Council Meeting: Cold Cycle 721

[Bao Bao]

After some time, Bao made his way to the council meeting, preparing for what would be an interesting day. As much as he had enjoyed being made a councilmember, his last meeting had been dramatic, to say the least. Arriving just on time, Bao found his seat at the table, sitting so his head was only just peeking over. As Kura arrived Bao nodded politely, though it became quickly apparent this meeting was going to have some level of drama itself. Many people spoke and, as Kura did very well, she waited and allowed them to speak before dealing with the issues one by one.

When it came to talk of the Induks the small Cadouri could only agree with Kura. While he loved the Induks, and believed they were an important part of Scalvoris, their role was far different than the council. Talk of Slag's Deep came up, then the talk of Faldrass and Beacon representatives. Other topics, including a council member that had gone missing, came and went with little comment from the Cadouri. Until she was finished, and Nir'wei commented, Bao kept to himself and let them say what they needed to.

After a small moment of pause, he glanced around the room as it came his turn to speak. For a second he hesitated, deciding what to say and how he ought to say it. Polite was always how Bao tried to be, as was peaceful. "With regards to the new council positions, I agree with the others. The Induks are as represented as they need to be through all of their Forged, and should they want more I know they would ask" he smiled to all of the room. "We have seats that should be filled, and I believe it would be to the benefit of us all to fill those seats with those willing" he smiled softly with a look to all who volunteered their help to the council, giving them all a gentle and reassuring nod. "I would be happy to vote now or later for the Devout position, Alberach. Whichever is easier."

With those formalities out the way, Bao was done with his part thus far. Still new to the position, he didn't know if there was much else for him to say beyond acknowledging all that was happening around him. A lot had changed since his last council meeting, most of which was known publicly by now he imagined. Scalvoris had been in danger, the Induks had been trapped and the Warden was a threat. Now they had moved past it. There was a strong air of relief from the Cadouri, glad to see his friends at the table, even if drama was still an ongoing issue. In his mind, Bao gave a small prayer to Ziell, hoping the meetings and the Island as a whole would stay this peaceful for a while longer. They had all fought long and hard for Scalvoris.

Now they deserved some time to relax.

[Pegasus]

Rebirth Cycle 721
~~1st Vhalar 721~~

Brandel - the former Alberach and now just interested onlooker, pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. What was it with people, he thought? He looked around and, catching Kura's eye, he gave her a smile. Rand Broson, the Militant, had an expression of amused irritation on his face, mirroring Kura's. "I'm not prepared to admit to that, no," he said with a smile, of ever having been that young and enthusiastic. Thankfully, Kura spoke to each of them in turn, addressing thoughts and concerns and proposals. Rand watched her and a smile played on his face. Nir'wei and Bao also spoke, and then it was the turn of the other council members.

Rand stood up "For those who do not know me," he said softly. "I am Rand, the Militant. That means I have the job of being in charge of the Elements. We have a few items to report, but before that, let me address some of the points raised here."

He looked, first, at Balthazar. "Let me clear up something, publicly and openly. You are overstepping your boundaries as a member of the Elements. Trooper Black, it is not your job to walk into a Council meeting, your first one may I add, and suggest yourself for roles which don't exist. Further, whether you back someone for a role or not is unimportant and irrelevant, until and unless you are a member of this council. It is most certainly not your job to undertake a character assassination of a man who has stood by Scalvoris." He gestured to Woe. "Now, your points about Beacon have been addressed by the Alberach, so let me respond to your suggestion regarding the Elements. It's mighty good of you, boy, to 'ultimately defer to the judgement of the Militant'. The fact that you've been to other places and seen other militaries is not something you're alone in, many of us have - some of us even did so without abandoning our posts for a year. If you have ideas, maybe you talk to your Deputy, and they'll bring them to me if they have any merit and via the appropriate channels." That Rand was not impressed with Balthazar's public statements was obvious. "And since the existing hierarchy and military etiquette seems to be lost on you, I'll take any suggestions for more structure under advisement." Turning to Elisabeth, he raised an eyebrow. "Your lack of understanding of Council etiquette is not at all something to concern yourself with. However, your instinct to listen and learn first was the right one." He was much more gentle in his tone with her, she wasn't an Element after all. "If either of you," he motioned to Elisabeth and Balthazar, "feel that you are suited to an existing empty seat and are prepared to put in the time and effort to fill it, then speak up. That goes for all in the room," he said, speaking to the people here.

On Oram's suggestion, the Militant nodded. "We have sent a preliminary investigation in to Slag's Deep. We've found that it needs a larger expedition, most certainly, as it's much bigger than we knew. There were literally no people there living, but the removal of bodies has continued. A joined up exploration makes sense to me. You can rely on the Elements for support in that expedition, Head Ranger. I second your suggestion and vote yay." He nodded. But then, he turned to look at Balthazar. "I will assemble the Elements to accompany the Rangers, Trooper Black. Thank you for the self-recommendation but, again, there is a structure for a reason and you do not get to ignore it and act like a mercenary. Dean Manyon? Can the University offer support?" He asked this of the Dean who sat in the gallery. "Yes," he replied and he smiled at Oram. "I'll discuss with you, Chief Ranger?"

Then, he turned to Kura, Nir'wei, Oram and Bao and he gestured to Woe. "In terms of the Egg position being Liza's for a reasonable amount of time, may I put forward that Mr Morandi takes up the role on a temporary basis, until Liza is found or a reasonable time has passed? Egilrun needs a representative, my fellow council members, and he is well suited to it. If he will take up the job temporarily, until we know the situation, he can steer Egilrun through this quite tricky time, politically."

Finally, he got to his report. "Element numbers are up, we've experienced a surge in people wanting to step up, which is good. I'm proposing that the Chief Ranger, the Council Member for Welfare and myself work together to maximise efficiency, while also not treading on each other's feet. I propose that work together and one way to do that is to take a leaf out of Rharne's book. The healers work with the military there, and we could do the same. I propose that we request - and fund - Order of the Adunih members to work with both the Rangers and the Elements on a full time basis, basing them in our structures and hierarchy, as appropriate to the organisation. They are not Elements or Rangers, but always Order members, but we get some joined up working going. Oram and I could put forward numbers and so on if the proposal goes through." He handed round the report on Element numbers and cases taken, solved, etc to the Council members. The information in a general format was publicly available, he explained, but given only to the council members here as too many copies would be needed otherwise.

Once that was done, he sat down.

