"The Tales of the Alabaster Tower Nestled in the Evergreen Valley by the Sea Side, or ALastara in short.
Very little happened during the Last two cycles, and the newly-founded Alliance has yet to encounter any resistance. There have been rumours of other sapient life, roaming in the lands; beings called... orcs are said to dwell near our cities. Let it be known that there is no such thing as sapience lying therein. Any proper life form would have expressed interest in knowning about the Elvi'Thna, or at least polite curiosity; instead, these... things have expressed naught but contempt towards our people, and all that we hold dear in our hearts.
Let no doubt shroud your beliefs; saying that those orcs are primitive would be a marvel of understatement. The most courteous conversation we had with these creatures have been so enlightening that words fail me, for the meaning of "Scrumph, Gropmp, Trer" are hard to convey with mere sentences alone. All the richness of such a statement speaks figures about the cultural development of these beings, and for a surety it explains why they have no interest in establishing formal relationships with the Elvi'Thnis.
As of yet, their... diplomacy remained a mixture of threats, greetings and despite. One of us have been held prisoner for a couple of cycles, and served as translator. How craven one has to be for accepting slavery in the midst of those barbarians; taking his own life, and a few of his captors with them, was the path a proper Elvi'Thna was to follow. Nonetheless, we shall not delve into such matters. So, this renegade served as interpreter, or so we believe, for his knowledge of his own mothertongue was far from being irreproachable.
After having received one insult too many, the Elvi'Thnis have withdrawn from any formal negociation with such lifeforms. Ignoring was the most diplomatic answer at our disposal, and fate itself helped us by... removing the turncoat. Rumour has it that he overheard secrets belonging to the Elvi'Thnis; such is only gossip, and does not the slightest grain of truth in it. Likewise, a few dissidents consider that those orcs do not belong to the same group; some of them are said to follow one leader, while the other ones belong to another pack. Idle speculation regarding any creature shall not be tolerated; all mountains may be different from one another, but they remain mountains for all relevant purposes.
Lastly, a word of warning to all wardens of the Elvi'Thnis: treachery does not require civilization. Therefore, all soldiers are to remain ready to defend their city at a moment's notice. We shall not take any chance when dealing with these savage hordes, lest carelessness should herald the end of the days of the Elvi'Thnis.
Weaver Shahrizai, for the Elvi'Thna Alliance."
Now without all the propaganda from these arrogant, isolationist and sneaky Elves: we are at turn 20 or so, and two Orc tribes have already been encountered (one to the north, and the other one to the south). The current focus has been colonization, but a small standing army is being built for now. Besides this, not much is going on, save for the... ahem... tense relationships on the border between Elves and Orcs.
