But not long ago there had been a sighting of a group of strange, never before seen white birds coming over the eastern mountains. At first it was thought that they were a sign that they were not alone after all. Then there were more sightings and, in a twist of fate, a report of an attack from the birds, then the attacks became increasingly frequent to the point that people couldn't fish enough to make a living and the birds had to be killed on sight. Fishermen traveled further out to sea in the hopes that the birds could not follow them without a place to land. On one particular trip, a group of Kan'ha traveled extremely far north, ignoring any uninteresting islands, in a last attempt to find help or forever be alone. The Kan'ha eventually came upon an island dead ahead on which they saw a rather large outpost near the shore. They reached the shore and cautiously approached the outpost, not sure what they might find.*
>
>
> *Ironically, the Institute was not prepared for this kind of First Contact - all previous ones had been with entire civilisations, governments, or at least a fleet of trading ships - not a mere family of fishermen. While First Contact Protocols had been activated after the sight of strange men on a relatively basic looking wooden fishing ship, it has since been recalled, replaced with a special Envoys mission to escort the seemingly lost fishermen to the island for further studying. These lizardmen did not speak in any verbal or telepathic languages the Institute knew, and the process of learning his language began in earnest. While the fishermen were granted luxurious quarters to ease their fright of the Institute, the fishing boats were deemed worthless in technological and material value after further examination. After a month of studying Kan'ha language and culture, the fishermen were released with ample food to sustain them for 2 months, several Institute trinkets such as Cotonpalliae, a miniature water clock, several bottles of Essentia Papyrae, Chalcipapyrae, and Solidatrae. Unbeknownst to the returning fishermen, however, they were being followed by a swift Institute trireme beyond his line of sight, who were using Scouting Birds as a way to chart a map to his destination.*
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>
>
> *Not long after landing on the shore, the Kan'ha saw the inhabitants of the island alert others to their presence. The Kan'ha were fearful, suddenly realizing that they did not know what would happen to them. Soon an extraordinarily unusual looking group of squid-like people approached them and guided them to a building far more advanced than they were used to back home. The Kan'ha attempted to communicate but could not be understood fully, the squid like people began teaching them their language. In the meantime, the Kan'ha were given a beautiful room to stay in while the Islanders examined them. After about a month of exchanging knowledge about their cultures and learning a language they could both speak, the Kan'ha were sent home with much food and several interesting trinkets that were hard to make back home such as cloth, writing materials, and what was determined to be a time keeper, along with some other things they were unfamiliar with. Upon their return home, the Kan'ha immediately went to their local chief and elders to tell them about what they saw over the last month and show them the trinkets they were given, in particular they mentioned the advanced architecture and explained some of the language. They were then taken to the capital on the mainland where they met with the emperor himself and many chiefs and elders. Some of the elders were tasked with learning the language and teaching it to the rest of the empire, others recreated the cloth and writing materials that they were given, and others still studied the more advanced technologies and architecture. The Emperor planned on sending representatives to the island to learn more before going there himself with a larger company. The Islanders called themselves something that to the Kan'ha sounded like "Tan Stiute" so that is what they will call them. (Which means The definition of Stiute pending, my conlang barely exists, maybe it's just closely approximated to "The Life Givers" or smth)*
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### Institute-Echo Second Contact (551 PC)

> *The Emperor of The Echo Empire had been visited by a group of fishermen from the Northern island province of Ekofiré not too long ago. They told him of a strange people they had met and lived with on an island far to the north and showed him many of the gifts they had received from them. The fishermen claimed that the people they had met called themselves "Tan Stiute" and that they were extremely eager to learn about the culture of the Kan'ha. The Emperor was very intrigued by this news and decided it would be best to visit the island himself to meet with Tan Stiute. The Emperor learned parts of the language that the Islanders had taught the fishermen and prepared to send a small fleet to the island. When it was time to sail out a crew was hired consisting of a cartographer, an interpreter who had more thoroughly studied the language, a couple of the fishermen who had first discovered the island, a few chiefs and elders from some of the more major provinces, and a few armed soldiers including the Emperor's personal bodyguard. On the ships they also brought rice crops, high quality fish, a variety of finely crafted tools and weapons which had been enchanted including bows with quivers of arrows, fishing rods, and spears, various weaved ropes and nets, and stories of the gods of the Imperial Pantheon written using the supplies Tan Stiute had provided them to both explain more of the Kan'ha culture and to help them understand their language. The fleet soon arrived on the shore of the island where the Emperor waited for someone to come out to meet them and made sure the fishermen who had first met the Islanders were clearly visible.*
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>
> *The Institute was not prepared for this, at all. They were certainly adept at receiving diplomats from various species and cultures, but a foreign head of state visiting an outpost unannounced was still quite a surprise. 1st Envoy Lajkii (A Pjuurak), Chief Envoy of Proidaris, went out to greet the grand fleet that accompanied the Echo emperor's delegation. 1st Archivist Icarion (An Avalon), Chief Envoy of Proidaris, and 1st Admiral Teleron (Also an Avalon), Chief Admiral of Proidaris, was also present, who commented on the ships as luxurious, decadent, and primitive.*
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> *"Welcome, your imperial majesty of the Kan'ha, to our humble island of Proidaris. I am the Chief Envoy of this island, Lajkii, responsible for all matters diplomatic on the island. Please, we are still preparing our hospitality to offer your delegation, but in the meantime, perhaps you would like to discuss matters of importance at our Hall of Delegations."*
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>
> *Soon enough a group of Islanders came out to the Kan'ha fleet. The Emperor recognized two of the islanders from a description the fishermen had previously given: a faceless people with tentacles on their heads, a somewhat unusual sight for the Kan'ha. The third islander, who was of a species the emperor had heard less about (a shorter species, about the same size as the Kan'ha, and covered with fur), began to speak. The Emperor understood that they had welcomed him to the island of "Pei'idaras" that his name was "Lashkai'i", and that he and the other islanders were officials of some kind. The Emperor's interpreter explained that Lashkai'i handled all diplomatic matters on the island and that they were not yet prepared for his visit but that they were welcome to speak with him inside.*
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> *The Emperor was surprised and impressed that the envoy knew who he was, but soon realized that if they had housed the Kan'ha fishermen for as long as they did then they would certainly know a fair amount about the empire. He thanked the envoy for sheltering his people and for the gifts they had returned them with, he asked his interpreter to tell the envoy that they had brought gifts of their own to give to the people of Pei'idaras and that he would like to discuss forming a sort of friendship between the nations.*
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> *"The Institute is always intent on making new friends. It is a pleasure to have made a new one, especially to the lands of the east. However, the Institute stretches far beyond Proidaris; the island itself is only one of our easternmost islands. Our capital is located far to the west, if it is your intention to travel that far - though it will take months of travel to reach it, even with our quickest clipper triremes." Meanwhile, Institute Archivists were marveling at the Kanha's exotic gifts, and were discussing amongst themselves what they were used for. The Kanha emperor had noticed that he had failed to mention what these gifts actually were.*
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> *The Emperor was yet again surprised by this information, he had assumed that this was the capital, or at least close to it. This was the farthest anyone in the empire had ever traveled from their home, they certainly weren't prepared for a many months long journey. "We are very grateful to have found our first ally in your nation. We are unsure that we will be able to travel to your capital with our current technologies if it is as far as you say, however you are perfectly welcome in the empire should you want to visit. Now, as for these gifts, we have brought you rice and fish which is the basis of most of our meals, though we now recognize that this is perhaps of little value to you. We had heard that your people were very intent on studying our culture and technology so we have had our best craftsmen create some tools and weapons for you, they have been imbued with the powers of our gods by our elders, they will last much longer and be more effective. We have also used the gifts we received from you to write down many of the stories of our gods and people in our language."*
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> *"That is excellent. In return, we would like to offer you a gift in return, one of knowledge - this is the Metrum Rod, the basis for all our units of measurement. With it comes the Metrum Papers, which explain our notations of mathematics and its relations to our system of measurement. Perhaps, if your people were to adopt our Metric System, the transfer of knowledge between our peoples would be made more expediant."*
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> *The emperor, although slightly confused by the gift, gratefully accepted it, clearly it was of greate importance to Tan Stiute. "Yes, thank you. Before we leave, we would like to have some of our people continue to stay here with you full time, if you will have them that is. We noticed that there were many different peoples living on this island, likely not originally from here." A group of Kan'ha stepped forward. "These people have volunteered to live here to continue to learn about your nation. Some of the fishermen who first discovered you who should help everyone else settle in, a representative for the empire from the mainland to help handle further communication between us, a few of our elders who have studied the powers of our gods that they may teach you, some craftsmen to show you some of our technologies, and a few armed guards to provide further protection to our people if you will allow them. I assure you they will not get in the way of your life here. Finally, if you would like to send some of your own people to our home we would gladly accept them, we have more than enough room to house them."*
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> *"Wonderful. These Kan'ha will now be joining the Institute in our great March of Scientific Progress, and trade between your empire and ours will be done without obstruction. To facilitate this trade, a permanent residence of several Institutemen will be set up within your empire, and one of yours within Proidaris, for the benefit of commence and exchange in studies and goods between our nations."* *And thus was the Second Contact between the Echo empire and the Institute, and the beginning of the Institute Kan'ha.*
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### Institute-Ha Irunah First Contact (557 PC)

