Six months after the Night of the Bitter Chalice a galley called the Silver Maiden ventured over eight hundred and fifty Drakesfoots of distance to cross over from the west point to the east point of the empire's borders. Across the span of Sumelo and Apollicos' coasts, the ship crossed salt waters and shrill winds. Yet its occupants remained in high spirits upon the waves, for they had avoided all but the most common of passings in the Great South Sea. Two raids by the Lizardmen, dispatched with ease, and a single altercation with Kar'kashan slavers.
Captain Maxmilian laughed that day once the slavers had passed to see how his green porters had trembled. For those who had never met a beastkin before, the experience was quite harrowing. The creatures stood at over seven feet tall, thickly muscled and exposed. Each thumped upon the deck with the weight of a full-clad legionnaire, and they spoke in voices that growled and purred menacingly. Each of the four appeared more beast than man, with a leonid-faced monstrosity serving as their leader.
Yet while the sailors shuddered and rattled at the savages whose maws affixed hungry grins, Maximilian was steadfast and greeted the creatures with perfect suavity. To the surprise of the crew, the Kar-folk were amenable sorts, easily persuaded by the pull of coin. With a silver tongue Maxmilian convinced the beasts that their caravan was not an iron trade but mere barley and pearls. He offered the leonid beastman a cut of the stock and some added money squeezed from each crewman as well.
Once these bargains were made, the Kar'folk went on their way– to raid another ship no doubt. Captain Max gave away the last seen coordinates of another vessel at sea with the same cold-blooded ease that a gambler gives away their last Solarian dollar. Then, the two ships parted and the Silver Maiden continued her course onto Argentum— the port city adjacent to An'tia.
Yet through the thick and thin of the journey, the Silver Maiden's stowaway remained ever-prescient to every cause on board. He never betrayed fear when the Kar-folk arrived, and was well prepared for the Lizardmen's ambushes, which had sadly killed two porters on the journey.
Tenewynn sighed as his head bumped against a crate of iron again. He rolled out the kinks in his neck as the first mate approached the storage section of the galley.
"Sandwalker! Fortune smiles on you, we've arrived safely at our destination."
He pulled himself from the crawlspace and up to the first deck. There above, the sun peaked behind them and a queer white bird flew from the galley mast into the city proper.
Trenewynn walked beside the first mate towards captain Max.
"So how did you survive down there without any rations anyways? Are you a wizard?"
"Nothing so fancy, Mr. Ed, I simply survived on what fortune favored to give me."
Trenewynn's words were not entirely untrue, for in beseeching the aid of the spirits of water and earth, he received plenty of food and drink, though such actions could only be taken thrice a day.
Maximilian stood on the port hollering at porters to offload the iron ore and bring it into a large warehouse on the docks. Beside it lay an ore processing plant and a forge. Several of the Direfolk forgers worked in a sweatheavy workshop crafting everything from tools and weapons to jewelry too.
Argentum was an artisan city, where laborers of An'tia worked. Its largest population was in shipwrights who crafted their seafaring vessels to travel the South Sea and trade with Anor, the coastal Oriel city in Apollicos, and the Emirate of Sif in the far east. But shipwrights were not the only trades peddled in Argentum. The Forging guild was another large community within the city, as was the masons guild. The most lucrative trade, though fewest in volume, was the dye trade. Artisan dyers would strain, squeeze, press, and pulp various herbs and colors into cloth until each looked exceptionally bright and beautiful.
The city population was ninety-five percent male with only a few women working in the entertainment and leisure features of the city such as the taverns and brothels. Of the men, most were natives, Direfolk noted for carrying a wiry physique and a deep set gaze in their focused expressions each labored furiously to their tasks in Argentum.
The city itself served essentially as the industrial heart of An'tia, and when Trenewynn's gaze lifted to the western dales he saw a castle carved into the hills. It was set along an impossible stretch of limestone walls, smeared at places with chalk where the masonry was freshest. The walls of An'tia; completely surrounding the Heartland Valley Minor.
Trenewynn addressed the captain when he had finished sorting through the latest batch of clumsy porters.
"Captain, I've come to deliver my fee. Thank you for offering passage through the sea."
Captain Maxmilian saw the sack of coins offered him and took it with a rough snatch as he puffed his pipe.
He dumped a handful of bronze pieces into his hands to count and then tossed them into his own pouch before grabbing the next handful to count.
When he finished the process he released a firm puff from his Blackgrass pipe and muttered, "good. Then it is settled, sandwalker. Go on your business before I make an ass of you and put you to work."
