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Blessed be Puhilsgar - First Council Meeting
Topic Started: Friday 21-08-2009, 07:13 (915 Views)
cscs
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Novelist Wannabe
[ *  *  *  * ]
The stone interior of the Centre Manor greeted his sight. An attendant approached him, and offered assistance with the storing of his cape. Seeing that the Manor was much warmer than the air outside, Garisa complied. He removed his cape very quickly, so as to prevent the attendant from trying to help remove it. The exercise will be futile, due to his large build, as how many such occurrences in the past led to him removing his cape by himself. He was led by another attendant, this time a she, to the Meeting Room. Had he been twenty years younger, he would've been mesmerized by the lovely attendant. It would seem, though, that marriage had knocked some sense into him, and prevented such thoughts of infidelity from being formed. Instead, she made Garisa remember his late wife.

Before Garisa went into a bout of nostalgia, the Meeting Room was in view. It had not changed since his last visit here, which was when he had to solve a particular trade problem with the representatives of a nearby village. They were a big hassle, he recalled. Only after compromising to send a few carts of ore as compensation did they agree.

Garisa was the first to be in the room, apparently. He sat on a comfortable wooden chair covered with smooth linen, bathed in green dye. The one he supplied last year.

A familiar face appeared from the entrance. Fiona, who sent him the letter, greeted him with her trademark proper etiquette. Garisa stood to welcome her, and she started explaining about the Council Meeting.

"Good morning, Lord Garisa. It is an honour to have you here. You may have been informed of this, but let me repeat the goals of the meeting.

"First, we need every leader to report on the conditions of their own ministries." The term ministry was coined by the predecessor of the late Baroness. It referred to the different aspects of Puhilsgar economy, military, or such. Garisa led the trading ministry, which was more popularly called the Merchant's Guild. There are many more, such as the carpentry ministry, border guard ministry, with their own more popular names.

"From the oral reports, the Center Manor attendants will compile a report which is to be archived. It will also be distributed to each minister." A minister, naturally, is the leader of a ministry, just like Garisa.

"Second, after reporting is done, we will move on to the law-making session. Only one law will be proposed at any one moment, and any minister can propose one, with no regards to his or her discipline. It means, even Lord Darga from the scribe ministry can suggest laws about defense." It was almost too sarcastic. The ministry, although still officially authorized, has been rendered redundant, due to developments in block-copying printing techniques. From what Garisa last heard, there were only five people working in that ministry, with no tasks whatsoever. Sad indeed.

"Once everyone finished in debating over the proposed law, or when suggested, everyone votes for the law. There is no abstaining in giving votes. At least half the present members need to agree so that the law is used.

"This first council prolongs until tomorrow dusk. At the timely end of the session, the last law shall be voted on, even when debate is yet to be finished. We will report the new rulings to the people of Puhilsgar in public avenues within two days."


Finishing, she bowed.

"That is all. Lord Garisa, please wait here until more members are present. Do you need anything?"

"Thank you. Please give me a cup of tea." Garisa nodded.

"Certainly. An attendant will be serving you soon." With that, she left the council room.
How can you love others when you don't love yourself?
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Jeruk
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"Oh, it's you."

Malleus entered the room, frowning. He had yet finished with his inspection with the farms, but they had to force him to sit here, in this place. To this farce. Arguing with irrelevant people on irrelevant matters, while the precious sands of time are flowing away...

No matter, he'd play along. If it's necessary to let these fools see what's in front of them.

The head of the Merchant's Guild inside. With his tea - no doubt, laced with mushroom. Vile. No use commenting.

"So, I'm late," he scowled as he sat down on one of the wooden chair surrounding a large, round table. "But what does that make the others?"

Malleus flashed a nasty grin. "I can already see a change - to one of the Meeting rules."

"OOC"
 
Oops. Guess the time was not properly thought out. Sorry, guys. And Malleus.
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[ *  *  *  * ]
From the entrance emerged Malleus, head of the Farmers' Guild. Garisa had known him for quite some time, especially since the time he became the head of the Guild. From then on, both of them had had many episodes of trading and haggling together. He was a godsend, in Garisa's opinion. Under his rule, the Farmer's Guild produces impossibly fresh stocks of vegetables and fruits. They fetch high prices.

