The Rally - 12/12/2022 - Archie’s Extracts
Dec 14, 2022 23:59:05 GMT
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Post by Andy D on Dec 14, 2022 23:59:05 GMT
On Acting-Ambassador Status
First Secretary Phillip of the Daring Heights Council had collected a group of adventurers to join Senator Marius Warborn of K’ul Goran on his election campaign. Specifically for the senator’s rally in the city of Maray (known as the Rainbow City). The Senator wished to have representatives of the Dawnland’s adventuring community as observers. I should know better at my age, but where politics are involved, words like ‘observer’ are not being employed in their strictest sense. Perhaps also, the absence of the word ‘impartial’ before the word observer’ should have been a red flag. However, to be fair, I understand that if the Council rejected the invite, it may have been seen as partisan to the senator’s opposition’. And while it may be commendable to not impose one's own interests on another nation, it can’t be ignored that Senator Warborn’s party is the more positive towards maintaining strong ties with the Dawnlands.
Joined by fellow adventurers Alphonse Delaunay, a wealthy human accompanied by his drake companion, and also Alvan, a rapier master sea-elf; I found myself hurled into the position of unexpected acting-ambassador for the Dawnlands adventuring community, and the Dawnlands itself.
My long time friend, Mendal, with whom I share a residence in the Dwarven Quarter asked if there were any benefits in it for him, what with me being an ambassador. I imagined there was little in it for him, and certainly not after my attempts at diplomacy later.
On K’ul Goran and Politics
We were teleported across the sea to the neighbouring landmass of K’ul Goran where we were met by Ambassador Girelle Veluss, an elf, I believe, and the actual Ambassador of the Dawnlands who resides in Zot Goran.
The building we were in was something of a labyrinth. It seemed a little on the nose, but the local population of minotaurs are actually quite fond of maze-like architecture.
I was, I felt, well read on Dawnland and neighbouring history. Ambassador Girelle established for me that I was mistaken. I learnt about Senator Marius Warborn’s Purists party and the Optimates’ Senator Kyra Storm. In addition we were briefed on the vanguard group that tried to help the opening of a gate to Avernus in K’ul Goran’s past.
There is no clear favourite for the senate majority. We were explicitly told to exercise judgement, and not show bias on behalf of the Dawnlands. Also, it was implied that our same judgement could appreciate how the Purist’s manifesto is more favourable to the Dawnlands. I enjoy investigating and establishing certitude - the world of politics and its subtext, and contradictory, empty statements are not for me.
On travelling K’ul Goran and a Technological Marvel
Perhaps the maze-like layout of Zot Goran’s buildings has a function - wind reduction? Outside the city walls, the wind was unhindered and almost lifted me off of my feet.
Before us were ships with sails, but also wheels; designed to surf the land. Hill Surfers, were the term used for the smaller, individually piloted land-boats, and the small crew manned larger vessels.
One immense, land-galleon stood before us called ‘The Winds of Change’. This ship belonged to Senator Marius Warborn, a native minotaur, who welcomed us aboard his personal campaign vehicle.
The journey was a marvel. Travel by horse and cart seems so pedestrian now.
As we set sail and travelled the hill-surfing road to Maray, we passed by much farm land. I was fortunate to be guided around the senator’s ship and be given an explanation as to how it all worked.
We stopped at a village called Vaskarath. It seems the occupation of farming is changing in K’ul Goran. Someone has figured out how to mass produce Unseen Servants and have them work the land. Good for maximising agricultural yield - not so good for the labour force. I am led to believe that a war in the not too distant past did unfortunately reduce the working population. A magical labourforce then, was a suitable solution. The Senator champions this agricultural adaptation, and also appears to champion a form of wealth redistribution and retraining, which would seem necessary. Although, I can’t really say I’ve given much thought to political matters like employment. Health and longevity; yes. Employment, and worker-rights; no.
On Correspondents and Politics
There was an aarakocra on board by the name of Jary Longbeak, who was scribbling in a notepad. We got talking. Mr. Longbeak was the individual who informed me of a specialised core of mages who helped fill in the gap of labour left by the war with their mastery of the Unseen Servant spell.
Mr. Longbeak wanted an exchange of information for explaining how the Unseen Servant spell had been performed at an unusual capacity. The exchange sounded fair. But, I informed him I was no expert on politics native to his land, nor the land I came from. I had rather expected him to ask me something about myself and then my specialist subject. I discovered that I am naive to the way of politics and its adjacencies. I tried to speak in vagaries, whilst being honest. I expressed how the Daring Council, to my knowledge has no preference in which party gains the senate majority, and at the same time, we adventurers are only here with Senator Marius as observers. As the words exited my mouth, I felt my intentions mattered not; every word could fit whatever narrative Mr. Longbeak wished to portray.
