Council Elections (year 2638 or 427 depending on which Calendar you want to use)

[Lady Val]

Lady Val stands in the centre of the Inn below the window as citizens gather for a town meeting the day after we all return from the Tournament in Applevale.

"Citizens of Holdfast, as stipulated in prior to the first council election, the Council of Holdfast shall be re-elected every year by the townsfolk themselves. I have discussed this matter with Degren Brightforge of the Order of Iron and likewise he has done so with Greyfeard the Whitehawk and all three of us feel it is about time we have our annual election.

As such, and without further ado, I declare that the second general election of Holdfast shall commence immediately. There are three positions on the council and current council members need to be re-elected to their positions to remain as governing members of Holdfast. Additionally, this year, a fourth position, that of the Sheriff of Holdfast will be available.

The duties of the Sheriff of Holdfast will be to uphold the Laws of Holdfast and bring justice to those who break them either by bringing said person to trial in front of the town and the Council of Holdfast, or, should the punishment be listed in the Laws of Holdfast, by taking disciplinary action. Should the council be unavailable, it is the duty of the Sheriff to maintain law and order in Holdfast in their absence and dispense justice accordingly. Like the council, should the Sheriff be found abusing their position or guilty of a crime, they must face trial before the Council and citizens of Holdfast. The sheriff may name two deputies to aid them in maintaining order in Holdfast and, should these deputies be unavailable, may conscript willing citizens into aiding them.

Persons who wish to become a candidate for either a position on the council or the position of sheriff may declare their candidacy at this public forum and give a BRIEF," she looks pointedly at the more verbose members of Holdfast, "description of why you feel that you would make a good candidate for the position for which you are choosing to run."

[Degren Brightforge]

Degren sits not far off, drinking a glass of hearty mead and happily smoking his pipe. "Please," he says, his mouth throwing of puffs of blueish smoke, " Keep em short. I have no doubt some of us here could talk a mana turtle to death, if given half a chance."

[Sylvie]

Sylvie, who up until now has been enjoying a game of chess with Mirisi, stands and greets Lady Val and the audience.

"I'd like to put my name forward for consideration for council leadership. While I believe our council has done good work up until now, I believe it is important to have the views of those who believe in non-violent resolution represented. There are so many tricks of the mind one can use to solve issues, and incapacitate an enemy. My core belief system, coupled with my experience as a pride mother will only serve Holdfast for the better.

So if you wish to see a Holdfast that no longer reaches for the sword as its first option...vote for me."

She bows to the eclectic group of auras standing around her, and sits.

[Torvallis!]

"Why were you looking specifically at me when you said 'brief'? Did you expect me to run? Do you want me to run?

Ah, shoot, you do, don't you. And we all know we shouldn't disappoint Lady Val.

Hey, everyone! Vote for me because I like Fire and stuff! If you want our problems to be solved by getting people to look at pretty fires and then conking them out, vote for me!"

[Lady Val]

Lady Val addresses the audience once again.

"I would also like to put my name forward again for council. As many of you know I have done much on behalf of this town during my time on the council and have given it my full attention over the past year. Additionally I have made an effort to broaden my knowledge of politics for the purposes of better representing and serving the people of Holdfast both here and abroad. If re-elected my goal with be to further our economic ties with Applevale, establish a new trade opportunity for the town in Soul's Landing, and promote trade between us and the mainland, while continuing to represent Holdfast as a diplomat on an international scale."

(Skills used to give speech include: Lifeskill Conversationalist 1, Lifeskill Diplomacy 1, Lifeskill Statesmanship 1, Lifeskill Orator 1, Lifeskill Financier 1 -- The overall effect is that Val sounds pretty charismatic and knows what she is talking about regarding how politics, international diplomacy, and economics work. She is not a master but she appears to be better trained in these skills than your average person.)

[Verbena Domitia]

Verbena, in town for her weekly visit, stands and brushes off her coat before addressing the assembly:
"Holdfast is a settlement of boundless potential trapped in countless snares of inefficiency. It was from such untended but fertile soil that I built an empire of trade, and it is from this experience and tireless ambition that I will rally this community to greatness.
"My proposal: an independent and legally incorporate Holdfast. We will be a functional economic unit with official governance and independent territory, recognized by fellow nations, able to bargain with other states, founded in a constitution, and possessing the internationally acknowledged authority to create and enforce our own laws and borders.
"Holdfast has no future as a rogue Imperial outpost. But it will flourish as an Imperial partner and a Confederate ally. Today, we are only as safe as our strongest sword and our next meal. A Holdfast nation-state will have the financial basis to sustain a level of peace and stability that will allow for our population to grow and carry the dream of our community into future generations.
"Holdfast's survival is a testament to your grit. Under my leadership, Holdfast's prosperity will be a beacon to the world."

