[IC] Our Dark Star

[Rhymer]

Season One, of the year 3901, Turn 1

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Our High Council

Minister of State: None!
Minister of War: None!
(You haven't elected any)

Councilors:
Magus Nilrem
Sir William of Dakhen
Lady Katherine Evangeline Greywind

Finances

Office of the Coin
The Office of the Coin reports directly to the council on the state of our economy.

City Assets:15 (5)(5)(5)
Expenses:
Militia , 1 per season
Energy, 3 per season +1 paid to Estate Power

News of the Greater Lands

Storms are brewing in the southern reaches. Great clouds of dust and wind obscure the sun, shrouding the land in night for weeks on end. Legends tell us this is how the Enemy arrived on Earth.

King Prospero has issued a proclamation, giving shelter and asylum to any man, woman and child displaced or hurt by the recent war with Pillar Dakhen. He blames the war entirely on our city. Refugees have been spotted moving towards his city, Malka from the outer settlements.

Sir Kamahl Khan has sent word that he singlehandedly destroyed an entire battalion of Royalists moving goods through his territory. He sent us the heads of ten of them to prove it. King Nestor believes it may have been a caravan he sent out a season ago carrying medical supplies to the outer settlements.

News of our city, Dakhen

This seasons top news:

1. We're Hungry!


2. We need work!


3. Let the Workers have representation!


4. Glory to the new High Council!


5. King Prospero offers us food and shelter! We should go!

Media

Residenz 2 News

...officials confirm the new council will take office effective immediately. All powers and rights previously confirmed upon the office of the king will now be bestowed upon the council. Many in citizens see this as a positive change for our fair city Dakhen...

Message From Fitzroy

Good day councilors, my name is Fitzroy, former steward of the king, now steward to your High Council. Think of me as the hand to your collective mind. If their is a civic task you would deem worthy of undertaking, you have but to ask. I can also supply information on the current state of our city if you so wish.

The former masters of this city had two offices of importance. The first being the Minister of the State, responsible for domestic issues. This office held power over money and labor, trade and production. The other office was the Ministry of War. This office of course directed our armies, but also conducted diplomacy and saw to the defenses of our city. Seeing as our newly appointed council is so small, perhaps we can dispense with these formal titles. If you still wish to appoint Ministers, come to a consensus among yourselves. You may also appoint from outside the council.

For the glory of Dakhen, our eternal city!

Speech given in Ancestors Square

...liars! Fools! Our city thrown into chaos after that piss-awful war with Malka! Now an 'elected' council takes the reins of our eternal city to do with it as it wills. Who are these men and women?! The rich. The powerful. We mere servants to the industry works are not represented at the High Council...but surely our 'Noble' overlords are! What say you citizens we take action and find ourselves a councilor for the common man!?

The crowd, numbering more than 1000 have remained peaceful during the demonstration outside the Citadel in Ancestors Square. Consisting of mostly lower class workers and a handful of merchants, they seem unorganized and less than enthusiastic at the speech givers words, who disapears namelessly into the crowds.

Message from Sir Izar Maxim

Greetings from an old knight, Sir Maxim at your service councilors. In full faith and honor I commit my sword and army to your councilors' will, in visage of Tallus the Merciful, and all his servants on this darkened earth. If you have need of my soldiers, know this- We are a defensive force primarily. Our costly war with Malka has devestated our fleet of War Machines. If the council would take offensive action, (and this old knight recommends it not at the moment) think of employing our sometimes friend, sometimes enemy, that bastard in the north Sir Kamahl Khan. His armies are brave and ruthless (and expensive).

Message to Magus Nilrem

The council in shadows congratulates you for your election to the High Council. Your reputation precedes you Magus, but know that the coming seasons will require you to wield the kind of power you are truly capable of. We will be watching you Magus Nilrem.

Message to Lady Katherine Greywind

Katherine darling I couldn't believe the news! You on the High council! Congratulations my dear I never knew you had it in you. Who did you kill? Hah nevermind that. That reminds me of those nasty little trials a few seasons back, before the king was dead-What was that group? The Justice Workers or some-such-nonesense complaining about your endless supply of labor. What is so terrible about Pre-Descent technology anyway? For shame Kat give them a crumb to choke on. Anyways, put in a good word for me at council!

-Madame Larimar Vol, President Estate Power

This concludes this seasons news. Turn 2 orders due by Monday, November 10th. Meet Councilors and govern the city. Your office and meeting hall is in the Citadel, a fortified palace overlooking Ancestors Square. You can send messages to each other or meet in the Citadel. It is up to you. Also a note about meta-gaming...if a message is directed to a councilor and only that councilor, your character doesn't know about it. That said...have fun and send me questions/comments/ideas etc. Consider the first turn a practice run.

Edits

11/4, minor punctuation/formatting

...

