by Max Barry

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Region: The Story of Civilization

Return to Nievelheim I
Expansion post 1/4

Occo's bones creaked as he leaned back in his chair. A groan escaped him as he settled into place in his chair. This was just another marker of his impending mortality and at this point he accepted it. In five or so years he'd be handing his estate to his son, Eccomar, on his deathbed. He chuckled — there was still so much to do yet there was no way to do it all. Immediately after his chuckling, all he could do was shake his head.

While he hadn't done too much, he knew he'd done just as much as he could. He had left the League better off than it was previously if the League Charter and the Leaf Road were to speak. But when did he find his posting as pedsagiad? It felt just like yesterday but the records told him 84 CE. He'd been cracking at this for nearly forty years now. If only he'd been there a decade before...

His head jerked up to the door when a soft knocking came from it. "Come in," he told the knocker.

The door opened to reveal the recently-crowned Cosca. There was a long pause before she shook her head and walked in. "Sorry. I haven't gotten used to this yet."

"You have drive and that is good enough." Occo waved his hand towards himself. "Come, sit. What do you need?"

She shut the door behind her. She took one of the few spare chairs near the desk and set it a few feet from Occo. "Okay, so..." Her words trailed off. After a shorter pause, she said, "Nievelheim."

"What about it?" Occo asked as he raised his brow.

"It's... uh... God, I'm not very good at this." She shook her head and sighed. "The people there; our territory there. Can you tell me about 'em?"

Occo nodded with a hm, letting his brow drop. He took a short moment to catalogue his points before speaking. "Well, that island has been a point of contention for a while now. It was originally Bjørnsburgian but by 80, Civilized Era, its southern coast came under Uinnlantish control. A few more years later and most of the island was controlled. The Tydmor took the northern tip of it, though it seems it became estranged from Agnæratha after the Tydmor o-Aknerat joined the League. It was included in the Heimdall Directive and soon most of the League's grasp was stripped by some agreement some rulers made in Apocrypha just six years after the Directive."

"Heimdall?" she asked. "Where's that? Is it near?"

"Yeah." Occo smiled. "I was one of the first troops sent there back in 77, Civilized Era. The locals were rather pleasant until some group, det Frie Mennene if I remember, thought it was smart to de-ear one of our soldiers. He was a young man beaten to death alongside it." He shook his head with a downcast expression which quickly left as he continued. "I was in one of the worst parts of Heimdall — the northeastern coast was as far from our ships as the colony went. No support and limited supply chains meant I was forced to trek under constant threat of death after being discharged for this." He raised his stub.

Cosca flinched. "Is it better there?"

Occo shrugged, letting his stub fall. "Reports seem to say that from about 86, Civilized Era, the attacks became less and less frequent. If I were to dare say, perhaps only 'freedom fighters' want to be like that know. I cannot say for Nievelheim, however, as they are currently under Rogalandish control."

"Okay, well..." Cosca tapped her hands on her knees. "Would going over there have a chance of making things better? Even just a lick of one?"

Occo raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

She put her hands together into a knife-hand shape and pointed them toward him. "A tour to Rogaland's capital if it has one so that we can peacefully make them a territory. Hear me out."

"I do not think I want to."

"Why not?" Her hands fell. "You just said—"

"Attacks, less frequent, mhm." He shook his head. "I also said I cannot say the same for Nievelheim because we do not know. Do you want to risk it—"

"Yes."

Occo stopped. A long silence preceded him asking quietly, "Come again?"

"You heard me."

He rubbed his forehead. His hand rubbed down to be over his mouth. "Spirits, give me strength," he whispered.

She shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen? I doubt they'll be that aggressive. Plus, they'd be angering one of the world's great powers. They'd know better than that."

He shook his head with an exasperated sigh. "Whatever you wish."

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