The two sides wrestled for several months. The tribes around Gonami Lake, short on food and supplies, could no longer hold out and decided to surrender to the Nix Tribe. Of course, one significant reason was that they saw the Segestica people, who had previously surrendered, were living quite well within the Nix Tribe.
When the Gonami Lake envoys arrived at Ophelia, they were surprised to find that the Nix people refused their surrender. Maximus did not want to lose Gonami Lake as a buffer zone too soon and border Brochi Territory, thereby provoking the Brochi people into taking drastic action. Such a move could hinder the Nix Tribe's ability to consolidate and fully absorb the territories they had already occupied, turning them entirely into their strength.