> *On the year 557, Institute scouts from the Arsenals (the navy), Envoys (the foreign office) and Archives (scientists) were mapping the southern coast of the continent north of Nyannar, named Cygis after the locals' pronunciation of it. They were here in anticipation of a possible First Contact with an advanced civilisation capable of great magics - a high-altitude magical meteor shower was observed by scientists from Nyannar, and was a target of investigation for the Institute. They ventured carefully, fearing a hostile contact with such an advanced civilisation, especially when holding valuable gifts to present to the unknown civilisation as a sign of peace and goodwill. Upon reaching a large river emptying into the ocean, Institute clipper triremes rowed upstream.*
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> *After several days of travelling, semblances of civilisation began to appear - fields of crops and little villages started to appear, whose inhabitants stopped work to take a good look at the scouts. These people wore colourful clothings with grey fur, and were of a brownish skin colour. As weather began to grow cold after sailing northwards for so long, Institute delegations started to wear additional clothing to compensate for the coldness. Eventually, they reached a walled city nearest to the large river's downstream.*
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> *The city of Aberaka was a bustling trade hub, just like many of the southern cities that lay at the bank of Kunappi. Its proximity to Topkapa meant that the goods from the west were quick to arrive there, and by the virtue of being the most southward city on this side of the river, it was the last big stop for merchants before venturing south-east. The city was no stranger to foreigners and wanderers. It had some small communities of Sika, and some Noscuri merchants sometimes visited the city. Thus, in the middle of the day, the Institute delegation had no trouble entering the city. Although it seemed that everyone in the city knew new foreigners appeared, no one was waiting to greet them officially. Some warriors watched them carefully but didn't interfere with them.*
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> *Just after entering the city, the delegation found itself on a busy market. People were bartering, selling, and buying many types of different things. In this hectic sea of people, the merchants displayed many of their goods. Some of them were: silk, carpets, paper, spices, food, alcohols, sleeping mats, poknuibe (something like orbs of solid fire), and different types of animals. Seeing foreigners carrying strange goods, many merchants tried to encourage the guests from afar to come and trade with them. Beyond the market, a grand temple could be seen. As the delegation made their way deeper into the city, it turned out that the temple was also a busy place as it contained communal kitchens. Aside from the Grand temple of Pathfinder, two other structures towered over the city. A grand stone palace, undoubtedly the home of the city ruler, and an enormous spire made of beautiful crystal. The crystal resembled the night sky, and it seemed as if the insides of the crystal changed depending on the point of observation.*
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> *The city, which its lively and commercially-minded inhabitants called Aberaka, was home to various exotic goods, though none that resembled a technologically advanced civilisation that could have casted such meteoric magic. The delegations bartered away some of their gold coins for food and lodging, and started to look around the city for possible sites of interest. One such site was a grand temple, in which a large communal kitchen was located. Perhaps it functioned as poor relief? As the delegation ventured even further into the heart of the city, a magnificent stone structure revealed itself, which housed a large crystal that shined of various colours of the night sky, whose image shifted as the delegation walked around it. After an Archivist's telepathic analysis of the crystal, traces of Idae (mana) manipulation could be found in the crystal. Seeing this as a sign of the civilisation they were looking for, the delegation prepared their gifts, tidied their clothes, which they had to wear 4 layers of due to the clothes' thinness and the cold weather, and approached the gates of the palace with utmost dignity.*
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>
> *As the delegation ascended the stair of the palace they passed by people many different people from all walks of life, be it merchants, trade lords or priests. There were even some Sika among them. After the delegation entered the warm walls of the palace they had to wait a bit as there were some suppliants that got there before them. When they entered the throne room, the two things that caught their attention were the star map on the ceiling and two grand pillars made of the same crystal that the spire outside. The star map depicted the night sky of the northern hemisphere with great accuracy. The crystal columns at the opposite side of the throne room seemed to somehow "bend" the space so that the one sitting on the throne between them seemed bigger. Beyond the columns was an opening overlooking the city.*
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> *On the throne sat an old pukkuru, dressed in 8 layers of colorfull clothing. He was missing half of his right ear. His cheeks were sunk however his body was still muscular. When he saw the delegation enter his throne room he stood up. "Welcome, priests of the foreign lands from beyond great waters. The stars have foretold your coming. Tell me, what brings you here?" He spoke as he took few steps towards the delegation.*
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> *As the delegations entered the throne room, they could feel a strange sensation in their Souls; that the immaterial realm is distorting their perception of space. With such advanced technology, surely this must be the civilisation they were looking for. The man who seemed to be the king was a burly, brown man, seemingly scarred in battle, wearing colourful clothing of 8 layers that looked amusing to the delegation; in the Institute, minimalist and functional dressing was seen as fashionable. The words the king spoke were incomprehensible, even to the Envoys, who started to speak both verbally and telepathically in all the languages they knew - including that of the nearby Nyannar and Rinn-Kin - "Greetings, King of Aberaka, we are humble men of the Institute, a nation beyond the southern coasts of this continent and the spiritual home of the world's natural philosophers. Allow us the honour of presenting these gifts to you, my King, and to share our knowledge, that we may in turn learn of your culture and sciences to further the prosperity of both our nations."*
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> *A bit confused at first, the Nochuoro comes closer to the delegation observing them closely. "Indeed, you are as foreign as the stars told me. I am Hakafu, the Nochuoro of this city." He points at himself. He tells his attendants to take care of the suppliants then he gesticulates at the delegation showing them to follow him further inside the palace inside. While they both walk through the corridors of the palace, the old trade lord is joined by two scholars and some attendants. After few minutes of walking he leads the delegation to a round room. The room is warm inside and has sitting space covered with carpets all around itself. He motions at the delegation to seat while the servants bring food. Firstly, the Omshuin wine is brought then meals in ornate Moshnish bowls (bowls made of scales of a certain animal.) The meal is a stew made of local vegetables and animals.*
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> *"What brings you to Aberaka?" Hakafu gesticulates trying to convey the meaning of his words. Meanwhile the scholars that are with him curiously observe the delegation trying to learn as much about them as they can.*
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> *The head of this delegation, 1st Envoy Terion, starts to speak with exaggerated body language. He is a veteran Envoy, who had witnessed First Contact with Anstria during his youth, and had years of training in body language when a common language could not be found. "We are here to learn about a strange immateric meteor that was spotted in these lands several years ago. We also wish to learn about you, your people, your goods, and your knowledge - in return, we give you our gifts and knowledge." He then passes a metal, bronze rod and papers to a nearby attendant, signaling to pass it on to the Nochuoro. "This is our first gift of knowledge - a system of measurement. Give the papers to your scholars, for images and symbols speak more than words."*
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> *Meanwhile, the Archivists, who had been scribbling down all the details of their journey, seem amused that the scholars are emulating what they are doing. As a young Pjuurak archivist's eyes meet the scholar's they both smile and begin to scribble on their books.*
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> *"I see, you seek to learn of the Star Rain." The Nochuoro took a small crystal out of his pocket. The crystal was the same as the pillars in the throne room. He made a motion with his hand and a small star like shape appeared in the middle of the room. It stayed in the air until the Nochuoro made another motion with his hand. He smiled seeing the delegation amazed. "What you seek is magic, divinity manifest. And the one you saw was most likely Hrikka’s divine Star rain." Nochuoro gesticulates trying to convey that Hrikka is a descendant of the divine.*
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> *Meanwhile the scholars take the gifts and begin studying them. At first they are curious but after a while they begin studying these in earnest. Seeing this, the Nochuoro turned once again to the delegation. "I see you’ve brought us amazing gifts, thus it is only natural that we return the favour. We will prepare the gifts in two days. If there is something you desire, tell me. We will prepare rooms for you but in the meantime, please enjoy what Aberaka has to offer. Pachaki will be your guide. Ask him whatever your hearts desire to know." He motions towards one of the scholars.*
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> *"If it may be possible, we desire only two things: Books that house the thoughts of your people's greatest minds, and an audience with the great Hrikka," Terion replies. "Perhaps seeds of your spices might also be useful - they were quite appetising."*
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> *Meanwhile, the delegations travel around the city, bartering their goods with exotic food, drinks, and trinkets. A group of Archivists find a stall that sells what looks to be like the crystals from the King's palace, and purchases it for a fortune. While they try to hover around their hands to stimulate the crystal, no effect was made. Perhaps they were simply doing it wrong? Or perhaps, was the crystal a fake?*
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> *Unfortunately, the crystal they bought was probably a fake. As Pachaki explained, it is not something that can be bought just like that. Two days later the gifts are brought to the delegation. Aside from multiple amphorae of Omshuin (wine and baskets of common goods Omshuin is grass, Aepto grows like potatoes) the delegation is given a small Star-filled waystone and a pile of paper that describes the knowledge about the stars, Nhokchi mathematics, including the concept of 0 and the basics of Theory of Magecraft. "To meet Hrikka you'll have to travel to Amukakar. I'll send Pachaki with you to guide you there." He sits on his throne. "My scholars tell me that unfortunately your measure is not compatible with how we count. Truly unfortunate, however we shall keep it so our people may know how to communicate with each other."*
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> *After a day of preparation the delegation sets out to Amukakar. Together with their guide they ride Aa'toukui - giant snails. On the way Pachaki tries to learn basics of the foreign language and explain the use of Star-filled waystones. To use its power there needs to be a body and a will. The body acts as the conduit and the stone acts as a catalyst for magecraft. One needs to will for the power of the divine to manifest. He shows them how to summon light by using the stone, just like the Nochuoro did. The delegation also witlessness how Pachaki uses the stone to navigate through the Great Flats.*
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> *After around a week they arrive in Amukakar. The city is at least twice, or even thrice, as big as Aberaka. The atmosphere inside was similar to Aberaka. The Palace of the Sky that towered over the city had gardens of golden glowing flowers all over it. The delegation entered the palace and were led to the throne room. The throne room felt like an open plane under a night sky that was painted on the ceiling. Ten crystal pillars around the room "bent" that it felt like the room was much bigger.*
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> *On the throne sat a middle-aged pukkuru woman. Unlike most of her kind, her fur was golden. She could be considered the ideal of Nhokchi beauty. She wore ten layers of colourful clothes and although it seemed really cumbersome she stood up quickly and without any problems. "Welcome, priests of the foreign land. It seems that the stars truly favoured Hakafu to tell him of you arrival. I can't say I don't envy him. What brings you to my Ha-Yu?"*
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> *1st Envoy Terion, who had learned the Pkashram (Irunah language) during the journey to Amukakar, speaks to the Queen. "My queen, we are visitors from beyond the southern seas, who have travelled here in light of a great fire in the sky that had fallen to earth several years ago. We are not only diplomats, but also scholars - we bring with us great knowledge, of the stars and of the unseen world - to trade knowledge, like any of your savvy merchants. As a sign of our ability and goodwill we present to you with this gift," Terion says, as he pulls out a gold-crusted, oakwood telescope that can view the moons of distant planets. He then speaks telepathically,"I believe this trinket that allows you to view the stars with utmost accuracy, will be of your interest."*
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> *"Indeed. What a beautiful device." She inspects the telescope with great interest. "What you saw years ago was peak of my magecraft, the divine Star Rain that annihilated the army of my enemy. Priests of beyond the sea, I don't think you will ever attain such mastery over Kih'heppen (name for magecraft), but I am willing to trade knowledge. I can offer you many secrets of magecraft and magic, knowledge of the land and some of the new inventions the Kashi-yu came up with. However, as a savvy merchant myself, I expect knowledge of similar value."*
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> *Terion gestures one of the delegates to bring a bag of holding (A little pouch in which its outsides are smaller than the insides), filled with papyrus books. "This is a thesis written 4 centuries ago by a great ancestor, on the movements of planets and stars. In his genius, he managed to map the planets even before the invention of our Cisvoirum - the gift that we just showed you." He takes out a book titled 'On the Planets and their Motions, by Exeron.' "This is another thesis, written 3 and a half centuries ago, also by a great ancestor. It speaks of the sentient will, and how it has 2 vessels - one in the seen world and another in the unseen." This book is titled 'On General Arcanism, by Miron.' "I ask in return, my Queen, that we may learn of your Kih'heppen - perhaps, our knowledge might prove useful in advancing your arcane studies." Has Terion's sales pitch piqued Hrikka's interests enough?*
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> *This indeed is truly fascinating. To compare the knowledge of the stars with those of ages past. Truly, what an opportunity. Hrikka comes closer to Terion Although it seems that our magecraft is based on different rules to yours, I believe we can both benefit from exchanging knowledge about it. I will send some of my best mages with you to teach you of Kih'heppen. They will bring the thesis on theory of magecraft with them and give you knowledge you desire, however they will also learn about you. I believe that if I add ten Aa'toukui, it will be a fair deal. Do you agree, foreign priests?*
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> *"With all due pleasure, we agree." As translations of this deal pass on to the Archivists of the delegation, there is much rejoicing. They are now on the frontiers of foreign scientific knowledge, here to explore the mysteries of the universe, just like the delegations to Rusmenstar and Stryng had opened up new frontiers of science and engineering. They would become the very heroes of childhood stories they heard of great scientists, Miron, Pyron, and more. Eager to learn the Irunah's crafts and knowledge, they proceeded.*
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> *The delegation is given ten Aa'toukui. Additionally, as a gift they receive baskets of food, clothes, carpets, silk and poknuibe. When the delegation leaves, the scholars begin deciphering and translating documents received from the Institute. With new secrets of the sky revealed before them, many scholars begin experimenting finding new ways to use Kih'heppen. Some scholars of Kashi-yu even postulated that the knowledge the Institute possesses could be used to improved their inventions.*
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> *The arcanisms of this newfound civilisation was profoundly different to those the Institute had thus seen, possibly uprooting entire theories that had stood firm for centuries. The Irunah peoples' arcanisms, called 'Heppen', was largely divided into two variants; the Kih variant pulls stellar mana through the individual, deforming it with Will through a catalyst, be it the individual or a Semimaterial crystal (which the Irunah call Waystones), to produce effects such as premonitions, telepathy, and energy conversions into heat and light. Hrikka explains that the high-atmosphere combustion was also a product of Kih'heppen.*
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> *The other variant, the Ahu, seemed to be mechanical in nature. Here, idae is used like water in a water clock, producing effects such as temperature control (most commonly used for food preservation and lighting fires).*
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> *While the lessons from the mages on Irunah arcanism was fascinating, there was much still to be learnt and tested. Unfortunately, Institute experimental equipment was not included in the list of items the delegations brought with them to Ha Irunah - perhaps if a mage could be invited over to the Institute, further experiments could be done. "With both our knowledge of the world, we could benefit greatly, my Queen. It is my last request that we invite several mages to the Institute, to guide experiments on our combined arcanisms and materials - and in exchange, we shall offer all the knowledge gathered from our joint endeavour."*
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> *I like how curious you people are. You could probably make good merchants. Hrikka approaches them with a smile I will send 20 mages with you to this Institute you speak of. If we learn from each other maybe we could discover secrets long lost to time. When you leave the city, the mages will be waiting for you at the gate, and I will be waiting here for the results. Out off one of her sleeves she takes out a large Waystone, the size of a forearm, and puts it in Terion's hands A gift from me personally. You will need it to study our magecraft, right?*
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> *"A most useful gift, my Queen." As the Institute departs for Aberaka to their docked Clipper Triremes with the mages, Terion orders local spice specimens and Aa'toukui to be treated with utmost care - they will be bred in the Institute to serve as culinary ingrediants, souleasing blends, and as cattle to be modified into a more useful variant. In their journey home, the mages and Archivists continue to debate on arcanism, on the subject of the Soul and Will. The mages seemed amused at the implication that a Soul can be seen with the eye, but were also excited at the prospect of learning new magics themselves. As soon as the experiments reveal the truths, both nations would surely experience a revolution in their understanding of the world.*
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### Institute & Rusmenstar - Myrklandradth First Contact (603 PC)

