A Journal Entry on The Mysthaven Accord

From the desk of Romulus Fiske.   January 1, 124   The last of the delegates arrived today. There are 21 in total–three from each culture in attendance. It took months for some of them to get here–such is the importance of our great endeavor.   This summit has been years in the making. Coordinating the delegates has been a nightmare. It made the most sense for Piccarda to host the other nations. Our city is the most central (and, perhaps, the most comfortable). The Folan delegation arrived first. The document was drafted there; they have a way with that sort of thing. Totemreach and Pelolia arrived shortly thereafter. Marshhelm came most of the way by boat; it’s a wonder they made it down the Chilchurn. Apparently they were sent specifically by the Jarl of Fogburrow. They don’t appear to have official backing from the League. The Kafervolk came directly from their winter nesting grounds–it’s strange to see them without their Caravels. I don’t know when the Lotus Empire arrived. Their delegation came out of the Attawa District; for all I know, they’re locals.   Tonight, we’ll dine together and hopefully begin building bridges between cultures. Tomorrow, we’ll begin the work of revising and approving the Accord.   January 2, 124   The first day was a struggle to say the least. We are united in our desire to open the gates and bring our cultures together, but our differences make the details… difficult. This one wants to keep borders open. That one wants to keep travel out of protected wilderness. This one wants free trade. That one seeks regulation. The politics of our different cultures are alien and confusing. Still, for us all to get what we want, compromises must be made.   We did manage to make one choice, at least: the community we build together will take root in an old outpost in the wilderness called Mysthaven. It’s accessible enough for most of us, barring distance, but we knew that would be unavoidable going into things. There is a small local population, but… well, I can’t imagine they’d refuse our offer.   January 7, 124   It has been a very long week.   We have it all but ironed out. Each culture will sponsor a caravan to Mysthaven in the fall. These caravans will bring goods and supplies to help outfit the outpost, but much more will need to be done before the town is self-sufficient.   In addition, each culture is entitled to send a representative to serve on a governing council. I thought the empire might walk at the suggestion–maybe something about sharing power with Piccardans rubbed them the wrong way. Truly, it’s hard to tell. The delegates from Marshhelm struggled with the idea for entirely different reasons. It seems their government is… well, a little rougher than our own. The concept of a council seemed a bit beyond them. One of them challenged me to a fistfight over a pitcher of wine. The Folan delegates immediately began to bicker once they realized they could only send ONE representative–something to do with their noble houses. They all seem intent on signing, but it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to field anyone for the cause.   January 11, 124   It is done. The thing is signed. Let us hope it is worth the trouble.   The Folans were instrumental in orchestrating the actual signing of the document. Their blood channelers truly know how to make something binding–and how to sidestep the Blood King’s Peace. We wouldn’t have found the loophole without House Cal. I digress.   Marshhelm is the only culture not to sign the Accord. The Jarl’s proxy could not speak for the rest of the strongholds, and so would not put pen to paper. Still, it seems like the Jarl intends to outfit a caravan for any who wish to travel to Mysthaven. It is a sign of goodwill–and maybe an opportunity to convince the other Jarls that joining is in their best interest.   We’ll see if Fola can come together and make a decision about their council representative; I’m not optimistic. The Lotus Empire has made clear they will not be sending anyone for the time being. I suspect they only signed because we did. I’ve entered talks with one Signorra Giana Omari on behalf of Piccarda–she was recommended by a friend in Scambio. I believe her acumen might be well suited to this endeavor.   This Accord could change the world as we know it. All eyes are on Mysthaven.