[Grayfeared the Whitehawk]

Grayfeared sits quietly listening to everyone speak before he himself speaks. His arms are crossed in contemplation of who might put their name up.

[Ivy]

"Well, since I'm back, I'd like to announce my bid for Sheriff."

Hugo stands up, and raises his voice in order to be heard clearly.

"Given my prior involvement in law enforcement in Holdfast, I'd imagine you all know what I'm about. As Sylvie said, Violence doesn't always have to be our first option, and so long as I have a say in it, any and all criminals will receive fair and just punishment. Furthermore, should I be appointed sheriff, I'll see to an expansion of Holdfast's legal code. NOS knows it could use it."

[Verbena Domitia]

Seemingly prompted by Hugo's brief speech, Verbena stands once again and adds:
"Should the town fail to elect me as a council member, I am also submitting my candidacy for sheriff. I have certain... experience with the limitations of Holdfast's legal system and would be only too delighted to spearhead reforms. Given the long-standing deficiencies in local law enforcement, it would seem imprudent to re-elect anyone with previous authority in the system." She gives Hugo a smile as she takes her seat.

[Ivy]

Hugo Leaves.

[Grayfeared the Whitehawk]

Grayfeared stands up, his thoughtful countenance replaced with one of stern resolve. “It is with great regret to announce that I shall not be placing myself up for re-election. I’m sick of the cloak and daggers involved in running behind the scenes. I shall also confess something and ask forgiveness of the town,” He looks at Verbena, “and its allies. Back when we were still preparing for the apocalypse, a letter was passed onto me by the alchemy merchant, Cal. This was the day after Verbena arrived in town. The circumstances of the letter were suspicious, the text inside even more so. It called for unspecified business, to make sure she came alone, and several other things I can not recall. I tired to bring it to Degren, but this was during the time someone was trying to kidnap Detura. I then flagged down Volk to have him bring the letter to Val. Which he did.”

“Now, I’m sure all of you are familiar with the kidnapping of Verbena. Through meetings with the council, Gurock was present for some of it as well, I learned Lady Val had contracted Herr to as she put it, “Distract Verbena.” Herr translated that as his will does, together he and pocket sent the letter, they were waiting for her outside of town. Verbena, if I’m wrong about any of the details, please correct me, as I was not there. I believe they tried to maim you, and the conclusion from the secret council meetings was that Herr and Pocket planned to kill you. Val had Volk follow, and he stopped the killing, but created a whole new mess in the process.”

“This was during the preparation for the end. If we were not together on this, if we were even a little divided, that would have sunk us. So together Val and I fought Degren, who was adamant on hunting and killing Volk. Gurock adamantly wanted to seek Verbena and punish Volk as well, but on what seemed like a snap decision, sided with Val and I. I’ve long thought Gurock was unstable, but this confirmed it for me. In the end, the decision was made that we bury what happened. That we did.”

He turns once more to Verbena, not breaking eye contact, “I’m Sorry Verbena, Everyone. I can not handle the responsibility anymore. I only wanted to be a voice for the neutral members of the town, I wanted to help save the world from the end. I stood in the center of the field, calling locations, giving buffs, and fighting, sometimes solo, for the good of the town. But, now my time is up. Let it be known that I do not speak as to Volk calling Lady Val’s name while he single-handily razed a town. I only speak on what I was present for.”

[Asher Fairchild]

*Asher bursts into laughter*

[Lady Val]

Lady Val seems surprised by Greyfeard's statement and Verbena's candidacy for Sheriff. Sensing a response is needed she steps forward.

"I will admit when Verbena first came to town I saw her as a threat to Holdfast. She was extremely pro-imperial and when the Imperial tax collectors came into town claiming to have a plan to take over Holdfast in two years time right on Verbena's heels I called in a favour from Herr, and by extension Pocket, to make her miserable through their pranks so she would leave and take the Imperials with her. This was not an action as a council member but as a person. What I did not do was tell them to maim her, kidnap her, or murder her.