Rand Important Actions

1. Proposal: Suggests that Woe takes up the Egg position in a temporary capacity at first, as Egilrun needs someone there, now. To be reviewed if the existing Egg returns OR a sufficient time has passed.
2: Seconded: Oram's suggestion of an expedition. He offered Element support and will choose a team.
3. Proposal: Secondment of Order of the Adunih members to work specifically with the Rangers and the Elements, following Rharne's set up.
4. Report: On element numbers etc

Then, Shania spoke. " I am Shania, formerly Gunvortan representative and now Accountant to the Council." She smiled at those present, happy to see so many people here. "It's my job to make sure that the money flows in the correct direction. I'm pleased to report that, thanks to the efforts of those brave souls, the war with Slag's Deep is both over and - financially - was low in cost. " She put her hands together and spoke. "I hear a lot of things. As Miss Angelus so eloquently pointed out, she heard rumour after rumour about empty seats. I have a proposal to put to the Council which may help with that." She smiled at Elisabeth, then Balthazar. "It also addresses your concern regarding the island of Faldrass, Miss Angelus, and yours regarding Beacon Trooper Black." She spoke, then to all the Council members.

"Each one of us costs money. We have offices, assistants, we are paid a wage, we have a budget. That is one thing to keep in mind. Another, quite simply, is this. Why do we seek to divide ourselves into tribes when we are one island? The Welfare of all islanders is the remit of a dear council-member Bao," she smiled, fondly, at the Cadouri. "Our Militant protects us all, each child is educated. I propose that these individual representatives of individual villages, is against the very nature of who we are because we are Scalvoris citizens. Whether someone is in Gunvorton or Harvardr, in Egilrun or Scalvoris Town, that is not the point here. I propose, then, that we abolish the specific representative seats and have, instead, a single seat which represents the people of Scalvoris. That person undertakes to travel Scalvoris, to visit all the places from the Mountains to Gunvorton, from the Jungle to Sweetwine and from Darbyton to Almund. All the areas of Scalvoris, all the people there. Because Faldrass is no less important than Ishallr, or the Jungles or Almund, but soon we'll be having so many individual area representatives that we'll lose our identity. We fund that person to travel Scalvoris, to be the voice of the people. We make it two roles, if needs be." She was obviously passionate about this, and she gestured to Woe and Rand. "Egilrun is indeed in a specific situation, and if my proposal is not taken up, I second the Militant's proposal and vote yay to it. But Egilrun and Gunvorton could be working together more, should be in fact. While we are separate, we miss chances to strengthen each other. And I personally believe that, if the Council sees fit to accept my proposal, Mr Morandi has more than demonstrated his suitability for that job."

To Oram's suggestion, she nodded. "I agree that this is needed. We are in a position to fund it, most certainly. I believe the focus should be exploring and mapping. It's a potential gold-mine that place and we have to secure it. There's a form for you to fill in, I have one here." Shania was always prepared - and she had a whole pack of information for Oram as the new Chief Ranger.

Shania Important Actions

1. Seconded: Rand's suggestion of Woe as Temp Egg
2. Proposal: Do away with village representation and have a "Representative of the People" who travels around Scalv and is representative of all. (note: Rand agrees)
3. Proposal: Woe to be that person, if it goes through (note: Rand agrees)
4. Seconded: Oram's idea of an expedition with a focus on exploring and mapping.

Then, she sat and let Marcelle speak. "Hi everyone," she said. "I'm the Trainer and I oversee education on the island. That's education for children, not what the university offers. There are currently lots of differences between places, and I'd like to ask the Council's permission to work with Saoire's school about setting up a central education curriculum for the whole island. Some children have a long way to travel, too, to get to a school. We could do with a few more schools, but we don't have the numbers in terms of both pupils and teachers. I was wondering if Saoire's School might offer a centralised place for children who live remotely to come, via a gateway." She smiled at them all and then started to sit down before she remembered something.

"Oh! I forgot, yes, I agree. Shania is right, lets do away with the Egg and the Proper and those sorts of roles. They're divisive and we're all Scalvorians. I second the idea of a roaming representative of the people. I don't know if we can help your expedition, Chief Ranger, but if we can, we will. I'm happy."

And then, she did sit down.

Marcelle Important Actions

1. Seconded: Rand's suggestion of Woe as Temp Egg
2. Seconded: Shania's suggestion to do away with village representation and have a "Representative of the People" who travels around Scalv and is representative of all.
3. Seconded: Woe to be that person, if it goes through
4. Seconded: Oram's idea of an expedition.
5. Proposed: Asking Saoire for an "outreach" school & gateways to it for hard-to-reach pupils. (note that Shania and Rand will second and vote yes to this)

Finally, Francis stood. "I'm Francis, I'm representing the Merchants of Scalvoris. I have very little to report, but I agree with all proposals. Chief Ranger, I'd like to discuss with you how we can best equip the rangers. Also, if Slag's Deep is a mine-able resource, then the Merchants Guild would like to be part of the mining operation. We have people who could add a lot of business sense to it."

Francis Important Actions

None really. She agrees with people.

Then, Shania stood again. "I am pleased to report," she said, after counting slips of paper which had been passed to her during the discussion, "that the Council votes unanimously to accept Doran Thetys as Devout." She smiled at Doran and offered the seat to him. "Please take your seat council member. We now have the following to vote on."

She waited for Doran to sit, and for the applause which had started to die down. "Now, then. The proposals currently put forward are," she looked down at her list. "Please vote on all, even though some preclude others. If you vote no for three, then please ignore four." And each of the council members had a list handed to them.

1. Woe Morandi be offered a temporary position as Egg until either Liza returns or a reasonable amount of time has passed to require a replacement.
2. Abolition of the village representatives
3. The creation of a role which is a roaming role, the "Representative of the People" (if yes, state whether you prefer one or two roles here).
4. Woe Morandi be offered the role in 3 above.
5. Secondment of Order of the Adunih members to the Rangers and the Elements.
6. Approach Saoire for the possibility of an Outreach school

Once those were collected in, Shania looked around at the room. "And now, are there any points to be raised from the non-council members? Anyone is welcome to speak at this point, to put forward a proposal or ask a question. "