> *[I] It was year 603 when Probarasidis began to be colonised by the Institute. It was aware of its neighbor to the east, where decades prior the Rusmenstari had colonised the island of Peofjan. However, as the colony ships made use of avian scouting birds to scout the island for potential settlements and resources, it noticed something peculiar - floating stone objects that were inscribed with a glowing, alien script. After several more of these objects were found not just in Probarasidis, but also around Peofjan, consensus between the Institute and Rusmenstar was made to scout the Stepstone isles that connected Kashar to Barasud, in hopes of locating more of these strange objects and finding its source. After the combined Institute-Rusmenstari exploratory fleet sailed southwards for days, it happened upon a settled island, foreign in design. 3rd Admiral Estarion, Institute Chief of Mission, took out his telescope to get a better look at the island - and spotted that similar objects littered the streets of this alien island. Ravens were circling above their head as if to direct them toward the island. It was ominous, especially so when considering telepaths from the Institute and Rusmenstar reported a sense of 'dryness' towards the direction of the island, confirmed by Institute Archivists when their portable Spiritorium (Crystal balls that make a glowing trail when spirits pass through it) seemed to get less and less reactive.*
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> *[R] The Peofjan colonists at first mistook the ships for more Rusmenstar ships, but after seeing the squid-like people aboard, they realized they were from The Institute. The offer to help investigate the floating stones was accepted immediately, & a group was gathered to do so. Once they set sail, the Rusmenstar crew told the Institute fleet several things of interest. Notably, they've been aware that they were being watched by something foreign for a while now, & all attempts to use magic & telepathy to reveal the source have been futile leading to the common belief that whatever it was was not of this world's origin or of extreme power beyond what anyone could imagine, & the sense of 'dryness' from the island they found after several days of sailing. The Institute's spiritorium getting less & less active further alarmed the Rusmenstar crew, as did the changing effect magic usually had in the very air of both Peofjan & mainland Rusmenstar. Nevertheless, they continued on in hopes of at least getting the creepy spying to stop.*
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> *[M] Voice Records for the Rath Commission on the exploratory corps; Yllif Temhest Naval Command;* *Days before contact: 2;*
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> * *"Alright, we are done, first of all I want a direct line of traparcomms with the Rath and the Ivory Order this night, I want to know who was responsible of sending those dienef models, they weren't supposed to be used to explore, they were supposed to be on the on the Marches but oh well f*ck me."
> * "Should we... "
> * "No, f*ck off, calibrate a commsburst covering all of the archipelago and start pulling back all Dienef drones, but quietly... what about the fleet coming from up north?"*
> * *"Still on port but they seem to be going to sail towards us, but probably after the local storm subsumes, our meteorologists say it will be fine by tomorrow, so, a day and a half before coming on visual contact."*
> * *"Mmm... I see, we will do 2 things, send a message to our fleet commander, tell him to order 8 ships to pull back now, he left 5 hours ago so they should be here before morning, also call the commander of the Gwardd to NOT embark, send them to the walls or something but I want them on the island, make the commander come to me."*
> * *"Done, should I call the local expert on the Islanders language?"*
> * *"He is still here?"*
> * *"Yes"*
> * *"On my office in 2 hours, also send for the local chapter of the Ivory Order, we need some quick data on their behavior"*
> * *"Should we declare a general alert?"*
> * *"Eh... no, is fine really, just send a small announcement to the city and that's about it, all business as usual, also, apply welcoming protocols for their fleet, indicate them how to come to port, were to dock, the basics, we should be fine after all."*
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> *[R] As the fleet approached after the storm subsided, a flock of birds started circling overhead, before engaging in fight patterns that the Rusmenstar crew recognized as a sign that they've been trained. Trying to scare off the birds with magic backfired, as the halfling that tried casting a flying spell to get up to the birds felt the magic go haywire. Instead of granting flight, the spell turned his skin blue. "I have no idea how this could have happenned. I'm not a wild mage!" he said telepathically, panicked. "I bet it's whatever is causing the dryness & strangeness in the local magical energy. We'll have to put more of an effort into making sure our spells don't go wild while we're here." a verdan crewmember commented, also telepathically. "Everyone, I think the birds want us to follow them." a thri-kreen crewmember said, pointing at the birds. Everyone received that telepathic message, both Institute & Rusmenstari. The birds led them to either a dock or a port on the settled island the fleet spotted. The Rusmenstar crew couldn't tell which it was. Either way, it seemed like the locals saw them. The magic users in the Rusmenstar crew prepared to cast their usual translation spells, hoping they don't go wild when they cast them.*
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> *[I] As the Institute-Rusmenstar crew neared the alien island, Institute Arsenals deployed flocks of scouting birds to search the island for potential danger. While the Institute did bring several men armed with foldable steel shields and swords, it made its best attempt to hide them; for these were the last resort should any violence or harm come their way. As the birds gathered their intelligence on the island, the ships docked where the ravens had directed them; and found mammalian white-skinned humanoids, wearing strange patterns on their skin, similar to the patterns they had seen on one of those flying objects. They had come to the right place.* *Admiral Estarion was the first to speak to these alien foreigners, in the Rusmenstari language; it was assumed that after years of spying on the Rusmenstari, these foreigners would have some knowledge of their language. "Greetings, I am Admiral Estarion of the Institute, and together with the Rusmenstari delegation, we have come to protest against wanton spying on our soil. Alas, we have come here to establish peace and friendship so long as the exchange of information be made both ways and with transparency; and as our token of goodwill, we offer you this gift." He gave the chief of the foreigners a small Spiritorium, which near this island only seem to glow once every centinium (~10 minutes). "It may seem non-functional, but I will argue that it is due to the strange immaterial atmosphere of this island that is the problem; spirits seem to avoid this island, perhaps due to its immaterial barrenness."*
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> *[M] “Spirits?, that should be a native version of aether? Anyway, sorry for our reconnaissance, Is just like, standard policy of the Rath, we ordered our… What could be your equivalent of Familiars? Well, we ordered them to pull back, like a day and a half ago, sorry for it, again, If you can follow me we can go to our customs office to get your immigration documents, again, standard policy… oh right, I forgot to present myself, Awistin Mornadd, Councilmember of the Rath for Yllif Temhest, the… city you are on, welcome to the Realm of Myrklanradth.” As he spoke, he did pass on the little trinket the newcomers give him to one of his assistants, and walking from the port to the customs office he started talking about if the newcomers needed supplies, medical attention or whatever the Island could offer, if just to get their reactions he snapped his fingers twice both to make the walled zone their ships were docked disappear beneath the waters, showing them the bustling settlement on all of his glory and increase the amount of local aether near them, deducting they would feel more safe with it, glancing at their hidden weapons without alarm, after getting their registration, he did give the “Admiral” and the rest of his group a standard aetherslate and a Ivory Stave, telling him to use some of that “spirit thing” to activate them, if anything, it would make his job easier, it too invited them to go eat first, after all it was already twilight, making their way to a Oleign stop near the port (a magical trolley car in a nutshell). “Well, until the next Oleign comes by I must tell you, if you want to stay the night we can make some accommodations for yourselves but…” (taking his aetherslate and pressing some runes in it) “Oi, Ruli, i'm on the speaker, with the newcomers. Can you make a reservation at the restaurant near the center hall? We can arrive there in like a Kulkk (an Hour), taking the panoramic route view, I want to show them the city before eating, oh yeah! I forgot, Mmm(talking to the admiral), You and your crew have some dietary requirements or restrictions? We wouldn't like to make your people sick, uncomfortable or anything.”*
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> *[I] "As far as we are aware, all of us present can eat what is normally considered edible - meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and the like. We'd love to sample your hospitality, and in the process receive a written memorandum to stop any future spying with your... Familiars. In the meantime, could you perhaps explain what these Ivory Staves and Aetherslates are used for or what to do to activate them? Our spiritoriae only observe the immaterial, not manipulate."*
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> *[M] "Oh sure, we can give you that after eating, some of my fellow are going to meet us over the restaurant and discuss that, alas, those Ivory staves we gave to you are called Lifverks, `magical tools` in our language, they can be made from different materials but those were the ones we had at hand, they are a crafted combination of a base material, then imbued with some runeware commands... is like a set of basic instructions bonded to an object on simple terms, these ones are based on Aether from the user's body and can be controlled by an aetherslate... oh right, an aetherslate is just a... multipurpose tablet on simple terms, it has a runeware program... a set of instructions that can be activated at will, you said your... spiritoriae cannot manipulate the immaterial? is that the name of your aether or whatever equivalent you have? "*
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> *[I] "I am not an Archivist (scientist/wizards) myself, but I would assume that the two words are equivalent. We would like to know how your runeware functions; as of right now, we are having quite the hard time trying to manipulate them."*
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> *[M] "Oh sure, well, until you get an archivist I can activate your slates, just make sure to put a drop of blood on it so they can recognize you as their owner, you can keep them with you after all, just don't freak up once the lifverks start floating, is normal. Otherwise, you did talk before about an Institute? is the name of your nation or something like that?"*
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> *[I] "Ah, there are archivists present here, they are the ones in the green-circled white robes; though they are not as fluent in the Rusmenstari language as I am. The Institute is our home nation and organisation, the spiritual home of the world's natural philosophers. We aim to uncover the secrets of all the universes so that we may gather hints so as to decipher the Elder Texts - or so I am mandated to say by the Speakership, but honestly no one cares about the Elder Texts except for those in the Texts, an institution within the Institute focused on deciphering the stuff. Anyways, once we settle down, we have a few gifts to give you, of material goods and knowledge; in return, we would like to know how your runeware works - of course, the work would be done with the Archivists."* *A Rusmenstari delegate then commented that they had translation spells at the ready, which they cast among the Myrklanders, Institutemen, and Rusmenstari. The Archivists were super fascinated about all these new technologies, and seemed very eager as they wrote down everything the Myrklanders did and said, and everything about their wondrous city on their books of papyrus.*
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> *[M] After some small talk and after ordering a meal, the myrk councilmember did follow on his conversation.* *"Sure sure, we can teach you how to use our stuff, also, this spell of translation is great, we have a equivalent on Trapar but his use would make useless the spell I activated to increase the ambient aether around us, but oh well, back at it, our realm is comprised of 10 Heruthoms, provinces on simple terms, our capital of Rathosparkrhavn is just 2 months traveling by sea going south from the coast, 16 cities, we are between 14 and 23 million people I guess? our last census was a century and a half ago but anyway, I can show you this aetheric projection of the realm*" *Using his Lifverk, he projects an aethergram (magic hologram) of the realm and the lands explored by Myrklanr, including visual pictograms of the cities of the country and other stuff, showing the realms of Ishkanurg, Ender, Atrea, Ulkenult, the Western Stepstones and the 7 Islands Archipelago (Anstria)*.
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> *[I] "Is that a live... aethergram? Do they know that they're being watched?"*
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> *[M] "We looked at the 7 Islands Archipelago (Anstria) some 200 years ago but since then we stopped their probing, for the rest of them our realm has treaties and contacts their governments, we have an embassy on the Ishkanurgan capital and contacts with their Ender Protectorate, the Atreans are nomadic but we have a permanent commission traveling with their main Caradh and comunications relays with the rest of their caradhs, also an incident with Ulkenult that we resolved some decades ago after one of our pearls did make landfall near them, nothing unusual."*
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> *[I] "How lovely. We would love to visit these places, all in Barasud, I imagine, one day. Perhaps the Myrklander government could act as a bridge between us and them?"* *Meanwhile, the Archivists were prodding the Myrklander scholars and engineers about the Runewares, scribbling down the runes and how each function, combining together as a whole to form a sort of 'algorithm'. "Wait a second - isn't this how the Interfaces function?" one of the Archivists exclaimed.*
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> *[M] "Ishkanurg and we guess Ender are out of the question, too xenophobic and isolationist are our fellow dwarves that we don't recomend you going over there, they accept us mostly because of our common commitment to pacify the broken wastes and having integrated lost clans of dwarfs early after coming to this world, also, what is that about an Interface?*"
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> *[I] "I'm not a member of the Interfaces so I don't really know all that much, just that there are certain commands that you type into it in alien symbols to do certain calculations and remember things for you. It's what keeps the Institution running in the background - spanning 5 continents and seas."*
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> *[R] When Awistin Mornadd asked if anyone needed supplies, the thri-kreen crewmembers asked for warmer clothing as they were shivering from the cold, & the warm clothing they had was enough to live in Peofjan, but not enough here. The rest of the Rusmenstari crew seemed unphased by the drop in temperature here compared to Peofjan. The increase of ambient aether sent a chill down each of the Rusmenstari crewmembers' spines. Nevertheless, they persisted through the explaination of everything. When there seemed to be a break in the conversation, the blue halfling spoke up. "Broken wastes? Is that what's causing some of our spells to go wild? On our way here we sensed a change in the magic around us. The sense of dryness we also felt disappeared when you cast that spell to 'increase ambient aether' as you put it, but the magical energy is still different than back home." he said aloud. "My friend's spell going wild is why his skin is blue. Before, he was albino, as evidenced by his still white hair. Regardless, can you tell us about this 'Broken Wastes' thing? It sounds like Barasud could use some help dealing with that." the verdan crewmember from earlier commented aloud. "We'd be happy to tell you what we know about our continent in return. How do you feel about telepathy?" a kalashtar crewmember added aloud.*
> *[M] "Oh no no, for your first question the Broken Wastes is just a term we borrowed for our Dwarf kin, is a region far south of the continent: unspeakable abominations, reality-bending phenomena, storms of literal madness, a dead god, spooky stuff in general. For the Aether stuff... you said your blue companion was albino before?, sorry for that, let me fix it then." (Snaps his fingers and restores him to their past state casually) "Done, ah yeah, as I was saying, our Aether stuff is not related to the south of our continent, as the main representative of my government I have certain privileges with my posting, that includes the manipulation of the aether of the whole island, well, me and my other companions, and for Telepathy, that comes from a magical source or a different type of energy? We use Trapar for our own kind, but mostly on administration and government stuff, for their range well... you would believe that right now everything I'm seeing and looking are being transmitted to the rest of the Rath?"*
> *[R] The halfling stared at his hands in amazement. He smiled, then stared at Awistin. "Thank you. This aether you speak of is strange to us, but I'm sure with time & effort we'll learn how to stop it from causing our magic to go wild entirely. As for telepathy, the four most common people groups in Rusmenstar are all born with it, & those who were not born with it can learn it, though it takes years to achieve. For those who were not born with it, it's through magic that it happens. As for those born with it, such as myself, all we know is that through studying the brains of the dead, we were able to find some slight differences between those born telepaths & those not born telepaths. We don't have the technology to understand these differences yet, but I'm sure we will one day. The Institute has their own theories about it, most of which I believe are related to souls & spirits. I have theories of my own that involve all of it." Awistin hears in his head, sounding the same as the halfling's voice did when speaking aloud. "Anyway, that's what it's like receiving a telepathic message, & what I know about telepathy." the halfling concluded, this time aloud.*
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> *[M] "That was weird, I could barely heard you, good thing I had a program installed on my conscience for unknown phenomena, but anyways..." A woman with black sclera, golden irises, black hair and pale skin appears 20 steps behind the table "...can you try to do that with me? I reduced my personal aether to negative levels (no magic), alas, those interfaces the Institute guy mentioned sound like the functions of a normal aetherslate" "Evy..." "Oh yeah, Evyamare Ill Feir, at your service, but yeah, try to probe my mind, If you feel hurt or don't feel nothing it should be fine"*
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> *[R] The Rusmenstar crew look at each other briefly, stunned. "Telepathy is different than mind reading, & we don't know any spells that can read thoughts, but there are people in Rusmenstar that do know a spell that can do that." the kalashtar said aloud. "Did you seriously not get my telepathic messages?" the halfling asked aloud. "This is officially the weirdest first contact in Rusmenstar history." the verdan openly stated. One of the thri-kreen members just stared at Awistin & Evyamare. Everyone else in the room couldn't hear her,  but members of the fleet could easily guess what she's trying to do. "HELLO?!" she shouted telepathically, trying to use more force & mental energy to make sure it gets through to Awistin & Evyamare somehow.*
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> *[M] "Nope, now I can't even hear what you are trying to say, weird but oh well, is our first meeting after all, anyway, you guys wanted a written declaration of us not spying on you? here it is, 3 copies: Traparic hardlight, Traparic bronze and Paper, a written declaration of apology for your government and a request to apologize on person if you wish so, for the Institute meanwhile, because we don't know your relationship with their government we don't know what to do, are you their political overlord or something like that?"*
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> *[R] The Rusmenstari crew all get struck with unease & fear at the realization that they've encountered the first non-plant living beings to be unable to receive telepathic messages. The halfling is the first to speak. "Rusmenstar & The Institute are two separate nations with absolutely no say over what each other does. This was simply a collaborative mission to find the source of the spying, get whoever was behind it to stop, & potentially make first contact with a nation of another continent or island. We didn't expect to find a people who cannot receive telepathic messages. I personally didn't even think it was possible to not be able to receive them. Nevertheless, we do have some ideas of how to help with the Broken Wastes." he said somewhat slowly & shaking.*
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> *[M] "Oh, we see then, maybe is a difference on systems, the telepathy I mean, for the Broken Wastes I guess we can arrange something, but we are controlling our bordering areas without issue, our Dwarf neighbors hate magic in general but we cannot see that much wrong with it, in fact after treating the corrupted aether flowing from there is pretty much harmless, unless... You guys know of types of magic, spirits in your case that are inherently harmful to all life?" Weaving 3 spheres of a greenish glowing dust inside one another, then she makes a small ball of aether, then executes a series of runic commands, changing the color of the small sphere from grey to a color... to something wrong, frightening their guests "As you can see, my companion is changing the composition of the small ball of aether inside the glowing dust spheres to match the type of aether from the Broken Wastes, these spheres are made from Trapar, a substance made on our country, it can be used to create, contain, interact and modify aether, is the reason of the low concentration of it on the island, and then... (shutting down the spell, making the glowing dust compress the small ball until it disappears) it can consume it without issues, it's the fuel that powers or realm, even if we cannot use it naturally, the aether, I mean. For the government thing, thank you for making clear of that question."*
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> *[R] "We've never been able to contain magic inside of anything other than enchanted items. I don't know if the ones we brought will work given the change in magical energy. There is one magical ancient artifact we know of that kills all living things that spend too long touching it & burns & melts everything that touches it for too long, but it has been known to appear & disappear as it pleases. Rumors are that it can travel through time, space, & dimensions o its own. Noone knows where or when it is." the verdan said, shaking even more than before the trapar bubble spell was demonstrated. "Not all of our people are magic users. Some are more focused on martial abilities. We also have three types of magic users that know a whole lot more about unspeakable abominations, reality-bending phenomena, magical madness, dead divine beings, & harmful-to-all-life magic than most of us do. One type is someone who literally was contacted by a being of that kind, whether it's dead, alive, divine, or somewhere in between, & the person decided to sell their soul to that being, usually for telepathy & magic. The other two types would take alot more explaining of what they are & how they know what they know." the halfling added.*
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> *[I] "Ah, splendid. Most of our qualms are settled for now, but I did not expect the memorandum to arrive so early; I was about to propose that a few of your kind be allowed to stay in the Institute for both of us to study the languages, cultures, and technologies of each other. Before further talks, however, I would like to present to you with this - the Metrum Rod. If you like yourself a little puzzle, you might find joy in deciphering our Metrum Papers - a sort of instruction manual to using the Metrum Rod."*
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> *[M] "Yeah I did just make a quick print of them on the Forge of the city hall, nothing unusual, about sending some of our people with you... yeah? I think It can be done, if you wait at least... let me see" She projects an aethergram with his aetherslate, showing their location, their calendar, a grainy map of the world, time of day and clock "So, is like already 10 o'clock, we are on Comroig, if you wait until Basiero, like 3 days from here on some other councilmembers were coming to replace us, our term was to end in a month but it can be done faster, alas, were in this map are your countries supposed to be? is an island or other of the continents? Also thanks for the trinket, what is supposed to do?"*
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> *[R] The verdan sees the map, and casts a spell. Instead of its intended effect, it goes wild, causing a beard made of feathers to appear on his face. "Dang it! Another wild spell. I wanted to cast an illusion spell to add onto the map to show you where Rusmenstar is." he explained, frustrated. The thri-kreen from earlier tried casting the same spell, and managed to keep her magic under control and get the image the verdan wanted to show. With the projection and illusion spells combined, the map shows with Rusmenstar itself highlighted and shown. "There we go. That's the island of ours that was being spied on." the kalashtar started, pointing to Peofjan. "There's mainland Rusmenstar. If you decide to visit the mainland, be careful. We have our own reality-bending phenomena, but unlike what I assume the phenomena from the Broken Wastes is like, ours give whoever's affected by them innate magical abilities, and they only affect one person at a time."*
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> *[I] "This, is called the Metrum Rod, the unit of measurement on which all our units of measurement are based on. Adopting this system would be a great boon, making our trade in technologies and sciences much smoother. As for our location, it would be somewhere in this general location, unmapped as of yet, but north of the Anstrian isles."*
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>
> *[M] "A standard form of measurement? This? Oh yeah... I forgot this is still a relative young world, ehm... give us this night to digitalize the rod, we will have your standards by tomorrow if not before..."* Yelling at a dwarf guy near them *"Oi Gurnisson, take this stuff and put them on the commforges, standard analytics, low bandwidth and add pictorecordings, also, when is the next Pearl rotation?"* *"Starts on an hour, we can get reports before midnight if I increase the trapar bandwidth, should I do it?"* *"Eh... you guys don't need this back right?"*
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>
> *[I] "It is yours to keep, it is our gift. But a 'relatively young world' you say, were there worlds before this?"*
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>
> *[M] "Ehh, is more of us coming to this world really, it was kind luck that this world and reality were quite habitable for us, our Pearls did come here first like... between 100,000 and 210,000 solar rotations ago, years if you like a simple term, we got here no more than a thousand solar rotations ago since our actual colonization on his planet, If you have some astronomic knowledge you can at least deduct what i'm talking about, if you lost track of a certain greenish star on the past 30 years it was probably one of our Pearls."*
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> *[I] "Pearls? How was your world like before ours? Does this have anything to do with the runeware technologies?"*
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> *[M] "Our world, well, there were many, many, many worlds from where the first colonists came, the Polity from they came was called the Zephrantine Sphere, it was a... how I can put in simple terms? Imagine advanced inteligences, clad on almost magical materials and with minds so vast their own thoughts are in itself alive, these inteligences were capable of creating worlds and travel unimaginable distances with their engineering, and for the lesser species oh well, they cared of them with the utmost respect: fountains of paradise (space elevators) that covered the equators of countless worlds, cities between the void of planets (Space habitats), rebirth of barren worlds into lush ones (Terraformation) and the stars themselves being used as materials to make beautiful wonders (Star lifting), a great place to live to be sure, the thing is, our ancestors just got tired of being taken care by their gods, so they asked for a place to settle themselves without their involvement and they obliged, but before that they did give us some parting gifts, those are our Pearls on the sky and Trapar itself, for the runeware stuff that is quite recent too, and we just call it "Runeware" because it is similar to the Runesmithing of the Ishkanurgan dwarfs, we have our own terms too. "*
>
>
> *[I] "Hmm.... Perhaps our interfaces and texts originated from the same intelligences? If possible, a few members of the Texts (institution that focuses on deciphering the Elder Texts) would like to have a study on your Pearls." Skeptical of the stories, however, members of the Archives and Envoys of the Institute delegations were tasked with finding out whether or not the Myrklander founding tale was founded on history or myth.* *An archivist then came to Estarion and whispered a few things in his ears. "Perhaps we might be able to ask the Myrklanders that one of our Interfaces be linked to the aethernet? Instead of having to look through libraries of texts, this might be a much more efficient way of studying their culture and science - and vice versa." The idea was put forward to the Myrklander delegations.*
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> *[M] "If they originated from the same source your probably would known about us and vice-versa since long ago, there were us and other 17 colonies, but not with the same intertextualization standards and realities, if you want so see our Pearls you better know how to build a space program, or well, wait some 6 years for a little stunt of ours that you will definitely see, but I guess you... well, if your precursors didn't give you the tools and knowledge to pursue your ambitions I guess they had their reasons why, for the Aethernet thing, well, that is just a local phenomena you know?, we have been trying to rely less and less on Trapar as long as we push north of our continent, the orbital range of our polar ITO's decreases the more one has to leave the place, that and having to contain the influence of... whatever dead god the Ishkanurgans told us was there, you would believe us that from were we came from there is no such things as aether or what could be called magic, like at all? whatever knowledge we have is entirely based on our experimentation, but oh well, I guess weird things can happen anyway. To start wrapping up all of this, the Rusmenstari have their apology already, both of you have some lifverks and aetherslates and is getting late into the night, let's do this shall we?: You guys wait like 3 more days over here on the city, then once the next council menbers arrive over here we can arrange some official embassies to your countries, one to Rusmenstar and other to the Institute, then more scholarly and trade cooperation can start flowing up and down our countries, just one thing, do not go south of this island into the continent, I tell you this because I guess your governments don't like problems, Ishkanurg and their protectorates are good peoples but highly xenophobic and isolationist, we cannot guarantee the survival of your envoys if you try to go and contact them, shit will go down, hard."*
>
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> *[I] And thus was the Institute first contact with the Myrklanders, where the Institute learned of a great new adaptation of immaterial technology - the Aethernet, Floatstuff, and Runewares - and of a potential source of the Elder Texts and Interfaces. For many years after this First Contact, the new colony of Probarasidis flourished, trading with Myrklandradth on various technologies and goods. Most of all, several engineers from both Myrkland and the Institute figured out a way with which to connect an Institute Interface with the Myrklander database on the Traparsphere, a global version of the Aethernet, utilising Traparic Relays brought from Myrkland. While the connection could only be maintained for certain periods of the day when the Pearls were passing by Great Devin, a form of data storage and communications that did not involve pen and paper helped the Institute achieve various breakthroughs in science, engineering, and mathematics.*
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>
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> *[R] The Rusmenstar crew agreed to wait 3 days. After that, Rusmenstar accepted the apology from Myrklanradth, & trade was openned up between the two nations. The Ruling Council found what was learned about the Broken Wastes to be odd, yet somewhat familiar, like a dark, more terrifying, & more powerful version of the magical anomolies that happen in mainland Rusmenstar. Perhaps with time & further studying, the origin of magical anomolies could prove a connection between them, but until it is proven, the connections are mere theory. However, the technology imported from Myrklanradth would prove vital to studying not just magical anomolies, but also potential weapon designs that could help Barasud as a whole fight & pacify the Broken Wastes, & medical science that lowered infant mortality rates. The vast majority of people were too afraid to use anything on the brain though, out of fear of accidentally discovering a way to sever the ability to receive & send telepathic communication without death, leading to the rate of deaths from head related injuries & diseases to go unchanged.*
>
>

