"That's an understandable response and I'll make sure the economists know."

"We lack Amentan currency and cannot pay in it. However, we are willing to make commitments or sell landscape-superbeing services. I am not sure what Amentans, or Voans in particular, would find most valuable and so be most worth it for us to trade with."

"Ironically, one of the scarcest things in our society is in fact land. You might want to do something like auction the promise of parcels of terraformed land before buying the unimproved land from Voa. What services do you specialize in apart from those mentioned?"

"It is unlikely for Me to do this. In Our original territory, We have structured our taxation system such that We only have land taxes. Landscape-superbeings can assess the value of land more accurately than any mundane surveyor can. We do not have a system of land ownership so much as a system of land tenantship.

If land is scarce, then I may charge Amentan immigrants money to be able to live here, or accept a certain number of Voan immigrants in exchange for the land. My two ambassadors are the only people from my original territory that I have with me – all other people who live here must be Amentan.

I perform many services for My original territory, but many of them are unsellable, such as prevention of government corruption, or are largely irrelevant outside My territories, such as waste management.

It is possible that I can do land reclamation to increase land area in already seasoned areas, but this will require me to occupy territory that is not polar. 

Landscape-superbeings can confer [blessings] permanent-enhancements to people. All landscape-superbeings can offer six: I offer felicity, grace, ease of learning languages, ease of growing plants, and having plants be friendly to you. Korrado offers resistance to the mountain elements, productive impulse, constitution, resolve, needing less sleep, and improved bodily intuition. I can talk in more detail about any of them if they interest you. Our two ambassadors have all twelve. You may talk to them if you want to hear from someone that is embodied and not a landscape-superbeing.

My touch of beauty power can cause people to become their physical beauty ideal. This includes deaging, regeneration of lost limbs and organs, resolution of chronic or genetic illness, and sex change. In My original territory, I permitted citizens to access this power for free – but with scheduling – but auctioned timeslots to access this power to noncitizens."

"I'm curious how you handle waste management, what plants being "friendly" involves, and what 'productive impulse" means. The touch of beauty would net you a lot of money, though how quickly depends on how long it takes."

"It used to be that the Korrado's and My shared city's sewers discharged into the river it was built around, and this was the river that they also drew water from. This was a very bad system and caused a lot of disease outbreaks. We fixed it by organizing the construction of an aqueduct that drew water from upstream – the city was built at the base of Korrado's volcanoes – and by having the people place human and inorganic waste into select locations. The latter we implemented for all settlements in Our territory.

At regular intervals, We transport said waste into the middle of Korrado's volcanoes, whereupon it is incinerated. Landscape-superbeings are capable of teleporting nonsentient things within their domain, though not costlessly.

The friendly plants blessing means that you can walk through brambles without risking getting cut, that plants with stinging or irritating parts shift or move those parts away from you, that trees shade you with their leaves when you pass under them, that leaves and branches not whip against your face when you are walking through jungle, that edible fruits and vegetables make themselves more prominent to you, and poisonous ones less so. Those are examples of the effects of the blessing. I predict greys, purples, and certain greens would be most able to make use of this blessing.

The productive impulse is also called executive function. Broadly speaking, the blessing improves one's ability to do tasks, by improving one's ability to suppress distraction, bodily impulses and instincts, remember instructions and tasks, and also improving working memory and conscientiousness. I predict yellows and blues would be most able to make use of this blessing.

Sadly, I had to give up speed in order to gain scope. Whereas some other landscape-superbeings have powers that work instantly, mine does not. Removing a mole would take several seconds, whereas restoring a whole lost arm will take several hours. The greater the change that must be wrought, the longer it will take."

"Those powers are also likely to be very popular! Is the prolonged change parallelizable?"

"Yes. The power is touch-range. Multiple people can touch one of my organic-manifestations. They will be healed slower, but the total time it takes to heal all of them will be less than if they were treated sequentially rather than simultaneously. In My original territory, there is special furniture and frames constructed around my organic-manifestations so that people can remain in contact with them for prolonged periods. With the simultaneous touch paradigm, some people may need to be in contact for a whole day."