The next morning I received a letter from Greyfeard addressed to Verbena instructing her to come out of town alone. Now I'll be honest, at that time it was very obvious I didn't like Verbina, however I didn't dislike Verbena enough to want to see her killed and, if I may be so blunt, this whole letter charade reeked of something sinister. As I looked outside I saw her walking off with some unrecognizable individuals who presumably sent her the letter and so I sent Volk to prevent her from getting spirited away. I specifically told Volk to not let her leave town and to bring her back to Holdfast.

And then Volk kidnapped her himself.

We soon learned that the two masked individuals were Herr and Pocket, whose interpretation of my harmless favour was to apparently maim Verbena outside town. However this plan was thwarted by Volk swooping in, knocking them unconscious, and then taking Verbena away to one of his many shacks littered across the countryside.

So let's re-evaluate the situation we found ourselves in at this point:

Degren, Greyfeard, and myself were trying to hunt a man who can disappear at will and who turned out to be extremely mentally unstable. So we sent the Knights to go find Volk’s shack and rescue Verbena because despite how awful she was I think we can all agree rescuing Verbena was the right course of action at this point. Volk then appeared in the middle of town, and by appear I mean un-blended in front of me while I was walking to a council meeting to deal with all of this, and said he was not harming Verbena in the slightest and we should call off the Knights because he was going to bring her back in a couple weeks.

Now I would like to add we also had the issue of the Rift to deal with at this time. As such we had the choice of spending our resources hunting Volk and rescuing Verbena, whom Volk claims is being treated well, or spending our resources preparing the town for the upcoming apocalypse. Myself and Greyfeard argued the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few and so we felt hunting Volk was pointless if he was just going to bring Verbena back in a couple weeks. There was also the technicality that kidnapping, at the time, was not illegal in Holdfast, so even legally we had no excuse to continue hunting Volk. This is why the Laws of Holdfast now outlaw kidnapping. I will also add that throughout all of this, as Greyfeard previously stated, our current Sheriff, Gurok, was extremely emotionally unstable and was one minute furious at Volk and the next trying to kill Degren.

So I did the one thing I do well and talked Gurok down and made her see sense, that Degren isn’t the enemy but hunting Volk really didn’t make sense when the town may be destroyed in a few weeks time if we cannot put our differences aside and fight as a cohesive unit. It worked, but like Greyfeard I was pleased when Gurok stepped down from the Sheriff position.

A week later Volk returned with Verbena as he promised and the Axis attacked. During the attack we learned that Volk lied and was mentally torturing Verbena but with impending doom staring us in the face we literally had no time to deal with Volk’s misdeeds. Volk then kidnapped Verbena again, with Gurok’s help this time and, well, decided to burn down a town with the help of a pirate armada in front of her. And if all reports are correct, even some of the pirates thought this was extremely excessive.

So if anyone wonders why we didn’t succeed in hunting down Volk immediately or punishing him immediately on his return to Holdfast let me point out the following:

We needed an Earth Champion for Holdfast to survive the apocalypse
Volk initially claimed he was not harming Verbena and we had no cause to doubt him at the time
Volk could blend and most people could not, even trying to follow him on the plane of Earth required master tracking skills and too many resources to spare in a time where stopping our world from being consumed by an extrapljnar nation was a priority
Presently even the Empire is having difficulty tracking him down, this is the biggest civilization on this continent with massive resources, how would we, a small town do the same in a shorter timespan

I’m not saying what we did was right, I’m not saying what we did was the only course of action available, however we decided it was the most reasonable course of action we could have taken given the circumstances.

In all honesty I think Volk’s kidnapping of Verbena was premeditated and he merely took the most advantageous opportunity to enact it when it happened. I do not know why he targeted her, or what his reasoning was, perhaps only Verbena can answer that. What I can say is that I have apologized to Verbena already and have taken action to rectify the circumstances leading to her kidnapping.

The laws of Holdfast have been changed to include kidnapping in the list of punishable crimes. Similarly we have extended the boundaries of Holdfast to include areas outside of town, firing anyone who wants to commit a crime outside of Holdfast’s jurisdiction to travel farther. In addition I have forwarded Volk’s name to the Fae authorities so that he cannot hide in any Fae occupied city. Even those in the Confederacy. And, finally, for my own part, I have reflected and vowed to never put petty personal squabbles or dislikes above my duty to the town.

