21 hours ago, Gengy said:Ben Ying leaned in closer to the table, wingtips tapping upon it like human fingers might. "Allow me to see if this one understands the proposal of the Coedd: You wish the Biarbu to stay off Sansar, and in return, Coedd will remain solidly on the planet, seeking to establish and maintain it's power only on the planet. And in the instances where this is not true, we would utilize each other's abilities, instead of tripping over the other."
"If that is the sum of it, it does sound appealing." The black plumed Biarbu beings to slowly nod in thought, almost agreeing. "What of instances where we are invited? To be clear: this invitation would be different than a simple party like we find ourselves in now. No, this one means if an Elect allows the... visit?"
"Also, all of non-Sansar is quite a bit of territory. We appreciate that the Coedd can see how our two Fates are similar, but if this agreement binds the Biarbu to always do whatever the Coedd wish when the Coedd desires to act outside Sansar, then instead of a boon, this becomes a bane. We instead suggest a first-right of refusal for both parties. The offer to do the work is the important part. If accepted, the other party will complete the desired job. If rejected, it also constitutes permission to work outside the bounds of this agreement, so long as we retain non-interference."
Iago nodded along and chuckled to himself. Within his mental map, Sansar was a vast and differerentiared place - the deserts and mountains of Chonkia, the frozen wastelands along the north the dense foresty of Coedd and its near neighbours, the lush rainforest of the Reserve...and so along while everything else in Tekhum occupied a mental box labelled "not Sansar". Of course he knew, if he thought about it, that there was more in "not Sansar" than in "Sansar" but sometimes his internal biases did seep through.
If another Elect allows the visit then that, to me, would fall outside the scope of our agreement. We would, as a - ha! - professional courtesy usually inform you of any invites that conflict with Biarbu interests and would appreciate the same but the very nature of our visits mean that may not be feasible in all cases and we wouldn't want such a notification enforced by treaty - even one so informal as this. But yes, you have understood fully.
As to your final point, you are quite correct. A bit of unintended provincialism there, please forgive me. Errr, this one would be honoured by your overlooking of his mistake. Let me put this together then:
The Biarbu will, excepting direct invites, refrain from both proselytism and subterfuge on the surface of Sansar. Coedd will, excepting direct invites, refrain from both both proselytism and subterfuge off the surface of Sansar. In the case of direct invite by a member of the elect, Coedd will consider it a sign of friendly relations if the Biarbu notify them of such actitivites but accept this may not always be possible. In turn, in that same spirit of friendly relations, Coedd will by default notify the Biarbu of such activities off the surface of Sansar, with the proviso that this may not be always possible.
Should it become necessary for the Biarbu to work on the surface of Sansar or for Coedd to work off its Sansar, an offer will be made to the other party to perform the task requested. If that request is refused - with the understanding that doing so doesn't invalidate the agreement in the future - it shall be understood as permission for the party to work outside their normal field of influence.
I think that covers everything?
At the Blackbird table.
Siobhan had rapped for another card as soon as she saw her initial hand and lifted the corner to see the card slid over once it was. A three. Annoying. She frowned for a second then rapped for another one. An eight. With no need to mask her expression she smiled openly.
Hold at 21 she said, revealing her four cards and placing them slightly further away from the croupier than was convenient, meaning he would have to lean forwards slightly to get them. She glanced up at one of her colleagues at the bar and gave a very slight nod. He quickly drained his glass and placed it back on the bar, deliberately precariously.
(Current bet is 500 chits, for clarity)