# The Price of Peace

The idea that natural fantasy must have a bucolic aesthetic and deal with small, peaceful villages is superficial to say the least. A large number of these stories take a different twist, highlighting the difficulties in human relationships.

Sometimes they are just the inner conflicts of a village or a family, but tales of violence and oppression between neighboring nations are equally common, not to mention the marginalization of one or more individuals who called local dogmas into question.

Traditions are important and they were probably created for a good reason, but this might not be the case any longer: blindly following them might lead to grave misjudgments. At the same time, discarding them for profit or power is equally cruel and irresponsible.

In line with the themes of change and coexistence that permeate the natural fantasy genre, peace isn’t static, but something that must be redefined day by day, based on new necessities, otherwise it becomes an oppressive silence.

## When Words Are Not Enough

Many natural fantasy conflicts involve factions who struggle to communicate. These disputes often take the form of wars between humans and animals, monsters, or spirits, but the idea also works in the case of rivalries or tension between nations that don’t speak the same language.

Some character options allow the PCs to communicate with usually unintelligible creatures and powers—for example, Elemental Harmony (see page 155), Feral Speech (see Core Rulebook, page 183) and some Rituals. These are excellent choices if you want one of the protagonists to act as a mediator.

However, you might avoid these options on purpose, so that the group has to struggle with the difficulties of communication (a character might acquire them later to show their evolution).

### Conflict Resolution & Understanding

- In such situations, it’s important to highlight the values of hospitality and understanding.
- If the story includes a presence considered “alien” or “outsider”, the heroes’ first instinct should be to suspend judgment to understand its point of view, needs, and necessities, instead of driving it back, fighting, or eliminating it.

Although defending oneself from a raging monster or making contact with destructive spirits is rather common (combat is a core part of Fabula Ultima after all), the real antagonist appears later, often under the guise of an evil influence that has corrupted peaceful creatures (see page 174).