A soft knock at the door alerted the Crown Prince to his visitor. The youthful looking demon sat cross legged on the floor, the room filled with the smoke from a burning herb in his pipe.

He hid his annoyance at being disturbed, and set the pipe on the low table in front of him.

"You may enter of your own free will" he recited the ancient phrase

In the doorway stood a tall messenger, a human courier with the lean build of a runner. The simple travel robes were dirty and looked unkempt, his wooden sandals looked splintered at the edges

"Come sit. Judging by your appearance I'd guess that you've had a long journey." The man bowed low to the floor and, while on his knees, slowly made his way across the room. None were to have their head higher than the prince, and although Ling was not as militant as his father about enforcing the rule he expected his subjects to try and adhere to the rule as much as was reasonable.

The human, tall as he was tried slouching to stay low but a disapproving look from the prince sent him upright. He waited silently as Ling patiently poured a second cup of tea, and had more sweet bread brought by a servant. Although the man was anxious he knew better than to push the Prince, time had little meaning to an immortal and he wasn't about to go to the dungeon to speed things up a few minutes. He was already on thin ice having interrupted the demon's smoking session.

"Now that you are properly relaxed, what pray tell, is so important human?" Prince Ling asked calmly, taking a hit from his pipe before offering it to the guest who took a hit

"Your highness, à dispatch from beyond the mountains has been received. It seems the trolls have learned about your intention to divert the Yellow River, and are very upset." He said, struggling to keep his thoughts straight as the drug hit his system.

Ling lay back on the floor, helping himself to some bread as he thought things over. Xi'an, the world's ceiling, was the head of no less than a dozen of the great rivers. This meant that downstream countries would often send scouts to monitor them, and ensure their own water supplies were secured.

The Yellow River was one of the smaller ones in the kingdom, traveling east to west it was fed by glaciers high in the mountains. It had also never been utilized by Xi'an because of its remote location. But last year, before he'd taken control, his father had ordered a series of dams constructed to create a large training camp for water demons.

"Tell them, if they wish to talk they must tell me personally" Ling said with finality "for now tell them to only dam the Shinshu tributary. We'll leave the main river alone until I sort this out."

His orders received, the messenger bowed out. His head spinning from the smoke filled room, the skunky smell clinging to his clothes.

Drikdarok swung, hard, possibly a bit to hard as another training dummy split in half. 'Drusakhan garka zabe (make the dummies stronger)' he growled to a nearby ork servant, whom had been waiting for such and order and sprang into action immediately, lest the Daroks wrath be directed towards him. Drikdarok left the training area, barely tired as the number of dummies, 5, was the same number of swings he took before leaving their broken bodies behind him.
He saw several ork servants running around performing chores and tasks, as well as some humans and a few goblins. His metal boots clattered on the stone of the hallway, as he plodded down to his room. He came out of the hallway and into the great hole, or hall, both suited the room, it being 10 meters high and shaped in a crude rectangular prism shape. Stone working, although useful to the Orks and Trolls to bore out great fortresses in the mountains, was, like many other things just that, useful. No point cutting into straight edges unless you need more room and definitely no point decorating the walls and pillars with carvings.
He walked directly across the room, as his was across from the training room, merely for ease of access. Again he plodded down a hallway although this one was shorter than the last, until he reached his room. It was, like all the others, crudely excavated. Although, as a troll would, he preferred to live in a more circular room, more cave-like. Poles were jammed into the sides of the room, with torch scones mounted there, the torches lit. As soon as he entered his room he growled. The sickly sweet scent of human entered his nose and he didn't like it. He looked inside, to see one of the human servants, perhaps the bringer of bad news as the orks usually sent humans to break it to Drikdarok, instead of one of their own. The servant was standing in front of his desk and evidently had been a while, as the Darok saw him stand up straight from a slouching position as he entered. 'Bak? (what?)' he said in his deep gruff voice. 'Riakrut zabekh, Xi'an (Xi'an built a dam)' the servant said, shaking slightly in the Daroks hulking presence. 'Zabean unhtakokh! (I said not to!)' yelled the Darok and walked up to the servant. 'Xi'an takogh, Xi'an unhzerogh, unhtako (tell Xi'an, I will go to Xi'an, to talk)' Drikdarok said and stepped back, the servant scurrying away from him to deliver the news 'Ziak (weak)' he breathed to himself as the scrawny servant left. He then sat behind his desk, in which a map of the world lay and stabbed a red, needle shaped piece of metal into the spot where the yellow river was to tell himself it was a location of interest. He sat back in his chair, which was a bit of rock that jutted out to form a platform and sighed, thinking of the annoying journey ahead.