### Institute - Amiae First Contact (604 PC)

> *The wind blowing trough her fins, the beautiful sensation of the saltiness accumulating on the scales and the endless horizon this was what really gave happiness to Laira Aplysa. Daughter of one of the most important aristocratic families of her nation, she was part of that lineage that trough the history of Amiae managed the art of pleasure for the fishfolks. She, however, had always preferred the sea and the calling of the unknown. For this reason, at the first occasion she was presented with, she boarded the ship as captain of the expedition. She was tasked with making the longest travel possible to try and test the real capabilities of the most advanced ship of the Domain, the Lograe, the biggest, fastest and most resistant trireme that they'll ever built.*
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>  *Her vice was a famous scholar and warlock for the church of Ixul, the old Taelo Pagurus, grandson of Lorelei Pagurus, an influential political envoy and explorer of the past. They all travelled with black veils on their heads and eyes to hide them from the sunlight and avoiding deterioration of their sight. Usually only the most influential individual of a cortege could wear it, but for travels as long as this one it was needed. The only thing separating the more important Amiae from the simple crew members was their togae, as Laira wore a blue one and Taelo a black one.*
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> *The ship sailed, with utmost attention to avoid coming into contact with the inhabitants of that remoted place. The problem arose when the crew members started threatening their superiors of boycott, because of the now unbearable solar heat and the exhaustion the journey was causing them. It was decided that the expedition should land on one of the many islands just so that the Amiae on board could rest before returning home. Land was spotted and the trireme approached it. Surprise filled the hidden eyes of the Amiae when they saw what was on that piece of land.*
> *A city, constructed in a way that greatly resembled Amiae architecture, but with much more colour and white marble. "Only the civilized could build like this" were the words on which most of them agreed on. And for this reason it was decided that the ship would lower their flag and land in the port. The language experts prepared themselves and the expedition captain stepped forward to greet what she expected to be another nation of Skavers.*
> *It was a fine day of 604 PC when a rather large trireme approached the Institute island of Proidaris. Unfortunately, the ship was designed quite similarly to Institute triremes, and its sails did not feature the standard Institute coloured circles, used for identifying the ships' owner - be it the institutions or private. The Arsenals (the naval institution) therefore met the ship with military ships - bronze-tipped triremes equipped with miniature catapults and hoses with which to throw projectiles, such as Agneoleae (fire-oil that floats on water) at the enemy. A fleet of 5 such triremes approached the unidentified vessel, when the fleet's commander, 3rd Class Commander Laurion decided to take a closer look at his supposed enemy with his Cisvoirum (telescope). Only then did he realise the true nature of the strange trireme - it originated from another civilisation they had not met. He had just ordered military vessels for a First Contact.*
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>
> *Only then realising his grave mistake, Laurion quickly ordered his fleet to conform to First Contact Protocols, and to alert Proidaris of pending First Contact. The fleet deconstructed its ship-mounted catapults (like Ikea) and approached the vessel in an escorting formation. After several centiniae (1/144 of a day), vessels featuring the Envoys' grey circle approached the vessel and its escorting fleets, with experts in foreign language, culture, and diplomacy on board. 1st Envoy Nauron hoped that Laurion's foolish mistake did not derail this First Contact, as a show of military presence could potentially trigger a hostile response. The Envoys, approaching the vessel with gifts as a sign of peace and goodwill, was sailing mere metrae (metres) apart from the vessel in question. The naked eye could make out the nature of these foreigners - fish.*
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> *When the ship finally came close enough and the fishfolks became well visible to the strangers. The expedition leader spoke on high tone so as to be heard, "My greeting people unknown, we do not mean harm" she then proceeded to repeat the sentence in every language she knew, Skaz, Tayurziot and even Valkadian. This while one of the language experts near to her tried to use body language to mimic her words, hoping that those people would understand the general message, we're not hostile.*
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> *As the Envoy ships neared the fishmen's vessel, one of their kind, looking to be its captain by her clothing, spoke in several different languages, most of which the Institute could not make out. However, when she spoke in a broken Strynger tongue and a better Echo tongue, 1st Envoy Nauron responded in Echo. "Welcome, strangers. We are The Institute, the spiritual home of the world's natural philosophers. You are approaching our island of Proidaris, on which scholars of various species, including Avalon, Pjuurak, Strynger, Psihori, Anstrian, and much more are studying to better their crafts. It is our hope that in peace we may study your civilisation, and in turn you ours, so that we may further deepen our understanding of this mysterious world." On the Envoy ship could be seen various species all wearing a pristine, white robe inscribed with a grey circle. Some, wearing robes of green circles, were hurriedly writing down every detail of this strange trireme, the strangers' looks and body language, in papyrus books.*
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> *A murmur rose among the Amiae and the captain turned to one of her la guage experts, that started to explain to her those words that she didn't understand. Then made him step forward to help her in the communication. "We see you are civilized people, the likes of which we didn't expect to find in this archipelago. Before everything though, we would like to use this island to rest. Our journey was long and our people could use some time in the fresh shade, repaired from the blinding sunlight."*
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> *"With all due pleasure, you are welcome," replied Nauron, "The only price we seek is knowledge of your kind." After the ships docked, the fishmen were guided to the Foreign Quarters, where foreign delegations from Idaros stayed. The rooms were luxurious; painted pristinely white, with arched widows overlooking the port, with the orange sun setting beneath the emerald oceans of Proidaris. The room smelled of a freshly sweet phytoncide aroma from the Essentia Papyrae diffuser on a wooden table, on which was also a miniature water clock. As the fishmen's captain unpacked in her lodging, Nauron entered the room with several Archivists with papyrus books and scribing pens. "I hope our hospitality did not disappoint you, Miss...?"*
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> *"With a Xenia such as this one I fear my family will be in debt to the end of time" she said jokingly. To her side Taelo, the warlock, was looking more suspiciously to his surroundings. "A multi racial civilization is not something one sees everyday, we were starting to think other civilizations to be only barbarians outside of Southern Idaros. But here we find philosophy, passion for knowledge and Xenia. Also, I almost forgot, I am Laira Aplysa, oldest daughter of Relae Aplysa and Elmire Aplysa. Mine is the family that was birthed by the original family of Carpyna." The warlock spoke second, much more fluently and with a hoarse voice. "Name's Taelo Pagurus, only son of Mare Pagurus and Retalio Pagurus. I, however, had to forget the pride of my family to serve our only god, Ixul." He was much more little than the captain, as female Amiae were usually taller and had longer fins than their male counterparts.*
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> *"My name is Nauron, 1st Envoy of the Institute and Chief Envoy of Proidaris. What you see on this island is only one of countless islands and cities that comprise the Institute. Please, look around the city and its wonders, so that the tale of us can reach your civilisation and beyond. It is our hope to meet more civilisations in the continent of Idaros, so that horizons of our knowledge may extend yet further. Now, I've come here to introduce you to your attendant, 3rd Envoy Noira. She's a Strynger, as you can see, born from a family of refugees who fled the fall of Stryng. She is fluent in the tongue of her cradle, and should be able to converse with you without much problem. If you feel indebted to our... Xenia, all we ask is that you answer faithfully to her questions - she is one curious soul, afterall. Say hello, Noira."* *"Hello, Ms Laira, and Mr Taelo. I'm super exited to be your attendant - I even wrote a whole list of questions to ask about you and your civilisation! Please tell me whenever you need anything; I'm here to help your stay in the Institute, afterall. Now, first question -"* *"Please, take a breath, Noira. As she said, please tell her if you need anything from us. Now, if you'll please excuse me," Nauron left the room, with a clearly overenthusiastic Noira left with her papyrus full of questions and an accompanying book for notetaking.*
>
>
> *After a slight bow to greet Nauron Laira turned "If you could guide us through the city that would be great, Noira...it's an easy name to pronounce in Amian. Taelo, will you visit the city too?" The old Amias sighed and then, taking up his black veil, he spoke. "My eyes hurt a little, but I'll have to report everything I see to the church when we get back" He clearly still didn't trust the people at the Institute at all.*
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> *"There's a bunch of places that you might enjoy on Proidaris - there's the Foreign quarters, where different styles of architecture and exotic street foods can be enjoyed by everyone - they do sell fish though, if that's something to be ware of. Then there's the Proidaris Archives, with tons of stuff to read about just about everything - but you probably can't read our language just yet. If you want to, I can help you. They even have a small Spiritorium in the lobby - it's a giant crystal that makes a glowing blue trail when spirits happen to pass by. Then there's the harbour, which you just saw when you came here. The view is amazing though, especially when the sun is setting. Where do you want to go?"*
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> *"Ma'am I didn't eat some good fish for too long now, we can continue the conversation to the foreign quarters, maybe I'll find even some good fish eggs!" As she stood up she continued speaking. "The more I'll have to report to our homeland the more I'll be praised by the council. But do tell me, what questions have you prepared for us?" But before she could speak again Taelo interrupted her. "I'd also appreciate if you could give my scholar colleagues indication for the nearest place where they could learn something 'bout your language. That, and also some information regarding the Institute's understanding of magic."*
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> *"We can go to the Archives and borrow a Institute Standard-Stryng dictionary; that's where they have all the papers and books, though if you really want to go deep you'd have to travel to the Headquarters in the First Bastion. Either way, you'll need a pass though, which means I'd have to go with you. I think you're better off heading to the Foreign Quarters for now - they sell little fish stews seasoned with spices from Ha Irunah - they're my absolute favourite, so savoury and spicy and warm all at the same time. Anyways, my first question was: where are you from? How's your civilisation like?"*
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> *"We come from the southern coast of Idaros. We are a costal nation that rises between the ratfolks of Skarl, the humans of Tayurzu, the Valkadians and the insular nation of Etharis. We have peaceful relation with all of our neighbours, engaging in trades and cultural exchanges... except with Etharis, which we are currently ignoring. We could present some of them to your civilization, but that's for the council to decide.*
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> *Ours isn't a violent nation, even if, recently, we had to start training in the art of war because of a ravenous horde that is threatening the peace that we had established in the south. Amiae is the name of our species, spawn of our only god Ixul, of which my colleague here is warlock and high ranking priest. Family, respect and strict code of honour are the tenants of our society, as well as the religious compliance, no Amiae can change his religion.*
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> *As you may have already noticed sunlight isn't of our liking. Before becoming land-dwelling creatures we were inhabitants of the ocean depths, and we still can't stand prolonged exposure to sunlight. Fortunately our magnanimous deity gifts us with the perfect conditions to live in our territory... provided that we pay the right price, obviously. If you'll come to our homeland one day, be prepared for a long period without sunlight in a very humid environment."*
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> *Noira was having quite a hard time writing all of it down, even with the recently developed shorthand. She did manage to write down the key words, however - Skarl, Tayurzu, Valkadia, Etharis, Amiae, Ixul (god), Family values, Bad sunlight, Humid homeland. The rest, she hoped, would be archived by other Envoys and Archivists.*
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> *"We can arrange for a few umbrellas to be made for your kind - the Avalons, the blue ones without a face like Nauron, evolved from a species of squid, after all, so they had similar problem too. Convergent evolution is really quite strange. Second question - what are all those other civilisations like? Skarl? Valkadia? I think I heard them from my mother's bedtime stories, but she never elaborated on what they were."*
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> *"Oh, well, let's see if I remember what my preceptor teached me... Skarl is a nation inhabited by rat-men. They are little and fragile, but have numbers to their advantage. Theirs is a subterranean civilization, and the first one the Amiae Domain came into contact with. I actually had three Skaver friends, but two of them already died of old age, and one is nowadays already old. That, with Tayurzu is the civilization we interact with the most. And, if I'm not mistaken, they were the old slaves of Valkadia. The latter we discovered more than a century ago, is born from the ashes of an old empire that spanned trough all of Southern Idaros. We believed them to be mythological creatures, but had to change our ideas once our ships came into contact with some of their owns. They have actually helped us in the growth of some aspects of our nation. For example, it is from them that the idea of the sewers first came, and now they're also culturally encouraging our church... which is... strange nonetheless."*
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> *"Culturally encouraging your church? What does that mean?"*
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> *"Their envoys seem to side with the clergy more often than with the actual government. They enhanced they're studies and provided them with a more amplified knowledge of magic. I think they also have a specialist for the interactions with our church. I theorized it's because of the amplified knowledge the high clergy has on the other planes of existence and superior entities, but I tend not to overthink things like this"* At these words the old warlock at her side made a guttural sound, similar to a cough and then muttered. *"She's asking too much, you are saying too many things, kid. If they want to know the full story they'll have to come and see it with their own eyes, go and stare into the... depths of it"*
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> *"Other planes of existence? Superior entities? Oh my god, so Exarion's hypothesis on Bags of Holdings was actually correct? I'm sorry if I'm asking sensitive subjects, but I really want to know! If not, at least we can send a delegation to check out what's going on, we might be able to help you as a non-involved 3rd party... and maybe do a grand tour around Idaros and meet those civilisation? That's a thought... what do you think?"*
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> *"Well, I don't know much about magic. You'd have to ask a specialist. I'll report this to the council as well. It was about time that we heard about someone else interested in the research of magic and planes of existence. And I thought I heard someone speaking about a... theory of sorcery, wasn't it? Anyways, they'll be happy to be recieving some refreshing new ideas, will it be from philosophers or other types of scholars."*
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> *"Well, that's some good news to tell Nauron. I'll pass it by him to let him know that you're generally positive about the grand tour. Oh, and before we forget, our Archivists and Envoys will be visiting your delegations to create an Institute Standard-Amiae dictionary, which will be nice. Oh look, here we are, Papa Girono's Stews. Have the fish stews, extra spices if you like it spicy - it's their best selling menu." As she entered the bustling shop full of species of all different kinds, she sat down on a wooden table and ordered 3 bowls of fish stew. The owner, Girono, turned out to be Noira's father, and gave off a kind grandfather's aura. The stew was indeed delicious, if not a bit too spiced.*
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> *"Shall we conclude this matter? We of the southern Idaros are organising a general encounter to assure peace between us and a way to resist the Erkhendal assaults. The council is slowly deciding which nations should take part in this meeting and sending invitations. I only hope that it can be done in the next fifty years. As from what I understand, the institute capital is actually much distant from Idaros, but it wouldn't be bad to start thinking about joining in this common act of peace. They're intrested in bringing together the civilized, and this nation seems to be very well civilized."*
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> *"Well, as I said, it really isn't up for me to decide, nor is it Nauron's. We'd have to deliver this message to the Speakership back at our capital, which if approved would take at least a year to round up volunteers for this journey west. The Speakership almost always approves exploratory missions and grand tours, but is less keen on approving diplomatic ventures, especially if it includes military actions against other nations, especially if that nation in question has done no harm to the Institute itself, especially if that nation has not made contact with us yet... the Erkhandal though, might have reached the Speakership's ears through Strynger refugees... The point is, I myself cannot guarantee anything, but if you're going to have a better chance if the request is presented as a peaceful, scientific venture than a military one. If the approval is made though, we probably can't tell you on this trip, because it would take at least 3 months back and forth, being optimistic - but if the Amiae can make contacts to Proidaris every so often, it can definitely be arranged."*
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> *"I understand, but do keep in mind that the council itself doesn't plan on creating a military alliance, but an act of peace so that every nation can support one another economically in times of need, not militarily. That would be too much trouble. If Amiae troops marched trough Skarl's territories, for example, I can only imagine what kind of freakish reaction the ratfolks would have, and our people themselves would react in the same manner. Anyways, that's the deal, I'll report that the Institute is willing to start a line of communication with the Amiae Domain and it's neighbours. With our current means we can reach only your islands, but we can start with some exchanges. Sending envoys... scholars... philosophers... trading goods and so on."*
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> *"Lovely, I'll make the request to Nauron, and he'll talk to you in depth about what the terms should be, then send it to the capital for approval. If it does get approved, I wish I could be in the expedition." replied Noira.* *The next day, Nauron invited Laira and Taelo to Proidaris Headquarters, where a general outline for an Institute expedition to southern Idaros was created - and approved Amiae to trade freely with the Institute as they wished. Chief Archivist of Proidaris, Oro, and 2nd Envoy Paxon also engaged with scholars of the Amiae delegation to create an Institute Standard-Amiae dictionary, while small scholarly exchanges occurred as well. Hearing that Amiae magic was derived principally from their diety Ixul, Oro inquired into Ixul's nature and powers.*
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> *When the news reached the council, they immediately approved the requests of their envoys and a line of communication was established with the Institute. A project to start training Amiae envoys in the Institute's language, and others were started to introduce this civilization to other nations that the Domain deemed would be interested. Additionally, scholars and philosophers visiting the Domain were well welcomed, and the fishfolks themselves permitted their own to start journeying and exchanges with this newly discovered nation. The church itself, however, initially denied the Institute's requests to access information considered to be sacred, but, after the council started pushing, it was deliberated that their scholars could access temples and sacred libraries only with a special permit.*
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> *A year after the encounter, the Institute Speakership approved of an expedition to Southern Idaros to make contact with the various civilisations there, to gather knowledge on their science, arcanisms, language, and culture, and to, if possible, shed some light into the Erkhandals. Noira, who had been promoted to 2nd Envoy after the First Contact, had been chosen to be the chief translator for the expedition. There was much still to learn about the world, and it would be the job of the Institute to uncover its mysteries.*
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### Institute Grand Tour of Southern Idaros (612~614 PC)