[rush99999]

[FIRST POST]

Magus Nilrem
Ethereal codex journal entry
Season One of the year 3901
My first day on The High Council, the message from The Council in Shadows, and my thoughts on The Nameless Revolutionary's speech at Ancestors Square.
Current stat readings: Assets(5) Power(5) Production(3) Influence (1) Charm(0)

So here I am. I, Magus Nilrem, am now a member of The High Council of Pillar Dakhen. And it seems that I have already become the target of political intrigue. Today, I was contacted by a mysterious group of individuals known as: The Council in Shadows. The message they left me was a most puzzling one indeed, I seems I have somehow attracted the interest of an secret society. Who they are, what they want from me, or what they meant by 'The coming seasons will require [me] to wield the kind of power [I am] truly capable of' is not known to me at this time. I just hope that The Council in Shadows means well and respects the laws of Pillar Dakhen, if so, I will allow them to continue their activities and not pursue them in any way. In the mean time I have decided to focus my meditation efforts on attempting to divine what the future holds for Dakhen, who The Council in Shadows are, and what they want. However, now that I am a member of The High Council, I must put my duties as a councilor first and now meditate only in my free time. Should I be needed at a council meeting, I shall attend without fail. Some time after I received the short yet cryptic message from The Council in Shadows, my loyal underling, Deeds, told me of a speech given at Ancestors Square by someone I shall refer to in this journal as: The Nameless Revolutionary. The Nameless Revolutionary spoke harshly about The High Council and denounced it as nothing more than a group of noble overlords*. I hope that in the future, the actions of The High Council will make The Nameless Revolutionary see that we are not the evil overlords he thinks we are.

Echos of past events nudge the tiller on my present course, I await it's reflection in the future.

-Magus Nilrem

*For Dakhen's sake, I hope The Nameless Revolutionary is wrong, I doubt the intentions of my fellow councilors, especially that of Madame Katherine Greywind.

[Skylar]

[First Post]

Madame Katherine Evangeline Greywind

Action: Holding a mail-chat with Madame Vol discussing how to mutually benefit from their respective positions. First by reigniting the economy by making new jobs. (2-3 Assets)

Also paying power bills: (2 Assets)

When I stepped up to assume my seat on the Council, I hadn't realized the situation was this dire. Our militia is dangerously under-strength, and the mob is growing increasingly more outspoken by the day. And my fellow councilors are....[Illegible scribbles and rewrites and erasures]

But where there is chaos, there is opportunity. For various reasons, I rose to the council chair instead of my favorite rival in the power business. Well, no sense flaunting victory needlessly. Gloating is unprofitable in the long-run, especially since our Pillar is so terminally dependent upon Vol's energy supplies. And my labor supply as the masses dissent and flee. Let them flee, I can make replacements that are stronger, more loyal, eat less, and never question their place in this pillar. Either they match the times, or they fall behind forever.

Priorities:
1) Rebuild Dahken's economy.
2) Make sure the mob won't be causing an uprising anytime soon. Cake? (Bread + Circuses?) JOBS
3) Get on Vol's good side. I don't want distractions at this time. Getting her a council seat unlikely. For now. Must convince her regardless.
4) Profit! Plenty of labor opportunities.
- Journal of Katherine Greywind

To Madame Vol

My dear Larimar. If I told you what I had to do to get this seat, I'd have to kill you as well. And you are far too interesting of a person to lose at this juncture where there are grand profits to be had for both of us. If we play our cards right and make sure we don't work at cross purposes that is.

First order of business is to put the poor back to work. Keep them too busy to complain, off the streets so they don't listen to these revolutionary preachers, and get our economy back on track in preparation for the next crisis. To that end, I would inquire as to the possibility of re-igniting some more of the old Engines. As I understand it, for some of the deep-core engines it is a matter of getting to the lowest levels to rouse the Engines' heart, a position of extreme danger given the radiation and toxic substances in the underlevels, but too valuable and precise a task to simply throw convicts and criminals at. As it happens, Union Laborworks is developing new radiation-hardened genejacks. Originally for expeditionary purposes, but I think they would be a valuable asset to expand your holdings with with appropriate retraining. Once done, the new surplus of energy you could sell would be an opportunity for some of our lesser nobility to try to reclaim their names and make the poor more concerned about getting jobs than protesting.

In return for several work crews of RAD-jacks (think thats a good title?) to encourage such economic stimulus to the profit of us all, I would inquire as to the possibility of Estate Power granting preferred power rates to certain Council holdings to help restart our Pillar. A nominal action in the name of assisting in the restoration of Dahken will make a far greater impression on the men of war than any complements I could give, although I shall continue to emphasize the value of your contributions to the Pillar to the rest of the council.