Malleus
 
"Oh, it's you."

Malleus gave his curt greetings.

"Hi Malleus, haven't seen you for quite a while."

Malleus
 
"So, I'm late," he scowled as he sat down on one of the wooden chair surrounding a large, round table. "But what does that make the others?"


Malleus looked rather edgy today. Or has he been like that all the while? In any case, Garisa knew not to offend him.

"Somewhere around Puhilsgar. Not that I know. Should we start the meeting now? Maybe we can end earlier this way."

Malleus
 
Malleus flashed a nasty grin. "I can already see a change - to one of the Meeting rules."


Garisa was rather surprised, but he complied, "Well, let's hear this proposed law of yours. We'll vote on it once a third member comes, though. With the two of us, the law is surely accepted."
How can you love others when you don't love yourself?
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Scorpio
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[ *  *  * ]
"Stay out of the manor, keep your eyes on the manor and stay out of sight. Move." Krohzen ordered the seven Levium who were with him, including Vargas. The seven were there as they could not afford having the Inquisitor assasinated at a time when the nation is barely recovering from the death of its Baroness. Previously in their shiny white armour, Krohzen ordered them to wear their cloaks, the ones without any insignia. He actually did not want to bring them to the meeting, for fear of it becoming an exploitable disadvantage to him during the discussions. The men put their fists on their chests, bowed, then silently moved into the woods. They will be watching him, and they will have a deep compulsion to barge in whenever he is attacked. Krohzen understood that very well, but he also understood that they will not disobey him. Not Vargas, at least.

He turned round the bend and walked to the open gates of the manor. Two guards with the Baroness' crest saluted him, and he nodded curtly while maintaining his stride. The path cracked under his heavy steel boots; looming statues of past monarchs stared at him from the sides. A few people from the Artisan Guild are already working on one for the Baroness. He sighed.

The garden was big; a big field of grass on which citizens would gather during Hearing days, when each and every complaints or support will be voiced out in an orderly manner, and a few big trees here and there, providing comfortable shadow for some children to take a nap. This has been the way that The Manor had maintained the seat of government ever since the Gladstone era, when it was previously called Town Hall. The manor itself was mostly made of dark Sirranean wood, giving it the welcoming air of a home. The artwork of the Carpenter's Guild had been truly evident; every nook and cranny had been decorated intricately with flower patterns.

Krohzen could see Fiona pacing about in the open terrace; she stopped when she noticed him. He smiled and nodded, she did the same.

"Lord Krohzen, glad you can attend the meeting." She ushered Krohzen inside, to the meeting place. Her light blue toga fluttered as she walked. The Baroness' insignia was still on her chest. Both of them walked to the meeting place, the wood creaking slightly under his boots. The other two who were there turned their heads.

"Lord Garissa; Malleus," he nodded to both of them. Both of them nodded in recognition. He noticed the slight, brief frown on Malleus' face. Ordinary men would have missed that. Krohzen could not help but realize that Malleus, and probably the entire Farmers' Guild, would not be very happy noticing the presence of the Royal Treasury anywhere near them, as most of the time they would be collecting taxes. He held back the desire to sigh. Better keep a cool face, he thought.
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gandhistoto
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"Oh my, I'm so sorry", she hurriedly closed the door behind her after bowing deeply to the three of the current most important people in the village.

Beatrice looked around and examine the room closely. She did not really pay any attention to the ostentatious embellishment in the room. She was more concerned about the members of the Council who had made themselves comfortable around the round table at the center of the room. At the left side of the table was Krohzen by himself. At the right side was Malleus and Garissa, separated by one empty seat.

She was not exactly surprised by the dismal attendance of the meeting. After all, the village was still quite in the state of turmoil. Everyoe had his own businesses to be taken care of. Only few people would be able to squeeze their schedule to come to a gathering such as this. Her being late was also due to this reason. Nevertheless, her responsibilities were by her own choice and she would not use it as an excuse.