> *As was promised by the Institute-Amiae First Contact (604 PC), an expedition was set up by the Institute Speakership to travel the civilisations mentioned by the Amiae, learning its peoples, cultures, and technologies. Headed by Head Envoy Elron (An Avalon), supported by 1st Archivist Majiik (A Pjuurak), 1st Admiral Kaion (An Avalon), and the translator 2nd Envoy Noira (A Strynger), the expedition set sail aboard a fleet of Amiae triremes, throwing themselves into the unknown with only a friendly nation they had met merely years ago to act as a guide. Its fleet left the harbours of Proidaris in 612 PC, planning to travel the nations of Tayurzu, Skarl, Amiae Domain, Valkadia, and Etharis, in order. Their mission: to spread the knowledge of the Institute's existence and its splendour, to gather knowledge of these civilisations both cultural and technological, to spread the use of Institute Metric, and to invite willing immigrants to the Institute, particularly their engineers, scientists, and mages.*
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#### 1. Institute-Tayurzu First Contact

> *The Grand Tour's first destination was Tayurzu. Situated westmost among the 5 nations, their people were short and tan mammalian humanoids, wearing coloured cotton clothing decorated with colourful feathers. Their cities were clearly organised, with most buildings made out of what looked to be orangish mudbricks, with some incorporating hints of limestone in their construction. According to the Amiae crew who operated the fleet on which the Grand Tour was done, their civilisation was among the most peaceful on the continent, although such a pacifist stance had lead to them being targeted by the Erkhendals - described as savage raiders from the central plains of Idaros. As the fleet neared its capital port, Head Envoy Elron prepared gifts to be presented to the Tayurzu people and government as a sign of goodwill - the Cisvoirum (telescope), the Metrum Rod and Papers, and an Institute Standard-Amias dictionary, made of Chalcipapyrae (chalked papyrus) paper.* *"Greetings, your excellency of the peaceful Tayurzu, we are men from the Institute, a nation to the far west beyond the continent and its western ocean, the spiritual home of all the world's philosophers. These are our gifts to you, for they are what we value most - knowledge. This Cisvoirum grants knowledge of the far, the Metrum Rod gives knowledge of measurement, and this dictionary gives knowledge of our language." Head Envoy Elron speaks in Amias to the man in a cloak, around whom all have taken off theirs - perhaps signifying his importance.*
> *While the capital city governor was starting a meeting, a bunch of squid-faced people, speaking animals, and other weird beings arrived. The situation was quite uncomfortable. The foreigners, coming from a long boat voyage, were looking carefully at everything they could, making the locals uneasy. The governor called the soldiers; diplomats, priests, wise men, and the king himself also arrived on the scene. Many soldiers were prepared to attack them if things went wrong. The learned and the spiritual were analysing the things they brought: an instrument to watch from afar, paper, a rod with markings, and a dictionary with their language. The gifts were received ambivalently (with interest on the instrument); and were tested for safety with an bronze bar first. "How do you know about us?" Said the monarch worriedly. The two parties began to talk... "The spiritual home of all philosophers, you say...?" They mentioned the splendour of the realm named "Institute", its inquirers (philosophers) and its gifts, but it did not inspire awe among the men, let alone confidence. They asked about the knowledge of the humans, but, distrustful, they merely gave an almanac with basic cultural information. Then, pointing to the rod, they tried to persuade the people of this part of the world to adopt their system of measurements, but the wise men who were present were not convinced, it was not accepted. In the end, they tried to invite educated people to go with them, but their charms were not heeded; only a few explorers offered to live there, for a time. Finally, the king gave them a almanac containing basic information about the human kingdom, and warned them not to get more information about Tayurzu from elsewhere (lest these strangers from far away know too much.)*
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#### 2. Institute-Skarl First Contact

> *After leaving Tayurzu, the Grand Tour went up a large river, ending up in a huge lake. According to the Amiae, it was here that a nation of Skavers, Skarl, existed - also a victim of the Erkhendal raids. After sailing some more, the Tour reached a city of mudbrick, stone, and wood, this time inhabited by what looked like large humanoid rats. The vast majority of them wore cloaks and hoods over their head as if to cover their body from the sunlight. Upon reaching a port city situated along the lake, 2 of their kind came out to meet the Grand Tour - one was large for their kind, masculine and suspicious of Institutemen, while the other looked scholarly and wise, fascinated by the diversity of species in the Grand Tour.* *"Greetings, your excellencies of the Skarl, we are men from the Institute, a nation to the far west beyond the continent and its western ocean, the spiritual home of all the world's philosophers. These are our gifts to you, for they are what we value most - knowledge. This Cisvoirum grants knowledge of the far, the Metrum Rod gives knowledge of measurement, and this dictionary gives knowledge of our language." Head Envoy Elron speaks in Amias to the men who have come out to greet them.*
> *On the eastern shore of Lake Sacharai in the bustling port district of Uzu, beneath cool cloud cover and under the watchful gaze of the bone totem resembling Old Warren’s eldritch visage, Archlector Trizz and Lieutenant-General Vulgo stood with an honor guard of red and green Rath hunters and the teal and beige robed professors of the Second Skaz University. The skavers stood well short of the cepholoid Avalon emissaries, but their resplendently colored garb and intricately tattooed fur more than made up for the lack in height. The lake port had been cleared of pedestrian traffic, leaving the curious Duba skavers in their mushroom-cap hats and grassy cloaks to marvel at the newcomers from behind a wall of giant pull bugs. Each bug was armored with a thick natural carapace and topped by a squad of Rath drivers and archers, eyeing the crowd for any sign of threat to the guests or the honored emissaries of Skarl. Archlector Trizz was an old shriveled Skaver missing patches of fur in a number of places. These patches had been shaved to resemble a wave pattern that gave his exposed arms and face a hypnotic look. Ghost academic robe was made of shimmering silk and gaudy in its vibrant array of colors. Whatever can be said of Trizz, he was certainly eye-catching. He accepted the gifts offered by Head Envoy Elron with the giddiness of a child receiving a bundle of new toys. He thanked the envoy graciously and offered in return a gift of clay tablets containing formulas for common household medical ointments, anatomical carvings depicting the bodies of skavers, humans, amias, Ergendir, and even Valkadians. Finally, the Archlector introduced his two wives: each a master with thread and loom. Trizz offered their services in crafting perfectly measured and hand-tailored silk garb for each and every Institute envoy present to take back home with them. All this occurred while the Lieutenant-General watched on, wordlessly. His presence was a shadow on the otherwise amiable meeting. When the meeting was done, the Archlector offered to establish a diplomatic quarter adjacent to the pier to house any and all Institute officials seeking to conduct research or diplomacy within Skarl or Idaros as a whole. On the flip side, many of the more outgoing or eccentric professors at the Second Skaz University begged the chance to return to the Institute’s homeland to begin research of their own. Though many were concerned when they learned these lands were far across the ocean, only a few opted out of their offer. The Duba skavers, it must be said, were the most adventurous Skarl had to offer. The First Skaz University had been established on a basis of diplomacy and a trade of knowledge centered in language with their neighbor, Tayurzu. It seemed fitting that the Second Skaz University would make its mark in Skarl history by trading in a shared language of mathematics with a new neighbor, albeit a much more distant one. The skavers — a characteristically avaricious race — were most curious about the use of Institute Metric for the purposes of standardizing trade, using crates, barrels, and boxes of fixed sizes and quantities to simplify record-keeping and usage of cargo space. Architects from the far eastern side of Skarl instead swooned over the chance to utilize these measurements in construction projects. And even the archaeologists of the northern province Bonewallow saw the potential of standardized measurements for plotting future expeditions, digs, and historical excursions. But among the adventurers, scholars, and merchants wishing to travel to distant Institute lands, hidden spies lurked. These far-eyes intended to see what sort of threat these strangers might be should they use their advanced technology to invade Idaros someday. The Rath sent these scouts, such as they were. So long as skavers exist in Institute lands, their secrets will ever be at risk of theft.*
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#### 3. Institute-Amiae Diplomatic Correspondence

> *Next, the fleet returned to its home of the Amiae Domain, bringing the Grand Tour with them. This time, the Tour was to be brought before the Amias reigning sovereign, titled First Son, in the capital city of Lagura. The city stood in its splendour, forming a jungle of magnificent stone and marble buildings decorated with pillars and colonnades. The city was, however, a bit dark, both in colour and luminosity; the Amiae explained that it was due to their inherent photophobia that the cities were so dark. To allow the Institutemen more visibility, they were handed lanterns with luminescent beetles.* *"Greetings, your excellency the First Son of the Amiae Domain, we are men from the Institute, a nation to the far west beyond the continent and its western ocean, the spiritual home of all the world's philosophers. These are our gifts to you, for they are what we value most - knowledge. This Cisvoirum grants knowledge of the far, the Metrum Rod gives knowledge of measurement, and this dictionary, made possible by the cooperation of your considerate guests to our lands, gives knowledge of our language." Head Envoy Elron speaks in Amias to the First Son.*
> *To greet the guests was the current First Son of the Amiae Domain, Itrae Tonnus. One of the younger members of the council, he wore the ancient ruling family's clothes. Colored in blue trimmed in golden colors, with a black toga, on which the whole myth of the First Son was sewn in the Amias language, with also some mythological and heroic figures. "My most sincere greetings, people of the Institute. I am Itrae Tonnus, first born of the latest generation of the first ever family of Amiae. My lineage was the one that unified the ancient Amiae tribes and created the Domain but was also the one that ruled over the others for centuries after this event. But alas, my title of first son I’m afraid is but a formality, kept just to retain the memory of our past. Now the power goes equally to all the original families. And your fame precedes you, people of the Institute, we as a nation will be glad to exchange knowledge and ideas with your people. Your civilization seems to be very advanced in many fields of study too, as you show me tools I've never seen, but I'm sure our scholars will be more excited than me to see them. We also heard about the great hospitality that was furnished to our explorers when they happened to stumble upon your island. For this reason, we would encourage you to take part in a common banquet organized by us. For the principle of xenia, obviously, the Alypsa family has decided to cover all of the expenses.” The banquet was organized in the main and widest street of the city, heading towards the tower-temple and in front of the palace where the council held its meetings, many long tables and benches were put down. The street was lit enough for the foreigners to not have to worry about the dark. Typical dishes of the Amiae cuisine were served, but, as most of these consisted of completely raw fish, it was made sure that cooked dishes were also served, to avoid offending visitors. Although some families had suggested it, no sacred meats were served, for fear that the Avalon squid-likes might think they were among a group of monsters eating other sentient, fish-like creatures. They were then allowed to visit the city. The official amphitheater, carved in the side of a hill right next to the city, the great library, built half on a river and half on the land, where almost all of the Amiae knowledge was held. And, in the end, some of the envoys were permitted to visit the temple, its library and to see the Lagura rift, a hole that had opened over the city centuries ago, around which the tower-temple was built. Priests, worshippers or visitors could even walk up a ramp to peek into the nothingness and blackness, even if, for safety reasons no envoy was permitted to get close to the hole of blackness. The instruments brought by the Institute were studied with wonder by the scholars of the Domain. The new method of measurement was particularly well received, and some of the younger scholars even started demanding the council for this system to be adopted, as it was much more precise than the one they had. Plans were already made also to perfect the dictionary, to make possible the understanding of archaic Amias, with which the most ancient scriptures were written, and it was decided that philosophers and scholars would have been able to freely travel and exchange information with the Institute.*
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#### 4. Institute-Valkadia First Contact

> *After the fleet restocked in its foods and supply, with its crew having gotten ample rest, the ships headed further east, headed for the one mythical nation of Valkadia. On the way there, the Amiae warned of what to expect from its inhabitants, the Valkadians; they were a cunning sort, never to be underestimated or be dealt with half-heartedly or be fully trusted; and that they were power-hungry without regard for the sanctity of life, as evidenced by their developed necromancy. While the Envoys in the Tour focused on their first warning, the Archivists were fascinated and in uproar on the second warning. While most Archivists saw this as an opportunity to advance Institute sciences, others, including 1st Archivist Majiik, were concerned that this would prove degrading to Institute standards of ethics, which stressed that life be not harmed in the pursuit of knowledge. After much deliberation, the conclusion was made to leave no comment on the Valkadians' necromancies apart from attempting to gain further insight into them - only then would the Institute judge upon its ethics.* *As the Grand Tour entered the ports of the Valkadian capital, Alkand, the Institutemen commented on its strange form - for there seemed to exist two worlds coexisting in a strange harmony. There were minimalistic structures reminiscent of the Interfaces, buildings made of metal and steel, coexisting with grand stone structures constructed with the intent to leave its guests overwhelmed and in awe. Using his telescope, Head Envoy Elron could make out its inhabitants - tall, blueskinned humanoids who exuded a strange immaterial aura. As the Grand Tour approached the city, a procession headed by who looked to be in charge of the city greeted its guests with a warm, welcoming smile. 'Remember the Amiae's first warning', Elron said telepathically to the Tour.* *"Greetings, your excellency of the ancient and powerful Valkadia, we are men from the Institute, a nation to the far west beyond the continent and its western ocean, the spiritual home of all the world's philosophers. These are our gifts to you, for they are what we value most - knowledge. This Cisvoirum grants knowledge of the far, the Metrum Rod gives knowledge of measurement, and this dictionary, made possible by the cooperation of your considerate guests to our lands, gives knowledge of our language." Head Envoy Elron speaks in Amias to the man in charge.*
> *By the year 615 of the dark calendar, a surprising fleet of advanced vessels reached the valkadian shores. Under the guise of amiae sails, the vessels captivated the attention of more than one shipowner. But it was more than a courtesy visit for the Valkadian great houses. A new player, and visibly not a minor one, was making their first steps in the Great Game, and every noble attention got enraptured by the explorers for a few months. The envoy “Eleron” was the first to address a word to the valkadian official that went to greet their boats. After walking on the jetty’s creaky planks, they declaimed a nice enough greeting, earning them a few points in the mind of the head diplomat send to receive them. Receiving graciously the gifts, the Diplomat answered in turn, with both a grand gesture and a test. What would be these newcomers position on the Valkadian civilization. Necromancy, they understood well by now, was less prevalent in these days and age around the world, and most people they encountered seemed to dabble in it at most, or cower in fear at worst. Or maybe at best, depending on if you were asking the dread fleet lord, or the savant and court diplomats. The Valkadian gift was a construct made almost entirely from polished bone matter, ivory and silver, the tall creation could answer to simple voiced command. It’s main purpose ? Bearing light, inside the structure resided a few magical sigils etched on translucent rocks filled with water. The sorcery withing theses could be used to generate a warm yellow light or a cold blue one, and the thrall was complex enough to spread it’s “branches”, each containing a “lamp” as it pleased it master. Measuring more than a standard Valkadian, the bone central stalk measured a good dozen feet. “Than you Elron, this is a dutiful lightpole, may it serve you and your fleet well during the dark hours of the night”. With the lightpole came the knowledge of making more, an innocent enough seed of necromancy, requiring only inert matter. While the whole ordeal seemed friendly enough, it would have been hard for the Valkadian politician to not remark the uneasiness in their guests procession. It would have been impossible to gather if the envoy had been alone, as they were so far removed from the local biology and social cues. But the varying reactions in the expedition were noted, and the factions in presence were each logged into mental files to be analyzed later. As a result from the Institute short stay, they negotiated the envoy of a valkadian delegation to discuss further the conditions for hosting valkadians in the institute territories, under conditions of a reciprocate exchange of diplomat. The dictionary was welcome as a diplomatic tool, but the Metrum proved useless, compared to the well set in measurement used by all of Valkadia by that point. The cisvoirum proved a welcome invention that rivaled the lightpole in its practicality, and would be soon used by the whole navy, as a cheap alternative to mana lenses that were either complex to craft or costly to maintain.*
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#### 5. Institute-Etharis First Contact

