It's Lord of the Flies in my mind tonight
Wessex might be one of the few who doesn’t know what the last meeting here had been like; she has nothing to go off of except what she doesn’t want it to become. Watching the familiar faces enter, the Wraith finds herself smiling a little, first at Clemente, ‘Yes,’ she responds mentally. ‘Ascended stay together,’ and when Samuel and Nate enter, she is a bit surprised, but refrains from anything length at this point. ‘Welcome to the family,’ she offers to the newest member (and Sam) in a bit of a Godfather-ish way, but there is something vaguely… mob boss about her now and then, so hopefully the minor intrusion can be forgiven.
There’s Hotaru, whom, yes, she spends a moment looking, andAmun, whom she mentally laughs with, unsure if it will the last time she’s up there or not. Loren and his boring eyes (Weapons? Why? Does he think her so insane that she would attack someone here?) receive the same in turn, until the sides crinkle at the sight of a still-blind Rexanna. ‘Hi, Rex,’ she sends, letting the woman know she’s been seen.
Amalia makes her way up front, and though they are adversaries, it makes Wessex smile on the inside to see her hard eyes. To see her standing up for herself and what she believes in, even it’s racist to the core, even if it’s lead by a victor’s version of history, even if it sets them at odds for all of eternity. That fierce kind of pride can’t be manufactured. It’s something of a mother’s pride; a mother’s bittersweet, agonizing pride. There’s her girl. Jigano stays at the door, but he has a glance for him, too.
Finally, there are no more stragglers and though Wessex finds Remi and Ronin curiously absent, she can imagine why they might stay away. She can’t wait any longer. She won’t wait. Rising from the chair, Wessex stands at the dais and raises her hand, asking for their attention. When the room quiets, the Queen begins in a strong, confident voice.
”Thank you for coming.
I don’t usually make speeches, and those of you who know me well know that I don’t often offer long explanations - but there’s a lot to address.” There’s no podium, nothing to hide her from their eyes. She picks a spot somewhere in the center and plants herself, settling in for what might be the most she’s ever said - or will ever say - at a single time.
“You already know that just before LongNight a portal in the Mathair was opened by a group of Ascended. It was a mistake to start there. We should’ve tried to open the one in the Spire first. And despite our best efforts to avoid death, five Fae died.” She doesn’t elaborate on the cause of death, knowing that no one will care about whether or not it was The Voice who did it or the Ascended. “I tried to pause everything to talk, but it didn’t work. What happened at the Mathair is my responsibility, my fault, as is what happened afterwards.” Not LongNight, of course - no, she’d managed to do well during that week, even if no one would remember.
”After LongNight, War Chief Delah issued an ultimatum: I could step down as Queen and she’d allow the Grounders, barring Ascended, access to the Greatwood. Or I could keep my position and you’d all be confined to the Hollowed Ground. I would have stepped down then and there if it weren’t for two things: One, there was another portal option, and two, I didn’t want to set the precedent of allowing the Fae, or any other non-Grounder, to dictate what happens here.” And if they can’t see the importance of that, they’re all idiots, in her humble opinion.
“So in an attempt to use the Spire portal, a small group of volunteers went to the basement of the Spire and cleared enough rubble to open the door again. There was a giant snake guarding that portal, and it refused to allow Ascended to use it. It was placed there by the Old Gods, and because I’ve never known anything of the Old Gods to be friendly toward Ascended or be convinced to change its mind,” Hell, the Old Gods once tried to kill her at a shrine, but you don’t see her out there whining about it. “there was a fight there, too. During that fight I summoned a Frost Giant from Halo and it killed the snake.” Her reasons for choosing a Giant go unmentioned, that the snake was the first to strike at her, that its venom hissed and sizzled on the ground.
“I’m sure some of you have heard that I attacked Jigano. I did. I tried to knock him unconscious and get him out of that room, and when that failed, yes, he was still there when the Giant came. And then he tried to bite me in half, right in front of the Voice. The Voice spared him, even though he attacked her chosen child, in front of her. Let him off with a warning - not to try and restrict access to the portals again.” Her eyes fly the bard, daring him to continue to omit the whole truth of the matter. There’s no space to interject, though, as she continues without pause.
“The portal to Halo is now open. I spent a couple of days there carving a safe path for all to use and negotiating a friendly agreement with its Warden, Neron Launceleyn. Yes, the Launceleyns have control of yet another place, but you have free passage within Halo, so long as you bring a gift for his people. Food, primarily. Or fuel and supplies. They have a lot of meat and furs, feathers, or minerals from the mines. Halo citizens are also expected to bring something here. If you’d like to explore, and I encourage you all to do so, dress warmly. Whatever you need for Deepfrost, put on an extra two layers and bring yet another one. Stay on the path from the Fangs to the Citadel and be careful in the Tundra. It’s a cold and dangerous place, and with Zariah in charge of a magic school there, I would seriously urge you to be on guard if you meet her. Aggression from her will not be tolerated here.
It’s not an ideal place, but I think it’s just the first step in exploring Caido. There will be better places out there, we just have to find them.” Like Torchline. Someplace warm. A beach, maybe.