(OOC expect him to arrive to wherever Ling was in about 5 game days, assuming the journey is quite long)

"Your highness, a lowlander has arrived at the city gates. He claims to have traveled from his country to Nanking in five days" A bowing servant said to the crown prince

Nanking, the capital of Xi'an, was at the center of the plateau that made up their nation. From one side to the other was two weeks, even on the great roads the kingdom enjoyed. This troll must be a formidable foe to be able to travel through the treacherous mountains and through half the country at a speed even demons didn't posses. Ling made a mental note to not underestimate this leader of theirs.

"Bring him here please" Ling said, in a calm and measured tone
------

"The Crown Prince, his Majesty, has demanded your presence at the palace." Announced the leader of the small group of soldiers sent to escort.

The leader, like all the royal guard, wore his polished armor and had the lower half of his face covered with a scarf to hide his identity. At his side lay a two handed sword, one which smelled thickly of smoke from its fire demon owner setting it ablaze.

https://goo.gl/images/oIWIdG

Drikdarok turned to his translator, a goblin who possessed two talents, one for learning languages and the other was that he almost always knew what the Darok was about to ask of him. The Darok had not come alone of course, he had a group of 5 orks, the goblin translator and the human servant who had delivered the news to him 5 days earlier. He had traveled by long-strider of course, the 6 legged giant insects were one of the fastest methods of travel in Ocrad and their long legs allowed them to traverse almost any terrain with ease. He would never use one in a war however, their legs were thin and easily maimed, so thin that armor would do nothing to protect it. The Darok was wearing the steel armor that Ocrad was so well known for. Some say it could withstand any blade and others said it weighed as much as the mountains it was forged in. Both were more or less, true. It covered his chest, legs and head, with his helmet being a squarish shape with two prongs of metal sticking out of the top, like horns. Two curves of metal traced his eyes like glasses, but aside from that his face was left mostly unprotected. Drikdarok preferred to have his arms left free, but wore gloves to give him extra grip. With his gloved hand, the Darok slapped the goblin, who was deep in thought and not realizing that the Darok needed him to translate. 'Crown-Prince-Majestytakokh, palace kadsukh' the goblin said to the Darok. 'Orun, palace unhsabagh' the Daroks deep voice said to the goblin. To the guards the goblin said 'he says he will go, lead on'.

The city of Nanking, boasting a population of a quarter million people, was the fruition of three thousand years of centralized power in the demon Kingdom.

Brick pavers lined the rows of apartments and shops, leading towards the Palace. Like a looming giant the walls of the palace could be seen from anywhere in the city, their alabaster walls framing the square property.

The bustling city seemed to fall silent as the population cleared a path for the procession. The humans stared alternatingly between the Orcs and the human dressed in the clothes of Orcs. The accusing looks of betrayal followed the man all the way until they passed through the gates of the palace.

As if in contest with the prosperous city around it, the palace was painstakingly decorated and landscaped in the minimalist opulence that was in fashion under the demonic rule.

It was in one of these small gardens that the crown prince stood, looking over a koi pond with a tranquil expression.

The contrast between the two leaders could not have been any more plain. Prince Ling, tranquil and calm, was garbed in fine silk robes and his every move strictly controlled. Surrounded by the perfectly manicured garden he made a perfect display of the strict order that was Xianese society.

Ling regarded the posse calmly, only turning his head slightly to observe them with his unreadable face. Observing the troll who stood out from his background.

