February 24^th, 2^nd entry

Steamshore is a large and bustling city. The majority of Erenley’s trade flows through here, so it naturally grew in tandem, though it is not nearly as large as Erenley itself—I am sure few cities come close.

Steamshore was chosen as Emberfall’s capital not as a representation of the nation as a whole, but due to it being such a center for world trade. Similar to Erenley and its relation to the rest of Gravalt, Steamshore’s culture differs greatly from the rest of Emberfall. Its races are reclusive by nature, often choosing to live in small, isolated villages, but here the people are outgoing by necessity. In the culture of the large cities, Emberfall is a land of commerce.

I have observed what seems to be a sort of caste system within the ranks of the merchants here. It is not a system of oppression, as the castes enforced by the Gods often were, but one of privilege. Many aspects of trade here are restricted to those in the higher castes; you may not seek an audience with the upper councils, deal in certain “high-risk” goods, or access certain facilities within the city unless you are of an appropriate rank.

New and aspiring merchants, or those with no local connections or global reputation, start at the bottom caste and can work their way only through conducting business and forming connections with other merchants. As I described before, the people of Emberfall are incredibly straightforward and honest, but they are not so naive as to expect others to follow those same customs; foreign merchants are welcomed, but they must prove through action that they are capable of fair and honest trade.

Ascending the ranks within this merchant caste can only be achieved through the recommendation of others. There seem to be six tiers, and respected members of the second tier and above form councils that simultaneously moderate the merchants and serve as the nation’s governing body. Anyone can join a council of their tier or below, if they accept the work that comes with it, and it is these council members who are responsible for vetting and promoting merchants from the lower castes. Essentially, one must form connections and impress their superiors to gain a higher status.

Interestingly, Steamshore’s caste system seems to apply only to the merchants. In some ways, a peasant laborer actually has more rights than a merchant of the Copper Caste, the lowest rank. For another example, one would usually have to ascend to the fourth tier, the Gold Caste, to gain the right to request an audience with the Mithril Council; as foreign diplomats, but not merchants, Ezekiel and I were able to bypass this restriction completely.

This brings us to the business we actually arrived in Steamshore for. We met with several members of the Platinum Caste tasked with handling foreign arrivals. Ezekiel played his usual tricks, not referring to himself by name; as such, the merchants nearly scheduled us for an audience with the Mithril Council the next day. Thankfully, one of them recognized him and swiftly rectified this mistake, finding a time for us the same night.

As representatives of Erenley and the United Mortals, we were treated exceptionally well. I have seen few inns of such finery, but it seems such resorts are another of Steamshore’s specialties. In addition to its extensive port and shipyard and the abundance of trade, Steamshore also boasts many hot springs. If our task was less urgent, I would take the time to enjoy one.

We were escorted to meet with the Mithril Council before long—they actually organized earlier than arranged, and I was told every member of the council currently present in the city attended the meeting. It seems Ezekiel commands incredible respect from these merchants; I am thankful for his company, as I can only imagine things would not have gone a tenth as smoothly without him.

On that note, the meeting did go quite smoothly indeed. Alicia seems to be adjusting well to the company of high-profile individuals. I was quite surprised to find that several of the councilors already knew me by name. Given my involvement with the United Mortals, and my connections to more important individuals like Ezekiel, I suppose I am not an unknown factor on the global stage, but I still hadn’t expected to be recognized by figures of such import. Is my self-evaluation too low, or were these merchants just extraordinarily well-informed?

Speaking of the extraordinary, Emberfell merchants are truly like no other. I have found in the past I tend to dislike their lot—the scheming and profiteering and such makes them a premium source of headaches when you’re trying to actually get anything done.

The culture of Emberfall subverts this tendency; because they insist on doing everything fairly, these merchants are chomping at the bit for the opportunity to help in any endeavor. They cannot lie or make excuses as to why they cannot help, and no merchant worth their salt would admit that helping random people out in the desert sounds like a great way to lose lots of money. Their only real choice was to agree to Ezekiel’s proposal.

I suppose that came off a bit harshly—truly, few things drive me as mad as merchants. I’ve no doubt the councilors, or at least some of them, truly are as excited as they seem to do good in the world. I find it incredibly interesting how something as simple as a culture that strictly enforces fairness could impact society so severely that the nation’s top merchants, a group generally known for selfishness, would nearly get into a fistfight over which of them got to offer the most charity. I hold the council in the highest regard; I wish the rest of the world’s merchants were more like them.

In short, the Mithril Council agreed to assist us in our efforts to aid the Seitaad and fight back the Myrmecoleon. It seems this operation is henceforth being split in two. Some members of the council expressed interest in a joint military offensive with Gravalt; such discussions are to be had with Ezekiel. He has placed me in charge of the other side of things, seeking out and aiding the Seitaad.

I spoke briefly with some of the councilors; it seems they needed little input from me. They are organizing a caravan to send into the desert, bearing supplies for the ailing Seitaad. Organizing this will take some time, however; they have to acquire the supplies themselves and put together a suitable force to defend the caravan. In short, I shall have no choice but to wait for these preparations.

I am not particularly upset by this development. My travels have had a rather rapid pace for the past few weeks; I could use a few days of rest in one city, and I will not balk at the opportunity to study Steamshore and its residents more thoroughly. I suppose I could also enjoy the hot springs while I am here.

That is enough writing for now, however. It already grows late, and Alicia cannot sleep while I keep the candle lit. My research shall continue tomorrow.

—Kirra