Fort Akton, The Bunker, Presidents’ Meeting Room, Klos 15th, 350AC, 10:10, new moon

(See previous turn, Briefing Part One, if you haven’t read it yet)

President Gaal Lont smiles.  “It is rather… unique, that so many different tribes and communities have come together to form Akton.  I suppose if it wasn’t for the Reevers and then your heroics, we’d still be feuding for scraps of badland territory.”

“Anyway, your new mission.  When Doctor Zeebo came to Akton, there was an arrangement between us, and Nashua College.  Zeebo researches the plants and shrooms in this area, and sees if they can be useful.  Or valuable.  In exchange for his work, the College gets a copy of his notes.  So far, this has been a good exchange.  Example: we now grow mushrooms for food, which were really needed this winter.

It was proposed that if Zeebo worked out, we might take this cooperation to a new level.  We want to start a program to raise, um, no the word would be ‘grow’ mobile plants.  Ones that we could use as mounts, guardians, and such.  In exhange, Nash will get samples of local plants.  Think of what this will do for us!  We can have the benefits of beasts of burden without having to feed them the usual massive amounts of food!  And food is not a luxury for us.  We can replace those rakoxen used in the trade caravan, and increase our number of caravans.

So your task is this: I want your group to travel to Nash, and meet with the Dean of Nashua College to propose this plan.  We want to establish a “cooperative botany program”.  We get mobile plants, they get samples of our local plant life.  Here is a contract we’ve written up to formalize this deal (he places a wax-sealed scroll upon the table).  If the Dean wants to alter details, you four as a group can make decisions to do so, but keep Akton’s interests in mind.  If uncertain, you can always bring the counter-proposal back, but too much delay and we may not be able to start a plant program this year.  As part of this mission, I want you to travel as a caravan would, heading to Nash.  That means taking our northern trade road, dubbed the “Klintok Road” since it passes along their territory.  Look at this route as a caravan would -note its benefits, its hazards and other problems.  Phallon, I want you to create a written report, and present it to Silas (Secretary of Trade) on your return.

Questions?