> *It was during the Tour's stay in Valkadia that the Amiae warned of us of our next and last civilisation on the list of possible contacts: Etharis. "The Etharis civilisation, inhabited by turtle-like Valika, are known to be extremely protective of their home islands. Do not, under any circumstances, try to near their coasts, for we will take no part in it, but rather find a Valika within Valkadia to act as an envoy. The Valika frequent visits to Valkadia, so finding one should not be too difficult; their speed of information is such that we wonder if their mind and soul are one, so any Valika could be trusted to act as a de facto envoy." The Tour was visibly confused by the notion that it was a nation's official policy to conduct diplomacy through commoners outside its borders, but they did heed the Amiae warning and advice.* *The next day, news was reported to Head Envoy Elron that a Valika merchant was spotted near the Tour's temporary residence. Seeing it as an opportunity to make First Contact with Etharis, the Tour ventured out to the merchant, eager to learn of this civilisation. Once they met the merchant, they spoke to him in Amias:* *"Greetings, we are men from the Institute, a nation to the far west beyond the continent and its western ocean, the spiritual home of all the world's philosophers. We offer these wares to you, who I believe will represent on behalf of your Etharis civilisation, for they are what we value most - knowledge. This Cisvoirum grants knowledge of the far, the Metrum Rod gives knowledge of measurement, and this dictionary, made possible by the cooperation of your considerate guests to our lands, gives knowledge of our language. Perhaps some of your wares, such as those crystals and vials, might interest us - would it be possible to trade our respective knowledges?"*
> *An Ithar named Valtor was in Valkadia when he observed the arrival of strange people. They were unlike anything he had ever seen before. Their clothing was strange and their language sounded strange to his ears. Valtor knew it was important to make contact with this people. "I am Valtor," he said, greeting the emissaries with a slight bow. "I greet you on behalf of myself and my kind." The emissaries returned the greeting and began unwrapping gifts. Valtor retrieved a small, sparkling crystal and a bottle of ale from his luggage. "This crystal was made by our finest craftsmen," Valtor said. "It is a symbol of our people and our prosperity. We hope you will enjoy it. But be careful with it. This crystal can cause mutations if mishandled. This is our finest ale," Valtor said as he pointed to the bottle. "It was made by our most experienced brewers and is a symbol of our friendship. We hope you will enjoy it. But I wonder if you are interested in trade between our countries?" The envoys looked at each other and then back at Valtor. They seemed surprised by the question, but Valtor knew it was important to deepen contact between the countries and benefit from the knowledge and technology of the foreign people. "A trade between our countries?" asked one of the emissaries. "I think that might be possible. What do you have in mind?" Valtor smiled and pointed to the crystal. "I think we could start by agreeing on a trade of crystals and other gems," he said. "And perhaps we can benefit from your advanced technology as well."*
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### Institute-Noscura First Contact (703 PC)

> *A warm summer wind carried the smell of sickness across the shores of Procygis. A wide bellied merchant's vessel had made an emergency landing, and as the ship moored itself, a heavy, rotund man rushed down to the dock. He bore colorful and expensive silks, and despite is natural insusceptibility to the heat, the man sweat profusely as he searched for a figure of authority.*
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> *703 PC, in the recently colonised Procygis, a man was sighted just outside the city walls, desperate for shelter and nutrition. The man was quickly brought into the city's hospitals, where cooled towels were placed upon his forehead to ease his temperatures. The Envoys (Institute diplomats/cultural scientists) first identified the man as from Ha Irunah, but it was quickly revealed that it was not the case - this had become a First Contact. The Chief Envoy of Procygis, 1st Envoy Pajikon (A Pjuurak) was notified of this, and when the man gained back consciousness, Pajikon moved to greet the man.* *"Welcome, Mr Foreigner, we are the Institute, the Spiritual Home of All the World's Philosophers. This is our city of Procygell, of which you were found outside, unconscious. Please do rest, for our Archivists (natural philosophers/scientists) say you are still quite dehydrated and high in temperature - though we must ask where you are from and who you are." He speaks in the Ha Iruna tongue, the only known language originating from the continent of Cygis.*
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> *The man, familiar with the language of the Nhocki of Ha Irunah uses this tongue to speak. "I thank you friend for the aid, and I would beg more of it. You see it is not I in desperate need, but my son. We are merchants, hailing from the far off coasts of the Noscuran Empire. We come to this land in truly desperate need. A sickness has taken root upon our ship. When the first rowman fell ill, I assumed it to be a strange flu native to these southern islands upon which we trade. I watched that man die a horrid death, and now it has spread across my crew." The man's eyes well up with tears, his voice cracking in desperation. "My son! My boy is now stricken to his bunk aboard my ship. Please! You must help him. I have goods I will trade for your healers prowess! Silks from Novaruk, paper from Khedris, any all I will give to save my son!"*
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> *"We will of course try our best in healing your sick boy, we only wish that you become our guide to your - Noscuran Empire - in the future. Unfortunately, however, the symptoms you have told us do not quite match with any illnesses recorded on our Archives; it seems the best we can do is to cool the body's temperature, keep supplying the nutrition it needs, and to keep the room and its surroundings hygienic. We will dispatch several Archivists in Humanoid Biology and Envoys to act as healers and translators, but under the assumption that your crewmates are still functional, you must instruct your men to follow our directions. I must warn you, however, that all we are doing is increasing the odds of his survival - we cannot guarantee his survival."*
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> *"Anything you wish, if it is in my power to give." The blubbering man leads the Archivists back to a wide, single mast ship. Rows of oar slits would speak of a full crew of perhaps 30-40 people. Yet none are visible moving about deck. The smell of sickness and death carries with the wind. The group boards the vessel, and as they enter the hull, the moans of the dying can be heard echoing through the wooden chambers. In the captains modest quarters, lies a boy. Perhaps 12 years of age, his skin is deathly pale. White pox dot the gaunt form, which breaths in irregular wheezes. "Please, he is all I have left." the merchant begs as he collects his maps and charts.*
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> *The Archivists order the remaining functional crew to start mopping the rooms, cleaning it of any dust. They then instruct them to locate a source of fresh water, using distilled tree saps and ocean water if none could be found. Food, in the form of porridge and fresh fruits, were to be given at regular intervals, forced down if necessary. Distilled alcohol was used to treat any wounds or poxes that popped, while anyone entering the diseased ship was instructed to wear cotton-papyrus blended masks and gloves when tending to patients. The father was instructed to keep away from the son to avoid infection. All the while, Archivists were recording the symptoms of the crew in detail on their papyrus books, hoping to find a cure if the disease ever managed to spread to the Institute.*
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> *The son's condition did not improve, but it did not worsen as treatment went on. The crew cleaned much of the ship under the directive of the Archivists, although more fell sick. In the meantime, the Merchant presented to the Archivists his charts and maps. "You have already dealt with the Nhokchi, whom are a beneficial trading partner of the Empire. I have been there many times, and know the route well back to my home port of Ostican." He points to the circled area on the map. "From the mouth of this river, simply called the 'Irunah' by my unimaginative people, one would sail eastwards. You may dot the coasts as needed, yet few peoples along this coast are very welcoming to strangers, choosing to avoid contact. Eventually, you will come upon the shores of the Coastlands of Noscura. Ostican is the largest port of Noscura. Once a city of Iseres, now captured, I was born here. A son of a soldier, I grew up in the city as an occupier, yet that did not stop me from finding a wonderful Iser wife, who gave to me my beloved child. She has since passed, and now the Death and the Dark collude to take even more away from me." The Merchant grows quiet, seemingly already in a state of greif. "Have you any questions that I may attempt to answer?"*
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> *An Archivist, wearing a mask, asks first in Institute Standard, translated by an Envoy. "It seems that the disease is quite prominent in your homelands; do you have any information as to how it spreads, and what your people have done to try to combat the disease?" An Envoy this time, interested more in the map than the sickness, asks "It seems that the unexplored parts of eastern Cygis is populated with civilisations - could you perhaps provide some information on them?" A member of the Arms (military), who accompanied the group for security reasons, asked "A son of an occupier, you say; what exactly were you occupying and for what purpose?"*
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> *"I have long been away from home, and when I left the plague was but a rumor on the tongues of gossipers. To my own experience, I know my crew only grew sick, after the first man had died. Whether that man gathered the illness before we left, or if it was spread by a rat, gull, or other foul creature I can not say. My people do not have the knowledge you do, with your papyrus masks and cleanliness. I do not understand it, but if these practices aid in the combat against sickness, then my people fight at a disadvantage, for they have none of this."* *"The eastern coasts of my homelands are primarily the lands of Kantamia. Ruled by citylords under the names of 'Luwars' these people have been a trade partner with mine own for generations. Further north, there are more civilizations, although most are rudderless. I personally believe a collapse of their nations is imminent. Inland, and north from my home of Ostican, lies the Novaruk Desert, ancestral home of the Noscuri. Northwards of that, along the Old Road will lead you to the lands of Vulrazhir, populated by the mighty Vazhenem."* *"Noscura has long been a nation of ambition. First Emperor Aldron Tayn had led us against the Iser people of what I call the 'Coastlands' in a bid to claim their shores. You see, for all of our history the Noscuri had been confined between mountains and foreigners. One of these was more susceptible to our armies than the other, and the draw of the sea was greater than any hesitations we might have had when faced with Iseres' meager armies. So Tayn's son, Rykand marched south, and General Wylnir's forces marched east, and between them they crushed Iseres, and now those lands are occupied. Soon after, I was born. There are great changes brewing in Noscuri, the issue of citizenship for the once foreigners, now downtrodden occupied peoples is on the minds and mouths of many. Until such a time they are counted among the Noscuri, I would imagine the occupying guard will keep their hands upon their weapons when faced with what can only be a miserable people we have captured."*
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> *The Archivists present were vigilantly scribbling down what the merchant was saying on their books, of how the disease spread from one man to the entire crew, about the civilisations of Kantamia and Vulrazhir, and of Noscuria's conquests of Iseres. The response was mixed between Archivists, Envoys, and Arms; the Archivists were terrified at the prospect that the disease might turn out to be highly infectious and deadly, and immediately dispatched messenger birds to watch out for any signs of this disease. The envoys were fascinated by the tales of these new civilisations, and discussed a possible tour around the continent's east with the merchant. The Arms were relieved that the Noscuri did not pose a naval threat, and that the powerful military of theirs were too far away to reach Procygis.* *To the institutemen's unknowing, however, the crewmates of the ship had shooed away any rats when they were instructed to clean the ship, some of them heading to the countryside and the cities in search of rice and other foods. Before the archivists' findings were sent to the Procygis headquarters, the mice had already infiltrated into the city and port.*
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> *More of the remaining crew died, and few if any remained without symptoms. Yet a small number's conditions improved. As the son's condition stagnated, the Merchant held fast to some hope that the son would count among the survivors when all was said and done. This hope fueled the man's curiosity. "Pray tell, yours is a people the Noscuri have little if any prior knowledge from our dealings in the wide world. Who are you? Where are you from? What are your ambitions and aspirations?"*
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> *"We are the Institute, the spiritual home of all the world's philosophers. We come from beyond the Southern Oceans on an island called Devin, on which our capital is located. Our mission is to gather all the world's knowledge in hopes of both deciphering our ancient artifact, the Elder Texts, and to use these knowledge to better the lives of all the peoples of the world. For the Institute does not exist for one people - but all peoples." The merchant then looks around to find the institutemen varied in its species - Avalons, Pjuuraks, Stryngers, Anstrians, and Kanha - were all working in unison to learn about the disease and to best mitigate its symptoms.*
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> *"Cooperation, coordination, diversity. Worthy tenements of a worthy group. I believe one day my nation may discover the benefits of such things. In truth I believe that day may be on neigh. Yet I also believe... no. I* know *that it will cost blood. Not the blood of the wealthy and powerful. Not the blood of the Governors, Honorable, or the members of the Board. It will be the blood of the people that buys our future. We will bleed so that our children may tread upon an earth watered by our sacrifice."* *But it was not for the Merchant. In spite of the hope he held, his son died the next day. A grief stricken man lost any will to go on. However, in perhaps a strange and cruel sort mercy, mere hours passed from the son's last breaths to the appearance of a white pox across the merchant. And in this he knew he would not long be left waiting to pursue his son's soul.* *To the Archivists "My friends, I thank you for your efforts. For all that you have done for me and continue to do for others. I express regret as I fear I have brought a dread plight to your people. I will not, I think, survive long enough to see the consequences of my landing at your shores. However, when I was in need, you were there. For that you will have my eternal gratitude, for whatever it's worth. Should you arrive at the shores of Noscura, the city of Ostican or anywhere along the road to the glorious white city of Elaysia, I would give you a gift. I am a man of significant... influence. Speak the name of Rutth Fissar, and my allies will find you. They will aid you as much as they can."* *"In my people's faith, we believe the souls of those humble enough to accept it are taken to the Realm of Death and into the Dark, a place of unknowing. All my life I have feared this place, but I do so no longer. For my son is there, and I will join him. We will make that journey together, for I know he will wait for me. Before I set upon this journey, I grant you the possesion of this ship, save a small stipend for any surviving crew, so that they may make the journey to wherever they wish. If my charts, maps, and notes prove insufficient, is there be anything else I may aid you with? Answers I may provide?"*
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> *"A patient must be resting, further stress will only worsen your conditions." The Archivist replies in crude Iruna that he had learned during his time with the merchant. "You must make it out alive; if only to keep your promise to show us the wonders of your exotic civilisation." As another pox pops, it is quickly treated with distilled alcohol, but signs of pox are starting to be visible on the archivist's skin. That day, a small window was cut out in the captain's room to allow him to witness the burning of his son's corpses along with his dead crewmates, forming a large bonfire that produced a chimney of black smoke that filled the air. "The dead infectees must burn, or they will only act to spread the infection further." The archivist explains.*
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> *Rutth stares out at the pyre, if only to avoid looking at the growing signs of sickness upon his caretaker “Your knowledge of these things is astonishing. How did your people come by it? Was it in these Elder Texts you speak of?”*
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> *"We do not know what knowledge the Elder Texts hold; it is written in symbols and imagery that are entirely foreign even to us, who have travelled 6 continents to find hints as to its decipherment. Our search for knowledge could be said to originate from our ancestors' will to decipher these texts, hypothesising, experimenting, and analysing all that we know or could know - and while there has been little progress in the decipherment itself, the journey to it might perhaps be the greatest gift that these enigmatic Elders gave us; it allowed us and motivated us to seek for knowledge, and in the process learn of ways to best treat you and your son."*
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> *"A truly noble pursuit, even should you never find the answers you would have provided much to the world, as I am now a witness." Rutth breathes deeply before a storm of coughs overtakes him. As he recovers, the last vestige of flames dies.* *"My people have no clear goal set before them. Yet it does not mean they struggle helplessly. Worship is a taboo to the Noscuri, yet reverence... reverence is ubiquitous. And in a world where the moon, stars, the wind, and the very earth beneath our feet are each and all a titanic presence on both the physical world and the minds of each living being, my people ask 'Why not us? Are we truly fated to a brief life that would bear no mark of our passing upon this world?' That is our shared purpose, I think. A collective struggle, a cry into the Dark of such volume that someone will hear. A gash laid upon the earth so that someone will see of our passing."* *Rutth turns back to his caretaker. Eyes taking in the growing sickness. "Yet, as a dying man, I see now that in our struggle for impact we change more than we control. A decision, one made in urgency and terror will have changed this world. The ramifications of my landing will reach far beyond what I myself would have imagined, even if I had taken the time to consider it. An intended result? No. But a result none the less, and from me. I have many regrets, as all the old do, but chief among them at this moment is that I may be responsible for snuffing out from the world, your kindness. So I would ask you, my compassionate caretaker, have you a name that you might share with me? A name I would take responsibility for as I pass from this Realm to the Death?"*
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> *"I am 2nd Archivist Orlon of the Institute. And they, are 2nd Archivist Pijiik, 3rd Archivist Jora, 3rd Archivist Pylon, 3rd Envoy Kahina, 4th Armer Urpiri, 3rd Archivist Seno, ..." As Orlon recites the full list of all the personnel deployed to cure the Noscurans, he begins to cough. "Not to mention your crewmates, those whose names I do not know, who helped to create the environment optimal for recovery." An instituteman then knocks on the door, who whispers urgent news to Orlon. Slightly terrified, slightly relieved, Orlon turns back to the merchant. "I have just received word that we are not to return to Procygis, for it has undergone quarantine; we are to escort all survivors and patients to a temporary camp made outside the city. But in my professional opinion, this ship is in much better condition to act as a hospital..." he looks at his own pox on this arms, "for me and my team. May I entrust our lives to your surviving crew, who will be instructed on how we will be cared for?"*
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> *"You can. They know that you are the reason they live, so you will have the best care they can provide." Rutth's next wrack of coughs leaves an alarming amoun blood upon his sleeve, which he examines in faint curiosity. "I am sorry Orlon, for what I have brought to you all. However, I am not sorry that I have met you. I bid you fair winds, and stable ground beneath your feet. I bid that the Moon and Stars will guide your path. Until we meet agian, in the Realm of Death."* *Rutth's eyes close, as the man begins to fall into a deep slumber. The pauses between the rising of his chest grow, until the man breathes no longer.*
>
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### Institute Grand Tour of Eastern Cyge (759~761 PC)