From,
Madame Katherine Evangeline Greywind, Union Laborworks

Character Stats

Assets(5)
Power(0)
Production(5)
Influence (4)
Charm(2)

[gowia]

[FIRST POST]

Alexander Lanc
Private Terminal Commands
Current Stats: Assets (5) Power (0) Production (4) Influence (3) Charm (2)

[INITIATING START UP RUN TIMES…START UP INITIATED]
[ENERGY SUPPLIED BY ESTATE POWER]
[WELCOME MASTER ALEXANDER LANC: PLEASE ENTER COMMAND]
-CtlEnt1-
[INITIATING PERSONEL LOG RUN TIMES…PERSONEL LOG OPENED]
[PLEASE ENTER JOURNAL ENTRY]
-The First Season of 3901
Well, it has finally happened. After years of campaigning and pulling in favours I am here. Council Member Lanc, it has a great ring to it. Pillar Dakhen will have strong and wise leadership under me and my peers. I was surprised to find that a council meeting is yet to be called although the updates from the Nets have been very useful. I feel if we, as a Council, are going to press forward to improve Dakhen then this will require our joint cooperation. I also see a need for innovation and forward thinking. The main problem I have is with Lady Katherine, her business is in replacing the labour of our citizens with cheaper slave labour. We need work for the masses to gain their support. I shall have words in private as soon as I am able. Besides that the rest of my business can be in the open.
CtlS-
[JOURNAL ENTRY SAVED…JOURNAL ENCRYPTED]
[PLEASE ENTER COMMAND]
-CtlM5-
[BUILDING MESSAGE FORMAT…FORMAT COMPLETE]

The High Council of Dakhen

Esteemed members of the High Council, I think it is high time that we hold our first meeting to discuss our moves in these early days. We must make an impact and early to keep the masses on our side. I have a number of ideas to bring to your attention and would like to hear the other initiatives you have. Please respond post haste.
Master Alexander Lanc.

-CtlSD-
[MESSAGE SENDING…MESSAGE SENT]
-CtlAltLO-
[RUNNING SHUT DOWN SCRIPTS…SHUTTING DOWN]

[DELETED324324]

[first post]

Audio diary of Sir William of Dahken
Season one of 3901
Reaction to the revolutionary in the square, message to all other high council members about ministry positions, upgrading and repainting The Judge.
Current Status: Assets(5) Power( 3) Production(1) Influence(3) Charm(2 )

My first day on high council was eventful to say the least. I saw a revolutionary today who spoke of the high council as all nobles and overlords, I do not look the part. I wear drab clothes without embroidery on it even my cloak is a single color. Perhaps the only thing that shows my status is the longsword that rusts in it's sheath and a pistol that only has one magazine in it. He was most strange and his words got me to put down the message I was writing and actually stand up in response. So i stood in the square beside him and i delivered my speech to a small crowd who had gathered to see one of the high council members, I just wonder if my message got through to the people and this unsavory revolutionary. I recorded my speech and it is attached to this log. The message on the other hand is a matter of importance to me as well as I requested with my fellow high council members we elect members for ministry positions. I of course suggested myself for the war department, while I fear that I am not being subtle in asking for the position who else is there to take it that is in any better position than my self.

The last thing I did on my agenda today was get The Judge looked at upgraded, and a shiny new white coat to cover all of those scorch marks that were acquired in combat. So all in all my first day as a high council member went great and I hope things keep going smoothly.

Heres to many more great days, All Hail Pillar Dahken. William Out.

Counter Speech to the "revolutionary."

"Brothers and sisters of Pillar Dahken listen not to this man as he speaks from ignorance. While some of us in the council did come from families of influence and wealth. Some did not. I am one who did not come from wealth. I only got elevated to this position because they can trace one of my lineage as far back as the early days of Dahken. He only rose into prominence as a knight through heroism and valor as a member of the militia. A position that many of you hold, a position that many of you have come to doubt. But doubt not because we on the council are here for you. We only want glory for our pillar and that can only be done by the brave men and women of the militia and the might and prowess of our engineers and factory workers. Without you the council would be powerless, you are the true heart of the pillar and you will be forever. Work for today, work for tomorrow, work for our future. And work for the Glory of Pillar Dahken!"

Message to council members

Good Afternoon brothers and sisters of the council

As you have come to read in your messages. Our adviser wishes for us to look into positions for ministry. I would like to reopen these positions so we can make things a little bit easier for our great pillar. If you know who I am then you obviously know what I am going to ask next, I wish to be the minster of the war department as that was my job up until this point. But if there is someone who is better equipped for this then so be it.

Glory to pillar Dahken
Sir William of Dahken

[rush99999]

[SECOND POST]

Magus Nilrem
Ethereal codex journal entry
Season One of the year 3901
Sir William's counter speech and Alexander's message.
Current stat readings: Assets(5) Power(5) Production(3) Influence (1) Charm(0)

Deed interrupted my meditation with news concerning the affair of The Nameless Revolutionary and a message from Master Alexander Lanc*, the engineer prodigy who managed to get onto Pillar Dakhen's High Council. I asked for the update on The Nameless Revolutionary first, whether he commands the enthusiasm of the people or not, The Nameless Revolutionary could still light the fuse on a dauntingly large powder keg, so news of his status as a threat to the current order should take priority in my opinion. As it turns out, Sir William of Dakhen delivered a counter speech shortly after The Nameless Revolutionary sunk back into the crowd. I must say, I admire the man's spirit, and I sense that his heart is in the correct place. However, this doesn't stop the chill I feel every time I think about The Knights of Ruin, I've meditated on their intentions, but something seems to keep me from reaching a clear answer. But enough of knights for now, the time has come for the engineers to take the main spot on my mind, or more specifically, Master Alexander Lanc. After hearing the news regarding The Nameless Revolutionary, I asked Deeds to show me the message from Alexander. His message speaks of us meeting to decide the opening moves we'll make now that we're in power. I have included my reply below.