I also learned about Maray’s great industrial centre. It appears that Maray is the textile production heart of the entire nation. The moniker of ‘The Rainbow City’ comes from the flow of dyes that pour into the river. In places, the water seems a lovely rainbow mixture of colours. However, water is not drinkable, nor bath worthy if filled with dye.
Senator Marius spoke of his desire for us adventurers to say some words on what we have witnessed whilst joining him on the journey. I felt we expressed how we must remain bi-partisan, and yet somehow he had taken the meaning - or insisted - that we would say something to the people at his rally. We appeared to reach a compromise; we would stick to a light history of the agreement between the Dawnlands and K’ul Goran. Somehow I had volunteered as speech giver! I rather felt young Mr. Delaunay had the sort of charisma one would find desirable for speech giving, but he seemed to cement himself firmly as my advisor rather than lead speaker. The man, I feel, has a detectable degree of reputational self preservation - he understands politics better than me!
On the Rally in Maray and How Things Went Bad
At the market square a crowd had formed. There was excitement, there was tension in the air too, as the people waited for Senator Marius to take to the stage.
I had my partisan-avoidant, cooperation-cheering, short speech prepared. But, considering I was preparing to talk about the unity of the two nations, I took some time to engage the locals in conversation to get a bearing on whether they would enjoy such a speech; they would not. Bugger! Jobs, fair pay and working conditions were what the crowd were more interested in. I was sure they were right to be. However, these were all subjects I was intentionally navigating around with my prepared words on joint history. Oh well, I thought; for the interests of the Daring Council, boring is better than partisan.
Alva, (who had either spent much time avoiding a lovely priestess on The Winds of Change or not, I’m not sure which), spotted an individual who caught our attention. Cloaked, standing near the edge of the crowd, was Kyra Storm, a blue-furred minotaur, senator for the Optimates. She had come to warn us that Senator Marius would be using us as his puppets. She guessed entirely about his plans for us, but at the same time we could not be certain that she herself wasn’t taking advantage of us. At that moment, I felt this was a very lose-lose situation no matter what we did.
Senator Marius took to the stage and began his speech. At a midway point, he turned to us adventurers in the crowd (I wished we had had the time to join the senator on stage where it appeared relatively safer). Alva, Alphonse and I were rather caught in the centre of the crowd as we were returning from our chat with Senator Kyra and chatting to the locals.
I did not really wish to be seen, but I felt it would aid in my performance. So, as the crowd around me gave me room, I casted Tenser’s Floating Disc. As it hovered, almost invisible, but three feet off of the ground, I climbed it to get some height and better be seen by the crowd. For what it was worth, I casted Enhance Ability; Fox’s Cunning on myself. As an academic, I felt dirty speaking in empty flattery, with no regards for truthseeking. My embarrassing platitudes over with, the Senator asked for my opinion on local matters - the crowd too. Alphonse joined me on my floating stage and did his best damage limitation fielding questions. Alva, with their keen eyes spotted movement from the crowd. We believe it was voices from the movers that shouted things like, “the adventurers are paid supporters for the Purists!” and, “remember who we are! Join the Behoofed!” Fights began to break out in the crowd.
Things had gone very badly. It ‘behoofed’ us to escape the crowd for our own safety. It would have pleased us all if we could have calmed things down, but between us we were not certain there was anything we could do. The best that could happen was for the people not fighting to exit quickly, but calmly.
I saw a number of gaps in the crowd, and quickly determined the best and safest exit to head towards. Alphonse had frozen on Tenser’s disc - most unhelpfully (later inquiry revealed little). Alva, wrapped his cloak around him, and helped him follow me. I saw the Senator make it off stage with his advisors, while I used the Prestidigitation spell to emit a horrible odour to part the crowd. Alphonse, with his wits back, used the Thaumaturgy spell to announce with high volume for the crowd to remain calm to avoid hurting each other.
When we reached the safety of a side street, Senator Kyra appeared and rushed us into a building. The senator was well read in arcana; she helped us escape with a teleportation spell back to Daring Heights.
First Secretary Phillip listened to our report. He was at least relieved to hear we did not kill anyone. We were given 100gp as payment. Although, I feel it rather felt like compensation really.
I wish the citizens of K’ul Goran well, and that the heated politics give way to something fruitful. If I was to go back, I feel it really can’t be under the guise of an ‘observer’
