It does not go well

Second Moon
1255 AC (Aclian Calendar)

King Thuzarm's glare towards Lord Bofurn was not lost on anyone, and the Aclian delegation had the distinct feeling that negotiations would fall through. Still, they came all this way for an audience, best to make use of the opportunity.

"Your Majesty Thuzarm, ladies and gentlemen of the Assembly, I humbly come on behalf of the Empire of Aclia to initiate diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Virnfaldur," Bofurn began, "I am Bofurn, Son of Bofus, of House Aedukas, and I represent Emperor Iozunk the Crafty's interests."

Many whispered among themselves, but King Thuzarm was first to question him.

"Why has this Empire not come sooner? Why is it that only now do you come for talks?"

It was a thinly veiled accusation, filled with simmering anger.

"We are a newly formed nation barely a few months old, formed after our conquest of the southern kingdoms and Elven-city states. We have only just begun to expand our borders and our diplomatic relations, which is why we took a while to reach the Kingdom of Virnfaldur," Bofurn smoothly answered without a stutter.

Again the whispers erupted, many wondering if his words were even true.

"You conquered Elves? I find that really hard to believe," Thuzarm questioned.

For as long as they have existed until now, the Elven city-states could not be conquered, such was the skill of Elven warriors and mages and the potency of their wards. That reputation played a huge part in why the Elves enjoyed such long periods of peace compared to the chaotic Human kingdoms, and why the Elves could exert such influence on them in peace negotiations.

Of course, by then they stagnated and failed to evolve any further, while the Humans developed gunpowder weaponry, advanced tactics and more efficient ways to cast magic in combat. The Elves were also used to fighting in the dense forests of their own home, and so their melee combatants focused on light infantry. Kassandra's Landsknechts were formidable shock troopers, adapted to fighting in open field battles as the vanguard that cleaved past ironclad defences.

Furthermore, their more recent Elven conquests were undone by the work of traitors within the Elven ranks, and while said traitors were disposed of afterwards, it showed just how sheltered and naive the Elves had become on their diet of peace.

In a sense, the Dwarves were no different from the Elves despite their differences; they never experienced true betrayal like the Elves recently did, and their powerful, disciplined military meant no one wanted to make enemies of them, which sadly left them inexperienced in modern warfare.

"Long story short, the Elves were no longer as powerful as before, so it was easy to conquer them once we discovered their weaknesses," Bofurn explained, "And now, we seek to establish friendly relations with Virnfaldur, in the hopes this may be the start of a long and fruitful alliance."

"Very grandiose, I am sure, except that you arrived very late," King Thuzarm pointed out, "My brother Thagost is dead. Tens of thousands of Dwarves are dead. If you had come earlier, they would still be alive."

"Your Majesty-"

"Save it. I will not negotiate with someone who willingly turned his back on his kingdom, all because he disagreed with tradition," Thuzarm waved off, "As I'm sure you understand, Thane Bofurn."

Many Dwarven nobles were genuinely shocked at such a statement, and the Aclian delegation itself could not believe their ears. Such a breach of decorum, especially by a king himself, was the last thing any nation's king should do, and yet Thuzarm was also not in the right state of mind.

Bofurn sighed in disappointment, and said, "Then I shall remove myself from this chamber. Good day, Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen."

And with that, the delegation exited the Assembly Chamber.

"How could he talk to you like that!? King or no king, he had no right to treat you like that!"

Such was Captain Tulman's thunderous declaration to Bofurn, once they secured lodgings in an inn and bought a soundproof room for total privacy. Well-furnished with top-quality beds and wardrobes, the inn had been collecting dust and cobwebs for the better part of three months due to declining business. The gates were barred, so travelling merchants and adventurers could not enter, and all the kingdom felt it most keenly.

"I suspect he blames me for not coming sooner to save his brother," Bofurn explained, "As you know, I was a Thane of Virnfaldur, and one of King Thuzarm's closest aides. I feuded with the traditionalist nobles many times, and one time, I was framed on charges of high treason and disobedience, even accusing me of attempting to collaborate with the Runepriests to reduce the amount of testing time needed for new runes."

"And what's so wrong with that?"

"Because they jealously guard their secrets and refuse to let some younglings challenge their authority. Every new rune must undergo a century of testing, or so they say."

"Fuck, what a fine mess this is," Tulman cursed, "So what now? We can't go back emptyhanded, and I doubt we'll get another chance to build the connections we need to obtain Dwarven expertise."

"I still have many connections we can approach for help, do not worry," Bofurn reassured, "They are eager for something - anything - to break this stagnation, and they'll be more than willing to listen to me."

"Alright, there's something at least," Said Tulman, "What about the rest of the Assembly, though?"

"Leave them be for now," Bofurn said, "We'll let Iozunk and his council decide what to do next."

For the time being, their plans would be stalled, but the Empire of Aclia was hungry for more, and hungry empires were capable of achieving greater feats than those who sat on their laurels.