My reply to Lanc

Master Lanc

I agree with you, the time has come for The High Council to meet and talk over our opening moves. Please send me the time at which you wish to meet with us and I shall attend without fail.

-Magus Nilrem

Echos of past events nudge the tiller on my present course, I await it's reflection in the future.

-Magus Nilrem

*Unlike Madame Katherine, I sense a good heart in that man of machines and I look forward to working with him.

[Skylar]

[SECOND POST]

Madame Katherine Evangeline Greywind
Supporting William to be Minister of War, Proposing herself as Minister of State, proposing labor-conscription plan to jump-start Dahken's Military-Industrial Complex.

Message to the Council

Fellow Councilors,

I agree with the urgent need to meet and make plans to resolve the many-fold crises besetting Dahken. Our underclasses are growing discontent, our economy is a wreck, our military crippled, and our infrastructure at critical levels. If we are going to survive, let alone restore the glory of Dahken, we will need strong leadership for the years and challenges to come.

I endorse Sir William's nomination to the position of Minister of War. I can name no other who would be more able for the position than he in matters of warfare and military organization. And I wish him good luck in rebuilding our militia.

In addition, I motion to nominate myself for the position of Minister of State. We must resolve the economic and industrial crises before we can rebuild at large. And for that, we require a minister who knows how to make the most out of every credit and sinew of labor, capable of realizing the potential of the dormant technology, and able to put the people back to work for the good of the State. With the backing of Union Laborworks and the Council, I can do it all.

Furthermore, I have a large-scale project proposal for the council to consider during our meeting. At this time, our greatest issue is discontent by the idle working masses that have neither jobs nor food, and have far too much free time to be listening to street preachers and revolutionaries. A natural response to these issues would be to nationalize some of the deactivated arms factories and begin conscripting labor-brigades from the poor district (or getting volunteers or drafting criminals and debtors if the council wishes to start more conservatively) to man the factories to produce new arms and war machines to rebuild our military and begin work on repairing our infrastructure. To ensure productivity, labor-brigades are to be pitted against eachother in Applied Game Theory, via rewards of extra rations or leave in the pleasure district for the brigades and work crews that are the most productive, and arbitrary punishment against the lowest performing labor brigade. (Possibly decimation depending on how much we need to reduce the poor quarter by) To achieve this, we will need to expand our internal military police to ensure proper surveillance of the laborers, as well as start-up funds to begin reactivating our weapons factories, but it will be a key first step in bringing Dahken back to full strength. The end result by my estimates would be increased investment back into government infrastructure and restoration of at least part of our military-industrial complex to enable further military actions domestically or against barbarian enemies.

If any councilors have other ideas on how to rebuild our economy, please feel free to share at the meeting. I look forward to the exchange of views to come, united in our desire to ensure Dahken's future.

From,
Madame Katherine Evangeline Greywind, CEO of Union Laborworks, Councilwoman of Dahken

[Zamiel]

[First Post]
Jarvis Pentaphraxis
Stats: Assets 5 / Power 0 / Production 1 / Influence 5 / Charm 5

Narrative Notes for Familial Posterity
A mere twelve hours have come to pass since I was borne upon the shoulders of the poor to a position I would like to say I was ill-prepared to refuse. Alas, I have been rigorously instructed in recognition of the greatest weakness of character a man may posses - the rejection of one's own subconscious, however ugly it may be, covered instead with sweet lies to justify any action they take. A man is comforted and sheltered behind these curtains of untruth. He ultimately does himself a disservice with an ever-increasing tangle of delusions within which can no longer be uncovered his true intent. That is ultimately where humanity is lost. No, I do not delude myself, and neither can I lie to my father. As our eyes met what already seems an eternity ago, streams of conversation and argument passed between us in an instant - each of us knowing what the other would say as if seeing themselves in a mirror. He merely said a single phrase, one which sliced to the heart of my actions and posed a clear question. "The man exchanges his knowledge for a glass of wine". Did I deceive myself with excuses and rationale, or did I comprehend my own motives and accept them as the weakness that they represented? Was I to remain human or become an animal? "Father, I will play the game of life to the hilt. I cannot dance upon the edge and be satisfied when inevitably cometh my demise by that knife". The small nod, and flash in the eyes gave me the unnerving certainty that he was seeing himself before him. The path that he himself had not taken, and the inevitable regret what all house heads had written of in their journals.

Message to the Council (pointedly not in reply to Madame Greywind)

Fellow Councilors,

Although swift and decisive action will have the greatest impact, we cannot allow our reason to be blinded by crisis. Many know well that a crisis cannot be allowed to go to waste to further their agenda, and greatest attention and scrutiny must be paid to those who actively seek power during these times. I propose to delay election of high council for these reasons until seasons hence when we have a clearer understanding, not shrouded by emotion, of where each of us stand in our intentions for our homeland.

