Apostles of Doom

“You take it correctly.” Trevin snorted.

“It seems to me that the core request of the orcs — that the alvar remove all of their forces from orc territory — is more than reasonable. Did they have a problem with that?” Elrose asked.

“Of course.” Trevin closed her eyes for a moment. “I have managed to get them to agree to withdraw the basecamps that these particular patrols are operating from; or more precisely that we will see to their relocation back to alvaran territory.”

Maelen handed her a glass of brandy. “So what is the problem.”

“The alvar have other base camps in various parts of orc territory they are not willing to retreat from,” Trevin said.

“Do the orcs know of these other base camps?” Gastropé asked.

“They did not mention them; however, they were very explicit that all alvaran forces must withdraw. So within the spirit, if not the letter of the agreement, the other base camps must be removed,” Trevin said.

“If the Grove is an interlocutor, is it required to inform the orcs of this? And even then, why did the alvar let you know of these other camps?” Elrose asked.

“Prince Ariel and the nobility did not tell us about the other groups. That is something we learned from the aetós, and a few local alvar,” Trevin said.

“So it was you who brought up the other camps which they refused to remove,” Jenn said.

“I did. They were not particularly amused by my knowledge.” Trevin smiled as she took another sip of brandy. “However, none of them are amused in the slightest by current events — which is actually rather odd for alvar.” Trevin shook her head slightly in puzzlement.

Maelen shook his head. “Prince Ariel is one of the Grove Elders.” Trevin nodded in agreement and for him to continue. “So there are representatives of most races within the Grove, and several have representation among the Elders?” Maelen asked.

“Yes. Not all races are able to agree on an Elder representative and so do not have an Elder.” Trevin nodded.

“Ah. I assume that is the case for the orcs then?” Maelen asked. “That was my interest: why the orcs do not have representation within the Grove.”

Trevin twisted her head back and forth slightly on her neck, implying it was more complicated than that. “No, the orcs are actually fairly capable of doing such things across the worlds; at least, at certain points in time they have been able to do so. It’s more to the point that the Grove is essentially a diplomatic organization, and diplomacy — sitting around airing grievances, negotiating treaties and similar things — is not something the orcs have a lot of patience for.”

“Will the orcs be okay with this?” Elrose asked.

“It depends on whether or not we tell them,” Trevin said.

“And is there a requirement to tell them?” Maelen asked.

“Only if we want to keep their trust in the future,” Trevin said.

“And do you?” Gastropé asked a bit more intently than one might have expected, but Jenn now understood his reasoning; he was a spy. She was aiding a spy. Argh.

Trevin sighed and took another sip of brandy before replying. “Yes, but I also want to get the alvar back safely.”

“How about simply ensuring their safety?” Gastropé asked.

“What do you mean?” Jenn asked in surprise, not seeing the difference.

“Well, negotiating is about meeting in the middle, yes?” Gastropé asked.

Trevin shrugged. “Of course.”

“So, if the alvar will not completely withdraw, but only from these particular bases, then perhaps the orcs would agree to hold their prisoners hostage in return for the good behavior of the alvar,” Gastropé suggested.

“You mean as per the Rules of Hostage?” Maelen asked. “Do the orcs honor that?”

“Yes,” Gastropé said. A worried look suddenly crossed his face and he added hastily, “At least, according to what I’ve read.”

Elrose looked at the wizard a bit askance, but said nothing. Maelen shrugged.

Trevin, after a few moments of pensive thought, finally replied. “If agreed to, they will honor it. Honor and one’s word are extremely important to them. That being said, there is not a lot of leeway in terms of their honoring it. A simple misunderstanding may imperil the hostages.”

“I am not sure I follow that,” Jenn said.

“One of the central issues separating orcs and alvar is, I suppose one might say, literalness,” Trevin explained. “Orcs tend to be very straightforward and literal in their interpretations. They are not fond of semantic games. If you say you will do something, or not do something, you obey that oath on all levels and circumstances. The alvar, on the other hand, tend to use subtlety and complicated language that give them considerable leeway in interpretation of an oath or agreement.”

“The case in point, I suspect, is such an example,” Maelen said nodding in understanding. “They agree to remove these patrols — the ones the orcs know about — but not all patrols or units that the orcs may not know about.”

Trevin nodded tightly. “Exactly.”

“One has to admit, that does sound rather sneaky,” Gastropé said.