“You might be wondering what’s caused me to do all these things.” It’s really quite simple, and she can imagine the majority of the crowd can understand. “I’ve lived my entire life in this cage. Watched my people die from disease, landsharks, and starvation. I’ve watched our strongest throw themselves against a barrier and die against its magic. I am the last of my family; everyone else succumbed to an illness without a cure. We’ve been held captive and whether or not you agree on the reason why, there is an overwhelming desire to see more of our world. Live. Everything I’ve done is so I can give our people - everyone - the chance to choose how they want to live their lives. Whether it’s here, or elsewhere.” A single-minded task, but a monumental task nonetheless. And it’s an easy one, because it coincides so well with the Voice’s goals.
“There are still many portals left to be opened, and I’m dedicated to finding a way to do that - peacefully from now on, if at all possible. When The Voice created the portals, She meant for them to be open to everyone: Accepted, Attuned, Abandoned, Ascended, Fae, Demi-Gods… any and all. To travel Caido as they please, as quickly as they please.”
She tries to find individuals in the crows, making eye contact with an open expression. “I also wanted to give you the chance to have your voices heard because it hasn’t been lately. Leadership decisions were made without everyone’s input. And as the schisms in the Grounds grow wider, I think it’s important to move forward the way you want to. This is your chance to choose. You’ve heard my faults and you know what I’ve done around the Grounds to hopefully help you.” She’s done more than Edy and Ronin, restored their freedoms, trained some in self-defense, helped open businesses and yes, even planted Vi’s roses to help fight the Blight. It may not be enough for some - it may be for others; it’s impossible to know who values what.
“Keep me in my position and I’ll create a council to help me run the Grounds - combine Outlander knowledge with Natural knowledge to make this home a better place. Or you can choose someone else.” Stump speech done, Wessex moves to the tables and boxes to her right, opening them and holding something up so hopefully most everyone can see.
“Here are pieces of paper and pencils. If you vote for me to step down - thereby regaining access to the Greatwood - write in a replacement. The person with the most votes will assume leadership tomorrow, if they want to accept the position.” Bending down to write something on the paper, she slips it into a hole in the box and steps back up to the dais.
“I won’t be taking questions now - I don’t want this to turn into a shouting match. You can demand answers about any and all things in the coming days if I end up staying. If you don’t want me to stay, there’s no point in answering, as I imagine you’ve already made up your minds. Talk amongst yourselves, if you wish. I’ll be back in an hour to count the votes along with, ahhh… you, if you please.” She gestures to a random NPC in the front row - to make sure everyone’s satisfied that count remains impartial and untampered with.
‘I’ll be nearby if anything goes seriously wrong,' she sends to the Ascended, and then disappears from the dais. If anything turns this meeting upside down, it won’t be because of Wessex. This is in the hands of supposed more responsible, ‘good’ adults now.
---------------------------
Ok! You have one IC hour or 36 RL hours to vote via this link: https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/fpDTxWHV
Chat all you want, Wessex will be back at 10:30 pm EST, Nov 26 to tally (aka screenshot) the results.
Please, please, please keep all things IC, as all leadership decisions prior to this have been done without OOC discussion.
And as usual, feel free to DM Astor with any questions!
There’s Hotaru, whom, yes, she spends a moment looking, and
Finally, there are no more stragglers and though Wessex finds Remi and Ronin curiously absent, she can imagine why they might stay away. She can’t wait any longer. She won’t wait. Rising from the chair, Wessex stands at the dais and raises her hand, asking for their attention. When the room quiets, the Queen begins in a strong, confident voice.
”Thank you for coming.
I don’t usually make speeches, and those of you who know me well know that I don’t often offer long explanations - but there’s a lot to address.” There’s no podium, nothing to hide her from their eyes. She picks a spot somewhere in the center and plants herself, settling in for what might be the most she’s ever said - or will ever say - at a single time.
“You already know that just before LongNight a portal in the Mathair was opened by a group of Ascended. It was a mistake to start there. We should’ve tried to open the one in the Spire first. And despite our best efforts to avoid death, five Fae died.” She doesn’t elaborate on the cause of death, knowing that no one will care about whether or not it was The Voice who did it or the Ascended. “I tried to pause everything to talk, but it didn’t work. What happened at the Mathair is my responsibility, my fault, as is what happened afterwards.” Not LongNight, of course - no, she’d managed to do well during that week, even if no one would remember.
”After LongNight, War Chief Delah issued an ultimatum: I could step down as Queen and she’d allow the Grounders, barring Ascended, access to the Greatwood. Or I could keep my position and you’d all be confined to the Hollowed Ground. I would have stepped down then and there if it weren’t for two things: One, there was another portal option, and two, I didn’t want to set the precedent of allowing the Fae, or any other non-Grounder, to dictate what happens here.” And if they can’t see the importance of that, they’re all idiots, in her humble opinion.