I ask of my esteemed peers to join me 12 hours hence in the council hall to preside on what is likely to be the a turning point in Dakhen history. Let us assure that the path taken leads not to the utter ruin that the old King brought our great Pillar to. There, at the momentous gathering, I will unveil my road to stability and security.

[mpjama2]

-Oops-

[mpjama2]

[FIRST POST]
Lord Robert Green
S:1 Y:3901

stats

Stats: Assets(start with 5) Power(0) Production(4) Influence (4) Charm( 3)

Audio Log 001:

With the whirr of the audio log starting up, one can hear an old hoarse voice:
I've decided to keep an audio log of my going's on in the high council. I believe I will be taking on a far more difficult undertaking than I ever did as the CEO of Green Enterprises. A man was giving a speech today who was already criticizing*the log in interrupted by a fit of coughing* What was I saying? Oh right. A man was giving a speech today who was already criticizing us, even though none of us had actually had enough time to alleviate *cough* the problems of this city. Praise be to the honorable knight who defended the high-council. I have decided that I will thank him for this service. I have also received messages from Master Lanz and Lord Jarvis requesting my presence for a meeting. I will shortly send my approval of such an idea. *Green's calm tone is overtaken by anger* There is evil within the heart of at least one of our council members... Lady Greywind proposes we solve Dahken's problems by pressing the poor into service! She suggests such an outrageous act, then demands that she be made Minister of State! She can*Green is interrupted by a fit of coughing, and calms down by the end of it* In conclusion of this audio-log, I believe I will contact the steward for the possibility of donating food to the poor. Perhaps many such acts of kindness will wipe clean the darkness of my soul. *more coughing can be heard as he fumbles for the end recording button, and the audio log ends with a click.*

Sir William of Dahken

Sir William, I praise your noble efforts to defend the honor of the High Council to the people of our glorious Dahken. An honorable man such as yourself would be well suited to become Minister of War. You have my support. -Lord Robert Green

Master Alexander Lanc

Master Lanc, I will gladly attend this council meeting. The time to help the citizens of Dahken is nigh. -Lord Robert Green.

Steward Fitzroy

Steward Fitzroy, I would like to investigate the possibility of donating my various assets to alleviate the hunger of the common-man of Dahken. To be more specific, I was considering donating assets, while the civic infrastructure of our glorious city would distribute the food to the common-man.

Madame Katherine Evangeline Greywind

Madame Greywind, I would like to express my extreme displeasure within your plan. You would seek to put your fellow citizen of Dahken into bondage? Shame on you. It is not just for the council to enslave those who the council represents! Not only do you seek to enslave the common man, you seek to beat them in the name of productivity!?! Unacceptable. Ethical concerns aside, I do not believe conscripting the poor is wise in a practical manner. For one Madame Greywind, if you were not aware, our glorious city has a shortage of jobs. As a factory owner myself, I guarantee you that if you open up your factories to volunteers, there will not be enough space for all the applicants. And since even now the crowd is against us, I doubt it would be wise to anger them further. The labor shortage will lead into my own proposal next meeting... In short, I do not support you as Minister of State, because your proposed policies are abhorrent and ill-advised. Glory to Dahken. -Lord Robert Green.

Lord Jarvis Pentaphraxis

Lord Pentaphraxis, I heartily approve of such a meeting. I would be glad to attend. -Lord Robert Green.

[Zamiel]

[Second Post]
Jarvis Pentaphraxis

~ Address to the gathered crowds of peasants from up high on the family Keep balcony overlooking the slums ~

People of Dakhen!
There are those whose only desire is to enslave you!

[pauses as crowd yells its disapproval]

Will you be their willing, obedient biosynth abominations?

[pauses as crowd roars in anger]

The world you have long known ends here and now.

[brief silent pause]

We will create Dakhen anew!

No longer will capricious men holds the reigns of our lives!
Cast off the clinging chains that seek to bind you!

[pause for raucous fanatical yelling to die down]

I now walk as one of you, barefoot, to the gates of the palace, and asketh of men within:
"Do you take bread from the mouth of the hungry?"
"Do you tread on them as you would an insect?"
"Do you find pleasure in the suffering of our mother Dakhen?"

Their souls will suffice this day as a reckoner against them.

[crowd erupts in tumult and enthusiasm not see in such cowed people for many a generation]

[gowia]

[SECOND POST]

Alexander Lanc
The Citadel Entrance
Current Stats: Assets (5) Power (0) Production (4) Influence (3) Charm (2)

Stepping up to the entrance Alexander Lanc looked around. His meeting to convene the council shouldn't have ruffled many, if any, feathers as it was to be expected. Messaging was all well and good for private matters but for matters that were going to affect the whole the Dahken the council needed to convene, discuss and vote on. If the council were to fail it would be all together and not with each person trying to save their own interests. Looking down he rechecked his outfit once more, a pair of slim fitting black trousers and a black shirt, top button done up, with polished brass buttons, each of which had the crest of the Pre-Descent Reclamation Foundry etched on. It was a conservative outfit that he had worn on a number of business occasions. Under his arm he carried a roll of files and notes on plans he had for the city. Whilst electronic copies would be needed he felt a history and idea of quality was needed for the very first reforms that the council would bring in. Coming into the main building he was directed to the Council Chambers and found that there was six relatively comfortable seats set out in a circle for discussion. Taking a seat directly in front of the door he sat down and organised the papers in order of how important they were. He would just have to await the other members of the council now.

