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But these claims that Bosmer war parties parley through music once again betray Quibius' fanciful notions about his subject and his dearth of hands-on research. One must always remember, of course, that every contract and treaty in Valenwood is a song, performed in its most official capacity by a greyshrike blade-barrister. Further, no experienced Wood Elf fighter would dare approach the bargaining table with an enemy, as there exist no laws of diplomatic protection. Offers of peace can and often have been employed as a trap for enemy officers, as the Redguards fighting the Usurper would surely attest.

Thus negotiations are traditionally carried out by means of large 'sound mirrors' which project the chanting of each party's lawyer-poet through the jungle (ostensibly beyond the range of arrows), exchanging verses until a harmonious agreement is reached. The pact is then recorded in legally and religiously binding language onto vellum or, in some cases, tattooed upon the greyshrikes' skin. This does not quite match the suggested image of campfire tunes as inter-tribal relations.

This pattern repeats throughout 'The Histories and Ways of the Tree-Sap People,' indicating that Quibius is more interested in characterizing Bosmer culture as some sort of whimsical Bhorianese fairy story than treating this primitive society with the blinding, horrible objectivity it deserves. At every turn he takes the opportunity to record only the most guileless interpretation possible, ensuring his readers come away with the usual image of the man-eaters as tiny tricksters mostly concerned with crafting drinking songs and dirty jokes. But every affable custom of these creatures has a hidden poison in it.

Bos, the Wood Elf tongue with its famous propensity for punning and wordplay, imbues seemingly every turn of phrase with a sinister double meaning. Take, for instance, the simple occasion of a greeting. The Bosmer salute, so often seen in Eplearean statuary, involves holding the hand with palm facing outward, with thumb and small-finger curled inward. The other three fingers point straight up, because these are used in a traditional bow draw. The greeter is showing deference, in that she doesn't have her fingers on her bowstring, but also showing that her hands are intact and ready for violence. This is necessary due to the barbaric and ubiquitous practice of removing finger joints to seal compacts and repay debts.

The accompanying salutation, too, is troubling. 'Ioa' means 'I see you,' or more literally 'the moonlight betrays your position,' an obvious taunt bundled with an implicit threat. Quibius, as per usual, translates this with the flowery exhortation 'let the light of the moons illuminate you.' And when your dealings with whatever jungle rabble are complete, you will hear the traditional Bosmer farewell, 'Ayleia aylem.' Though this author feels it is a perfect summation of the nature of the Wood Elves, Quibius tellingly makes no mention of this phrase or its meaning: 'May you be lost, and never found.' In the perverse and cowardly worldview of the Boiche (notice how even their own name for themselves feels like a slur in the mouth), this is both the most profound blessing and the foulest imprecation.

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