Yes, Damianos considers ugliness a disease that ought to be healed.

"Is interrupting the contact dangerous?"

"Typically not, though there are exceptions. For example, in regenerating a lost arm, interrupting contact would simply mean that only part of the arm is regenerated and not the whole of it, and it may not be functional. However, if someone has a disease or syndrome that affects the whole body, interrupting contact may be lethal."

"It sounds like it could still be very valuable managed appropriately. You have a lot to offer even if the land can't be seasoned. Are you willing to host test subjects who may or may not want to permanently emigrate and give up Voan citizenship in the even that we work out how to transfer territorial control?"

"Yes. I propose the following terms, on behalf of Myself and Korrado."

This agreement will stay in force for (five years) one Amentan year and one season, with renegotiation possible at any time with the consent of both parties, or termination possible at any time unilaterally.

During the period in which this agreement is in force...

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1. On the treatment of Voans in the New Territory...

1.1 Voa may have up to 27,139 Voan citizens live in the New Territory. These Voan citizens may be of any caste. Voa may choose which Voan citizens are permitted to go and live in the New Territory at its discretion.

    1.1.1 If any Voans living in the New Territory have children, these children will be counted towards the number.

1.2 Voan citizens living in the New Territory will not be barred from leaving the New Territory and returning to Voa. Voa may order any specific Voan citizen to leave the New Territory and return to Voa at any time.

1.3 The landscape-superbeings will have the option to veto any specific Voan from living in the New Territory at Their discretion, and to order any specific Voan to return to Voa at any time.

1.4 The Voans living in the New Territory do not need to give up Voan citizenship. The landscape-superbeings will not offer New Territory citizenship to any Amentan in the New Territory.

1.5 The Voans living in the New Territory will continue to be subject to Voan law. Voa may prosecute any Voans living in the New Territory in the same manner it would in Voa.

1.6 The landscape-superbeings will have the option to set tax policy in the New Territory at their discretion, which any Voans living in the New Territory will be subject to. Nonpayment will result in deportation to Voa.

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2. On the treatment of non-Voan Amentans in the New Territory...

2.1 The landscape-superbeings will not allow any non-Voans to live in the New Territory except with the agreement of Voa. Any such non-Voans given permission to do so will not count towards the maximum number of Voans permitted to live in the New Territory.

    2.1.2 A person is considered to be living in the New Territory if they stay for more than 30 consecutive days in a visit, or if they stay for more than 90 days total in a calendar season.

    2.1.3 The landscape-superbeings may allow visits by non-Voans freely for tourism, business, science, and diplomacy, so long as said visits do not cause them to meet the definition of living in the New Territory. Voa cannot bar the landscape-superbeings from granting this permission unless they are a citizen of a country that Voa is at war with. Voa may present evidence that a person ought to be barred for entry due to history of criminality or ill intent, but the landscape-superbeings will have the final say.

    2.1.4 During visits, non-Voan Amentans may engage in paid work freely under laws identical to the ones that Voans living in the New Territory are subject to.

    2.1.5 Any persons who go to or remain in the New Territory without permission will be deported.

2.3 Any non-Voans visiting the New Territory will be subject to Voan law, and may be prosecuted by Voa according to its laws. Voa is responsible for negotiating with the countries of citizenship of any non-Voans they choose to prosecute.

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3. On the treatment of the ambassadors of the landscape-superbeings, Feliya of Damianos and Rendon of Korrado, as well as Their organic-manifestations...

3.1 The ambassadors of the landscape-superbeings and Their organic-manifestations will have diplomatic immunity, and not be subject to Voan law. If Voa takes issue with the ambassadors or Their organic-manifestations, they must take this issue to the landscape-superbeings directly.

3.2 The ambassadors of the landscape-superbeings and Their organic-manifestations will be considered casteless and be permitted to engage in any form of paid work legal in Voa.

