FROM
The Illustrated Man of the Inner Circle
Greetings
Not long ago, a man, or more properly the Ghost of a man, came to you as
you sat in council. He told you of the great injustice that had been done
to him when his castle had been taken from him. He spoke of desire for
revenge, for a retaking of what was rightfully his. Unless I miss my
guess, one of your number, Sir Codric, spoke of his friendship for this
man. And so the Lords voted to aid him in his plans, wherever those plans
might lead.
There is one thing he did not tell you. That is that great Empires rise
and fall, not because of swords and pikes, but because of Words. Words are
the mightiest weapons that exist in Olympia, or anywhere else for that
matter. Perhaps the nobles of PLATO were warlike and aggressive, as has
been accused. But had Fox Blaser, the first ruler of the Empire, used
Words of politeness, instead of rudeness and bullying, then there is no
doubt in my mind that PLATO would have gone somewhere else for a taste of
combat, just as we would not have aided them after their assault. Had a
skilled diplomat like Jheremai the Scarlet or Eric Seeforth of TIBs sat in
the Crimson Citadel, both of whom know how to avoid creating enemies unless
enemies are what they desire, then there is not the slightest doubt in my
mind that that edifice would still be standing today. This is not an
attempt to reopen the argument over whether or not the first attack was
"justified"; it is merely to say that, had the diplomacy been more adroit,
then justified or not the attack would never have happened at all. Words
matter, people.
When their castle fell to their enemy, the nobles of the Empire began
wailing -- "We did nothing to deserve this! How were we to know of our
leader's bad graces? What have we done to deserve this destruction?" What
they had done was to give their greatest power in the world, the power of
their voices, their diplomacy, to a man who was unfit to wield it. If you
are unaware or uncaring of the diplomacy that is done in your name, then
you fully deserve all the consequences that come against you.
You are now in the same position that the nobles of the Empire were in
before they were destroyed. Will you learn from their mistakes? That
remains to be seen.
From turn 36 when we first began hearing about you, you were surrounded by
four large and powerful alliances: PLATO to the south, the Harn Alliance to
the west, the Rimmon Musketeers to the north, and us to the east. Your
spokespersons Eowyn and Codric have now managed to seriously offend or
insult three of us. While we do not wish to speak for what our neighbors
may or may not do, surely you must be aware of the danger should you find
yourself attacked by two or three of us at once. We ask you, is this the
path of wisdom?
Is it wisdom for Lady Eowyn to listen to diplomatic advice from Sir
Codric, who whatever his other virtues may be, even she has admitted is
hotheaded and not well liked by his neighbors?
Is it wisdom to entrust your military strategy to someone who has the
distinction of being the only man in Olympian history to have lost the same
castle twice?
Is it wisdom to entrust your defenses to a man whose castle is now a
rubble-strewn plain, where not one block rests upon another?
With Harn already unhappy with you over Codric's past insults in the West,
and the mighty PLATO still hungry for Banquo's ectoplasm in the south, is
it wisdom to go and enlist the Inner Circle as enemies as well, all over a
mere paltry stretch of land?
We respectfully recommend that the Lords meet once again in Council and
reconsider the dangerous policies that your spokespersons have put forward.
We have given you until February 1st to do so, and we sincerely hope, for
your own sakes, that you choose wisely. We bear you no ill will, but if
the deadline passes with no retraction, we will sorrowfully conclude that
you have embraced your doom with your eyes wide open.
Not content with losing his own Empire, Banquo's Ghost threatens to pull
yours down about your ears as well. For your own sakes, we hope and pray
that you see wisdom before it is too late.
The Illustrated Man