~~Current Roles, Reputations & Rumours~~

Name	Role	Reputation	Rumours
Kura	Alberach	Good	Kura oversaw the war - rumours that she killed the Warden herself
Nir'wei	Natural Affairs	Good	There are rumours that Nir'wei is actually a spy for the Eternal Empire
Bao	Welfare	Good	There are rumours that Bao is actually Saoire's MB son
Oram	Chief Ranger	Good	There are rumours that Oram is a were-bear who can turn into a bear at will.
Rand	Militant	Neutral	There are rumours that Rand is actually a Yludih necromancer
Shania	Accountant	Neutral	There are rumours that Shania is a mortalborn
Marcelle	Trainer	Neutral	There are rumours that Marcelle used to be an assassin
Francis	Merchant	Neutral	There are rumours that Francis is having an affair with Brandel
Jo'ne	Almundian	Neutral	There are rumours that Jo'ne is secretly part of an underground group of criminals
Liza	Egg	Neutral	There are rumours that Lizai is one of triplets, and that's how she's so busy
Linca	Harvardeen	Neutral	There are rumours that Linca has a terminal illness
Leigh	Proper	Neutral	There are rumours that Leigh used to be a Rynmere noble
Doran	Devout	New	New....
VACANT	Academic	NA	NA
VACANT	Darbytonian	NA	NA
VACANT	Gunvortonian	NA	NA

~~NPC Roles & Existing Vacancies~~

Each of the tabs below is an existing role on the Scalvoris Council which is NOT filled by a PC.

~ Where there is an NPC in there, they are currently in the role.
~~~ If the role is identified as Vacant, that NPC is willing to move out / on.
~~~ If the role is NOT identified as Vacant, the NPC wishes to stay - but that doesn't mean that PCs can't take over, it'll just be more of a struggle.

~ If there is no NPC there, the role is currently empty.

Militant

Name: Rand Broson
Race: Sev'ryn / Human
Age: Born 667
Title: Militant of Scalvoris Council / Militant of Elemental
Skills: NA: Prophet only NPC. You don't need to know!
Other Information: Rand is a hard, fair man. He doesn't speak much as he believes that you learn a lot more by listening than you ever will by talking. He is the head of the Scalvoris Military (the Elements) and he is very proud of that job. A hard working man, he tends towards solitude and does not make friends easily. He has a temper, as his troops will attest and he will not back down when he believes he is right. [/mod]

!	Message from: Peg
	Rand is well-respected and has brought the Elements back from the brink of a very negative situation following the Scalvoris Docks Collapse. He would be very difficult to get out of his role and replace

Accountant

Name: Shania
Race: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Title: Gunvorton Overseer / Accountant of the Scalvoris Council.
Skills: Unknown
Other Information: If there is one thing which everyone agrees on, it is that Shania is a nice lady. Friendly, helpful and always willing to help out, she is the backbone of the growing region on Gunvorton. She knows everyone, it seems, and she's always there should anyone need a little bit of information. She runs the local inn and it is her job, as she tells everyone, to make sure that all who come to her establishment leave just a little bit happier.

!	Message from: Peg
	Shania is almost universally liked and seems to be a genuinely lovely individual. She would be very difficult to get out of this role and replace

Devout

Vacancy for PC

Trainer

Vacancy for PC

!

Message from: Peg

Current Role is held by: Name: Marcelle Tren Race: Mixed Blood Age: Born 687 Title: Trainer of Scalvoris Council Skills: NA: Prophet only NPC. You don't need to know! Other Information: An educator of children by trade, Marcelle would be the first person to tell you that she is out of her depth in this whole Council thing. But she's doing her best and she has a sharper mind than she gives herself credit for. She is a passionate teacher and a friendly woman. Also, she isn't afraid of conflict and has the skills of managing a classroom of five arc olds. Veteran soldiers have quivered and quaked at her stare.

!	Message from: Peg
	Marcelle is well-respected and friendly, but she doesn't want this job. She would be relatively easy to get out of this role and replace as long as her replacement makes sense.

Academic

Vacancy for PC

Foreign Affairs

Vacancy for PC

Merchant

Name: Francis LeShard
Race: Mixed Blood
Age: Born 687
Title: Merchant of Scalvoris Council
Skills: NA: Prophet only NPC. You don't need to know!
Other Information: Francis is a shrewd businesswoman who is here representing the Merchants' Guild. Really that is exactly and only who she is representing. She has worked as a businesswoman throughout the north and east of Idalos and her bottom line is the profit. She is nice, friendly and polite to everyone. She would also sell her grandmother for the right price.

!	Message from: Peg
	Francis is a respected member of the Merchants Guild, although there are some suggestions that she is too reluctant for change. She would be very difficult to get out of this role and replace for anyone not in the Merchants' Guild. For those in it, much easier.

Almundian

Name: Jo'ne Tide
Race: Mixed Blood
Age: Born 691
Title: Almund Representative of Scalvoris Council
Skills: NA: Prophet only NPC. You don't need to know!
Other Information: Jo'ne is the Mayor of Almund. Her father was a pirate and his father before him. Her mother was a whore and her grandmother a drug dealer and the bane of the seas. Jo'ne is a foul mouthed, tobacco chewing woman who will take no nonsense from anyone. [/mod]

!	Message from: Peg
	Jo'ne is well-liked in Almund and considered a "true" Almundian. She would be very difficult to get out of this role and replace

Darbytonian

Vacancy for PC

Egg

Vacancy for PC

Havardreen

Name: Linca
Race: Biqaj
Age: Born 678
Title: Chief of the village of Havardr
Skills: Other things too. Need to know....
Other Information: Linca is the chief of Havardr, the hardest worker on the island, some say, and a straight talking fellow. He will trade, but he won't be fiddled and is a hard negotiator.

!	Message from: Peg
	Linca would rather die than abandon Havardr. He would be very difficult to get out of his role and replace

Proper

Name: Leigh Birch
Race: Human
Age: Born 693
Title: Scalvoris Town Representative of Scalvoris Council
Skills: NA: Prophet only NPC. You don't need to know!
Other Information: Leigh is the Mayor of Scalvoris Proper. She lives there and has her offices there. She is a friendly and very well organised woman who is keen to listen to all of the opinions on offer. She has trouble sometimes as she can have a bit of a tendency to avoid conflict, but that just means that she sits back and doesn't take sides. It certainly doesn't mean that she's lacking opinions.

!	Message from: Peg
	Leigh is well-respected but some see her as not active enough. She would be relatively easy to get out of this role and replace

~~This Season~~

The following represent the five most pressing situations on Scalvoris, as seen by the populace - they are presented as quotes, but in truth are things you might here throughout Scalv. Acting (or not) on these will impact the Council reputation - and that of the individuals within it - next cycle.