3.3 Voa must take responsibility for any Voans that harm, or attempt to harm, the ambassadors of the landscape-superbeings or Their organic-manifestations.

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4. On the foreign policy of the New Territory...

4.1 The landscape-superbeings and their ambassadors or organic-manifestations will not be prevented from opening communications with any Amentan countries, or citizens thereof, except those that Voa is at war with.

4.2 The landscape-superbeings will only make treaties with Amentan countries other than Voa with the permission of Voa if said treaty concerns the New Territory or Voa directly. Example: Another Amentan country wishes to have its people be permitted to immigrate to the New Territory and wishes to sign an immigration treaty.

    4.2.1 However, the landscape-superbeings will be permitted to make any treaty with any Amentan country Voa is not at war with without the permission of Voa if said treaty does not concern the New Territory or Voa directly. Example: Another Amentan country wishes to have the landscape-superbeings claim territory in its borders so that the land can be terraformed.

4.3 The landscape-superbeings will not claim territory, whether mundanely or with landscape-superbeing powers, outside of the New Territory, except for when They have been given explicit permission to do so by the owner of that territory.

4.4 The landscape-superbeings and Their ambassadors or organic-manifestations will not attack or declare war on any Amentans or Amentan countries, whether mundanely or with landscape-superbeings powers, except in the course of legal proceedings against actions any Amentans do in the New Territory.

4.5 In the event that the New Territory or the ambassadors of the landscape-superbeings or Their organic-manifestations are attacked, or if any Amentan country declares war on the New Territory, Voa will protect and negotiate for the New Territory or the ambassadors of the landscape-superbeings or Their organic-manifestations as though they were any other part of Voa or any other Voan citizen.

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5. On the selling of services and goods by the landscape-superbeings, their ambassadors, or organic-manifestations...

5.1 The landscape-superbeings and their ambassadors or organic-manifestations will not be prevented from selling any of their services or goods to any Amentan countries, or citizens thereof, except those Voa is at war with.

5.2 These services or goods include, but are not limited to:

    5.2.1 Claiming of land owned by a country such that it can be terraformed or seasoned.

    5.2.2 Damianos and His ambassador's touch-of-beauty power.

    5.2.3 Korrado and His ambassador's metallokinesis power, and any such artifacts that may be produced using it.

    5.2.4 Bestowal of permanent-enhancements.

    5.2.5 Language translation and interpretation.

    5.2.6 Media, art, and technological knowledge from the original world of the landscape-superbeings.

5.3 The landscape-superbeings and their ambassadors or organic-manifestations may set prices for their services and goods at their discretion.

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6. On the potential purchase of the New Territory by the landscape-superbeings from Voa...

6.1 The landscape-superbeings will receive the option to purchase the land from Voa at the latest price available before They arrived, with this option being available to be exercised at any time.

    6.1.1 The price of the land shall be the latest price available from before the landscape-superbeings arrived.

    6.1.2 The landscape-superbeings and Voa may agree to an alternate payment method not involving money with the consent of both parties.

    6.1.3 If this option is exercised, the New Territory shall become its own independent state, wholly separate from Voa.

    6.1.4 Any Voans living in the New Territory will have the option to receive New Territory citizenship and renounce their Voan citizenship, or keep their Voan citizenship and return to Voa. Any such Voans that choose to become New Territory citizens will no longer be subject to Voan law and will instead be subject to New Territory law.

        6.1.4.1 Voans living in the New Territory will have one month to decide, starting from the exercise of the option.

            6.1.4.1.1 During this time, Voa may no longer send any Voans to live in the New Territory.

            6.1.4.1.2 Voans living in the New Territory who choose to receive New Territory citizenship will lose their Voan citizenship and gain New Territory citizenship on the deadline. They will be subject to New Territory law at the passing of the deadline.

            6.1.4.1.3 Voans living in the New Territory who choose to retain their Voan citizenship will have until the deadline to settle their affairs and return to Voa, or be deported to Voa after the deadline has passed.