The soldiers dropped to their knees in a steep bow, their leader giving the formal introductions needed for the meeting to begin.

'Druah! Rikarut zabekhdek! Rikarut kunka!' the Darok yelled getting straight to the point. 'Rikarut kunka'an? Drika anhshigh!' at this the orks cheered and the Darok pulled out his waraxe and stabbed it into the ground. The goblin stepped up 'the Darok says 'demon, why did you build the dam? Destroy it!' he then said 'if you don't, I'll kill you' please the Darok is quick to anger, do not take his words to heart, it is his actions that are to be feared'. The Darok waited for Lings response, sneering at the short, weak appearing creature before him.

Crown Prince Ling turned towards the troll, and gently leaned back against bridge's rail. His blood colored eyes regarded the situation calmly. In a measured, if not bored, tone he said "I can see you are one to get straight to the point... As host I am honored to do the same in kind."

Ling pressed his palms together, silently preparing to summon fire if needed. "The Yellow river originates high in the mountains, within our borders. The tributary that we dammed, the Shinshu, is but a minor casualty in our endeavors to better train our men to defend Xi'an. By damming the river, we are now able to control its flow and create a training camp for our water demons. Since we have not tapped into the Yellow River for our own supplies it was a perfect candidate, we hope to in the next ten years have dammed the Yellow River as well as its tributaries."

Ling spoke with a measured and matter of fact tone, as if they were conversing about the weather.

After the goblin translated, the Daroks face twisted in anger. 'Undodruan? Undodruan! Yellow river unhuno, rikarut yellow river kadzabegh, daro undodruan? Aran, rikarut kadzabeghan, daro rikarut kadzabe?' the Darok pulled his ax out of the ground and walked forward until he was standing over Ling, he then lent forward until his face was in front of Lings 'Drika...unh...shigh' he then spat at Lings feet and walked away. All this time the goblin was translating as the Darok spoke. 'water demons? water demons! I drink from the yellow river, and you want to dam it, for water demons?' the goblin said, a second after the Darok had said the words in Orkish 'No, you will not build a dam, because if you do build a dam' the goblin paused as the Darok walked over and lent over Ling 'I will kill you'. The goblin seemed a bit stunned at this, that the Darok had made two death threats already, and also at the fact that Ling had dared to oppose him. 'luckily for Ling' the goblin though 'Drikdarok seems in a good mood today'. The goblin however, did not want to antagonize Ling either so he hastily said to the Darok 'Ling kadshigh, kadtakuan, druan kadgurogh! (stop threating Ling with death, the demons might fight you!)'. The Daroks face turned towards him 'Kadtakuan, druziak (shut up, goblin (goblin literally means weak ork)'. He then turned back to Ling 'Rikarut kadkunka u drika unhshi, haka onu' which the goblin meekly translated as 'so you destroy the dam or I kill you, which one'.

With a single graceful move Prince Ling's hands separated, between his fingers formed a fiery white orb which glowed brightly. Before anyone even blinked the inferno leapt forward and blasted the troll back twenty feet with a blinding light.

With a smirk to his voice the demon said "you might want to reconsider your diplomacy tactics"

The Darok growled 'Druan unhganoan, eros kadgark, kaddruakhes unhtakogh, rikarut kadkanka? rikarut unhough, daro yellow river unhuno, yellow river dru'uno' his anger subsided as he began to think rationally again. The Darok saw that he had jumped into the situation to fast and that Ling was not a push-over as many other people of authority that Drikdarok had spoken to had been. The goblin translated 'I don't bow to demons, but you are strong, I will speak to you like you are a troll, will you destroy the dam? The dam angers me because I drink from the yellow river and my people drink from the yellow river'.

Ling adjusted his posture to a more formal position with his hands pressed together. He stood silently for several minutes, closely monitoring the troll.

In his usual calm voice the crown prince broke the silence "If you have an offer please present it. I'm eager to listen."