!	Message from: The Induks
	"We need someone to represent the Induks on the Council - we need to make sure that they are appeased, we don't want another eruption! "

!	Message from: Empty Seats
	"I've never known so many empty seats in the Council. What's wrong with them? Don't they care? We need a functioning government or we're going to descend into anarchy!

!	Message from: Law & Order
	"We need to have some movement on Slags Deep and the Vault. We need to make sure things are really safe now! And what about the prisoners?! Are we safe in our homes?!"

!	Message from: Economy
	"We need to have some kind of push in the Merchants' Guild or something! We make the best glass and so on in Idalos! Why isn't it more famous? Scalvoris needs to be more wealthy!"

!	Message from: Representation
	"Faldrass and Beacon need their own representatives. What about the Barons? Are they in charge of us now? "

The focus for the Council this season is

!	Message from: Council Focus
	Clean up following the war

Previous Council Meetings

• Rebirth 720
• Rebirth 721

!	Message from: Peg
	To be clear. 1. Only council members vote 2. Anyone can speak at this point - and put forward a proposal, ask a question, make an observation, etc.

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, Vhalar 1

During her speech, she felt his emotions and didn't need to turn around to know Balthazar was in the room. Discipline and focus got her through the address, trying to corner off his varying reactions to what she said until she had a moment to deal with them. Their new connection was still a bit disorienting, but one thing that it had clarified for her is that Balthazar kept a lot of emotion below the surface. Elisabeth felt every happiness and bit of anger ebb and flow, trying desperately to sort out which emotions were his and which belonged to her.

As she stepped down, her eyes found Balthazar's, offering up a smile to him. Elisabeth allowed her focus to drop just a bit and be happy that he was there. Neither had told the other of their plans, so being in the same place was a happy coincidence. Balthazar would feel the surge of happiness at seeing him but she noticed he was getting ready to speak, so opted to hold off a proper greeting until he had said whatever he needed to.

Moving to where he had been sitting, she planted herself in the adjacent seat and waited. Elisabeth was aware of a few issues that he might raise but was curious to hear what he had to say.

Beacon – she guessed that one right. Balthazar had spoken to her about the place, prompting Elisabeth's desire to schedule some time to visit Ria herself. Balthazar was trying to look out for Beacon, and his words made her proud because helping people was who Balthazar was. Elisabeth had known that all along.

Everything else he said, all the other topics, were surprising. Elisabeth wasn't an Element, so those matters didn't concern her. When he moved onto the issue of the proposed Induk liaison, things started to change a bit. As he spoke, Elisabeth could feel his emotions rising, and she knew exactly why. Balthazar had a right to speak his mind, and she would always respect that.

When Balthazar said that he didn't think any one single person on the island could fill the Induk liaison role and looked at her, the young mage quirked her eyebrow at him, giving a bit of a grin. They would have to have a conversation about that at some point.

She was aware of his opinion that Haven should be her sole responsibility, and while there was merit to the idea, Elisabeth felt differently. She didn't want to be one thing, nor did she think people should only be one thing. To be limited in how she could help people didn't appeal to her. Getting things done and seeing people thrive did, and she was committed to that.

He finished his comments, and Elisabeth immediately followed up on the missed greeting from earlier, if he came to sit back down next to her. "Well, hello you. I'm happy you are here." It was a quick thing, allowing her to convey the sentiment she wished without taking too much of his time or focus.

Doran spoke, and Elisabeth had a lot of mixed feelings there. She gleaned that 'Devout' had to do with Immortals and was a bit curious how that worked. Many people present had relationships with Immortals, but the reasoning for the actual position escaped her.

Kura spoke, and it became apparent to Elisabeth quickly that she had made an error in etiquette. In fairness, she hadn't planned on speaking at all until she heard what Woe had proposed and then followed his lead, but it was what it was.

Clarity came, and it appeared that what Elisabeth had proposed wasn't needed or some processes needed to happen first, which was the way of things sometimes. At least she knew better for next time and would be armed with information to serve others better. The Albarech didn't speak directly to her, so Elisabeth wrote down the information she wanted to retain, including that the Barons were somehow tied into the government on Faldrass. How did that work with Darius being Baron and Settlement leader? She hadn't even been aware Faldrass had a government.

Her emotions shifted slightly when Nir'wei spoke, although she wasn't sure if they were her emotions or Balthazar's. Both had been present in Rynmere, and neither had said anything to anyone regarding what had happened there. She certainly hadn't, wishing to speak to him personally about the situation.

Darius had arrived, and she sent a smile in his direction when he looked her way. Elisabeth suddenly felt a bit foolish for not reaching out and telling him that she planned to attend the meeting. They could have traveled together and worked on a few things during the trip.

Bao's presence made her smile, although his words prompted more thoughts. There was a seat for someone that worked with Immortals, so how was that different than Induks? Obviously, she had a lot to learn about the various seats and their functions.

Other council members began speaking, starting with Rand, who aimed at Balthazar. Elisabeth didn't know enough about military etiquette to know if the dressing down was warranted or not, but the young woman couldn't help but be a bit offended by the tone Rand took with him. Glancing at Balthazar, her focus was solely on him.

And then she heard her name spoken by Rand. The last time he had spoken to her…..no. About her. During Balthazar's trial, she didn't recall him ever addressing her back then, just talking about her. Elisabeth remembered him looking at her in a manner that made it clear he had thought just as poorly of her as he had Balthazar during that time.

Yet here he was, addressing her differently, and she wasn't quite sure how to take that, so she chose to ignore it for the moment. Elisabeth had come to the meeting to try and help and that is where her focus needed to be. The two proposed avenues weren't viable, and the talk had been of empty council seats. She only saw four, and two were local representatives. The plaques read "Foreign Affairs" and "Academic." Both seemed pretty obvious in their description, and her mind went to work.

The Academic seat would have been interesting considering she had spent most of her life at Viden Academy, but Elisabeth had never been a teacher or student. Not a proper one anyways. Foreign Affairs was equally intriguing, and while her skills with people would be a benefit in such a position, she had responsibilities in Scalvoris that she wouldn't ignore, and frequent travel would certainly impact.

He had addressed her, and thus she felt compelled to respond. Rising again, she quickly spoke her mind. "Thank you for your comments. The time, effort, desire, and commitment aren't an issue, but unfortunately, I feel that I am unsuitable for any of the currently available seats and would be doing Scalvoris a disservice by putting my name forward."

Looking at all the Council Members, one by one, she ended her comments with one more thing. "I'm committed to helping the people of Scalvoris, whatever form that takes. I take my commitments and responsibilities to Haven seriously and feel I have served well in the role asked of me. I feel there's more to give though and believe I can be of service on a wider scale." Hadn't that been the overriding sentiment she wanted people to know about her?

