A letter sent between Merchant Houses. The letter was undated, but Imperial archivists suspect it was written between Year 710 and 720 CR.
The Sandborn Wedding
My Brother Darrel,
Congratulations on your betrothal!
We are most excited for the alliance of the Houses, as I believe it will bring great opportunity to access the rare dyes and sap of the great northern trees, and allow us to ship our glass much deeper into the Heartlands. I trust that you have already decided the colors for your wedding? Do let us know at your earliest convenience, as it can take some time to import the silks and get them dyed the right colors.
My wife was glad to hear that Mina had already been living our ways for some time before your meeting. It was always difficult to get outsiders to understand the importance in jewelry, why detailed stitching matters. They often do not understand us when we say that one’s presentation should be representative of status, that a fancy palace or keep does not follow you to new places, and how other markers dissolve in the silt. The golden details in the dress she wore to meet us told us immediately that she understood.
As to the other matters you wrote about, yes, the wells are still a problem. Every day we send our cousins under the water, they scoop the silt, and we toss it to the side. It takes hours to clear the bottom enough to ensure the cistern will refill itself for the next day. The Imperial Mathias claims the Khuldinai can make improvements so we do not have to dig, but their demands are outrageous!
On the subject of Mathias, he continues to press on the issue of the varad. As you know, we thought the Empire was trying to deprive us of servants, insists that they are slaves, but as it turns out, they simply do not want us to call them that. They prefer we refer to them as “employees” or “servants”, as the word “slave” has become foul within the Empire. I have told him that we do not care what the Empire wants to call a vassal, we are not bound by their sensitivities.
I find the whole affair amusing. The Empire is all too eager to conscript someone into service, bind them with debts, or ensure they earn just enough to eat and sometimes less. How is that not the same thing? At least in our Houses we provide clean clothing, food, and shelter for our slaves. It is far better treatment than the Empire gives its own free people.
Free. The hypocrisy. I have seen the Slums of the city, and if I were forced to choose, I would prefer to be a varad in the desert than a free person in the city.
Enough of that. Your aunt Delpha said to remind you that you promised to write, and hadn’t. Or at least, she hasn’t received any messages. So please, brother, write to her. She has been terribly sad since you left and though she will not say it out loud, you were the favorite among us.
Do give my regards to Mina, and don’t forget to send me the list of colors. Your wedding shall be a celebration to remember!
Regards, Yazan