> *On 759 PC, an expedition was set up by the Institute Speakership with the aid of Rutth's Trading Company, a man whom the Institute had attempted to cure of the Cygian Plague. Relaying the Institute's wishes to partake on a voyage east, the company assured that the Noscuran Empire would be looking forward to mediate exchanges between it and the other two powers of the east: Kantamia and Vulrazhir. Wishing to learn the continent's peoples, cultures, and technologies, the expedition was headed by Head Envoy Rimi (An Anstrian) and Head Archivist Kajiik (A Pjuurak), who set sail aboard a fleet of Institute ships. Its fleet left the harbours of Procygis planning to travel the nations of Noscura, Kantamia, and Vulrazhir, in order. Their mission: to spread the knowledge of the Institute's existence and its splendour, to gather knowledge of these civilisations both cultural and technological, to spread the use of Institute Metric, and to invite willing immigrants to the Institute, particularly their engineers, scientists, and mages.*
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#### 1. Institute-Noscura Second Contact

> *The Grand Tour's first destination was Noscura. The only empire known directly to the Institute, their people were short and tan mammalian humanoids of blonde. Sailing by their shores, the Grand Tour could see that their cities were densely packed, with little space between their tall buildings, connected with what appeared to be narrow, cobbled streets. As the fleet neared the port through which Rutth's Trading Company had its headquarters, Head Envoy Rimi prepared gifts to be presented to the Noscuran people and government as a sign of goodwill - the Cisvoirum (telescope), the Metrum Rod and Papers, a Spiritorium (Crystal balls that make a trail of light when spirits pass through it), and an Institute Standard-Noscuran dictionary, made of Chalcipapyrae (chalked papyrus) paper. On the docks, the mayor of the city and head of Rutth's Trading Company had come out to greet these foreign ships, surrounded by a mob of curious onlookers.* *"Greetings, your excellencies of the powerful Noscura, we are men from the Institute, a nation to the far west beyond the continent and its southern ocean, the spiritual home of all the world's philosophers. These are our gifts to you, for they are what we value most - knowledge. This Cisvoirum grants knowledge of the far, the Metrum Rod gives knowledge of measurement, the Spiritorium grants knowledge of the unseen, and this dictionary gives knowledge of our language." Head Envoy Rimi speaks in simple Noscuran to the mayor and the head of the trading company.*
> *Noscura has never been shy in it's acceptance of visitors, and no exception was made at the arrival of the Institute's representatives. Rutth Fissar had been an influential and well loved man. The news of his passing had been met with great sorrow, yet the news of his care takers had bought good will with the people of the Coastlands. For many of the Noscurans, the diversity of the Institute representatives stood out the most. The collection of different peoples brought together for their common goal was something that had inspired Fissar, and so too did it inspire many of the newly unified Noscurans. For a number of Noscurans' the allure of the Institute would prove effective in attracting scientists to it's ranks. It is unknown how many if any mages may have also taken this offer, as at the time Noscura had no records of their presence. Still, the overall arrival of the Institute proved very popular. It helped that the Institute's gifts seemed well thought. The Metrum Rod and Papers, Spiritorium, and dictionary were all treasured objects, but it was the Cisvoirum that had grasped hold of the Noscurans. This object would be carefully brought back to Novaruk, where it remained for many centuries as a tool for both science and spirit. The Institute's Metric system of measurement grew popular in the following decades, before it became a standard system used across the Empire. The Institute's polite and respectful conduct won them many favors among the elites, including the City Lord of Ostican, who ordered his personal house to accompany the Institute along their further journeys. In preparation for their arrival, guides and translators had been assembled from Hirvwey and Bast as experts in Vulrazhir and Kantamia respectfully. Thus, a Noscuran escort parted from the Osticanian docks alongside the Institute's vessels, who traveled east and north around the Kantamian Horn to arrive at the ports of Noscura's oldest ally.*
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#### 2. Institute-Kantamia First Contact

> *The Grand Tour's next destination was Kantamia. Traveling on Noscuran ships, the Noscuran host explained that their people were mamalian humanoids of olive skin, who liked to dress in clothes made of their traditional Haku plant. Sailing by their shores, the Grand Tour could see that their cities were busy with colour, constructed mostly of clay and wood with some signs of stone structures. Standing tall above the cityscape was a terraced pyramidal structure, which was assumed to serve a religious purpose. As the fleet neared the port, Head Envoy Rimi prepared gifts to be presented to the Kantamian people and government as a sign of goodwill - the Cisvoirum (telescope), the Metrum Rod and Papers, a Spiritorium (Crystal balls that make a trail of light when spirits pass through it), and an Institute Standard-Noscuran dictionary, made of Chalcipapyrae (chalked papyrus) paper. The Noscuran host prepared to translate between the Grand Tour and the Kantamians, who had come out to greet the Noscuran fleet.* *"Greetings, your excellencies of the wealthy Kantamia, we are men from the Institute, a nation to the far west beyond the continent and its southern ocean, the spiritual home of all the world's philosophers. These are our gifts to you, for they are what we value most - knowledge. This Cisvoirum grants knowledge of the far, the Metrum Rod gives knowledge of measurement, the Spiritorium grants knowledge of the unseen, and this dictionary gives knowledge of our language." Head Envoy Rimi speaks, which the Noscuran host quickly translates into Kantamian.*
> NTBD
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#### 3. Institute-Vulrazhir First Contact

> *The Grand Tour's final destination was Vulrazhir. Traveling on Noscuran ships, the Noscuran host explained that their people, the Vazhanem, were vampiric humanoids of stony grey skin and white hair, who fed on blood as it was the sole food with the nutrients necessary to sustain their homeostasis. Hearing of this fact, the Institute prepared clotted cattle blood, a common Institute cooking ingredient and preservative used to season stew. Sailing by their shores, the Grand Tour could see that their cities were imposing, as if to instill great fear and awe to all those who looked at it. As the fleet neared the port, Head Envoy Rimi prepared gifts to be presented to the Vanazhem people and government as a sign of goodwill - the Cisvoirum (telescope), the Metrum Rod and Papers, a Spiritorium (Crystal balls that make a trail of light when spirits pass through it), and an Institute Standard-Noscuran dictionary, made of Chalcipapyrae (chalked papyrus) paper. The Noscuran host prepared to translate between the Grand Tour and the Vazhanem, who had come out to greet the Noscuran fleet.* *"Greetings, your excellencies of the mighty Vulrazhir, we are men from the Institute, a nation to the far west beyond the continent and its southern ocean, the spiritual home of all the world's philosophers. These are our gifts to you, for they are what we value most - knowledge. This Cisvoirum grants knowledge of the far, the Metrum Rod gives knowledge of measurement, the Spiritorium grants knowledge of the unseen, and this dictionary gives knowledge of our language." Head Envoy Rimi speaks, which the Noscuran host quickly translates into their tongue.*
> *Vulrazhir’s delegates abroad had gotten wind of a sort of tour that an advanced civilization was taking of their homeland. So, the port of Zalmunok prepared itself to receive a fleet of Noscuran ships that was reportedly carrying these strange peoples. When the ships appeared on the horizon, the Vazhanem stationed in the port unfurled the banners of Vulrazhir and the colours of Noscura in order to welcome the guests.* *It was around dusk when the visitors disembarked, and they greeted the Vazhanem with great courtesy. The Sovereign stepped forward, eager to meet them in person. He speaks to them in his native tongue, which the Noscuran interpreter translates. “Greetings friends, we are honoured to welcome you into our nation. You honour us further with these generous gifts of knowledge. I am Vulassael, Sovereign of this land. In an age like this, we desire nothing more than further enlightenment. Come, we have prepared a feast for you within this city’s Great Hall. We realize our dietary habits may not be compatible with your race, but we have a few delicacies that we may share.” The Sovereign leads them through the streets to the feast, and the people gaze at the Diplomats with curiosity. However, they cannot seem to shake the feeling that they are being watched from the shadows.* *Within the hall, the diplomats see a great feast of meat arrayed before them. They are served alongside some Norsumerian dishes imported from the south. One particular delicacy stands out, what the Vazhanem call Jazenemaki. Sovereign Vulassael speaks up once more. “I hope this feast is to your liking. Sit, and we may talk a while. I wish to learn everything there is to know about your nation. Moreover, I wish to know what you seek to learn in a place such as this.” “I see, so that is what you seek. Unfortunately, I will have to decline your offer. Our measurements have been with us for many millennia, and it would not do us any good to adopt a new system. As for the scholars… you will not find many here. The ones you do find though serve me alone. Our precursors have worked hard to keep Vulrazhir a tight-knit community, and it is unlikely you will find anyone here to sail to far off lands.” The Sovereign thinks for a moment. “However, if you truly wish to conduct studies on our people, you will find a large number of mercenaries within these lands. Take them, they inspire nothing but disobedience within our ransk, so perhaps they shall serve your purposes better. Do not worry, a single Vazhanem’s military knowledge is great, and you will surely benefit from the experience of a full company of mercenaries.”*
>
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### Institute-T'kko First Contact (914 PC)

