RP: Shameless Self-Promotion

Under the incessant pounding of  Kimika's Ring of the Ram, the stone slab standing between the Guild's trapped tomb and the fresh, clean air crumbles away. As you emerge from the catacombs and looks around, you see looks of dismay and agitation on all of your friends' faces, but none so intense as that of  Germain. He sputters and stammers, clearly wanting to speak, but in place of his usual incessant and tiresome dialog, there is little more than red-faced silence. He turns to face the group, closes his eyes, and takes a few deep breaths, and finally manages a sentence:

 Germain : It's not that we were lied to. It's not that we walked into a trap. I expected both. It's that we are little more than lap dogs, begging for tasks and treats to win favor in the eyes of a bunch of incompetents. The guild and the wraiths have forced our hand time and time again, and once more we have accepted it without complaint, unwilling to set our own path!

Don't you see that these people will never win this war? This whole damn issue was caused by the Wraith's politicking. They have tied themselves up with the Odessans with the hopes of currying some sort of political capital for themselves, and were caught with their dicks in their hands. And all they can do is turtle in their little castle, hoping for someone to save them. The Guild, on the other hand, has stepped from the shadows, and despite the fact that their behavior has weakened the city considerably, they have managed to twist our arms to help them build smuggling routes and deal with their own internal strife without risking their own necks. And I'm sure they have been rewarded by our goddamn compliance!

We are nothing more than a bunch of fucking lackeys! What are we trying to save? Bricks and stones? The people of Wydmoor are dying alone, while we scramble to help a bunch of cowering nobles, politicking mercenaries, and opportunistic thieves! We are the only people that seem to be willing to stick our necks out to save this city, and yet we can't seem to pull our heads out of our asses and do what needs to be done! All we can manage to do is run errands for the bastards that put the city in this position in the first place! What the hell are we doing?!?

 Germain glowers and fumes.

 Al finds himself in the odd position of completely agreeing with  Germain on matters of politics.

 Al : Yeah, dude! I still don't really get why everyone's so worried about who gets to sit at what table in what room, but I'm all for dumping the lot of them and just helping the people who need help! Stick it to the man! Let's go take all the food, medicine, etc from the rich folks and give it to the people who need it. But that's just a stopgap. What we really need to do is help these people learn to survive on their own! Teach them how to grow their own food and live off the land, outside these horrible walls.

 Kimika looks up thoughtfully. "I agree with you both and I desperately want to help the people of Wydmoor; the ones who are suffering. What do you suggest we do, Germain?"

 Quinalin snorts then replies in a dispirited tone, "I recall, though it seems like years ago, we got started in this city by trying to distribute wealth to the citizens so they could buy the right to vote for someone who would stand up for them. All that got them was burned out of their homes. We tried to take down one corrupt and evil official, and now it feels like there is nothing but corruption or at least pure self-interest. We can't just take over the city for ourselves. The Odessans don't seem to be interested in helping anyone. I don't see many good choices here although I would be happy to have my eyes opened.

  Egg : I don't think you're wrong, either of you, not exactly, but I think you're all "missing the Owlbear." Err, that doesn't translate so cleanly, but you get the idea, maybe? Everyone we worth with... for? They all have *agendas*. Plans and goals. What do we have? What do we want?

If we want to help the refugees, why are we sitting with sacks overflowing with desperately needed healing gear settling personal vendettas in town? If we want to see the Odessans crushed, why do we refusing to leave sight of the city for more than a week at a time to strike against them? The Odessans, for all their advantages and strengths here, are spread across the mainland to the point that attacking them anywhere is attacking them everywhere. If we want is to see the Odessans gone, why are we not negotiating with them, especially now that their claims and demands are laid bare? We grab for everything and so take hold of nothing, and then direct our anger at those who employ us to their ends. Imagining, perhaps, that just because we all share the desire to lift the siege that all of our other desires are harmonious.

It's appropriate we all meet in the "War Room." Because, while the war rages outside, another one is fought within. The war to save Wydmoor, and the war to rule it afterwards. Which war are we fighting?

My partner talks easily of "doing what needs to be done," but what does that even mean? Might as well say we want to "make the world a better place" or "oppose evil." It's nice talk for a sermon, but not much of a plan of action. An easy, comfortable thought, and a good line to rouse the masses, but something the Silverwalkers seem to have struggled to nail down for as long as I've worked with you. Without any personal goals it is certainly convenient and profitable to work for those who do, but don't expect their agendas to make room for our pet issues.