“So in an attempt to use the Spire portal, a small group of volunteers went to the basement of the Spire and cleared enough rubble to open the door again. There was a giant snake guarding that portal, and it refused to allow Ascended to use it. It was placed there by the Old Gods, and because I’ve never known anything of the Old Gods to be friendly toward Ascended or be convinced to change its mind,” Hell, the Old Gods once tried to kill her at a shrine, but you don’t see her out there whining about it. “there was a fight there, too. During that fight I summoned a Frost Giant from Halo and it killed the snake.” Her reasons for choosing a Giant go unmentioned, that the snake was the first to strike at her, that its venom hissed and sizzled on the ground.
“I’m sure some of you have heard that I attacked Jigano. I did. I tried to knock him unconscious and get him out of that room, and when that failed, yes, he was still there when the Giant came. And then he tried to bite me in half, right in front of the Voice. The Voice spared him, even though he attacked her chosen child, in front of her. Let him off with a warning - not to try and restrict access to the portals again.” Her eyes fly the bard, daring him to continue to omit the whole truth of the matter. There’s no space to interject, though, as she continues without pause.
“The portal to Halo is now open. I spent a couple of days there carving a safe path for all to use and negotiating a friendly agreement with its Warden, Neron Launceleyn. Yes, the Launceleyns have control of yet another place, but you have free passage within Halo, so long as you bring a gift for his people. Food, primarily. Or fuel and supplies. They have a lot of meat and furs, feathers, or minerals from the mines. Halo citizens are also expected to bring something here. If you’d like to explore, and I encourage you all to do so, dress warmly. Whatever you need for Deepfrost, put on an extra two layers and bring yet another one. Stay on the path from the Fangs to the Citadel and be careful in the Tundra. It’s a cold and dangerous place, and with Zariah in charge of a magic school there, I would seriously urge you to be on guard if you meet her. Aggression from her will not be tolerated here.
It’s not an ideal place, but I think it’s just the first step in exploring Caido. There will be better places out there, we just have to find them.” Like Torchline. Someplace warm. A beach, maybe.
“You might be wondering what’s caused me to do all these things.” It’s really quite simple, and she can imagine the majority of the crowd can understand. “I’ve lived my entire life in this cage. Watched my people die from disease, landsharks, and starvation. I’ve watched our strongest throw themselves against a barrier and die against its magic. I am the last of my family; everyone else succumbed to an illness without a cure. We’ve been held captive and whether or not you agree on the reason why, there is an overwhelming desire to see more of our world. Live. Everything I’ve done is so I can give our people - everyone - the chance to choose how they want to live their lives. Whether it’s here, or elsewhere.” A single-minded task, but a monumental task nonetheless. And it’s an easy one, because it coincides so well with the Voice’s goals.
“There are still many portals left to be opened, and I’m dedicated to finding a way to do that - peacefully from now on, if at all possible. When The Voice created the portals, She meant for them to be open to everyone: Accepted, Attuned, Abandoned, Ascended, Fae, Demi-Gods… any and all. To travel Caido as they please, as quickly as they please.”
She tries to find individuals in the crows, making eye contact with an open expression. “I also wanted to give you the chance to have your voices heard because it hasn’t been lately. Leadership decisions were made without everyone’s input. And as the schisms in the Grounds grow wider, I think it’s important to move forward the way you want to. This is your chance to choose. You’ve heard my faults and you know what I’ve done around the Grounds to hopefully help you.” She’s done more than Edy and Ronin, restored their freedoms, trained some in self-defense, helped open businesses and yes, even planted Vi’s roses to help fight the Blight. It may not be enough for some - it may be for others; it’s impossible to know who values what.
“Keep me in my position and I’ll create a council to help me run the Grounds - combine Outlander knowledge with Natural knowledge to make this home a better place. Or you can choose someone else.” Stump speech done, Wessex moves to the tables and boxes to her right, opening them and holding something up so hopefully most everyone can see.
“Here are pieces of paper and pencils. If you vote for me to step down - thereby regaining access to the Greatwood - write in a replacement. The person with the most votes will assume leadership tomorrow, if they want to accept the position.” Bending down to write something on the paper, she slips it into a hole in the box and steps back up to the dais.
“I won’t be taking questions now - I don’t want this to turn into a shouting match. You can demand answers about any and all things in the coming days if I end up staying. If you don’t want me to stay, there’s no point in answering, as I imagine you’ve already made up your minds. Talk amongst yourselves, if you wish. I’ll be back in an hour to count the votes along with, ahhh… you, if you please.” She gestures to a random NPC in the front row - to make sure everyone’s satisfied that count remains impartial and untampered with.
‘I’ll be nearby if anything goes seriously wrong,' she sends to the Ascended, and then disappears from the dais. If anything turns this meeting upside down, it won’t be because of Wessex. This is in the hands of supposed more responsible, ‘good’ adults now.
---------------------------
Ok! You have one IC hour or 36 RL hours to vote via this link: https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/fpDTxWHV
Chat all you want, Wessex will be back at 10:30 pm EST, Nov 26 to tally (aka screenshot) the results.
Please, please, please keep all things IC, as all leadership decisions prior to this have been done without OOC discussion.
And as usual, feel free to DM Astor with any questions!