I have dedicated my time over the past year and a half to making Holdfast a better place to live. This event was a lesson in and of itself in how to improve things going forward. The council has been around for only a year and a half and I feel that expecting perfection immediately out of the gate is unrealistic, especially since none of us were initially trained in political matters when we started, but I admit that this incident did not reflect well on the council. I personally have taken this to heart and have begun studying matters of state extensively for the purposes of better governing Holdfast and dealing with such difficult situations should they ever arise again.

Again I re-iterate that I wish to continue serving the people of Holdfast and using the knowledge and experience I have gained from this incident to ensure law and order is advanced and maintained going forward. I wish to work with our new Sheriff, whether that is Verbena or Hugo, and further expand Holdfast's laws.”

(Lifeskill Diplomacy 1, Lifeskill Statesmanship 1, Lifeskill Orator 1)

[Verbena Domitia]

Verbena listens to Lady Val's speech, her eyes closed and lips pressed into a thin line. She releases her white-knuckled grip on her knees and stands for a third time, gazing evenly at the assembly.
“Right. Is everyone's conscience suitably cleared? If so, I would take the opportunity to speak for myself.” She takes a breath and continues. “The pertinent details of my experiences are now public knowledge and I will not belabour any such points. I will state before you now, clearly and unequivocally, that should this election oust Lady Valeria from the council, it would be a grievous error in judgement. My personal relationship with her is immaterial in these proceedings; Holdfast's continued existence after unprecedented difficulty is proof of her sound leadership in this community. Accordingly, let it be known that I will be casting my vote in her favour. I would like to do so promptly if our discussions are complete." She nods to Val as she takes her seat. "Marquess."

[Micheal Grayflow]

Michael, sitting in the corner, listens to his friends talk back and forth. He gets an idea and stands, clearing his throat in the process.
"Dear friends, while I myself am not a politician, I would to declare myself as an archivist for the council if they do not have one already. I say this because of my background as both a librarian and as a scribe."
He says, looking around the room before continuing.
"With those qualifications, I believe they can be used in an archival role. I feel that if the town grows and the need of documentation is required, then some skilled in archiving them would be a great benefit."
With that, Michael sits back down and waits, pondering who he'll vote for.

[Prof. P. P. Pendergast]

Pendergast lowers his travel bags onto the ground and makes his way to the centre of the room. There is a look of subtle calm to his face as he looks about the room, at those gathered. He looks at several people, including Lady Val, Grayfeared, Michael, among others. And then glances at Verbena, and chuckles quietly.

"Verbena Claudia Domitia. Count on her to speak her mind. It's an admirable trait, to be sure. And one I am happy to say that I wholeheartedly share, dear friends of Holdfast, else I would not be here here addressing you now.

"Holdfast will 'flourish as an Imperial partner and a Confederate ally', so she claims. But what kind of partner would they be? Because I can give you an accurate account of the kind of people we would be dealing with. Before I lived in my home town of Eldershire, I spent my more... tender years living in Empire's Stand. And I've seen all manner of just how cruel, unpredictable and utterly vile they can be.

"Many of you have heard me speak about my wife, Esmeralda. But here's a nugget for you all to chew on. A few years before we first met, she was to be sold into slavery. She was... unbreakable. Too angry, too brazen, and too defiant to be worth more than only a few rares. But the slavers who had her were more than willing to sell her for a song to some squalid brothel in back allies of Empire's Stand that civilized people don't talk about. The buyer's response to the low price: 'As long as the Empire gets some money for the Elven bitch, they don't care.'

"Are we willing to hold a glad hand with these people, who peddle in misery? Who regard Elves, Dwarves, Arluru, Kaern-- ANYONE that isn't human as less than common garbage? The kind who will likely abandon us as easily as they did Applevale, or worse, try to crush us under their heel? We know they are opportunistic, even treacherous. And what kind of message are we sending to the rest of Annwm if we do? And the idea of being a Confederate ally? Ha! The Confederacy opposes the Empire! They will have nothing to do with us if we partner with them. it is my belief that we can no more take seriously the suggestion of aligning our interests with them as we can believe the promises of greatness and prosperity from someone who would advocate such a preposterous idea."

