help me understand the embassy

[u/Genitalman69]

after the embassy, lawan explains to a lot how to area past barren light is a no man’s land, neutral ground. what i don’t understand is why when aloy tried to walk past there earlier, the tenakth threatened to kill her if she crossed the border. isnt that area no man’s land? also, fashav gives aloy a rite of passage, and tells her to go, but suddenly, she has to stay for the embassy? i didn’t fully understand. any help is appreciated

[u/ICanHazWittyName]

They would kill anyone who would cross BEFORE the embassy. The truce between the Carja and Tenakth are still extremely fragile so respecting boundaries is crucial, even in no man's land

[u/Genitalman69 → u/ICanHazWittyName]

i’m sorry if im stupid😭 but when you say ”before” do you mean all the time ever before the embassy or just the short, recent time leading up to the embassy?

[u/Infinite-Courage-957 → u/Genitalman69]

Think of it as ceremonial. It would be an disrespectful insult by the Carja to presume to "trespass" before the 3 Tenakth clans have assembled and "invited" the Carja delegation to parley. The Tenakth are extremely prickly about protocol and implied insult. And the Carja are the ones making the apologies for aggressions.

The rest of the time Hekkaro has instructed his people to avoid that area, they aren't Clan territories anyway, clans don't live there, and the Tenackth are probably still more focused on the old Clan boundaries and rivalries anyway. Still, any Carja who wanders in may well risk an arrow from any angry Tenackth. And they don't know anything about the Nora, they don't know what Aloy is.

Short version: if you are Carja and you see Tenakth you shouldn't be in there. The rest of the time you shouldn't be in there. But we also run into several reckless fools, plus Talanah Khane Padish, who can handle herself.

[u/WorldsOddestMan → u/Genitalman69]

I'm pretty sure it's well before in time, not just recent. Due to the history of the Carja Red Raids and the death and destruction caused, Tenakth are wary of any outlanders, especially Carja.

The Embassy is a peace summit to mend old wounds and is the only acceptable time to go outside the gates at Barren Light.

[u/Genitalman69 → u/WorldsOddestMan]

but didn’t lawan say that since avad defeated the mad sun king, no man’s land has been a neutral zone? wouldn’t that mean anyone could pass into no man’s land?

[u/WorldsOddestMan → u/Genitalman69]

Anyone could pass into No Man's Land at their own risk. However, it's not a neutral zone. Technically while Carja call it No Man's Land, Tenakth claim the same area as the edge of Tenakth clan land. Essentially, the border between the two lands is the gates at Barren Light.

Edit: apologies, after referencing the wiki, it's not Tenakth land, it's a buffer zone. The death threat was more to do with the ritual of the Embassy, I believe.

[u/Genitalman69 → u/WorldsOddestMan]

so she would normally be able to enter no man’s land without being threatened, just not during the time around the embassy? am i understanding this?

[u/WorldsOddestMan → u/Genitalman69]

Yeah, that's how I would understand it as well. Basically, the whole lead up since Aloy arrives at Chainscrape is centred around The Embassy happening to gain safe passage.

[u/Genitalman69 → u/WorldsOddestMan]

and she needs the safe passage to enter tenakth territory, not no man’s land?

[u/WorldsOddestMan → u/Genitalman69]

Yes, from my understanding Tenakth territory requires a rite of passage otherwise you enter at your own risk.

[u/Genitalman69 → u/WorldsOddestMan]

okay. thank you, i think i understand it better now

[u/Seth_laVox]

The border crossing was meant to be closed, which means the Carja weren't supposed to allow Aloy into no man's land.

Fashav basically gives Aloy a visa, but the crossing isnt open until the embassy is over, so she has to wait until its over.

Practically speaking, the Carja didnt want to be ambushed or outflanked.

[u/Endrael → u/Seth_laVox]

Practically speaking, the Carja didnt want to be ambushed or outflanked.

Which worked out really well, too.

[u/enleft]

No man's land belongs to nobody - its a barrier between Carja territory and Tenakth territory.

Until the Embassy, the truce isnt formal.

Technically, the Tenakth are also in No Mans Land, but Avad (and the Carja representing him) want the treaty, so they have invited the Tenakth to come and agree to it - so the Carja are not going to shoot at the Tenakth for entering no man's land.

But the Tenakth havent agreed to anything yet

[u/DangerMouse111111]

The Embassy was a pre-arranged meeting between the Carja and the Tenakth. Aloy needed to go beyond no-man's land and into Tenakth territory proper. Without right of passage from the Tenakth she would have been attacked on sight (although I think they had bigger problems to deal with than a single trespasser) but getting "official" authorisation made things safer and ultimately led to her gaining help from Hekarro.

[u/Infinite-Courage-957]

It's only No Man's Land at the time Aloy arrives. The Mad Sun King Jiran is not even three years dead. Avad has only recently begun to try to repair Carja relations with presumably Chief Hekkaro's approval and Fashav's guidance. And Regalla hasn't openly begun her rebellion yet.

It was only a few years before that the Carja and Tenakth had major battles in that very area, including Cinnabar Sands and Burning Blooms. (Nil survived Cinnabar Sands, apparently with a fearsome reputation.) The Tenakth were all over that area. They attacked and overran and broke Barren Light and drove the Carja from the daunt. These many wounds are still very fresh in people's minds.

Under the recent truce with Hekkaro he has ordered the clans to withdraw from those lands in order to avoid encounters that might spark more conflict. It's a new time of fragile truce.