[mpjama2]

[Second Post]
Lord Green
Stats: Assets(5) Power(0) Production(4) Influence (4) Charm( 3)

Tap, tap, tap went Lord Green's cane as he strode through the citadel. He wore a simple suit, nothing too garish, with a fedora that had the logo of Green Enterprises strewn across the top. He had in his suit jacket a small datapad that held everything he needed to know at his fingertips. He walked into the council chambers, with an air of confidence about him. The old man noticed Lanc had several papers with him, and had arrived before anyone else. Lord Green called out to Master Lanc as he took a seat: "Greetings Master Lanc, I see you have made quite a few plans."

[rush99999]

[THIRD POST]
Magus Nilrem
Ethereal codex lesser memory archive
The first meeting of The High Council
Current stat readings: Assets(5) Power(5) Production(3) Influence (1) Charm(0)

A cloud of smoke rose suddenly from the floor before Master Lanc and Lord Green. When the smoke cleared, Magus Nilrem stood before them accompanied by his ethereal codex. Nilrem was wearing the grey robe he usually wore and had a cane in his hand. He didn't need a cane to support himself, Nilrem used his power over the universal energies to negate the effects of aging and only used the cane because of the powerful enchantments he had on the cane. "Gentlemen" Nilrem said as he nodded respectfully to the noble and the engineer and sat in his place.

[Skylar]

[Third Post]
Madame Katherine Evangeline Greywind
Stats:Assets(5), Power(0), Production(5), Influence (4), Charm(2)

Activity: Meeting with the Council

Katherine Evangeline Greywind stepped through the doors of the council chambers in her usual black and red high noble garb, a fur cape over her shoulders, and her hair kept in a braid hanging down to her waist. Escorting her were a pair of maidservants, both of them biosynths with the tell-tale bar codes on shoulderpatches of their clothing and the unnatural smoothness of their beauty marking biosculpted genetics. Curtly nodding to her fellow councilors as she assumed her seat at the council table, Katherine pulled a dataslate of her own out from a hip pouch while her maids stood back against the wall awaiting orders.

A knight. A mage. A engineer. A crystpaper maker. A commercial mogul. An interesting high council to say the least. Katherine thought, as she tapped her pad to connect to the council table's projectors should she have need of it and observed the motions of her fellow councilors as they took their places. For the moment, Katherine declined to speak, instead taking the time to simply watch and listen to gauge the other powers at this table. And already she was finding them to be.....business partners with limited profitability. But the liability and risk-management factors they held could not be ignored, and she honestly looked forward to seeing how they would plan to grapple with the crises at hand.

[DELETED324324]

[post two]
Season one of 3901
Council Meeting
Current Status: Assets(5) Power( 3) Production(1) Influence(3) Charm(2)

William was late to the meeting, if only he hadn't been stopped by the grandmaster of his order about what would go on. "Sorry I am late brothers and sister. I ran into someone i did not expect." He said, he looked around at the people gathered around. They were a mismatched crew for sure but he was sure they could make it work. He cleared his throat "Perhaps we shall speak of ministry positions first? Or the economy our former king ruined. Better yet what to do with the militia and the less fortunate." He said his voice was clear and seemed to echo across the room.

Conversation between the Grand Master of the knights of Ruin and Sir William

"Brother congratulations on your promotion to high council. And Congratulations on being elevated to your post as minister of war." Said the hooded and cloaked figure before him, this figure could only be described as physically intimidating and the well polished blade that sat on his hip made him seem more threatening. "Thank you master." Was all the young knight said and as he turned to leave the master stopped him "Your first acts as minister is to elevate your brothers and sisters into positions of prominence within the army, and expand the militia do you understand?"

"Yes master but what of The Knights of Tallus?"

"Those fools? We will make sure they do not bother the council even if it means us having you exile them. Just do as we say and remember brother we will be watching you and your fellows. So do not fail us." With that said the grandmaster turned and left leaving William standing alone.

[Zamiel]

Jarvis Pentaphraxis
Stats: Assets 5 / Power 0 / Production 1 / Influence 5 / Charm 5

The high, elaborate doors of the council chamber swung open, revealing a confident figure outlined by the brighter lights of the reception room behind him. He was clad in a suit as black as pre-descent night sky, with golden buttons that twinkled like starlight on the immutable background of space as they all had seen on holo-vids explorers often recorded. He held not papers, or devices; everything he needed was secured within his mind. More ostensible perhaps, was the fact that he was barefoot which he intended as a symbol not only to the masses of commoners outside, but as a message to those in this room. Jarvis paused slightly, taking in the grandiose room at a glance - taking note of the sole chair that was yet unoccupied. He strode around the table in an paced, dignified manner that was held much at odds with his filthy feet leaving brown print on the pristine marble floor.