Pendergast stops and takes a drink of water. "I will state unequivocally that good ideas have been brought up here. These are not enough, however. The need to consider others option before resorting to violence in times of conflict? I agree. The idea that we should work to create better trading and economic ties with our neighbours? I also agree. Mistakes have been made, but so too has progress, and we must continue to move forward. And we must have people who are willing to work to keep momentum going on the progress we have made..." He looks pointedly at Verbena. "... not halt it."

He clears his throat and draws a sharp breath. "Therefore, after much consideration, I hereby announce my candidacy for a seat on the Council of Holdfast. And if elected, I promise to do just that: to keep us moving forward, by seeking different solutions to those we have considered in the past. By working to expand and uphold law and order. By working in cooperation with those who can not only help us, not exploit us. But also, with my own experience as a bard and professor of magic, by educating people so as to replace ignorance with wisdom, knowledge, and insight. I further promise that I will work hand in hand with the people of Holdfast, listening to the concerns of all her citizens, and weighing them with consideration so that all may have a voice.

"Because at the end of the day, it is not simply the council, but all of us who determine the future of what Holdfast can be. And if you share this vision, I encourage you to make the right choice. Thank you."

And with that, Pendergast takes his seat, shaking just slightly.

[Gurok]

As Pendergast sits down and the room grows quiet, the door of the Inn creeks open part way, and a small figure slides through the opening. A child, no taller than five foot, with furry hands and a red nose, shakes snow from her hair, steps into the room and looks up the professor. In a hoarse voice, she says- “I heard you yelling and I was worried!” She sneezes, and wipes her nose with a mittened hand. “Profesor? *sniff* Are they going to sell us?”

[Prof. P. P. Pendergast]

Pendergast turns suddenly and looks down at the halfling girl. He shakes his head quickly, almost as if he is trying to wake himself up from a dream. "I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't mean to make you worry," he says, more calm than a moment ago. "I'm fine. We're just discussing who is going to be serving on the new Town Council next year. Nobody's selling us, I promise. I was... just remembering something that happened to my wife a long time ago."

He wipes an eye quickly. "The reason why I became as... impassioned as I did was because Verbena here mentioned the idea of partnering with the Empire if elected to the council." He looks at the rest of the town in the inn. "An idea that I'm sure more than a few of us gathered here think very lowly of."

Without another word, he quickly goes over to the stove and puts the kettle on for a cup of tea before continuing. "My friends, I ask you all to please forgive my bitterness. Many of you know of the reason for my distaste for the Empire. I deeply share in the idea of making Holdfast a better place for all people, and helping it to grow and prosper. But in order for this to come to pass, we must work with those who are willing to cooperate with us. The Empire only knows how to exploit, and that will do nothing but cause more issues in the long run. Whatever we do, we must do without their involvement."

As the kettle boils, the Professor pours a cup of herbal tea for Rose and passes it to her with a warm smile. "Here you are, love. Hopefully you'll start to feel better with this." He then goes to work on starting the fire.

[Verbena Domitia]

Verbena grabs a a goblet, fills it with ale, and slides it across the table to Prendergast. "For your nerves, love. You seem to need it." She pours herself a glass and takes a long sip before speaking, seated in a relaxed posture with her legs crossed.

"Professor Prendergast. Count on him to hold to his principals. It's an admirable trait, to be sure." She raises an eyebrow at him. "And yet you've become so focussed on being right that you've forgotten it's more important to do right. If you would allow me to explain..."

Verbena stands and holds her cup aloft. "The Empire!" She chuckles. "An emotional topic, to be sure. And yet, just as my personal feelings toward my fellow candidates are immaterial to these proceedings, as are those of anyone here towards the Empire."

She turns sharply on her heel to face the Professor. "Your error, Prendergast, is in treating the Empire as a conscious entity. We certainly speak of it in such terms. The Empire is cruel, the Empire hates fae..." She swirls the ale in her cup. "But nations do not have emotions or personalities, they have policies. Policies that change in order to serve the nation's best interest. You talk of exploitation, but a relationship between two nations is never characterized by respect, love, loyalty, honour. These are human emotions. International relationships are transactional. And that means they can be won."

She paces towards him in slow steps, examining her nails. "The Empire will be involved in our future, Prendergast, whether any of us like it or not. So what are our options?" Her eyes snap up to lock with his.

"We could antagonize them. Take up arms against them with the Confederacy on our side. Their legions fall beneath our swords." She gestures broadly. "Who are the soldiers in those legions? Imperial patriots? Some of them, certainly.