She sauntered through the carpeted floor and reached a seat right beside Krohzen. It wouldn't feel right if Krohzen was the only one alienated from others.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" She asked while holding the backrest of the wooden chair.

She then sat comfortably and said, "Sorry for the wait. Shall we start the meeting proper then?"
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Scorpio
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[ *  *  * ]
Krohzen did not feel like starting a conversation with either Lord Garissa or Malleus. He still thought that he was there only to watch, and perhaps contribute a little to the selection of the new ruler. Luckily, before the atmosphere turn bad, Beatrice entered the room, again followed by Fiona. She apologised for being late, bowing deeply to the other three who were already in the room. Krohzen noted the other two shifting slightly on their seats, uncomfortable at the humble gesture done by one of the very powerful persons in Puhilsgar. Beatrice judged the room for a moment, then walked to his side.

Beatrice
 
"Do you mind if I sit here?"


"Please, go ahead," Krohzen replied, feeling slightly glad that he had some additional support in the room.

She settled down, looked about the room, and spoke.
Beatrice
 
"Sorry for the wait. Shall we start the meeting proper then?"


Again Krohzen felt glad, this time because someone else started the conversation.
Edited by Scorpio, Friday 28-08-2009, 15:33.
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Jeruk
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[ *  *  * ]
Garisa
 
"Well, let's hear this proposed law of yours. We'll vote on it once a third member comes, though. With the two of us, the law is surely accepted."


"Hmph. And here I thought you're going to wait for everyone," Malleus sneered. "Aren't we going to report the current state of our... ministries... first, though?"

Just then, the Inquisitor entered the room. And then, a few moments later, the Speaker followed.

Once again, Malleus scowled. One collected your money, and the other collected your faith. They might be able to appear harmless, but you can never know what they were capable of, and what it was they truly wanted. Just to start off, they're the ones with the soldiers...

Beatrice
 
"Sorry for the wait. Shall we start the meeting proper then?"


As a reply, Malleus only nodded.

"So, I suppose it's time for reports, then. Should I entertain you with boring tales of wheat and grass, or do anyone else have something more pressing and interesting to mention?"
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As time passed, the room grew fuller. Krohzen, Beatrice, and a few attendants came in just as Garisa wanted to reply Malleus. Seeing the two important figures enter the room, Malleus turned away from Garisa and started an answer to Beatrice's inquiry,

Malleus
 
"So, I suppose it's time for reports, then. Should I entertain you with boring tales of wheat and grass, or do anyone else have something more pressing and interesting to mention?"


Without hesitation, Garisa replied, "Reports can be important, but as long as there is no pressing matters in your ministry, I guess we can skip yours, Malleus,"

Garisa took a sip of the warm tea.

"As well as mine. Money flow to the coffers from trade had been uninterrupted lately. So it's up to both of you, Krohzen, Beatrice. If there is no highly significant event to be reported, I believe Malleus can start with his proposal."
How can you love others when you don't love yourself?
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gandhistoto
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Malleus
 
"So, I suppose it's time for reports, then. Should I entertain you with boring tales of wheat and grass, or do anyone else have something more pressing and interesting to mention?"


Beatrice was actually quite interested in what he had to say. It is possibly because she wanted something to ease her mind from the thoughts of her frantic days. It may also because of how she liked Malleus' sarcastic way of speaking. Nevertheless, Garissa said the following before she could say anything.

Garissa
 
"As well as mine. Money flow to the coffers from trade had been uninterrupted lately. So it's up to both of you, Krohzen, Beatrice. If there is no highly significant event to be reported, I believe Malleus can start with his proposal."


"Other than the incessant protests from the citizens demanding answers and the ubiquitous allegation that the Omniscient might have forsaken us, there is nothing worthy to take up our precious time here," she said with her usual aplomb. She didn't think that the three others know about the details of the Baroness' death themselves. And she never intended to tell them unless they specifically asked her. Or perhaps after she finally made sense of all the minutiae.

