Valdemar Hvide/A Meeting With the Outside: Part 2

A Meeting With the Outside: Part 2

In-universe date: Era Nova, January-February, Year 3

Real-world date: 2026-08-26
Author: Valdemar Hvide

“Why are you disturbed my peace?” Valdemar asked, frustrated.

The young runner, who could not be more than 19 years old, froze in fear as the eyes of the second most powerful man in the kingdom looked at him. A map lay alongside several papers on the table clearly showing what the regent has been working on.

“Important news from the North” the young boy stuttered out, failing to maintain his calm as he put forward his right hand with an envelope to the regent, who took it in his own hand and pointed to the door, which the runner understood, and he left the room.

Now alone again, Valdemar went back to his table, where the map from Koperdam lay alongside several handmade copies and notes. He knew how Istrania works, how each cast acted and reacted, but the outside? He lacked knowledge and that was dangerous. Percival had given him more understanding, but one source could only tell him so much, may it be due to its own interests and prejudices. He needed information from everywhere, not just one place, so he hunted for every scrap of information there was, by using trusted Købfolk or old contacts from his youth on the seas.

This letter was more promising than most bits of information that have come so far, as most were nothing more than just reporting on the same thing. Serrano... Serrano... Serrano. He turned to the map and searched with his finger on the fine paper until he finally found Serrano on it, just south of Coronado. Now with a rough idea of where in the world it was, he went back to the contents of the envelope. The first couple of lines were little more than the usual reports one could expect from those things. However Serrano was, according to this, a place where there was no central authority, nor a central faith. Rather, "the law", if you could call it, was supposedly based on social customs.

Valdemar raised an eyebrow at the last bit, wondering how this so-called nation had not collapsed, but maybe he was thinking too hard about that and missing the opportunities lying right there. A land not entrenched in a central faith or government, a possible new flock to be brought into the fold of the Godking and something that will shut up the traditionalists. As he read further, something caught his attention: The Goldman Company. The company has started to lay down railways through Serrano and possibly even more, as part of the talk about connecting small settlements with each other.

Valdemar thought back on his talk with Percival about a railway, and it was clear now. The outside was growing faster than he had expected. Istrania needs the railway and needs it now, but who will deliver it? Koperdammer or Goldman Company? Who would deliver it? Who to pick? His eyes drifted toward the windows, looking across the bay, as if the answer would be somewhere out there, waiting for him.

Koperdammer was the safer choice. A respectable nation far ahead of Istrania, something Percival have proved to him. A trusted source of knowledge. Yet those things were not given out for free. Koperdam was a nation and it had its own interests, be it allies, treaties or ambitions. Any sharing would likely come with hidden strings attached. And what of the price? What would Koperdam want in return? Trade concession? Ownership of the rails? Or something even worse? Valdemar frowned. No. Koperdam could be useful, but that had its own limits.

Then there was the Goldman Company. A far greater risk. There was barely anything about them other than what was in the report. An unknown actor, who could be anything from honest Købfolk to con men. He should have been discounted by all logic, but a thought had changed his view. They were not a nation. They were a gathering of Købfolk, no political interests, no scale of power to be worried about, plus Købfolk, no matter where they lived were vulnerable to the sin of greed. Valdemar almost smiled at the idea. Give them athe chance to make a lot of money for their pockets, and they would jump for it no matter what.

Valdemar took a paper from his drawer and started writing out his proposal.