Well, it was said, and that's all she needed. Inclining her head in respect to the council, she smiled. "I appreciate your time. Thank you."

Regaining her seat, she listened to the rest of the council members. Elisabeth recognized Shania from Saoire's Feast – they had been at the same table. The impression she had of Shania is that she was a hard worker who cared intensely about her job, and Elisabeth could appreciate that.

Listening to the woman's proposal about consolidating the village representation and having a new role devoted to all the people, Elisabeth found herself nodding her head in agreement with the presented idea. Smiling at Shania when she referenced Elisabeth, it was evident that she had put a lot of thought into the proposal, and the young mage thought the concept made a lot of sense.

Arching her eyebrow when Woe's name was mentioned, Elisabeth considered what was said. She supported the idea of him being the representative of Egilrun because she understood the work he had done there, but from Egilrun to all Scalvoris was a giant leap to make.

Council members had been at Saoire's Feast. She wasn't sure how many had drunk the vial, but it was not a secret what he had attempted to do to her, although she was unsure how many were aware of both incidents. Perhaps she was utterly oblivious to what traits were desirable to be on the council, but as Rand had said, listening and learning was probably the best strategy because confusion ruled her mind at that moment. Add into that Nir'wei, and she had no idea how to reconcile any of it.

Another member spoke, the Trainer, it seemed. She talked about primary education, and Elisabeth perked up. Early education was a topic the young settlement leader was very interested in, knowing that there would be a need in Haven at some point. Education itself was a passion due to her upbringing, but life had taken her in a different direction.

[Woe]

Woe was still thinking about the implications of the character assassination attempt launched by Balthazar when it came time for Kura to speak, as well as the other council members. The idea of a representative for the Induks was struck down before it gained steam. That suited Woe well enough, since that hadn’t actually been what he proposed, but then Elisabeth and Balthazar chimed in with what he could only assume was an attempt at obfuscation of Woe’s intent. And do so in such a grandiloquent and forceful fashion. He shrugged internally and figured it was just as well that it be so. He had proposed that he represent the people to the Induks, or to whomever they needed representation before. And in time, Shania threw him a lifeline toward that end.

She suggested that the leaders of settlements need not have representation on the Council, but that cooperation and collaboration was more conducive to the overall well-being of the island. Woe had to admit he didn’t know much about Shania before, but it seemed she was wise beyond the unassuming manners of a Gunvorton Innkeeper.

It was suggested that Woe be appointed temporary Egg until such a time as Liza was located, or presumed gone from the Island indefinitely. That was agreeable to him. However, what she suggested next very much surprised him. To prop him up as a representative for all the villages and intervening settlements and towns and homesteads present in Scalvoris… It was a big responsibility, and put Woe in a position that he had a strong wish to decline from the first mention of it.

When it came time for more than just the council members to chime in, and Shania opened the floor to others in the assembly, Woe waited until Elisabeth was done saying her piece, and then went ahead and addressed the council. ”I’d submit myself to those roles as detailed by Councilor Shania. In any way the council decides that they should or should not be implemented. I’ve witnessed firsthand how a Kingdom may be torn apart by disparate interests, always competing with each other and given strict purview of their respective resources and responsibilities. It leads to division like Marcella said.”

Woe took a breath, and let that sink in, before continuing, ”While competition isn’t a ill in itself, dividing the interests of the people of Scalvoris into lines based on locality is not a strength, but a weakness that an enemy can exploit. I believe the interests of the people united in compromise and collaboration would be a more efficient manner of representation, less prone to infighting and treating our localities like personal fiefdoms. While I realize this shouldn’t dissolve the leadership of each village, city, and locale, this will open up underserved locations that might arrive by the establishment of new settlements, future-proofing the representation of the island against division, should the Representative of the People prove capable.”

”I think there ought to be some form of check on the influence of such a person, however, that is not constrained by local loyalties. Should this role be introduced, I feel it should come with a role that is the counterpart to it.”

[Doran]

After he had voiced his interest in becoming Devout, Doran turned to listen to the Albarech. He was quite relieved when she explained how Council meetings usually worked. Apparently, members of the audience suggesting jobs for themselves and commenting on each other’s speeches was not the norm. He could not help but wonder if the Induks were really uninterested in how Scalvoris was being governed though, or if that was just an assumption on the part of the Council. Had anybody actually ever talked to them?

He decided not to ask; since he was not part of the Council, he would remain silent and simply listen.

The matters of representatives for Faldrass and Beacon, and the position of Egg (Who had come up with that name?) were something that he was curious about as well. He couldn’t help but wonder what people would say to that. Would they agree?

The expression on his face remained calm and interested as he listened to Nir’wei, the Councilor of Natural Affairs and one of the heroes of the Forging. His statement that the Induks did not require a seat on the Council for the same reason that Saoire did not require a seat puzzled him a bit. He wasn’t entirely sure what the reason actually was. Did it have something to do with the fact that they were not mortal?

The Albarech and several of the councilors were only partly mortal.

Regardless of that, he had made a worthwhile suggestion. With that thought in mind, he turned to the next councilor that spoke, Bao, smiling slightly. The small Cadouri constituted a beacon of light in his opinion, and his actions during the war had been outstanding. He was glad that Scalvoris could count someone like him among its councilors.

The Militant, Rand Broson, suggested that Woe take up the position of Egg in a temporary capacity and told people to speak up if they felt that they were suited for an empty seat. He briefly looked at Balthazar who had been admonished by the Militant and Elisabeth as he said that. Both of them seemed to have been rather eager to join the council before.

Would they apply?

The matter of Slag’s Deep caught his attention especially due to the extensive research that he had done in that regard. When the Militant stated that the removal of bodies had continued, he raised an eyebrow slightly. How many people had actually been drained? He decided at once that he would offer to share the research in that regard, should the expedition really happen.

Rand’s suggestion that members of the Order of the Adunih work with the Rangers and the Elements was likewise an interesting one. Even if his application was not accepted – he was not so arrogant to assume that it would be a given – his time here would not be wasted. He was getting a lot of valuable insights into the working of the Council that trial.

Shania spoke next. He remembered that he had heard a rumor, about her being a Mortalborn, although nobody seemed to know whose Mortalborn she was. The Council, he mused, seemed attract a fair number of his kin. Was it coincidence, or did Mortalborn feel the need to get involved and shape the future of Idalos after a while, much like most of their parents?

