Culturally, smiling resonates across the arc of human history, from the grinning Greek kouros sculptures of 2,500 years ago right up to emojis.

One of our ancestors led a force against a necromancer's castle on an island near Kouros.

And Grandfather says the Three Lands all face Kouros because it's the heart of the world.

"Then you don't think Plenimar will uphold the Treaty of Kouros?"

Apollo Kouros II featured on the cover of the catalogue that accompanied Preller's major retrospective exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum in 1972.

Kouros, most Great, I give thee hail, Lord of all that is wet and gleaming; thou art come at the head of thy Daimones.

He had seen such marks before, carved into the walls of caves on the sacred island of Kouros, and on rocks along the Skalan coastline.

"I believe one of the sticking points of the truce offer was that Skala would finally take possession of sacred Kouros," said the ruddy man.