It's kind of wild to me that those aspects weren't intended since they came through so clearly to me, but I apologize for misreading your story (yeah, I know the argument that the text speaks for itself regardless of authorial intent, but I still feel bad when I'm way off the mark from what was intended). I think some of my comments about nuance regarding perception of the "other" still apply, but I love all the additional insight! Also, I wasn't aware of Damarchus at all, so it's definitely been enlightening being educated through this jam on aspects of folklore I'm clearly lacking in.