Slap. Slap. Slap. He slowly strode without a word to the empty chair.

Jarvis did not make a motion to sit down. Instead he stood directly behind the back of the richly color, almost regal chair that contrasted with his darker than black regalia further still.

The man placed his right hand on the back of the chair, and lifted his gaze to survey the councilors assembled there before him. A long pause hung before him, tempting to be broken. But he held it.

Having increased the tension to the breaking point, he took a deep inner breath. In. Out. The expectant faces before him held a wide array of emotion - expectation, interest, annoyance and - what was that? A twinkle of contempt?

"We are all people of Dakhen."

"Regardless of our callings and creeds, of our agreements and disagreements. We all still tightly hold the thin thread of love for our homeland."

[pause]

"Each of us have... our own reasons for being here. Some may be considered noble - out of pride, others of honor, or duty. Some may be selfish or even immoral."

Jarvis swung his arm that had rested on the chair in a sweeping gesture - taking in the room, the palace, the throngs of people outside. The entire pillar itself. He held it outstretched, palm facing the seated councilors.

"It does not matter to me what your motivations are.", he said in a voice louder than was necessary in this room.

In a quieter voice, he continued: "We all have an absolute, unwavering vested interest in the survival of Dakhen which at this current time, fellow councilors, is not assured."

"As long as the results of your individual pursuits - regardless of what they may be, further our common goal, I cannot deride you with word or action."

"What say you, my allies...?"

[mpjama2]

[THIRD POST]
Lord Green
Stats: Assets(5) Power(0) Production(4) Influence (4) Charm( 3)

Lord Green was the first to speak after Lord Jarvis: "I agree with Lord Pentaphraxis in this regard, I would advise all of you to focus more heavily on the survival of our glorious Dahken."

He paused for a brief moment while fumbling for his data-pad, and after finally pulling it out of his suit jacket he continued:

"As you will soon see, if you had not already known, the greatest problem that faces our city is the hunger of our people, and the lack of work."

He pushed a few buttons on his datapad and it was linked to the hologram system of the council chamber, and several graphs appeared with titles such as: Percent of Dahken's population that has gone without consuming a proper meal or Dahken's unemployment rate. After a brief coughing fit, the old man continued: "As you all can see, the greatest problems our city faces are hunger and unemployment. While some of you might believe that these problems can be brushed aside, I would advise you to think differently. Out of desperation crime is born, and our city may face greater civil unrest should we not solve these problems. We have a paltry military as it is, and it would cost more to keep the increased unrest in check. We must feed our people now before this situation spirals out of control. And, that doesn't take into account the opportunistic Prospero who is already sowing the seeds of discord with our citizenry."

He pauses for a short time, looking about the room, then continues:

"Now, I believe I have a solution to this problem. Should we legislate that all factory owners decrease the hours of the workers of our factories from 10 to 12 hours a day, to 8 hours a day, as I have done, then more workers will be required to do the same amount of labor. Since this is the case, many of our unemployed would cease to be such, and have the means to provide themselves with food. Now, I know that some of you are loathe to decrease the productivity of your factories, and thus I would argue that the increased wealth amongst the common man would lead to them purchasing more goods produced by Dahken's industry, and this in turn increases the demand for labor in Dahken. Within this cycle of wealth, all would prosper. Eventually, our production of assets would exceed our current amount. Perhaps in a year or so, perhaps more, but eventually this plan will bring us all prosperity. What say all of you to this plan?"

[gowia]

[THIRD POST]

Alexander Lanc
Council Chambers
Current Stats: Assets (5) Power (0) Production (4) Influence (3) Charm (2)

Alexander placed his files to one side as others began the meeting. He was happy not to go first and was actually very interested in what ideas the others had too offer. The idea to reduce the working hours was an interesting one, especially coming from such a capitalist individual. Whilst being an advocate for reducing the productivity of factories Alexander found that forcing factories to only give 8 hour working days would not help the economy in every way he presented. Standing Alexander created his rebuke.

"Lord Green, thank you for your idea, it is a very interesting proposal and would create extra jobs within the factories to maintain production out put. However this would not boost the economy as you think it would, whilst more people would have money less would have the disposable income required to buy products. A family who had the income of 12 hours work then lose their wage of 4 hours and can no longer afford extra consumables causing them to save and scrimp more, leading to a drop in sales for certain companies. I feel that we need massive reform rather than simple legislation change alone. This is a pillar built on autocracy and the whims of one man. Now we, as a council, need to work together for the good of the pillar."

Alexander stood, pulled out his datapad and picked up the first of the largest scrolls. Connecting the pad he opened up a holographic image of the city blueprints. The scroll was Alexander's original sketches and plans. Zooming in on the industrial district where the farms were found Alexander kept speaking.

"The current agriculture sector is made up by small holdings and some large privately owned plots. Whilst this keeps competition alive and well, in regards to our produce there is no need for it. Right now we are on the verge of starvation and in need of open jobs. My idea is to force all farmland together. The owners join in a partnership and get a share of the profits according to the percentage of land they owned before the partnership. Once done the land can be farmed as one huge plot allowing for a more productive style of factory farming as well as opening more jobs to tend to the larger plots. Further more the current technology we use to farm, watering systems and the like, are outdated and under maintained. We can open up more jobs for those studying mechanics so as to boost productivity and reduce unemployment. If we don't have enough mechanics applying then we can also create apprenticeship courses to train those who couldn't afford an education. Opening up new opportunities for them."

