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[4/4]
Intriguingly, both the Merchanta and Medusae High Caste speak in their own dialect but seem to have no need for a translator. They must be well-versed in the language of their political rivals, of course, and you find yourself wondering if like the Dragon Guard they too have developed a coded language to use amongst themselves when the need arises. Off to the side of the Medusae party there is a smaller collection of Stratiokas soldiers of varyone rank, one of whom you recognise.
The Stratiokas officer gives you a knowing nod while the other faction leaders continue their back-and-forth, and you find yourself relieved to see a familiar face in this company. Kyrios Militades might be a godless southerner, the ancestral foe of your people, but you fought together against the beastmen on the Kings Highway all those months ago and you are in fact here on his own recommendation. He may present a third, and perhaps more neutral, option to defusing the situation that seems to be bubbly here at the steps of the Crescent Palace.
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>Bow to the Merchanta High Caste, graciously thanking them for the entertainment while you waited. While Arap Bata may have demonstrated his foolishness in this political overreach, Barak Yildirm is level-headed enough to recognise that you have given them a way out without casting aspersions or giving ground one way or the other. Such generosity deserves a reward, or at the very least an audience with an open ear. [Merchanta Favour]
>Bow to the Medusae High Caste, recognising their authority at the Palace officials best suited to judge whether an applicant to the Dragon Guard is accepted. Short of the Dragon itself, it is they who ostensibly decide where the Guard goes. The Merchanta will be displeased with your open acknowledgement of the Medusae authority and their own political misstep. The Medusae will be well pleased with whatever political ground you have helped them recover here, if they recognise that you siding with them was indeed a calculated decision and not mere adherence to your understanding of their tradition. [Medusae Favour]
>Acknowledge the Exalted Kyrio Militades, bowing to no one. You will report to the ranking officer of the Dragon Guard’s Cantonian cohort and none can gainsay your approach given your connection to Militades and his recommendation. The Medusae and Merchanta will make whatever play of this distraction they can, with their own self-interest in mind. Those foolish enough in each party may dismiss you as an unwitting barbarian, while the wiser heads in each group will recognise the calculated neutrality of your chartered course. Neither will owe you favours, but you might have earnt some recognition from the smarter ones on either side. [Militades Connection]