'Hmmm' the Darok said, thinking 'Garkh gag darog' Drik says, which the goblin translates as '10 darog of iron'

(OOC One darog is 5 kgs, also did you get my PM? about the map)

"We already have iron." Ling replied, sounding bored "I propose that, in exchange for not damming up the Yellow River for 100 years, your nation pays for the construction of the dams on the Shinshu tributary."

'Aran, dru gagara u dargh sakgag darog, daro rikarut?' Drik offered, after which the goblin said 'No, 100 people and 20 darog of wood for the dam?'.

Ling thought hard for a moment, weighing his options. It was at best a misers bargain, but Xi'an was not really in a good position to fight a war either.

"For that I'll offer a 30 year pledge to not block the Yellow River, and that's my final offer." He said with finality

'Hmmm, Orun' the Darok said. He then prepared to leave, seeing no more reason to stay. He had territories to annex, so this whole river problem was a trivial matter to him.
He did however, want someone to stay and oversee the dam for him 'Drugh' He yelled and the human servant came out from behind some of the orks. 'Bak?' he asked.
'Hedu, rikarut tare (stay, watch the dam)' Drik told him.
'Orun' the servant said and walked over to Ling. 'Drikdarok wants me to stay and watch over the dam' he informed him.

Ling just looked at the man with a look of pity. His dirt covered face, eyes of fear, tugged at his heart strings. The crown prince couldn't help but wonder if this man's face was similar to that of the desperate population that had summoned his ancestors to protect and rule them.

"Very well, you may stay." Ling said emotionlessly, putting his hand on the man's shoulder "welcome to the demon Kingdom, where your kind are free."

With a wave of his hand Ling had a human servant take the man to one of the guest rooms, where he could be put into dignified robes

The white robed servant, around faced young woman named Wu, gently guided the slave to the guest quarters on the other side of the complex. The two passed by many sites on the short journey; fire gardens, perfectly clear ponds, courtyards with singe marks from duels.

The guest quarters was a large mansion located at the far east of the complex. It's beautiful simplicity seemed to give it a life of its own, rising above the miniature forest that surrounded it. The puzzle like construction was accented with gold paint that shimmered in the sun.

"What is your name?" Wu asked as they continued their walk into the mansion

https://goo.gl/images/08HHuj

(OOC: the mansion would have golden paint on the architectural details to make them stand out)

'Mol' Mol said, before adding 'this is a strange sight compared to the underground fortress that I'm used too, very, artistic; the orks and trolls don't think much of art as you could guess'. He continued walking beside her and observing the architecture, it's vulnerabilities, strengths and overall its beauty. He was looking forward to the change in clothes, but was thinking of asking for his back, washed, if he didn't like the robes. Although the people of Ocrad were mostly cruel to their slaves, they gave them practical clothes that hugged the skin and were similar to that that the ork and troll soldiers wore under their armor. The long flowing robes might prove difficult, or annoying to Mol and if that were the case he'd much prefer his normal clothes. Shoes would be a welcome addition however, and he wondered if he would be given any.

Mol's chambers were located in the back corner of the mansion, overlooking a rock garden. In the large room the floor was covered in soft mats that supported their feet, à large window showcasing the view. Beautiful chests and furniture filled the room, enough to feel lived in but not crowded.

Wu slid off her slippers before entering the room, abandoning them by the door. The servant opened a wooden chest under the window and removed several articles. Laying out the clothes on a dresser nearby Wu showed the man his new clothes; there were several pairs of loose fitting leggings, tunics, sashes and robes in a variety of gaudy colors. On top was a single pair of red silk shoes, with elaborate dragons sewn in with gold thread.

Wu went on to explain all of the rules about what types of clothes and when to wear them. What color sash to wear on Tuesday (red) and which ones to wear to dinner if the prince was attending.

The lessons droned on as she lectured on everything from Xianese culture to how to address what ranks, and all 22 ranks of living things. As well as spell out in detail how to address Prince Ling.

The lessons even droned on about how to use a xianese bed, a which consisted of roll up mattresses and lots of blankets, and the ritual for folding the bed up the next morning.

"Now you don't have to make your bed, it's just a cultural custom to ward off bad spirits. Any questions?" She asked finally