By the hand of Adorhoshang, who rules in Vâharåŋhânô, for the record of thoughts;

These times trouble me. Trade throughout the seas has either ceased, or fallen into the hands of the Bagaroki, who now take up the ways of Canaan in merchant families and the like. Did not Canaan fall because of these ways? Already our trade wanes due to the stress pressing on the Bagaroki - one peoples cannot supply the whole world with goods. Surely, prices will rise, as there is no-one else to buy from.

What, then, is to be done? The warrior caste looks with greedy eyes upon the cities. When we can no longer compete in sales, what then will they do? No doubt they will take to the old ways, and besiege us as ages past when the fall of our kin in the southeast made necessary their action against the cities. This must be prevented, or all of our work undone for the sake of their own appetite. We must maintain our civility, and keep the upper hand, for when the warrior caste no longer wishes to bargain and instead wishes to dictate, we will surely lose, for our people are farmers and workers, not people of the steppe and of war.

We cannot do as we did before when their greed got the better of them. There is no-one around us to conquer! Not ones worth conquering, for all around us seem to crumble under the weight of their own personage. No, the warrior caste would only see this as fuel for their own ever-growing flame, rather than something to satiate their need for this power or that victory. Then it is that there is nothing for them to test themselves against, so we must buy them off lest they come to raid our own peoples. We could at one point buy them off with carob, but this wanes in the face of things as the Bagaroki are strained.

So it is that we must venture forth with our own trade, and bring our goods to others, and their goods back home. Our own wealth must be maintained and expanded upon if we are to prevent our own destruction by our own warriors. Like a noble held hostage by his guards! Dishonorable and facetious! But alas, it must be done, until we can overcome the warrior caste. There is no need of them; indeed, there are no threats. The one who called themselves 'son of god' is gone, and so too are his followers. The Quarvoz have left. Even Asegon is in ruins! Who can stand against us?

Ourselves, apparently.

Oh, that I would have the wisdom to do something other than this. Surely the Bagaroki would see these things and grow tense at the thought of competition? Surely our fine relation would be in tatters, that we would compete and bargain against them? But what can be done? Inaction is apathy, and apathy is death; if we do not move out, we stagnate. We crumble like the rest. Asegon did not trade, not since the days before Minos. Canaan did nothing but trade, and they fell to ruin. Therefore, we must temper our own constructions and goings-on with that of trade, but not rely on it.

That is the course of action we must take. I am sure of it. With this, I endeavor to put to use those vessels which we gained from the Quarvoz and their cities under our care. From their harbours, we will found a new way of trade, and see to it that we reach the very shores of the farthest peoples. Then we may bring back their goods, and trade it or sell it to the warriors among the steppes, that they would find their lust for conquest tempered with the happiness of trade. So shall it be.