Only steps from Prendergast now, she crouches down, holding his gaze. "But they are also also the poor, the desperate, the foolish, and most relevantly, the slaves. Hundreds unwilling combatants dead upon the field in the name of our goodness." She straightens and faces the rest of the assembly. "Not to mention our own casualties. Which will be heavy if we haven't built up our resources, a task that would be a challenge if we do not trade with the Empire. You've seen war, Prendergast. Do you know who wins, every time?" She bows her head. "Death, dear Professor. Death always wins."

Her posture shifts abruptly, becoming casual once again as she returns to her seat. "Alternatively..." She pauses, takes another long sip of ale. "We partner with the Empire. Trade with them. Use their wealth to grow our own community. Negotiate. Exercise our diplomatic authority. Influence policy. Give and withhold as it suits us."

"Inaction is impossible. Conflict is unthinkable. You're a principled man, Prendergast, but you lack objectivity. Understandable, certainly, given your history. But dangerous in our circumstances. A politician must be able to compromise when the algebra of survival demands it and I doubt you have the capacity for it."

Verbena drains her cup and sets it down delicately on the table.

[Gurok]

*Written on phone please excuse typos!*
As verbena begins to speak, Rose thanks the professor and sits by his feet, sipping her tea after wrapping the trailing end of his cloak around her shoulders. looking up at Verbena, her eyes narrow, watching her nervously as she fixes the professor in her gaze. Rose's eyes follow her around the room, at first suspiciously, but as she speaks, the gravitas almost seems to hypnotize her. she sits up a little, fixing her posture, and her expression fades from anxious to confident. as Verbena starts to conclude her argument, you could almost call rosa's expression "giddy". But after hearing her closing insult, she looks more than a little hurt, and says "Hey, you don't have to be mean about it!"

[Zar/Herr]

Zar listens to each person and is relatively indifferent until Greyfeard speaks. Be listens intently about the difficulty and apparent mistrust even among the council. He listens to the story of Herr and Pocket, eyes a little wider. He stares at Lady Val as Greyfeared explains “They knew and let it go? Val told them?” He thinks.
“...as she put it, ‘Distract Verbena’” Zar recalls.
“No, ‘take care of her’ were the specific words. And that tone certainly did not suggest anything less than a removal of sorts.” He explains in his head.
As Greyfeard continues, Zar stares at the floor, feeling the oncomings of the urge to call Val out; he refrains.
Lady Val begins to explain the situation, how Val wanted Verbena miserable. Zar agreed with her about using pranks and note directly telling him to maim, kidnap, or murder her. Frankly, the maiming was all pocket; but Zar didn’t stop him. Perhaps he should let it go too, as they have.

Again, he is indifferent until Verbena retaliates, as Zar sees it, to Pendergast.
She uses such similar wording to Pendergast, it seems like mockery. Verbena begins to single out Pendergast, approaching slowly, surely, and aggressively. Zar smiles approvingly.
“I suppose we have one thing in common.” He thinks.
As she continues, he finds that he can only ever agree with half of what she says; the other half, burning the short fuse he already has towards her.
“Don’t do what Herr would do. That’s not you now.” He commands himself before speaking.

“Verbena!” He begins, smiling politely.
“Some of what you said really stood out to me. I’d like to ask you about them.”
He waits a moment before asking.

(OOG: i’m going to assume that between each question, there is time to answer it.)

“You tell Pendergast that it’s more important to do what’s right. Do you believe that? Are you sure you won’t let your emotions get in the way? And are you aware that the right thing may be the very thing everyone hates?”

“When speaking if the Imperial army, should we engage them, you mention the ‘poor, desperate, foolish, and slaves’. As far as i’m aware, you are heavily in favour of the Empire. How is it that you can support conscription? Why do you feel it’s beneficial to align with a group you know does that?”

“You explain that death always wins in war. You’re right. But would you fall over for anyone that walks into town with a sword?”

“You mention that Pendergast lacks objectivity and would be unable to compromise for survival. While i can’t comment on that, do you really believe you are capable?”

“I don’t mean to imply that you can’t do these things, i want to be sure you’re confident that you can.”

“I’d also like to put my name in for the council. Perhaps if there are more critical thinkers on the council.. “ he looks to Verbena and Lady Val “...we can move forward quickly.”