> *As the East Kashar Collapse is being researched, a new question began to be asked - does civilisation exist on its Western Coast? While the question dates back several centuries ago, only now has the Institute found the resources and technologies necessary to travel past the harsh waves of the Stepstone Isles on which Probarasidis is located. A revived Institute expedition, carrying gifts of High-grade Steel tools, the Metrum Rod and Paper, several Bronze Cisvoirae (telescopes), Spiritoriae (Crystal balls that trace light when spirits pass through), and an armillary sphere, is launched beyond the Stepstones, sailing northward as it traced the continent's coasts.* *The captain of the voyage, First Envoy Iprim (An Anstrian), aided by Second Admiral Kalina (A Strynger) and Second Archivist Sauron (An Avalon), with several dozens of crewmen of 8 different species tasked in diplomatic conduct, archiving the voyage, maintaining the ship, charting maps, and defending the crew from hostile threats, was aboard the medium-sized triremes, which had been modified to be round on its floor to better sail the high seas. While for weeks after their departure from Probarasidis they could not find anything, they finally spotted small settlements of cattle herds, tents, and lizardlike humanoids tending to them. Traveling some more and looking through his Cisvoirum, Iprim could make out a small port city in the distance. Attempting a docking, the Institutemen rehearsed their Rusmenstari language, for it was the language of the civilisation nearest to this newfound people.*
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> *The approaching fleet spots little activity during their journey along the western coast. Occasionally, groups of these lizard-like creatures can be seen traveling or tending to small herds of animals, but somehow there are few traces of larger settlements, at least along the coastal regions. So, when they finally come into view of a port town, they are - unknowingly - already deep within T'kko territory.* *The town has little in the way of defensive structures: simple, mudstone walls; no towers to warn of impending attacks by land or sea; and no weapons aimed at the docks. Institute ships are thus free to approach. On their way, they pass a number of small posts driven into the waters of the bay, marked with colorful pennants and with fishing nets stretching between them. The town, too, flies a great number of banners and flags.* *By the time the Institute ships actually dock, a small crowd of these lizard-like creatures has gathered to greet the new arrivals.*
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> *Seeing no apparent figure of authority among the gathered masses, First Envoy Iprim speaks out loud in the Rusmenstari tounge, both verbally and telepathically.* *"We are men from the Institute, sent here to explore the coastline and deliver gifts of knowledge to any civilisation that may remain. Who amongst you may speak on behalf of your splendid people, so that we may discover much about each other?"*
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> *Reception of the envoys is, at first, slow; wary, even. Among the gathered crowd, a small group stirs. Their forearms are adorned with white wraps and bangles, and they all carry short spears tipped with curved blades. But upon hearing the envoy's words, a sense of recognition goes through the gathered natives. They seem to relax, and telepathic feedback washes over the Institute crew: like a myriad of minds, linked together, probing and seeking out something strange and foreign, but not dissimilar. Eventually, after what appears to be a short moment of silent deliberation, two of the lizard-people step forward. One bows their head; presumably it is their voice that resonates in the envoy's head even as it speaks in an unknown tongue, full of clicking sounds. They large shawl around their shoulders carries the same colors and symbols of one of the banners fluttering in the wind behind them.* *"Hail, travellers. We are T'kko of the Reach. I am Naak of the Riders, chosen as the Hand of my people and as such I shall greet and welcome you. You speak the language of our southern neighbors, but you are not of them. Come and rest, that we may speak." The invitation seems to have been communicated not only to the envoys, but to the other T'kko as well. A line opens as the crowd splits.*
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> *"Thank you, T'kko of the reach, we will happily sample your hospitality. In return for your kindness, we feel obliged to return in kind - on those ships are gifts we have prepared to sow friendship amongst our people." Institutemen wearing white robes with green circles began to write on papyrus books, debating amongst themselves what symbol to use for those unusual clicking sounds of the T'kko. As they have began to speak verbally in their own language but telepathically in Rusmenstari, their method of communications was enough to provide insights into their language.* *Several gifts from the ships were laid out in front of the Hand of the T'kko - Steel swords and plows, a Bronze Cisvoirum (Telescope), a Spiritorium (Crystal balls that trace light when spirits pass through), an Armillary Sphere with the map of the stars of both the northern and southern hemisphered etched on its rings, and the Metrum Rod and Papers. "While these objects do not appear great in material value, these hold centuries of our wisdom and knowledge of our Institute. These objects will help you defend and farm, see further than your naked eye in distance and the unseen world, read the way of stars, and measure everyday objects with great ease and accuracy."*
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> *The gifts brought are accepted, and inspected. The telescope and armillary sphere in particular seem to capture the interest of the T'kko, even though the mention of 'see further than your naked eye in distance' elicits a collective reaction akin to a slight pursing of the mouth accompanied by a soft tongue-click against teeth: tsk-tsk-tsk. It will take the Institute envoys a little to figure out it's the T'kko version of a laugh.* *Gifts are returned as well, perhaps more simple and less scientifically inclined that those brought: necklaces of tsen hair adorned with bones, colored precious stone, and silver; two booklets (made of coarse plant fiber, the edges affixed to a stone roller) scribbled densely with colored inks; urns with indents to measure its contents. Further behind, by the town proper (if one can call it such), food is prepared; and the envoys are invited.*
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> *The envoys, clearly tired from eating only hardtack, sauerkraut, and salted pork for the past few weeks, are delighted to indulge in some real food. The food is eaten with utmost gratitude and haste, with some breaking protocol to ask for more. As the feast slowly comes to a close, a few archivists ask to as to the contents of the booklets given to them, and if possible, to learn the T'kko written language as separate from their spoken form.*
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> *The food is simple, perhaps, by Institute standards; but it is warm, fresh, and filling nonetheless. As they sit and eat with the T'kko tribe the envoys may notice a few strange - for them - customs. T'kko come and go, joining or leaving rather freely. It seems to be an open-door meeting. Even later on, when the archivists ask their questions, T'kko still come and go, to listen in or, presumably, comment. Furthermore, it does not take long for the telepaths among the Institute envoys to notice a subtle, yet pervasive "mental buzz." The town, however small, is positively alight with telepathic activity. and finally, towards the tail end of the feast, a sizeable group of those same T'kko from before, armed with short spears, make their way to an open space nearby and engage in what can only be described as highly ritualized combat training. They chant - a deep, throaty sound punctuated with clicks - as they perform what appears to be standardized, highly detailed back-and-forths of blade against blade.* *The archivists questions are answered by Naak himself as well as a few others. Some of these were present at the initial arrival of the Institute envoys, others have joined over time. If the envoys seek to gleam anything about these people's hierarchy, the best they could probably come up with is that it's rather flat, rather complex, or both. Still, their questions are answered, and readily so. Telepathic archivists may even sense a swell of pride and profound respect when the T'kko say that those two booklets contain the wisdom of Qoé - the many paths. Translation is difficult, here: some T'kko use the Rusmenstar word for "belief," others for "religion," but some others say "community" or "behavior." What is unmistakable is that the ideas contained in the booklets hold great value to these people.* *The T'kko writing itself is dense, flowing, and colorful. Inks of multiple colors are used freely and interchangeably throughout the text, and the letters flow seamlessly into one another. It quickly becomes apparent that it's an alphabetic script with relatively few sounds and, seemingly, free if Rusmenstar influences. It can only reproduce T'kko sounds, suggesting that words will be transliterated.* *In turn, the T'kko - the Hand, first, in a more informal manner, and other T'kko afterwards, more informally - ask what brings the envoys here and what their intentions are. Yo explore, of course - but the T'kko explain that after the Long Dark, only they remain. They knew of other people to the north and east, but they are all gone now.*
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> *The Envoys and Archivists start talking about the East Kashar Collapse. "This continent, Kashar, is facing a strange danger. Though it is under investigation, civilisations all over the eastern coast of Kashar have all collapsed, leaving behind ruins and empty cities. We fear that such event might have happened here on the western coast, and have come here to investigate whether our hypothesis is true, and to make contact with any remaining civilisations should they exist. Thankfully, by your existence we can see that the collapse wasn't as severe here, but the fates of your neighbouring nations might still be proof that the collapse spans the entire continent."* *Meanwhile, the telepathic buzz that the archivists were hearing piqued their interest, and they have started investigating the phenomenon using Immatervoirae; pairs of glasses that allow them to view the immaterial world with great accuracy.*
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> *"We know of this danger," the T'kko reply. Naak himself continues: "For almost ten years the long winter enveloped us. Our beasts died; snow and frost descended from the mountaintops as the sun was obscured. Our brethren east traded with a people called Castoreans, but their mountain halls lie abandoned now. My clade, in ancient times, made contact with a people north of here. Their great cities now lie in ruins, half-buried by sand and ash.* He pauses, and another - one of two seemingly close advisors, who had been around since the first meeting with the envoys, continues seamlessly: "Your people may rest here for a while, you are welcome. And when you wish to travel further north, our kin will extend the same hospitality to you."\* *Looking at the town with glasses that reveal immaterial energy may almost daze the archivists. A myriad strands of telepathic links connect every single T'kko to others. It is almost as if the consciousness of one flows into that of the next. Even more so, the open space where the armed T'kko perform their exercises glows brightly with rare intensity; the ritual combat and spiritual exercise in which they engage is clearly immaterial and telepathic as well.*
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> *"Ah, the Little Ice Age, where volcanic ash did wonders to degrade sunlight and denying agricultural produce the much needed energies to grow. It is written in our history books as one of our darkest times, only rivalled by the Cygian Plague, but when contrasted with records from other nations like the Ha Irunah, Avalonia, or the Echo, we seem to have gotten the weakest blow. What damage it must have done to the already stagnating civilisations when it had nearly collapsed these nations as well."* *The Archivists start to take notice of the telepathic buzz as originating from a strange line that connected this people; perhaps their Souls were inherently bound together from birth. Those possessing the largest and densest souls seemed to be martial artists, who trained their soul like any soldier would their body. A war fought in the immaterial realm seemed cataclysmic, but any information on this would certainly give them a military edge against their rival on their home island. Archivists approached the group telepathically as they were taking a rest from the heavy exercises.*
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> *The mention of a plague seems to surprise the T'kko. They have not heard of it, and neither has it befallen them in secret; no great illness has thinned their ranks. Seemingly, the western parts of the continent have been spared this ill fate. The mention of other nations, too, intrigues these people. Besides Rusmenstar to the south, they say, all other local civilizations have crumbled one way or another: devolved into scattered tribes barely aware of their own past, or all fallen prey to some cataclysm or the other. In turn, the T'kko ask about the Institute and about Devin, and already speak of informing their kin - clades, they call them - to spread further east-wards, to explore the shores beyond the Onshkad mountains. A tribe of people who built dams and fortresses into the mountainsides used to live there.* *Exchange with what appear to be warriors of the T'kko is... difficult. They readily speak about themselves and their duties. Stariates, they are called, after the weapon they carry. 'This,' one of them says, and offers an archivist to inspect one of them. It is a sort of short spear, meant to be wielded in one hand. The leaf-shaped tip extends on one side into a long blade, allowing both chopping and thrusting attacks. However, the group refuses to go in-depth about the nature and content of their exercises, or about what their training entails. 'To know is to be dedicated,' one of them says, and it seems that she carries in her words the telepathic weight of the whole group. 'Only through dutiful service can enlightenment come.' Whatever that means.*
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> *"We, the Institute, is the Spiritual Home of All the World's Philosophers. Those who wish to learn about the world and all the things within it come to study them, where its study has borne the fruits of knowledge and civilisation for the common good of all - our ability to grow crops, ability to heal the sick, ability to view the unseen world - all originated from this central practice of seeking the truth. We do not discriminate against any species within the Institute; any amongst you who wish to join our great endeavor is more than welcome to do so. Devin is where the Institute began, and is shared by Aangtje-te to the north, who have failed to overcome the great plague and has since collapsed, and the Avalonian Republic, who in their pride and fear shun themselves from the world and other peoples and zealously defend their ignorance of magic and mob rule. If you wish to explore the greater world yourselves, the Institute will be more than happy to aid you, for we have established many outposts around the world - in exchange, we only ask that you open your ports as we will."* *Meanwhile, the Institute envoys seem to have hit a dead end with the 'Stariates', who refuse to share their crafts, only insinuating that knowledge of it is only to be shared to those among them and who vow to keep such knowledge away from outsiders. Thus, they try a new tactic - offering gifts. They try first with the Metrum Rod, which originally was meant to act as a unit of measurement, but has since turned into a strange exercising equipment. They try second with various Herbal Blends, designed to calm the mind and focus on the soul, enhancing telepathic abilities for both medical and theraputic purposes.*
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> *The T'kko listen intently and ask questions about the other people of Devin and the islands. They are interested in hearing about the conflict between the Institute and Avalonia in particular. A few of what the Institute envoys say, however, seems to elicit some worry.* *"Our people have fought amongst themselves too, in the past," they explain. "For eight generations we were divided, the banners torn, the clades shattered. There is no good that can come of division," and while it is one of these T'kko that explains this, the very real weight of the entire community - an awareness of shared grief - lies in his words and his thoughts. He explains as well that the T'kko will open their ports to the Institute, but that they wish not to have any part in this conflict.* *The Stariates are unmoved. Offering gifts variably amuses, offends, or simply fails to interest them. However, the calming herbs are at least of some interest. After some back and forth, the T'kko state that they would be willing - happy, even - to teach a small group of envoys the tenets of their philosophy, which they call Qoè. However, they ask that the scholars interested in these teachings and in learning their psionic rituals live and train and study with them - not for a few days, or weeks, but for a long period so as to understand Qoè properly.*
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> *"We the Institute greatly respect your neutrality in our conflict - however, we cannot speak for the Avalonians. It is their habit to raid and plunder weak and defenceless civilisations when their own treasury empties in their ignorance and mismanagement - the best I and the Institute can do is warn you of a universal truth - one cannot stay neutral unarmed. Perhaps our continued commerce will aid you in helping defend yourself. As for the cases of our scholars joining your Stariates, we will happily select volunteers to stay with your people, learning your Qoe philosophy and arts. It would only be right for us to return the favour, however - if any of your people wish to join us back to the Institute to learn of our ways and teach us of yours, it would greatly benefit both our peoples."*
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> *"When attacked, we will retaliate. When our people are in danger, we shall defend ourselves." Once more the statement is delivered with confidence; a mental ripple of sorts accompanies it, a psionic addendum that carries certainty. "We will not let others drag us into conflicts in far-away lands, however. But to trade and exchange knowledge, we are always happy. We will bring these words to the council, that our fellow clades may also select some of us to send. When you next come to trade, we will be happy to accept your envoys, and send ours."*
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> *And with the agreement reached, the Institute Envoys and Archivists were satisfied of their successes, and after enjoying great T’kko hospitality and a few minor expeditions to their neighbouring clans, the Institute left again for their homelands. They returned a few years later, signing a formal declaration on papyrus and ink, bringing with them young and eager volunteers to learn the T’kko art of Qoe, and bringing back young and eager T’kko scholars to learn of the Institute. And thus friendship was forged on mutual understanding and thirst for knowledge, for the march of progress continues without bounds.*
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### Institute Expedition into Barasud (1101 PC)

*Further explained in this article: The Battle of the Crimson Vale*

> *On the dawn of a new millennium of 1101 PC, ambassadors from Myrklanradth came forth with an interesting offer. In Barasud, a land declared off limits for their chief inhabitants, the dwarves, were fanatically xenophobic, a strange new political climate had formed. The Orcs, intelligent species from the Barasudian interior, had gathered under leadership of a great leader, Keith, and were now threatening the Dwarves and Myrkland militarily. After their first battle, which had been disastrous, Myrklander ambassadors came to the Institute asking for military aid, in exchange for limited opening up of Barasud for scientific purposes. News of this spread throughout the Institute, where even before the decision was made by the Speakership to agree to this deal, many young adults within the Institute volunteered to join this expedition and become the first to explore the enigmatic continent. Under public pressure, the Speakership agreed to send 2 battalions of 1000(base-12) men, equipped with agnioleum hoses, steel shields, speedhorse cavalry units, and experimental weaponry such as firespirits and long-range catapults. Names the Adbarasidmilitae, the first battalion would be lead by General Hebron (Avalon), and the second by General Kano (Strynger).*
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> *Among those who volunteered and were accepted into the ranks of the Adbarasidmilitum was Uriij (Pjuurak), and his friend Pirim (Anstrian). Together they sailed on sailless Myrklander ships, eager to see the southernmost continent with their own eyes. After reaching their destination of Isvaktin, the Myrklander outpost on the Stepstones and the island on which First Contact with them had occurred, they were given further training by the Myrklander military. This was mostly focused on defending against Orcish mass attacks and keeping oneself warm from the freezing cold of the Antarctic. Uriij and Pirim would share the same room in the Isvaktin barracks, huddling together to keep warm.*
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> *One night, after a particularly exhausting drill, strange noises could be heard from outside their barracks. As it was later revealed, a distress call had come from the Dwarves, who had gathered all their remaining forces with their allies to take a last stand against Keith. In the dark and cold of the Antarctic night, Pirim and Uriij went aboard Myrklander ships, to be sailed off into their battle on the enigmatic and hostile continent.*
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> *Where the Adbarasidmilitae landed was eerily silent. Empty villages seemingly raided by Keith's orcs dotted the white landscape, though it seemed as if their population had been already evacuated. Upon reaching the dwarves' final stronghold, the generals went in to the tent in which Myrklander and Skaver generals and what seemed to be the dwarven commanders were formulating a plan. Looking around the stronghold, Uriij and Pirim could see that the mood was dire yet hopeful, and though the dwarves were kind, the disparity in language and culture still gave an air of distrust between them.*
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> *Just as Pirim and Uriij were making stew in the middle of the night, a distressing sound of horns blowing could be heard from everywhere around. A great flood of black figures - probably orcs - were advancing toward their stronghold in great speed, and everyone began hurriedly preparing their weapons. Institutemen were ordered to head to the flanks, where they would be defending the army's flanks. Uriij quickly grabbed the steel shield half taller than his height and ran to the flanks, while Pirim would quickly follow him after cleaning the hoses from which Agnioleae would be dispensed. While the night was cold and the air around them bitter cold, the bronze hose was still very warm from all the exercises and drills from Campis to Isvaktin.*
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> *Though the wall of steel shields protected the Institute military from their enemies, the atmosphere was that of fear. Though the first volleys of the catapults were fired from the distance, this only added to the fear in the air, as it only signaled the approach of the great orcish army ahead. Uriij clang tightly to his shield when the urahs of the orcs could be audible, and when their forms could be viewed with the naked eye, Pirim released a flood of fire on them, burning their lines to the ground.*
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> *However, as bodies began to mount, the orcs started using the charred corpses of their brethren as shields against the fire. Bodies pushed on the shields with sheer strength, and some shieldmen gave way to the orcs by force, who were then mauled by the clubs and swords. Uriij, whose Pjuurak body was little and ill-suited to the cold despite his genetic therapy, was the first to give way, whose body was chopped and scavenged beyond recognition.*
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> *Pirim, who was still quite far from Uriij's deathplace and was now fighting with his steel swords after his agneolea ran out, was fighting a desperate battle of survival. With a newfound Avalon friend giving his back to him, they fought off the attacking Orcs, thanks to the genetic enhancement and his inherently strong Anstrian body. While the battle was grim, long, and hard, when the sun peeked from the snowy mountains as to signal the end of the long nights of the southern continent, Pirim could see that he had been one among the lucky survivors. What were his comrades when the battle started, had mostly turned to cold corpse by dawn, mixed with the corpses of their enemies. Pirim shouted long and hard to find his friend, Uriij, but even after hours of searching by himself and several others, he was not to be found. Only after a week, when the DNAs of the corpses were analysed, could Pirim gaze upon the fragments of Uriij's fingernails.*
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> *After a week of rest, the survivors were invited to the underground cities of the Dwarves to receive gifts, honours, and to share friendship with those they had fought with. Their king, Fromuk, spoke with the help of a Myrklander audio device that amplified his voice, to thank all those who had fought to save his kingdom from total collapse. He raised his golden goblet of dwarvish ale (there were rumours that those were infact his own blood) as a cheers, to which Pirim applauded grimly. Though he had received great treasures and gifts as a result of this war, he still could not forget his friend Uriij, whose finger the Dwarves had placed in a silver box for him to keep and remember. One night, hundreds and thousands of these silver boxes were laid out as Institutemen wished for their well departure, remembering their deeds of desperate heroism. Though some Institutemen wished quickly to return to their families back on the Institute, some, including Pirim, wished to stay where his comrades had fallen. And in response to Institutemen's wishes, a tip of Barasud's peninsula near the Stepstones was granted to these veterans, who also were given the exclusive right to trade with the dwarves for their masterful smithing crafts.*
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> *Several years after the end of the battle, a small fishing village made of shapewood was constructed in their piece of Barasud, now called Sorixis (lit. Southernmostland). Pirim had now married his girlfriend back from Proanstris, and now had 4 children to bear his name. The town, though humble and meager now, would over the centuries become a shining jewel of both the Institute and Barasud, as on it rested the families of veterans who excersised their monopoly of trade with the dwarves to amass great wealth. Still, to this day, in Pirim's family mansion, a great fire burns unextinguished from centuries, with a silver box bearing the fingers of the certain Pjuurak resting upon its stone decour.*
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> *Meanwhile, after hearing of Fromuk's apparent immortality, General Hebron asked to be given a small portion of his blood. While the offer might have seemed rude, Fromuks simply laughed and cut his own palm to squeeze out some of his own blood. "You have proven yourselves worthy in battle. This, shall be your reward." The vial containing his blood was then quickly shipped off to Primellis in the Institute, where Institute Archivists worked day and night to analyse it for the secrets to immortality.*
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