"That's all for my report now. Of course if something important happens, I will immediately bring it up at the next meeting."
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Jeruk
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"Fine. If all of you don't need to say anything, I'd like to propose... a change to the rules." Malleus spoke, deliberately ignoring Krohzen. The tax collectors were not exactly the best friends of his, and this might prove to be... quite a fine test to see the quality of their leader.

"I believe that we are extremely busy, with everyone having their own errands to take care of," he said lazily. "Well, I don't know about you people, but at least I am."

"I believed that we need to renew the schedules of our meeting. What do you say about this?"

Proposal
 
New Rules for Council Meeting

1. The duration of the meeting will not be specified.
2. The next meeting will take place exactly one month after the end of the last meeting.
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cscs
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Garisa gave the newly proposed law a deep thought. To think of it, it wasn't exactly his idea to set Council meetings to be held every Friday. It wasn't the whole Council's idea, too. It was set by someone who would not be coming to the Council meetings, the late Baroness Lorelei herself. She might have meant well, but Garisa does have things to be taken care of in the Guild. This new rule will be more flexible for his schedules, and also the others'. While the meetings will inevitably take longer than they are supposed to, he felt it will be acceptable.

So came his decision.

"Fine proposal, Malleus. I duly accept this law."

Garisa stood, smiling widely. This, he thought, would be a great start for this Council.

"Then, since there are only the four of us here, I believe that my vote and Malleus' will make up the majority. As a result, this proposal should be upheld as a law.

"Unless I got my voting rules wrong. Attendants, what did Baroness Lorelei state about this rule? Does two people out of four consist of the majority? Or do we need three people's agreements?"

The question was thrown to the attendants sitting at the far right corner of the Meeting Room. An aura of confusion floated around the attendants, who scrambled for the actual transcript of the rules.

"Err, it wasn't stated, Lord Garisa. It just said, the majority." A female attendant answered Garisa.
How can you love others when you don't love yourself?
For the world is fun because you are the main character in it.


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gandhistoto
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"You do not need to know that to accept this rule, for I am also in for the vote." With this, she would not have to rush for future meetings and hence neglect her daily responsibilities, she thought.

"However, to be fair in determining the upcoming law, I would say we should consider:"

Proposal
 
New Rules for Council Meeting

1. A law can only be accepted when more than 50% of the members present accede the proposal


"In our case right now, that would be three members" Beatrice finished her sentence eloquently.
"I'll do what I want, where I want and when I want"
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cscs
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"Very well, our first decided law." Garisa stated with glee.

Proposal
 
New Rules for Council Meeting

1. A law can only be accepted when more than 50% of the members present accede the proposal


"Regarding this, though, I am forced to agree. While I prefer the contrary, I certainly do not prefer the debate that would be caused by it. Thus, so that we can focus on the more important things, I vote for the law, again." Garisa finished it all under one breath.
How can you love others when you don't love yourself?
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Jeruk
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"I voted for. I guess it's only fair." Malleus nodded.

"So, it's law now, hooray, happiness and celebrations. Time to move on more important things, then." Malleus stopped after that sentence, giving the chance for someone else to say their words. What would they propose, he wondered...
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Scorpio
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Krohzen straightened up; his chair creaking beneath him. He looked at Malleus in the eye; Malleus shifted his gaze. "Well, that's at least democratic." Krohzen smiled and looked at the other two, "But do remember that minority voices should be taken carefully, and argued, for the satisfaction of us all. None of us here, I believe, wanted an armed conflict; we need to listen to each other now, even more than before. I agree."

He finally spoke, after noticing that the other three had looked at him now and then for a response. It seems that they do still fear me to a large extent.... He had been listening to every word said, every gesture done by the other three, judging, calculating as he had always done. Waiting for the right moment. For what, he was not sure. But patience had earned him a great deal, pushing his rank high without creating much dispute among the Levium. Patience had worked for him before; it should work now.