[Prof. P. P. Pendergast]

Pendergast glances at Rose and gives a subtle wink. "It's alright, my dear. I've had far worse."

After Zar speaks, he then locks eyes with Verbena, and smiles subtly. "You know, five years ago, I might have swallowed this whole thing, tankard and all, for the sake of my nerves. Thankfully, that day is long past." He then holds the full glass of ale out to the side and pours it out. "And I've already died once. As you can see, I got better. Not much of a win, if you ask me."

"I find it curious that you believe I lack objectivity. And true, I have my personal reasons for despising the Empire. But if you'd like a more dispassionate argument, then I shall give you one. The Empire is in a state of decline. The only thing on the whole of the bloody island that is Imperial is Empire's Stand itself. On top of that, they are fighting a losing battle against the Confederacy, one with which we hardly need involve ourselves. We need not antagonize and take up the sword against them, because it is only a matter of time before whatever little of it remains crumbles into dust. So bad is this situation that they must resort to desperation plays to get what they need."

"You mentioned the idea of negotiation with them, influencing policy, giving and withholding as it suits us. I would submit that this would be a waste of time, because they will take what they want regardless. The precedent exists that the Empire has used subterfuge and subjugation tactics in the past in an attempt to take over certain towns and settlements on Annwm and place them under their rule. And I'm sure many of us have rather... unsavoury memories of the types of tricks that the Empire likes to play to expand their influence. So for us to openly work with such an organization and thus grant them a foothold to try to dominate Holdfast is illogical. Especially when we have so many other places we could work with - Applevale, Soul's Landing, Ner Batin, the Confederacy - that would prove to be far more open to working with us cooperatively in return.

Pendergast claps his hands and stands. "You're absolutely right. I'm not a politician. I don't have the same leadership qualities as Lady Valeriya might. I look at the world through the eyes of a scholar and a musician. But those eyes are still observant. They see... and sense... more than you believe they do. I would argue that my principles are what guide my logic, and they allow me to do the right thing every time, to consider every option, every voice in the choir, if you will, and then... make the one that will serve the best interests of the people. That is what I offer to this council: not only the insight, but the willingness to do not only the necessary thing, but the right thing for Holdfast and her people."

Pendergast then returns to his seat, with a much more confident look on his face than he did moments ago.

[Pierre]

Pierre can be seen sitting at the table with Degren, just across from him. He does not lift his head throughout any of the discussions in the room. It’s as if he’s completely blocked them out and is just there enjoying some hearty soup. His eyes don’t look up, just an occasional slurp from his soup.
A small raise of an eyebrow and a quick look while Asher bursts into laughter, but then back to his soup.
*slurp*

[Torvallis!]

"Verbena," Torvallis! begins, "Have you ever considered that building might sometimes require destruction?"

"The Tawdonian empire is built on oppression and destruction. Ultimately, on colonization. For every one thing the empire builds, it prevents someone else from building something similar. For everything it builds, it destroys just as much. Death wins in war . . . and also in domination.

Even now, the Empire expands the wastelands by its frivolous harvests of timber, and expands the lead of the dead through its harvest of people. It centralizes the building within the imperial realms, and decentralizes the destruction to beyond their own borders.

If someone had the power to destroy an entire civilization, then destroying the empire would be an act of creation in the calculus of the ends.

Of course, there is a far greater method of creation available there, through the creation of structures that would free the slaves and collapse the empire not through death, but by knocking out the pillars of oppression that keep the political structure stable. The indirect death that would occur as a result would only be by the removal of the empire's dependencies, or rather, addictions to slavery and domination.


But I digress, I am not a politician and I do not run as one: not all of our council needs to be politicians, sometimes they just need to be people we can trust. Sometimes, that's trust to do the right thing. Sometimes, that's trust that they will want to know as much as possible. Sometimes, that's trust that they will stick to their principles, having elected them thinking that their principles will serve the town well at this time.

I run as a fire champion who performed their duties admirably, and who trained an apprentice who has turned out to be likewise as trustworthy and dependable, if not more so.

I contest your ideas of what our politics should be, but I do not run on a political platform."

[Keket]

shed be sitting in a corner working on writing some goblin writing in to her book as some can tell they cant read it as shes paying mind to everything that is going on looking at each person as they talk at times as shes makes some waves looking swarles into her book

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