He found himself agreeing with much of what she said – Scalvoris was a big whole, and having individual representatives of individual villages contradicted that. It might create division where a common, cohesive identity should be fostered. All areas of the island were equally important.

Marcelle made another suggestion. Francis, who represented the Merchants, talked about Slag’s Deep as a mineable resource which made him think about something that he had heard in the Glass Temple, prior to the Forging. Perhaps, he decided, he would have a word with the representative of the Merchants later on, and with the Militant and Mister Mednix.

~~~

When Shania stood at the end of the discussion, the Mortalborn turned to look at her. His eyes widened perhaps slightly for a moment as she stated that the Council had unanimously voted to accept him as Devout. He had not been too worried – he knew what he was capable of - but being rejected was always a possibility, for different reasons. A moment later, he rose to his feet and bowed before he walked over to the seat that she had offered him and sat down.

“I thank you”, he spoke in a calm tone of voice once the applause had died down. “I will do my best to confirm the trust that you have placed in me”, he added before he fell silent once more. A longer speech would be inappropriate in his opinion, considering that there were important things to take care of, and what more, he did not wish to draw too much attention to himself, being the most junior member of the Council. Not saying a single word when people applauded would have been just as strange though.

With that thought in mind, he nodded when he was being handed a list and looked it over, considering each point carefully before he finally placed his vote. Once he had done that, and only then, did he briefly address Francis, Rand Broson and Oram Mednix in a polite and respectful tone of voice, “I have researched both Slag’s Deep and the Warden. If you’d like me to, I’ll provide you with copies of my notes in that regard.”

Having said that, he fell silent and listened once more. Against his expectations, Elisabeth did not apply for one of the empty seats. She thought that she would be doing Scalvoris a disservice by putting her name forward and seemed to be more focused on her settlement. Woe seemed to be willing to submit himself to the rules that Shania had detailed and mentioned how he had witnessed how a kingdom may be torn apart by disparate interests. He could only assume that he was talking about Rynmere.

He had lived there prior to moving to Viden.

And what more, he shared his thoughts on the matter of having individual representatives for each location. He found himself agreeing with much of what he said, although he wasn’t entirely sure if what he called the Representative of the People needed a counterpart. Could the Council itself not check on the actions of one of its members?

He decided not to speak up as he was aware of the fact that his knowledge of Council politics was still imperfect. He was familiar with the island’s history and culture now, but this was something that he was still learning about. Scalvoris functioned very differently from Viden or Rynmere in that regard. He couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if nobody applied for the empty seats though. Would the Albarech appoint someone, or would Scalvoris have to make do without certain councilors? All of those positions seemed rather important to him, so he hoped that a decision would be made.

[Oram Mednix]

But the music hasn’t stopped yet!

Were all Council meetings like this? Oram wondered drowsily as he listened to Balthazar criticize Woe. The new Chief Ranger certainly wasn’t looking forward to any more such meetings. Dimly, the hunter recalled something about something that happened at the Glass Temple between Woe and Elisabeth. Was *that* where the Yari’s attack was coming from? Groggily, grumpily, Oram wondered if any other history between the attendees was going to surface in this meeting.

The unpleasantness led him to tune out, and even to doze off, until the Albarech rose to speak. Even a sleep-deprived novice could sense a change in the room when Kura arrived. Everybody was more keyed up; Oram gulped down the last of the coffee he had brought with him, hoping that the key to his own wakefulness was in there somewhere.

Kura started speaking then, and suddenly Oram found his key. The Alberech called out to him by name and asked him to sit at the Council table, at a place where Elliott, apparently used to sit. Jerking up to his feet a little too quickly, “Chief Ranger Mednix” would have spilled his coffee if he hadn’t already drunk it all. Placards sat upon the table before each chair, presumably marking each member’s appointed spot. Oram was not wearing his spectacles, and although he had by now managed to teach himself how to read signs and short notices, spelling out the words on each placard was more effort than he had been willing to bother with on no sleep. So, instead of squinting at the placards, Oram simply shambled to the chair Kura pointed to and sat, too surprised to even feel embarrassed.

After that brief awkwardness, Kura’s attention passed to other matters, and Oram was able to rally his weary thoughts. Doran would probably do fine as a new Devout, he reckoned, not that he knew that much about what such a job entailed. And he was gratified as several people spoke up in favor of his proposed expedition to Slag’s Deep. Furthermore, the mention of greater cooperation with the Order of Adunih he met with an enthusiastic nod, even while he yawned.

”I talked to Faith Augustin at the opening of the Order Outpost in Egilrun, regarding a similar arragnement” he pointed out to the room as a whole, since he was too busy rubbing his eyes to address the comment to anyone in particular. ”I was only head of the Egilrun outpost at the time, so our arrangement was purely local to that one place, but I think the groundwork has already been laid for a larger cooperation.” The hunter had enjoyed talking to Faith, and wouldn’t mind doing so again; she had a good head on her shoulders, and was sure to see the sense of such an idea.

Oram lowered the heels of his hands from his eyes and blinked blearily at the other Council members before falling silent. He listened silently to the rest of the discussion. His brow furrowed, though, at the talk of abolishing the village representatives. Not ten bits ago, everyone wanted to add representatives for the Induks; now they wanted to get rid of the village representatives? And the reasons! Basically, people were saying that they should be abolished because they were all Scalvorians, and so the villagers should just sit down and shut up while their betters decided what was good for them? As someone belonging to a group of what most islanders would consider outsiders to mainstream society, Oram was not receptive to such suggestions.

Yesterday, when he had been running on six breaks of good sleep, he might have spoken up to argue the point. As it was, he felt neither inclined nor ready to do so.

[Nir'wei]

Sometimes it was fun to throw out a proposition here and there, interject wherever he could find a good time to get a word in, or just generally throw himself head-first into the meetings like these to gain a foothold. There were so many opportunities after all, and a perfect stage to 'prove his worth', as it were. However, as the conversations progressed, he began to shrink back into his seat, quietly hiding his mouth behind a hand while doing his best to appear nonchalant and relaxed. The Alberach's thorough dismantling of the earlier quips and jibes had been characteristically thorough and mechanical. The Militant, however, was almost like a fist-fight, with uppercuts and hard jabs laced through his words delivered with all the strength and precision of a seasoned boxer. It was almost frightening. By the time he was done, ready to move to other matters of importance and suggestion, Nir'wei was left just nodding dumbly along, his eyes flicking to Balthazar Black a few times over just to make sure the man was still breathing.