He had noticed that Malleus and Garisa had been dominating the table, ever since they started talking. Beatrice had not shown any disagreement. Perhaps because she did not need to. Malleus, he noticed, was sarcastic today. Perhaps he would point that out later. Krohzen realised that he had started to make assumptions. He truly hoped he would still be able to take the right decisions. He truly hoped this council would last.

"I have heard that crop yield in Sukamiskin had not been well recently, Malleus," Krohzen decided to test out Malleus' reaction, for he seemed to have used a hostile tone, directed towards him, in his speech before. Krohzen knew he needed more data before jumping into a conflict. "I have read the reports made by my men, but I wish to hear it from your point of view. What do you think about it? Is there anything we can do to improve the situation?"

He did not forget to use the word we.
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"Sukamiskin?" Malleus raised an eyebrow. He racked his brain for recent informations gathered by the guild's messengers. That name must be...

"Ah, one of the counties in the north. Yes, yes, I have heard about it," he nodded. "Crop failure. It's their own fault in the first place, actually. With such crude and uncalculated practices, they're practically asking for it."

The northeastern region of the Empire was actually very fertile, and used to be the main producers of crops. Still, those idiots there never let the land fallow, and the soil gradually grew less and less fertile - it was unnoticeable at first, but now the land is pretty much worthless.

"Hmm. It's their own problem, and I say we should leave them to their own devices," Malleus shrugged. "Still, we can always sell them our last harvest's surplus... at a decent price, of course. We can't have them drain our emergency supplies that easily."

The harvests in Puhilsgar had been quite well lately, there had been more than enough to go around, even after they have sold some to the Empire. It's a good thing that some of the inhabitants in the Empire know how to farm, he thought.

"Leave them alone, or sell our extra crops. Your call." He said to the other members of the Council.
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While it was somehow evident to Garisa that tension was brewing in the meeting, he decided to ignore it. After all, they were leaders, and their fields of power are now overlapping each other's. It is only natural for some discomfort to occur.

The topic of Sukamiskin now brought up in the meeting had clearly been under Garisa's ministry. As such, he would have the pick. The other members are not supposed to even interfere with it. After all, the Council was supposed to take over the Baroness' job, and not the individual ministries'. However, he preferred peace than conflict. There would be no harm in letting them shape the decision, although he needed to exert his influence in order to not be forgotten,

"Sukamiskin had actually been placing crop orders on us. It was not marked 'very urgent', but somehow they did not set a price cap on the crops. The crop supplies are quite abundant, as Malleus stated, and there are free carts available this week. I say we use this opportunity to gain some profit. It's quite rare for villages such as Sukamiskin to not haggle the prices, really."

Garisa hoped for the best.
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Scorpio
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Krohzen frowned. "This is very,very interesting. I've heard that the farmers in Sukamiskin had been complaining to the Empire for the past two months, that they could not pay taxes, but they do not even haggle the prices of commodities from us?"
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"Yes, it is as you heard. This would mean that they are very desperate with their crop production. I say we send them the crops immediately and charge a rather high price, for the sake of our coffers.

"And now, let's get back to law-making, rather than discussing something which can easily be solved under my ministry alone. After all, it's their problem, not ours. I say we talk about what we should explain to the people of Puhilsgar. I have heard of several uprisings, and I believe it is in our job scope to inform the public about the shift in power. As for the ones who should be the one speaking in public regarding this, I recommend you, Krohzen." Garisa explained.

Garisa didn't want to actually push Krohzen in the conversation, though.
How can you love others when you don't love yourself?
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Scorpio
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Krohzen nodded. "Indeed. The uprisings were small, isolated cases, but we all understand that it can get worse anytime. I had personally went to the contact zones, and mostly the people were questioning their future. The people, as you said, Lord Garisa, are confused about the shift in power."

Krohzen took another deep breath, this time he frowned. "But there is another concern. They are losing faith; rumours had it that the Baroness was killed by a supernatural, evil force. They think it is a bad omen for Puhilsgar. I did manage to calm them, but even I am not very clear regarding this issue, of the death of our Baroness."

He thought for a while, trying hard to recall. "Beatrice, I believe you were there before the Baroness' body was cleaned? Are the rumours true?"
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