The meeting between Marshal Vos and Corvin did not end with veiled threats or shadowed admissions. It continued, quietly and precisely, as two men of weight discussed matters befitting their stations. Soldier and sovereign, envoy and warlord.
They spoke first of production, Vos was curious, officially, about what Raven's Nest could offer to the trade web of Argyll. Corvin answered smoothly. The valley, nestled between the cliffs of Duskwell Reach and the eastern and northern ridgelines, was rich in mineral veins, gold, iron, and lesser streams of silver and opal. Enough, he claimed, to make the Dominion wealthier than it had dreamed. Labor, Corvin said, would be tireless and efficient. He made no mention of workforce or oversight. Vos, noting the lack of detail, marked the answer for what it was, a deliberate fog.