With a bow, Trenewynn separated from the crew and made way for the north gate of the city. He followed the Old Helm River upstream to trace his path.
There was little of the way of trade in the city— at least, not of the sort for sale. No bustling markets or play districts. There were some recreation spots, a brothel, a bathhouse, a track for racing, and several gambling dens. But this city was bred and built for artisanship, not merchantry, and these little places were too slight to be called a proper entertainment district. All the economic affairs of the city were handled by the guilds, and most of these guilds rooted their operations in An'tia— as short a travel as forty drakefoots from Argentum.
When Trenewynn had reached the north gate he found a surprise waiting for him. A set of colored guards in fine black doublets and forest green cloaks stood before the gates at attention. A man was in the center of their vigil– and a boy. The child rushed forward recklessly to jump into Trenewynn's embrace, of which the wanderer in black and white accepted heartily.
"Mr. Trenewynn! You're back!"
"Dear little Hyacinth. What a pleasant surprise to see you my boy! How has your mother been these days?"
"Good, she's back at the manor, will you visit?"
"Oh, surely boy, for I have business in the city for at least a few days."
"Hurray! Hurray!"
The jovial boy's excitement was practically electric. Behind him a man dressed in a fine suit and adorned with golden filigree and gemstones approached. He pat the boy's shoulders and said, "now, now, Hyacinth. Trenewynn has only just arrived. Let him have a moment at least."
"But father—"
"You will have plenty of time to chat with each other in the carriage, you can wait a few more minutes in the meantime."
The boy pouted at length, then muttered, "ok. But Mr. Trenewynn has to promise to tell me all of his travels since we last saw him."
Trenewynn laughed at this and said, "very well, Hyacinth. I promise to tell you of all that I've seen since we last met."
"A promise is binding Mr. Trenewynn!"
"So I told you, and so you remember. Now, off to the carriage. Let me speak with your father for a moment."
The boy quickly darted to the carriage, leaving Trenewynn to speak with Earl Argentine. The senator's expression quickly turned serious in the absence of lighter moods.
"So, you've come, Trenewynn."
"How did you know of my arrival?"
"Ramnicus informed me."
A pause of melancholy flashed through Tenewynn's expression, "then he has committed his course."
"He already has for some two and a half years now. It was in the midst of the war with Inbal that he became involved in communications with the Heartlander kingdoms."
The two gentlemen proceeded through the city gates guarded by the Earl's elite. They spoke as they walked.
"He's making a mistake. War and bloodshed is not a path to genuine resolution."
"Unfortunately, the war is already here, Trenewynn."
"Already here—?"
"Yes, spies of the emperor have been observed in many regions of An'tia. River pirates and brigadiers not bearing their colors have attempted to cross the Anathion several times now. Centaur tribes are becoming active in the valleys, plundering the countryside of Dire and Ram. The empire claims that it is not their work and even blames the pirates on Bethel, but it's clear what their intentions are."
They paused before the carriage and as Trenewynn moved to enter, the Earl of Argentine grasped his arm, "a few months ago, someone poisoned the Black Keep's garrison and massacred over two thousand men. It's now being called the Night of the Bitter Chalice in Helios. The emperor foresaw Ramnicus' betrayal and has taken preemptive measures."
Trenewynn searched his heart for answers. Anything that could resolve these tensions. Alas, he could not see the path.
The Earl reiterated, "Trenewynn, it's over. War may not be a path to resolution, but it is upon us all the same."
"It makes no sense," said Trenewynn.
"The kingdoms of Bethel and Dire have always been true to their oaths, and just in their affairs. Yet now the emperor would plunge them into fire for the sake of rumored miracle medicine."
"Medicine… Right. Ramnicus had mentioned that too. But could his majesty truly be so lost as to wage war for such nonsense?"
"I do not know," spoke Trenewynn.
"All I know is that something is still missing from this story."
The Earl let Trenewynn's thoughts linger for a moment, and then said, "all the same, this is what has occurred. We must prepare for the present, lest we lose sight of our futures."
The Earl proceeded first into the carriage, he paused at the door and added, "I will try what I can to speak with the empire. Their ambassadors have agreed to see us. But do not think to hope fruitlessly for a miracle. I suspect that no deal they offer us would be acceptable."
Trenewynn followed the Earl into the carriage and they set off for An'tia. The port city was left behind them, and a white raven watched from the battlements where it perched as the carriage trailed off.