(mini-event) THE COALITION OF REFUGEES

[natha]

THE COALITION     On the day of the council, there are markers tied with ribbons in the colors of both Olympia and Wyver that line the paths from the cities to the South Outpost, meant to guide anyone with an invitation to the first meeting of the Coalition of Refugees. While during the previous festivities of the gala the Great Hall was sharply divided between Olympians and Wyverns, the differences between the factions are not so apparent now. Inside, the hall is decorated with a more subdued mix of the white and gold of Olympia and the red and black of Wyver. Banners, pennants, and bunting drape from the ceiling and wind around wooden pillars. To one side of the hall, there are tables set up with drinks and finger foods — refreshments for the guests, for after the opening speech. A raised platform has been set up at one end of the room, flanked by contingents of both the Royal Guards and the Knightryders standing at attention side by side, differentiated only by the make of their armor and the colors they wear. Ashti, Shenya, and Heryn stand waiting for the arrival of their monarchs, pointedly ignoring each other; notably, Raysc, Shanrian's son and the leader of Mythi's Fangs, is conspicuously absent. Staff members cluster to the side of the stage, waiting for the speech to begin. A whisper drifts over from a woman in one of the Olympian groups: Do you really think the Empress will try to negotiate for Nithor's skull? The man she's speaking to shakes his head and scoffs, answering: Ha! Not a chance. She thinks it's too soon, who knows if this peace will last. Besides, there's no way she's willing to give up Ysevrai's heart. A horn sounds, and the staff members subside, glancing around to see if anyone's overheard. A moment later, and Simwe and Shanrian make their appearance, walking together to the stage for their speech. Aha… we have quite the gathering here, do we not? All of our heroes in one place… This may be an unprecedented meeting, but it seems as though it will be a productive one. Let us begin by thanking all of you for your contributions to our cities in recent times. Since your arrival, you have weathered the plague that swept through our cities and aided us in finding its cure; you have withstood the scorn of those who were meant to shelter you turning against you, and helped us quell riots in the very hearts of our homes; you have been taken right off the streets and endured hardships too terrible to tell, and have proven heroes in bringing our people safely home. You have done much for us, and shown yourselves loyal beyond many who were born within our walls. We will allow your voices to go unheard no longer! Today— Today, we will hear you. You have demonstrated both strength and valor in equal measures — it follows that you will be wise as well, and it is that wisdom that we wish to hear brought in council to our cities. You are gathered here to look beyond our history of violence and hostility, to see beyond the prejudices we hold. We hope that with your clearer sight, you'll keep in your hearts the betterment of both of our fair cities, rather than allow pettiness to hold sway and lift one over the other. Those gathered here are deemed worthy by action and by the trust of your brethren: a council. Amongst yourselves, decide what matters most to you about your lives within the cities. Discuss what changes you wish to see, and how those changes should come about. Reach an agreement, put your motions to us, and should they be feasible, we will see what sort of effect your ideas will have. The two proposals with the most support among your fellows will be those we implement, so argue your reasoning most convincingly! And remember, this is your chance to impress us. If your advice is sound, we will look to you again. At this, both rulers fall silent, and withdraw to a balcony to oversee the proceedings. This is not their meeting, after all — this is something that only the refugees can determine the outcome of. FINAL OOC NOTES     Welcome to your first chance to have a voice in the NPC governments, Players! Your task is, as a group, to decide the two most important IC issues you would like to see Olympia and Wyver address, and then put forward a plan of action for how to improve whatever those problems are, which will then be implemented in May. Since these are strictly Olympian and Wyvern issues, topics should still adhere to the Natha's policies of not revealing anything about the Storm or the Natha's existence, but beyond that, you're free to propose any topics you think should be addressed about your characters' way of life in the cities — after all, haven't the Orbiters sent you here to make a difference and improve life on El Nysa in their stead?

Comments

[notsolomon]

The first step to peace is to have them be friendly with each other and that can only happen if they are meeting one other freely. Or somewhat freely...

[Otherwise, at best, they would continue to see one another as foreigners.]

It would just be a matter of keeping the rowdier elements from taking advantage of that.

[dawnblushed]

Even leaving aside the members of the Guard and the Knightryders, there are a lot of us refugees who are strong enough to keep an eye on things...

[Yona pauses to consider it.]

The people who have lived here all their lives might feel better with protectors from their own faction guarding the roads, but there may be some who would feel more secure if there was some kind of a third party at work too. We refugees could fill those gaps.

And I'd venture to say that after what happened recently, we all have a vested interest in keeping the rowdier people from taking advantage here.

[notsolomon]

That's true and I do think we should take responsibility. I just worry that putting us in such positions might send the long message in the wrong term, by giving us more control than they want us to have.

[He frowns a moment, because how can one estimate all the factors here? There's never been any situation quite like this back home.]

But like you said, I imagine if we treat it as collaborative, there should be no problems. Though I definitely don't disagree that something needs to be done about those violent sorts.

[dawnblushed]

Actually...

[Speaking of doing something about the rowdier sorts...]

I imagine some of them are probably using the fact that people don't travel much between the cities to their advantage. If they know how to rough it, they can hide out where people aren't patrolling.

Establishing travel routes and setting up patrols might help solve that problem, too.

[notsolomon]

So killing two birds with one stone then...

[He liked this idea actually.]

News would also travel more quickly, so we could find out about problems faster. And false perceptions could be more easily dispelled.

[Granted, rumors could also more easily spread, but that wasn't something one could easily control.]

Do you think travel should be completely free, or that some identification should be required? I only ask, because I am not sure how quickly Olympia and Wyver will allow their barriers to drop.