"Your reports of their problems won't suffer for their absence, I trust."

"Price Hhazrik is very prompt about sending messengers, and she always submits very in depth reports - but there is, admittedly, something lost from being able to very quickly follow up with her. Her border's situation can change quick, so you'll likely want an on-the-ground look there."

"Prince Hikep's reports are often somewhat minimal, but his situation has been largely stable. He doesn't write down as much, instead preferring to send a deputy with a verbal report, but my secretaries have transcriptions of his messengers' reports and the answers they've given to further questions."

Eridani nods.

"I'll want to see both sets of those."

"Of course. We can provide you with copies, though they can't leave the record rooms."

"Very well. Let's begin with the situation elsewhere."

"In the other Principalities, you mean?"

"Yes. You seem quite well insulated here. How true is that?"

"This Principality has had few direct attacks over the years - what we do have is more tied to highway robbery at and just past our inland border. The current war has affected us economically, and all the Principalities are bound to give military aid to the others in need, so our people have seen the front line - but we're far from dire straits."

"I see."

The meeting continues on. The five Princes (other than Imitzha) who did attend at least put up a front of doing well; Imitzha gives off a sense that he's not lying, but he is politely deflecting here or there.

Not all of the Princes are very polite.

The worst there is likely Prince Jhalij of Urajhakor. Urajhakor is the only entirely internal province, located to the south of Tzilakor. It's broadly considered the bread basket of the Principalities, producing enough grain not only for the eight Principalities and all of their visiting merchants but also for export, flowing downriver into Maizhekor and then out to the Dreaming Sea. Prince Jhalij is young and heavy-featured, with a constant scowl throughout the meeting. He seems to have some beef with both Prince Hhazrik (making acerbic comments about her absence and how 'cold' she is at one point) and the Principality to his northeast, Volkor. He expresses a moody reluctance to send his people to fight and die on Dau'ukar's border; his province is currently safe, and he snaps at another Prince at one point that Urajhakor bleeds for the others more than anyone.

Maizhekor is next, if one wished to move counter-clockwise around Tzilakor (all of the Princes here are from adjacent provinces, at least). It's the one Eridani and Wyld landed in, and its leader Prince Damat is friendly to Eridani, though reserved. Her province is small but immensely wealthy, and they have a standing navy - she notes she's been lending that expertise and help to defending Dau'ukar's seaward border from Sae'iran raiders. Still, she's facing attacks from the sea as well, and needs to keep up with patrolling for pirates and Fair Folk. She's motivated to fix that, though, and indicates a wish to speak more with Eridani about joint naval exercises to protect the shipping lanes with Prasad.

Prince Telquez of Quidukor Principality is... Impetuous at best. She interrupts Prince Damat several times, and nearly gets into an argument with Prince Jhalij, which is only barely defused by Prince Imitzha. Her province is coastal as well, between Maizhekor and Epaegor. Her main drive seems to be anxiety about the course of the war, and impatience to do something. She's one of the two youngest in the room - she and Prince Jhalij are possibly the only Council members under fifty. She's been aiding in coastal defense of Dau'ukar, but she's experiencing more difficulties there than Prince Damat, and there seems to be an underlying tension there - something about assistance for damaged ships and ill crew.

Next, continuing counter-clockwise, is the Principality of Fahlakor, led by Prince Ahleifa. She's easily the oldest present, with stark white hair and a deeply lined face. She doesn't talk much and her expression stays stern, but her eyes scan keenly around the room. She seems to spend a lot of time watching the others - and watching the newcomers, especially Wyld. Her Principality hasn't faced much issue; they're wooded and hilled in a way that's inconvenient to invade compared to the relatively low wealth of the land, and Epaegor is between them and the Tangle anyways, and their population is low enough they haven't been significantly called on to serve in the others' fights.

Next counter-clockwise is Tzilakor - back to the center - and then to Volkor, led by Prince Oravi. Prince Oravi is older, with a major scar running near his neck, and he's gruff in a way that apparently annoys Prince Jhalij. He pays more attention to Wyld than Eridani, too, though his reason is pretty clear - he draws her into the military discussions fairly quickly. His province has faced the most land-based conflicts out of any of the others, with Rathess and the Broken Horn Tribes sometimes sending more standard armies to supplement their raiders. He's level headed militarily, and he disassembles the least, frankly admitting to the existence of gaps in their ability to defend themselves, though he doesn't elaborate in the open Council.

Prince Oravi, it sounds like, it the closest ally here of Prince Hhazrik - the other two bordering Dau'ukar either dislike her (Prince Jhalij) or seem mostly neutral (Prince Damat).

It's a very long meeting.

All more or less as expected of these fractious Principalities.

Eridani listens to everyone, keeps the diplomatic courtesies flowing, turns on the personal charm where appropriate, makes notes of things she wants the staff to look further into... and carefully commits Prasad to nothing at this stage.

Nobody actually seems to expect a commitment right now, even the two younger Princes (Prince Jhalij would like the entire problem to disappear and stop annoying him, apparently; Prince Telquez would like a solution, but understands that no commitments is normal, and finds that very frustrating of normalcy).

Wyld stays out of it all at first, though once Prince Oravi drags her in, she stays in, deftly managing the tempers of anyone trying to talk to her. She exudes an easy grace, at odds with the rigid and formal diplomatic norms that should govern this situation - but she gets away with it anyways, coming away with most of the Princes liking her at least a little (except Prince Ahleifa, who's possibly reserving judgement).

That goes reasonably well for a first meeting, then.

Eridani's interested to compare Wyld's impressions with her own, afterwards.

"Not the worst political clusterfuck, honestly," is her impression. "But many of them don't actually know each other than well - there's a few I could get away with killing and replacing, I bet, and any raksha or Changing Moon worth their salt could too. And, since they're all mortal, they'd have trouble detecting that, though our theoretical enemy would have more trouble from their own people."

"Yeah, always gotta look out for that. But the hospitality customs are pretty strong in these parts; it's hard for a raksha to get in a position to do that. And the advantage of a decentralized system like they have is that taking any one leader won't be enough to collapse the whole structure. I'm most concerned about the absentees."

"Yeah, I definitely couldn't take them through deception alone - and they're holding information back from each other, which would complicate spying."

"Though - it might also indicate they suspect their fellow Princes of disloyalty or the like..."

"It might be interesting to see what else they have in the records room, while we're perusing the correspondence from Hhazrik and Hikep."

She nods. "And if what they're reporting matches up - with itself or with what we'd expect for the situation."

"Right."

"I think we should try catching at least a few of the Princes in private to talk to them more - and their staff, too."

"Good idea."

Grin!

"It's sad I can't change my shape anymore..."

"I bet you can find other tricks."

"Rely solely on my natural charm."