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« on: December 18, 2010, 04:52:40 PM »
Prompt: The Dialogue exercise
“Othar can’t be allowed to control the ceremony”
“Why not? He knows the procedure well enough. I doubt he’d make any errors.”
“Yes, but he lacks responsibility. We have an opportunity to guide the foretelling to our benefit. Othar is the sort that would squander it.”
“You would play politics with our greatest duty? I had thought better of you.”
“Our greatest duty is to make certain the traditions are followed. I have always been, and always will be, the best advocate we have for maintaining them.”
“If we abandon our role as neutral observers, then we abandon tradition. Choosing a hero based on what we find convenient throws that out the window.”
“It is not necessarily a matter of convenience. The hero has always been the one capable of handling the threats our city faced. Alinar lifted the endless siege. Oreth destroyed the pirate leagues. What threat do we face now for the hero to triumph over?”
“There have been rumors that the Jungle Tribes are banding together.”
“The Jungle Tribes are on the other side of the world. Just humor me, please. List all of the potential threats we face from local enemies.”
“Harush is under control. Minea is… no, they can’t do anything right now. Hmmm. Our borders are well protected from military problems for now. There is always the possibility of a rebellion.”
“Unlikely. The people are happy and wealthy. There is little that would make them want to destabilize their position. The cults are all comfortable with holding an official status. The guilds thrive in peace. And we control the military. Insurrection is less likely than Harush gaining an unexpected army and attacking.”
“Well, suppose you are correct. No threats face the city. At least for now. What purpose would we have for the hero?”
“Ah, but there you are wrong. Threats do face the city. The threat of the guilds, wanting to gain a greater role in public administration. The threat of the cults, leading people away from tradition. The threat of complacency, that will lead to people trying to change the way things should be.”
“Very clever. You appeal to the warnings that I have been giving for years. Do you have a new solution in mind?
“The new solution is the same as the old one. Our order directs all public policy, and we make the decisions that will keep the people safe.”
“Ah, I think I understand what you have been getting at. With a hero that supports us, that tells the city what it needs to hear, we can acquire the position that is necessary for us to lead.”
“Precisely. Othar would never understand this point. Without our foretelling, the city would never have a hero in the first place. Our loss of prominence is the threat the hero must protect the city from.
“Manipulating this foretelling would be highly unorthodox. I’m still not fully comfortable with the notion.”
“It’s not really so unprecedented. When there is a drought, do you ever look for signs that indicate the drought will continue?”
“You know that that is not the case. When we need rain, I find the signs that say it will rain.”
“And when the ports need calm water, I find the signs that say there will be no wind.”
“Yes, but…”
“We decide these things! It rains because we want it to. The fog clears because we want it to. We simply use the signs as justification for our predictions.”
“The hero’s prophecy is different.”
“In practice, but not in theory. There has never been a better time to see if the theory holds true in this regard. If we are wrong, there is little we have to worry about. Our external threats are distant, so failing to find a hero is trivial. If we are right, then we gain a powerful tool to correct wrongs and grow the prestige of our city.”
“I see. Yes, perhaps this would be the best way to handle the foretelling. Care must be taken so that the hero seems to have a purpose beyond helping our order. But this will only be for the good of all.”
“Then I can count on you to support me? Your vote has influence in our order. If you want me to lead the ceremony, others will join you.”
“Your words make me wish to support this plan, but your ambition makes me hesitate. You speak far too often of influence and power. You entered our order faster than almost anyone else. And now you plot for control over our most important function?
“But you agreed that my plan was a good one! What are your doubts about my ambition next to the good we could do for the city?”
“You are too clever. Far more clever than me. What assurances do I have that you will not be using the foretelling to gain personal control?”
“If you cannot trust me, then why not lead the ceremony yourself? So long as you agree on what should be done, I will support you. It wouldn’t be too difficult for you to get others to do the same.”
“This would be a great burden for me. But for the good of the city, I will accept your support. Shall we agree to this arrangement?”
“I see two birds, flying in from the sea. By this sign, we must keep to our agreement in order for either of us to succeed.”
“I see a dead field mouse. By this sign, we must not reveal this agreement to others, or great peril will befall the one who does.”
“I see the banners on the walls lying flat, for there is no wind. By this sign, the agreement is not to be altered.”
“I see what you see. We are in accord.”
“I see what you see. We are in accord.”