[IC] Lost in Dreams [Graham]

[momothefiddler]

After people start leaving and the party's basically over, Graham pulls the chief off to one side.

"I had another dream. You're in a good bargaining position because they don't think they can keep up the war. If I may suggest, though, don't be too harsh - a couple decades of that and it might well just start all over again. We did that a while back in my world and we're still not over the repercussions of it."

[ericthered]

"You're going to have to explain. What's a decade? 10,000 days? trust me, we know how to word treaties. We only want what we already have. How dejected were they? a lot? a little? was it about getting a good deal, or about ending the fight?"

[momothefiddler]

"Closer to four thousand, but the point is just that everyone will be better off if you you foster alliance instead of resentment. They don't seem terribly interested in fighting for fighting's sake, but they don't want to give up their land."

[ericthered]

"Well, they can't have our forest. Hopefully they'll accept that."

[momothefiddler]

"I certainly hope you can work something out that will make everyone happy."

Unless something else comes up, Graham doesn't do anything particularly special before getting the spell re-done and heading to bed.

[ericthered]

The next few days are in some ways more pleasant. The lizards extend the treaty to 101 days, but Graham is still driven to practice:
"You aren't free at the end, you just aren't one of us anymore. We'll treat you like we did before".

The lizards aren't united in what they want to do. In fact, one factions is considering getting help from other tribes. The peace isn't so much about having a time for the elves and lizards to work out a deal as for the lizards to figure out a way around the current situation without having to fight the war. They may give up, they may not.

Graham has much more free time than before: Not having to fight all night has that effect. He also is much more prominent among the elves. On the second day an elven maiden (a younger one, in fact, one of the youngest of the elves) comes to him and asks him why he's even here. She has all sorts of questions: where he's from, how he got here, what is the world outside like...

[momothefiddler]

(Note that the following is not an explicit declaration of actions over a long time - obviously there are specific things in between, like with this girl. This is just outlining the basic focus and routine.)
Graham continues to try to dream about the lizards. With the information so gained, he attempts to find out the basic requirements of both sides, the core reason for the war, and ways the elves and lizards could help each other to generally be happier. He attempts to use this information to help the chief negotiate a long-term peace treaty. He also keeps practicing as required. In his spare time he plays the lute and occasionally spends time on The Words, sometimes even practicing on birds some more, though of course there's no need to actually catch them now.

Graham is sitting against a tree, absently playing mediocre things on his borrowed lute, when she comes up. He unconsciously continues messing with it quietly while he answers her questions, grinning at her interest and explaining his world in as much detail as she requests.

[ericthered]

Elf Girl: "So how do you find this place? they say you want to leave it. Why? you've already seen more than I ever hope to."

"So what's the difference between an elf and a human? people have never really explained that to me. I can see what's different between and elf and a lizard (shudder), but you look like one of us to me."

Graham gradually pieces together what's going on with bits from the dreams and comments from the chief. The exact details will require asking someone, but it seems the elves came here originally as refuges. The Lizards didn't seem to mind their presence (the elves kept far away as possible) until they started changing the forest. Previously, the elves had previously been nomadic, and the Lizards demanded that the elves move on. The elves were prepared for this, and the war started.

[momothefiddler]

"I woke up in Slythana and came here with some refugees. I never said I wanted to leave; I just don't want to be forced to stay. I... really like having options. I don't like feeling trapped, you know?

Well there are the minor things, like elves' ears are pointed and they tend to be a bit shorter than humans, but my understanding is that the main difference is that elves live much, much longer."

[ericthered]

"You mean you die of old age? how long do you have to live? how do you decide who rules the people if you keep dying?"

"So you don't want to leave, you just want to be able to leave? Thats a little strange."