Shania, the Accountant, had quite a bold suggestion if he'd ever heard one. A single person holding the collective representation of all islands on Scalvoris, for the purposes of not losing individual identity, sounded rather counter-intuitive... and furthermore, rather frightening in their level of influence. But it did make sense. Certainly might do better at streamlining all the different islands and their own settlements and towns fighting for a voice to be heard above all the others. Marcia, the Trainer, made an entirely reasonable proposal about education that got a firm nod. Francis, the Merchant, did the obvious Merchant thing and just made sweeping agreements to keep on everyone's good side, probably.

Oh, and they had a new Devout now. He flashed the new Councillor a smile, but it was quite clear that his thoughts were slowly turning elsewhere. "A counterpart to such a role sounds rather self-defeating, doesn't it?" he wondered aloud, looking to Woe in particular. "The way to correctly manage the stifling of smaller villages in favour of the needs of larger, more populous regions is by having representatives of those regions with voices equal to them; which is what we have now." His eyes roamed over the different island representatives, then up to the Alberach, and back to Woe. "Different systems of governance have their benefits and their drawbacks. None can be ideal, and none without consequence. The question is simply, whether Scalvoris would benefit more from what is suggested, or the way things have worked before." Set out like that, however, one could see quite the difference in the way Scalvoris was organised compared to other nations of its ilk. As for enemies, well... enemies seeking to tear them apart from within, using their governance as their choking point, would be in for a very rude awakening, frankly. Though he understood the point that had been made... spelling it out, openly, he sighed and shook his head.

Council meetings were more difficult than he remembered.

[Darius Baer]

Initially, Darius stuck to his original plan: he observed the meeting, and didn't get involved. He had never been a council meeting before, and was unsure of the etiquette, so bearing silent witness to what was happening was quite the learning experience, and for some time, he went along with whatever the rest of the gathered crowd was doing.

When his friend Oram was gently reprimanded for being in the wrong seat, the mariner realised that he wasn't the only one who was getting to grips with the process. He was pleased for the wilderness man's achievements, and resolved to tell him precisely that at their next encounter.

When Rand stood and addressed Balthazar, it was not the Trooper that Darius looked to, but Elisabeth. He knew that Balthazar meant a lot to the Videnese, and hearing him being criticised publicly must have been difficult to take. But, whether she knew it or not, Elisabeth Angelus was stronger than many might think. Of that, Darius was convinced.

When Doran was nominated and then voted in to the Devout position, Darius joined the others and applauded the appointment.

Other recommendations were made - such as Oram's expedition to Slag's Deep - and other appointments were suggested. But what really made Darius sit up and take notice was when Shania, Accountant to the Council, proposed a new role. A representative of the people would, in theory, do away with the need for representatives of specific areas of Scalvoris and - ostensibly - the associated costs.

That suggestion put Darius in a contemplative mood, as he tried to weigh up its merits.

When Shania invited others to speak, Darius waited his turn, before eventually standing and addressing the room. It was a larger room than his first public speaking experience, but he had grown in confidence in such scenarios over the previous pair of arcs. He cleared his throat as he settled his nerves and found his voice.

"Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak," he began, before he addressed those present with deferential nods. "Madame Albarech, My Lord Baron Nir'wei von Smooglenuff, elected Councillors, and my fellow Scalvorians gathered here today. I would like to contribute to the discussion, if you will allow it."

Darius paused briefly, making eye contact with a handful of different councillors.

"Some of you may know who I am, but for those who do not, my name is Darius Baer. Some of you may know me by other names. Baron Darius von Smooglenuff. Captain Baer. FireForged. Leader of Hopetoun. But I want to dispel any suggestion that these are what qualify me to speak. At the end of the trial, I am just a regular Scalvorian, like most of the people in this room. I am a Scalv-Town lad. My first breath was of the salty air of the Hollow Sea. And yet, it wasn't until I lived with the Hopetounians that I began to understood the unique challenges faced by those on Faldrass. Scalvoris is a diverse place. Faldrass is usually hot. Ishallr is incessantly cold. Their needs are very different to those of the main island."

Darius paused. While he had undoubtedly grown more confident in front of a crowd, he was worried that he might not be coming across as entirely coherent.

"All that to say," he went on, attempting to provide some clarity to his line of thinking, "that while the idea of a sole representative of the people sounds like a good concept - and it might well serve to preserve the coffers - I don't think it's realistic for one person to be able to meet all the needs of Scalvorians on their own."

Darius sent a furtive and guilty glance in Woe's direction. He didn't know the man well, and he hoped he wasn't unduly undermining his efforts. He did not know if Woe was suitable for the caveats he was about to suggest, but he knew he had to speak, his mind, and so he did.

"If there is to be one person who represents all of the people, I think it would be best if they are a Scalvorian, with a deep knowledge of our customs, our traditions, and our native tongueSpoken in Scalveen.. And I think they should be supported by locals who understand the unique challenges of each location."

Darius paused again to take a breath. He was worried that he was overstaying his welcome, but he pressed on all the same. He had already come this far, he reasoned. He'd might as well finish what he had to say, and he looked to Shania as he continued.

"If finances are an issue, these people would not have to hold the full office of a Councillor, and could be paid a small, part-time fee - a fraction of what a Councillor must earn. If different villages and locations could be represented without requiring people to do so full time, perhaps there would be more willing applicants."

With one final calming breath, he decided to make mention of a couple of rumours he had heard prior to the meeting, while offering to potentially help solve them.

"Not only would this help to cut costs, it could also ensure there are fewer empty Council seats, while also securing the representation of everywhere in Scalvoris, including underserved places such as Faldrass and Beacon."

He took one final deep breath, then a fleeting glimpse was sent towards Elisabeth before he turned back to face the front.

"And, if the Council is willing to consider such a motion, I would like to volunteer to be the 'boots on the ground' in Faldrass."

[Balthazar Black]

1 Vhalar 721

The collective response to practically all he had said left the detective with a simple conclusion that was not hard to understand. Sit down and shut up. They don't care how well you know the people. They don't care what certain people do. They don't want your input. So that was what Balthazar did. He gave appropriate nods to those who had spoken to him, just enough to socially acknowledge what had been said. He didn't make any verbal reply to anything that had been said to him, because no questions were asked. Beacon would not get the representative it needed because he did not push the one he thought would fit the role best into coming with him. He would not volunteer for the role when he knew there was someone better suited and as an Element, he wasn't even sure he would have been allowed to apply until Rand indicated such.

