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A tall Ulfen man look to have his say. His face bears many strange scars and deep peck marks. Also strangely, for an Ulfen man, he is dressed in the Qadiran fashion and a tattooed image of Sarenrae can be seen on his left bicep.
"Honored Trade Prince"
"Through you I, Samur Scarring, have become a rich man. I now live in Katheer where the warm winds blow and the people call me Trade Prince too."
"I manage my own business now, but I know good advice when I hear it. If you say, merge with this Karela fellow, I will follow you there. If you say that we will call ourselves the Exchange, then I say it is a good name. If some of these new Cousins do not join our merger then let them go. I for one will follow your wisdom - the wisdom that has made me rich."
"Some of these Cousins speak as though we who supported Qadira have never seen blood. I can only shrug. Look at my axe little Cousins - I call it Red-Iron, Rauthjarn in the Skald tongue. So, are we Cousins or not?"
"I'm getting an ale and I'll buy for any of the Exchange. Who's drinking?"
A young woman begins to speak next, her arms hidden under the flowing sleeves of her robe. If she looks to be from anywhere it is Tian Xia, her outfit and hair in the style of some eastern performer. Surprisingly, her speech comes out in perfect, unaccented Common.
"I for one feel optimistic about this merger. A little skepticism is healthy to be sure, but pessimism is poison to all that it touches. It is a great opportunity to all of us if only we took a moment to properly assess its implications. A marriage between Sczarni and Qadira... so many new opportunities. The Mwangi Expanse, even!"
The fact that she has conducted business agreements in a less orthodox way than some of her brethren goes unsaid.
She clears her throat. "If I may be more personal for a moment..."
"My new Sczarni associates, do not fear a loss of family among The Exchange. In the same way that many of you found Cousins and Brothers and Sisters there, I found my family in the Qadira. Not once have they steered me wrong, not once have I been knowingly mislead Trade-Prince Aaqir. I have only found riches and reward under his guidance, and so his guidance I shall continue to follow."
Wooden shoes click along the floor as she moves to the Ulfren man, "I'll drink with you, sir." As she moves, you catch the glimmer of a tail beneath her layers of clothing.
Or perhaps it was just a trick of the light.