            6.1.4.1.4 Any Voans living in the New Territory who fail to make their choice before the deadline will be considered to have chosen to retain their Voan citizenship and will be deported to Voa.

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7. On the unilateral termination of this treaty...

7.1 Either party may decide to unilaterally terminate this treaty. The terminating party must give notice to the other party.

    7.1.1 A party shall be considered to have been given notice if the terminating party has given written communication to an ambassador of the other party. Said ambassador must have been present during the signing of this treaty.

    7.1.1 If this option is exercised, both parties must complete the following actions. 

        7.1.1.1 Starting from the notice being given, Voa will have one month to cause all of the Voans living in the New Territory to return to Voa. The landscape-superbeings will not impede this evacuation or cause the landscape to significantly shift in such a way that makes it harder for this evacuation to occur.

        7.1.1.2 Upon the return of all Voans living in the New Territory back to Voa, the landscape-superbeings will have one month to revert the land to its original state from before They arrived, and remove their claim over the New Territory.

        7.1.1.3 The Voans living in the New Territory must take all of their valuable possessions with them. During the process of reverting the land to its original state, all structures and items still in the New Territory will be demolished or destroyed.

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He chose 27,139, because that was the population of the combined territories of Damianos and Korrado tallied in the recent census.

These words will be written on thin stone slabs that will suddenly appear on the table – nine copies for the nine Voan diplomats present.

They look them over, and take photos of them all. "This is overall very reasonable. Is reverting the land necessary for removing the claim? Can there be some reasonable limits on diplomatic immunity - we're not going to make a fuss about misfiled paperwork, but there are some things we're answerable internationally for managing. You'd probably also need to become signatory to the same treaties for our neighbors to accept your presence as a new country."

"When we remove Our claim, the land will stay the same. That is to say, the lakes, rivers, mountains and plains will stay. However, the climate requires active management and requires that We have a claim to it. It takes energy to do this, and once We leave it, the climate will go back to being a polar climate quickly – my estimate is on the order of several months.

What are the things you are answerable internationally for managing? Preferably, I would have them be explicitly written into the treaty. Also, I would want to have ambassadors from other Amentan countries come here to testify to the things you are answerable for, as well as be witnesses if we do sign the treaty.

Thank you for telling me. I will keep that in mind, although I will not write that into the treaty, as the treaty only concerns Voa and Us. We will give notice to and sign treaties with the other Amentan countries if or when that becomes necessary."

"We're committed to maintaining international standards on population management, pollution containment, war crimes, and border control. I think selling land to a new political entity that wouldn't inherit those commitments and hasn't made them separately would itself violate our commitments."

"Please furnish Me with the standards for these things."

They can certainly do that. They have to allow observers from other countries to check up on them; they have to have these measures in place to deal with breaches if they occur due to rogue actors; they have to make efforts yea stringent to prevent people from escaping into their neighboring countries without a visa and accept back any expats who are discovered to have left illegitimately...

This is so upsetting!! People do not have free exit rights. He supposes if literally every habitable part of Amenta is claimed then you can't really have that. It is So Sad.

And nongreys can't fight or be in the military!!

"Why are nongreys forbidden from being in the military? Is it possible for nongreys to become grey?"

"It's impossible, and it's important to prevent escalation of warfare to encompass civilian castes."

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

What if We have all our people be greys and occupy the whole of Amenta? Can we do that?

Do We have to do that? Can we like, not? Anyway doing that at this stage would be a very bad idea.

I know, I didn't mean it seriously. I'm surprised you're not more upset about art being limited to one caste.

I am!! But like, it would not be productive to express this emotion. We don't have to do everything immediately.

Fine.

Korrado will not reply to the blue's answer.

"The pollution containment standards talk about red Amentans. What are reds?"

He has a pretty good idea of what reds actually are, from receiving the intended communication behind that word, but He wants to hear it in their words.