>>5352147>>5351764>>5351591>>5351576>>5351574>>5351570>>5351512Drow politics are fascinating, and full of potential, but they are outside of the scope of your current mission. While the Novice may have been more right than she realized about your penchant for certain, especially-jiggly distractions, you ARE a male on a mission, and you are ever-cognizant of the ticking clock. Food and fighter srae yoru priority,a nd you make this clear:
“Our initial assault was a tremendous success,” you assert. “We lost mostly Bogbarri—the barbed devils, who are called bugbears. You provided us with only four… How you say, ‘elf-men’?”
“Zardryl actually identifies as—”
“Four warriors,” you press on, “and look at what we accomplished! For the cost of two lives, you have obtained a stronghold full of riches.”
Jazkarmel frowns slightly, but she turns over one of the rubies in his hands—a stone the size half the size of her fist, and a match to her sparkling red eyes.
“What of more practical matters?” she asks, setting the stone reluctantly down on the table. “We Drow need food more than we need fancy rocks.”
“We… Actually hoped to request rations from you,” you admit, cringing inwardly. “Our own stores run low.”
Jazkarmel’s frown deepens, her elegant eyebrows arching questioningly.
“I understand that this is counterintuitive,” you say, “but supply me elven warriors, and rations for your forces and mine, and we shall return them redoubled. Do you not think these resources can be traded for ample food from the humans of the valley?”
“The loyal children of the False Gods who abandoned us will not trade with those who serve the Gods of Evil,” she sighs. “We may take the dwarven riches, and their barren mountain-lands, but all we will do is starve to death while clad in silk and jewelry. We will leave pretty corpses, but nothing else.”
You hesitate, recalculating your gambit. You had expected greater enthusiasm from the dark elf leader, and you NEED her support… Or do you?
What do you do?
>Emphasize the dwarven theories of using orichalcum stores and networks to facilitate underground farming—there will be more food, eventually, if you can use these secrets for your own purposes!>Propose expanding into the valley-lands instead, capturing arable land and beginning to raise livestock and grow crops>Suggest the dwarves themselves as a food-source—it will do, in a pinch, though it will surely lose what little loyalty they have to you>Threaten the dark elves—they will cooperate, or they will be crushed as surely as the dwarves>Forget this—you were wrong to rely on silly, flighty elves>Write-in 