The Barcidae Concerning Fort Bugeater

Presented by Urash ibn Tobrugh, Master of the Migdol of the Dyers, dressed in fine saffron as he bows to the Souffets to argue his case on behalf of his own household of the Bani Barraqi--the Barcidae.

"Honored Souffets, we of the ancient Baraqi Tribe thank the court for this chance to stand before you and present our case to you, even despite our inability to directly assist in the matter of this fort “Bugeater” and the aggressive Kzinti threat therein. (Though of course, how could we assist in such an effort, when we ourselves were not alerted to any joint venture against this threat?)

"Long have we stood as a bulwark in defense of Cothon and Gadeed, fending off the attacks of pirates and Kzinti alike from the walls of our Migdol and Tower, all for the sake of the Cities. Long have we stood as pillars for the Souffets and all the citizens of Gadeed, shouldering burdens like Duris hoisting the world on his shoulder of old. Long and long have we stood thus, and may our shoulders be pillars and our left hand a strong shield for the Dual-Cities ever longer.

"It is in this spirit that we come before you today, to offer our own services and resources in the garrisoning of this fort.

"A great reward was offered for the capture and manning of this fort—and it is mete that the Souffets should have the prerogative to reward citizens and servants with munificence for deeds well done! But consider the coffers of our Two Cities, and of the League at large. We Baraqi can outfit a force of armigers to hold the fort at no expense to anyone but our own tribe, and thus save the treasuries of the Souffets, the Cities, and the League from bearing any burden, and thus able to be better spent in efforts against this menace of the Red Cloud and the shadow over Tsurr. Our only request in return for garrisoning this strong place--at our own expense--is the use of the land and its fruits for the very maintenance of that strength.

"We expect that the esteemed Dalinar al Khalid, loyal though he is to our cities, will be too busy with affairs in Gadeed and his wracked estates in al Zaytun to be expected to maintain this fort. Thus do we present ourselves, castellans of the Migdol of old, as a fine choice to shoulder such a burden.

"By all means, grant a fine portion of the promised reward to these heroic adventurers. By their actions they have discovered a weakness in our enemies’ plans, and exploited it in due service to yourselves and our Cities. A sixth portion of the proffered bounty seems more than enough for such service—they did not, after all, lead any great force of men, but only themselves and certain barbaric allies—and twenty-five thousand dinars will surely be a surfeit of gold with which to enjoy their cups and their luxuries.

"Again, we thank your august personages for the chance to speak here, and humbly and eagerly await your decision in this matter."