At the edge of the Tropical Rainforest – transitioning into the Wetlands – skirted the seaside city of Jen’tóra. The hustle and bustle of activity through the streets gave the port city its own breath of life. That breath carried the scent of trade, of profit, the salt of the sea, the aromas of food and exotic spices. The barking of barkers, shouts of rowdy negotiations, the passing of pedestrians, and the crashing of the waves combined to create a cacophony of sound – the cities rhythm, its heartbeat. In the ocean, ships could be seen navigating trade routes, moving away and to port – the city’s blood vessels.

West of the city, wood cutters could be seen felling trees – following forestry guidelines – which in turn would be used to make lumber for homes, ships, or for trade with the Northern county. Outside the Northern gate of the city was a stable that housed and tended to beasts of burden used by traders to transport their goods. The most common and beloved was the trusty Otterbear that could be used to pull barges and navigate the shallow waterways of the Northern Wetland duchy.

In the city sat a recruitment notice for sailors to join the Jen’tóra Shipping & Trading Company. Explore, Trade, Profit – were the words that captioned the notice. The shipping company was the magistrates pet project of turning the city of Jen’tóra into a transit point – a hub of commercial trade – between the Wetland and Rainforest duchies.

In the marketplace, To’resk and Janoan could be found lining the stores of merchants who sold a plethora of commodities. A portly To’resk cook could be seen – recognisable from her hat and apron – perusing the imported grains and pastoral products that sat upon a grocers table. A ray of sunlight slanting through a window fell upon the brow of a Janoan – the magistrate – who gazed down upon the city’s liveliness from the window of his manor.

Knock Knock

“Enter” The Janoan spoke in fluent Croçais

A To’resk holding paper and quill – wearing a silk robe – entered the room

“Greetings my lord”

The magistrate turned to face the To’resk

“Dispense the formalities, what news do you bring?”

“Of course…my lord” Ahem “A number of items require your attention. Firstly, our traders have come back from the Southern duchy and have brought the agreed weight of gold, tanned leather, and opiates. We are currently in the process of loading the goods onto our barges to trade into the water ways of Genera”

“Excellent, make sure to tell our traders to procure Milk of the Talonreed as a priority”

“Certainly” The quill in the To’resk’s hand whips to life as the minute records on parchment

“The second item is that our coastal explorer has yet to find any sight of the new continent. Shall we keep or decrease the current expenditure?”

“Failure does not equate defeat” The pupils of the magistrate’s feline gaze shrunk narrow

“The hunter does not give up when the prey begins to move. The hunter tracks the prey and the hunter kills it…Increase the expenditure for exploration by fifty percent”

“My lord! A continent is not a beast that you can track”

Hahahahaha

“You lack imagination. Listen; life is a hunt and you are either predator or prey”

“Can you please stop using hunting idioms?”

The Janoan smirked “Never”

The To’resk rolled his eyes in a fashion that seemed to have been practiced numerous times

“Of course my lord…The third item requiring your attention is that the highway connecting our city to the city of Stanpark has been completed. We now have access to a trade route that stretches inwards to the rainforest. Also the builders will be pleased that the lead time for brick acquisition will be substantially decreased”

The magistrate turned to stare once again out the widow as he began to parse his thoughts

“I think it is about time we start to fortify the walls. See to it that construction begins immediately”

“Yes my lord. That leaves us with the last item on today’s agenda. Reports of bandits roaming the roads outside our city have come to our attention, how would you like to respond?”

The Janoan magistrate displayed a feral smile and grabbed a nearby spear that hung on a wall

“Like I always do. Tell the men it’s time to hunt”