 Germain : Exactly. Each of those acts you mention, Quinn, were another's plans... we were only the executors. Perhaps these plans were really mistakes, but they might also be plans within plans. These plans certainly benefited someone, perhaps even the person who brought them to us. How can you say they didn't match our agenda? We don't have an agenda! It's time we did.

Don't kid yourselves--we'll make plenty of mistakes, but that is no reason to refuse to make decisions. We have many irons in the fire right now, and while we have been negligent in working all of them, we are left with many options. Do we find a way to save the refugees? Do we deepen the schism within the guild? Do we throw the Wraiths to the wolves as punishment for their political machinations that brought us here? Do we expedite the foundation of the Traveller's Temple in Wydmoor? Do we weigh in against Odessa in their other conflicts with the Wraiths in Alexia? Do we open up a new conflict for them in Celestia? It's time to pick the projects we feel are most decisive, and use our time to drive them. The power brokers that rule this city have failed to protect it--it's time to become power brokers ourselves to set things right.

Now, what do we do first?

 Mose: By Alexandria, Germain-- did an air elemental drop you on your head or something? We are on a mission of our own already. I feel like we've been driving our quest for Good all along. Sure, we've been used and abused, but (waving his sword over his head) we've also done our share of abusing, too! I'm convinced at this stage that we've already been smacked around and abused too much by these vampires and this Thieves Guild. We need to put an end to that and I'm even more convinced now that they fooled us into this trap. I don't want to do *anything* but continue to attack them. Sure, perhaps it's important to jump in and (with condescension) diplomaticize with various groups, but there's one thing I have learned is that you never turn your back on a thief, let alone an entire guild of them. That goes doubly for vampires, wererats, and (trying to catch up with his mouth) undead vampire wizarding assassins. They will thwart us behind the scenes at every turn, as they have so many times, if we back away. Let's hit them as hard as possible while there's a chance they think we're dead in their trap. We'll have time enough to do (trying to use proper grammar) powerbroking once we've shown the rest of the city that we won't tolerate evil in this town, and that there's finally someone in town that can stand up to it.

 Germain : No doubt we've been fighting the good fight, but we've been doing little more than reacting and we have not been working towards a larger plan. Routing the Guild, even if they are weakened by an internal schism, is not a matter of hours or even days. It's weeks or months of our undivided attention, plus the attention of most of the Geese. In that time, what will happen? It's unlikely that anything will change with the refugees, and the rest of them will probably die. No one will launch an assault on the Odessans and they will have more time to recuperate and regroup for another attack of their own. Are we ok with that?

The point is, even though we've been doing good deeds, we've been all over the place and it shows in the sustainability of our work. The time we spent helping the refugees only prolonged their suffering, because when we left them behind and ignored them, half of them died just the same. If the Theives Guild, the Wraiths, the Odessans, or someone in Sherdam pisses off the lizard folk--probably far too likely--they may unleash those guardians on the swamp just the same as our blackguard friend did. And if we only manage to get half-way into routing the guild before we wander off on another project, they'll regroup and slide into the shadows, and we'll be back where we started.

I think the Guild is a time sink--lots of work with a low chance of success. We know little to nothing about the vampire, but I suspect that it has been active in Wydmoor for over 700 years in near-complete secrecy despite some high-profile accomplishments. It is going to take a lot of time and manpower to make an impact on its organization. Frankly, it would probably be quicker and easier to win a personal war on the entire Odessan army than it would be to take the Guild. Regarding the refugees, however, I think we possess the political capital and lack the opposition to solve their problem more permanently, and perhaps even bring them back into the city, in less than a week.

So... are you sure a war against the guild is really the right course now?

 Al : Solve the refugee problem how? If we bring them into the city, won't they just starve and die of disease here instead of where they are now? I'd love to help the refugees, but just saying "solve their problem permanently" isn't a plan, and if we just move them around from place to place, what good does it do them? I'm no expert on the politics of refugees and war, so maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me that the best way to help the refugees would be to end the war and get them back into their regular lives. Ideally, we could teach them the survival skills necessary to live off the land, but that's a longer term project.

 LE likes to follow Germain's lead in matters like this. She listens, but only barely. Discussions like this are not her cup of tea.

 Germain : The city keeps a significant grain reserve to protect against seiges like this one. It's a function of their history--since Wydmoor gained its independence after a long seige, their founders provisioned to be able to sustain another. Given this year's long growing season, the decimation of the population through disease and fire, and the fact that the Mayor only released a pittiance of the grain to the refugees, these reserves should be abundant. It's not lack of grain that has caused the refugees to starve--its the fact that the mayor refused to release it and the wraiths can't move it through occupied territory. Inside the city, there should be enough to weather a long seige.