Rand told him he was overstepping in his bounds but Balthazar had misunderstood the Elements from the start. He trained for far longer than needed to join them because of misunderstood syntax so he was never going to be able to navigate their politics. Trying was the mistake of the trial. Elisabeth took a seat beside him once she realized he was in the room and said that she was happy to see him there, but her timing was anything but good. He gave her a small nod but said nothing verbally in response. His eyes watched the Council members and while Elisabeth might have thought it fitting to thank them for their time, Balthazar did not. They were no better than the people they were meant to serve. Why should they be thanked for doing their job when he never was for his?

You're being a child. Fuego's voice chimed in Balthazar's head. Balthazar looked down at the diri who'd manifested between his feet. While this was happening a new devout was appointed and Balthazar missed the moment to applaud.

You haven't even begun to see me acting childish. Balthazar sent the message back to his diri and looked up at the Council to prevent it from looking like he was avoiding eye contact. Besides, you enjoy it.

Maybe, but they won't respect a child. Fuego said, They won't listen to one.

They won't listen to certain people anyways, but as Rand pointed out, it's not my job to stop them from making mistakes. Just my job to clean them up. Balthazar's brow furrowed and he looked back down as Fuego who, as a spirit of Faldrass and not of persuasion, shrugged his stone shoulders in defeat. He did not understand the politics of Scalvoris, but he knew when Balthazar was acting... touchy. Fuego had given up, but Balthazar knew Elisabeth would feel his emotions so he did his best to mask them with breathing techniques to try and keep himself calm.

Ironically, when Nir'wei's eyes flicked over to check if Balthazar was still breathing that was about the only thing he was doing. It looked like his gaze had grown a little distant. He was thinking about something else but as soon as the council member looked at him, Balthazar's eyes refocuses on the council member. When Darius began to speak, Balthazar's gaze shifted to him but his mind still seemed elsewhere. He was listened for the pure purpose of gathering the information and he'd think about it later.

Darius got to his point and Balthazar's eyes widened slightly in surprise that he did not feel was entirely coming from him. He looked over at Elisabeth for a trill and then at Darius, and then once again at Elisabeth before leaning over to her to whisper something. He covered his mouth with his hand as he leaned in and lingered there for a few seconds, but he didn't actually end up saying anything other than "Never mind." Before sitting back in his seat normally and waiting for the meeting to end.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Council meetings, Kura reflected, were probably supposed to be fairly boring affairs. Everyone talking about fairly simple governmental matters while the audience mostly tried to stay awake while the road budget was debated. This had not, that she could recall, had been what any of the council meetings had been like since she'd shown up to the island. When Rand responded to her comment about being young, Kura smiled slightly. Then she sat back as the rest of the Council said their parts. Nir'wei was as focused as ever, though she gave him a slightly chiding look when he referred to mages as "stained". His comments about the military aspects of the Forged was interesting, but she did frown slightly at the thought. She didn't want the Forged to feel pressured to join the Elements, after all.

Bao had little to say, but his position seemed to be going steadily enough for now, so she was okay with that. Then came Rand's dressing down of Balthazar, who seemed to have an unfortunate habit of rubbing his senior officers up the wrong way with remarkable frequency. If she were honest, she did see a lot of potential in that young man, but his early successes appeared to be getting in his way. In particular, his ambition and pride burned bright enough to outshine his other aspects, but he had yet to learn to control either aspect. Elisabeth was learning still, but her comparatively rockier career had left her without the successes that were tripping up her lover. It was an interesting contrast to be sure.

When Rand gave his report on Slag's Deep, she nodded at his comments. "A combined expedition has my support, but I would add some surveyors from Natural Affairs as well. We've gotten a lot of reports on Slag's Deep over the past few arcs, but given the nature of the Warden, I'm disinclined to take them at face value. In particular, I want to know what, if any, resources there are in Slag's Deep." she said, her tone thoughtful. When he brought up working with the members of the Order of Adunih, Kura tilted her head sideways, then gave him a pondering look. "At least part of that will fall to the decision of the Order of Adunih, not the least whether they will accept fundin'. If nothin' else, we can fund them while they're on operations for us, if they agree to such a proposal." she said, her tone calm.

It was Shania who spoke next, and she had a rather weighted suggestion to eliminate the individual town councillors in favor of a single seat representing the whole of the island's citizenry. An interesting proposal to be sure, but one that Kura had some concerns about. However, rather than speaking up immediately, she let others speak first, to see how they answered the Accountant. Marcielle was next, and Kura nodded at her proposal without missing a beat. A unified education system could only be to the good. Francis was the last of the Council to make a proposal, and she said little of immediate importance, which was fine since a lot of things had already been said.

Then Doran's election was finalized and their new Devout took his seat as new voting slips were passed around. Then several of the citizens, notably Elisabeth and Woe, spoke in favor of Shania's suggestion. Nir'wei, however, had something of an objection to it and Kura nodded at her fellow Wolf-Walker. This was followed up by Darius making his own suggestion for how to manage civilian representation. After he sat down, Kura let the room settle for a moment, then stood up.

"On the subject of the Forged, I would heavily suggest that we not only explore their military applications, but their applications in other fields as well. The Induks are nature spirits, and as a result, our powers as Forged could be used in things like agriculture or medicine as well, not just in matters military." she said, her tone calm. Then she let out a soft sigh and put her hand on the voting sheet she had been given. "In light of the discussion it has caused, and the voices not yet heard on the subject, the voting on Accountant Shania's proposal will be delayed until later in the meeting." she said, before turning to face Shania directly. "Your proposal has significant ramifications for Scalvoris, and there have been some concerns raised. Moreover, we have yet to hear from Almundian Tide, Havardreen Linca, or Proper Birch." she said, gesturing to their three remaining local representatives. "I would hear their opinions and your response to the concerns before we vote on the matter." she said, her voice firm.

"We also have the matter of the recent incident, and accompanying rumors, to address. Tales of Dragons and dead Immortals come in off the docks, and while rumor is hardly concrete fact, it is my experience that people who get involved in one crisis are frequently involved in others." she said, before making a gesture that swept the room. "As such, I don't consider it impossible that if such an incident occurred, there are people who were involved in this room. Trooper Black, miss Angelus, mister Morandi, Baron von Smooglenuff, Devout Thetys, Chief Ranger Mednix, and Councillor Nir'wei all have quite a few heroics to their name, and thus are all people I consider likely to have been involved in any such incident." she said, before looking at them all in turn. "As such, I ask any who do have such information to come forward with it." she said, her voice clear.