As he was speaking the image had highlighted the outlines of the current farmland and then the borders between them were deleted to create one huge plot of land in the blueprints.

[Zamiel]

Jarvis Pentaphraxis
Stats: Assets 5 / Power 0 / Production 1 / Influence 5 / Charm 5

As the old man struggled through another one of his coughing fits, Jarvis silently seated himself, clasping his hands in front of him on the table. He leaned forward slightly and listened intently to Lord Green. Everyone around this table had heard of his change of heart and the consequent policy changes that had taken place in his factories. It seemed quite clear that although the man must have been quite the economic opportunist in his youth, he now seemed to be quite past his prime and more cut out to be a bureaucrat than a captain of industry. What was needed today, was a revolutionary approach to the age old problems that councilmen had been stumped with for eons. He glanced at Katherine, who also appeared to listen intently, but Jarvis thought he saw a slight glazing in the eyes that indicated thoughts elsewhere. If it was there she hid it well. He suppressed a bemused smile at what Madame must think of the old man in his new-found piety. Master Lanc spoke up - ahh, there was a practical man! Very gently he refuted the old man and presented his consolidation plan that would improve improve efficiency - how much like an engineer, no less than expected from him. He certainly was not one to sit idle and shuffle documents in an office.

Jarvis expected Madame Greywind to speak at this point, but she maintained her silence. Giving a generous pause to allow anyone to chime in, he spoke.

"Master Lanc, consolidation of farmland would indeed increase efficiency and output per invested asset - yet I fear that you forget to consider the human element. These farmers are no more favorable or trusting of government as the throngs outside these gates. As you know, farmlands, more so than nearly all other industries, are passed down for generations. These men cling, defend and maintain their plots with staunch individualism. Many kings in past times have attempted absorbing these men and their labor into their government machines - they stand free to this day as testament to the power they hold over any nobles via such a basically essential commodity as food. If there is any group of people to choose to coerce, farmers are the most dangerous by a pillar length. But...". Jarvis pretended to hesitate for a moment, and continued: "... but there are ways to make them come running to our beck and call without force, and with their willing cooperation. I will reveal how this can be accomplished in due time."

Until how he had sat with his hands clasped before him, he stood once more.

"Ladies and gentlemen. What is work without men to do it? What are men without work to do? It seems clear, that we posses a virtually inexhaustible source of both. As we all well know, the great majority of Dakhen land currently lies underdeveloped or utterly unused. All we must do, dear councilors is bring the two in contact with each other. I propose to create the 'Workers League' - WOL for short. Any healthy, able-bodied man over the age of 16 may choose to join. Each man receives two hearty meals of greens and grain [referring to bread products] with a cup of water each day, with three meals on every 7th, the last of which contains meat."

"Set garrisons for roughly two hundred men, each with enough cots for all men at locations where we will construct new farms, factories and roads, and any other infrastructure. They will not be paid. Not in a conventional way; in addition to consistent food and a place to sleep, they receive a seasonal set of work clothes, and basic medical care. Rather than payment in coin, they receive the fruit that they sew every day with their hard labor. Members of the Workers League will work twelve hours each day at construction or other tasks, such as regional emergency response to cave-in, fires, and water leaks. Each week one day is allotted for rest, and each man is privileged to a week of rest at their home of origin every two seasons."

"You have all seen the numbers Lord Green has kindly shown us, unemployment is incredibly high. What do all of them do to stay alive? They steal, they scavenge dumps and starve - spreading crime, disease, and desperation along the way. There is not one among them, who has not dreamed of stable honest work on which he can live. The Worker's League is their dream come true. The most outspoken and potentially violent demographic - young men in their prime, are those who we will earn gratitude from."

"The Worker's League slashes at the roots of civil unrest, causing many to consider that perhaps we are not the old king's men and can be relied on."
"The Worker's League will be an incredible machine to take our infrastructure to never before seen heights."
"The Worker's League employs those who would have to resort to crime and scavenging to otherwise survive."
"The Worker's League, fellow councilors, is our hands across all of Dakhen to aid the populace in catastrophe increasing our popularity, and even assisting against assault on our homeland if the need were to arise."

"These are all enticing, and beneficial outcomes for every party involved - but the most important advantage remains unsaid. We create an entire generation of well-nourished, hard working, physically fit and loyal men. Each of you see the vitality and prosperity that this would inject into our homeland."

Jarvis, slightly out of breath from his tirade, began to sit, but as if remembering something looked up at Master Lanc. "Before I yield; Master Lanc, one of your points did ring a very important truth. Training in skilled work with hydroponics and other machinery would be a next step in the Worker's Guild for any man capable enough. Not only will this generation be healthy, but also well trained in skills that they can pass down to their children and lessen the effort we must exert in years to come".