(IR) IR Interlude Turn 6 - Turn 7 (thread 4)

[Serpenteye]

Another message from the God Emperor the press conference:

"I think youv'e all seen what the so called 'democracy' of the Commonwealth amounts to. Discrimination, racism, oppression and exploitation, of the Humanoid race. That ends now! The Humanoid State is an independent nation, free from the sugary lies of Erika Lesange.
Realize this, 'Prime Minister', we're not backing down, the humanoids are not surrendering, your agression is pointless and dangerous. If you do not allow the humanoids their independence billions of people will die and we will be much closer the the Domains of Dread. Your selfish thirst for power reveals your complete disregard for the people of Toril.
We do not have to be your enemies. End your agression now and the doom of your world can be avoided. Allow the humanoids to make their own destiny."


OOC: Sorry about this, but the Union of Oerth is pitifully underpowered. This is a live or die situation for us, we do what we must.

 

[Mr. Draco]

Kas and the NPCs of his elite-guard will travel to the Humanoid state and stand with their troops in defense of their land (assuming they will accept our help).

"My dear archcleric, this really is a desperate situation. For freedom and survival"

 

[Reprisal]

It's not that simple, my friend...

OOC: Sorry about this, but the Union of Oerth is pitifully underpowered. This is a live or die situation for us, we do what we must.

((Oh, no problem with that, but, of course, I will also do what I must... You act as if it's already a done deal, and I somehow doubt that an entire population of people will blindly join a blatantly undemocratic, and illegitimate force. The people of the Alliance have lived in perhaps the greatest times they have ever known for the past forty years... Unless there's a really good explanation for such a great change in the political culture of the Humanoid Alliance, I doubt the dissidents will have any measure of popular support.))

And now for a point-by-point rebuttle:

"People of the Humanoid state! Your lands are now being attacked by the forces of the United Commonwealth. The forces of that "democracy" which you once joined and were a part of are now violating their own doctrine which allows for member states to seperate from the Commonwealth."

The United Commonwealth of Toril is still a democracy, though one that has been forced by the malign forces of tyranny that threaten the true freedom of its people. The lack of real, political choice is nothing short of tyranny. The Coup Forces do not represent the people of the Alliance. Everyone knows this, and your lack of faith in the democratic process is alarming, and quite characteristic of demogogues such as yourself.

"You sought freedom to seek your own destiny."

Which the forces of the Coup D'Etat took away when they executed our people in the missile fields, and other areas... They are your enemies, we are here to free you from them.

"Now you are repaid with missles and bombs used against you."

Or more correctly, used against military and strategic targets. Our methods, while extreme, are morally and politically justified. You are terrorists seeking to rule your own fiefdom, we are here to prevent that.

"Is this the same democratic government you chose to join many years ago? Are they still upholding their pledges for unity, freedom, and sovereignty?"

No, it is not. The time of Ian Payne and Lord Forrester are behind us, but the ideal of the Commonwealth remains. The only thing tainting that ideal is the dissident voices of military demogogues calling for a total revision of a well-running confederation.

"No! Their pledges of freedom have become guns in the hands of their troops who are even now invading your land. Their mandates of justice have become missles heading towards the military troops of the humanoid state that have for so long loyally worked with the UC."

Of course, all soldiers know that it is their duty to choose whether or not their actions are morally justified. All the soldiers fighting for the Alliance and the Commonwealth know the risks and repercussions of their actions. We are here to fight the dissidents, not the people.

"For years the Humanoid state has worked side by side, civilians and military, with the UC. Now the UC shows its true intentions. Their soldiers are heading towards your land with orders to occupy it and arrest the very leaders that have risked their lives for your freedom from the UC! Once they have control of your cities, they will impose strict martial law, further reducing your freedom."

Yes, it is true that the Humanoid Alliance has been a loyal friend and ally to the rest of those members of the Commonwealth, but the fact remains that the Dissident Generals threaten our very survival. These Generals are not your leaders, they are illegitimate because you did not elect them! Do you really believe that things will get better for you once these men cement power? I do not, and do not believe a word of a permanent martial law! We only do this to root out the supporters of the Dissidents and the Leaders of the Dissident Movement who hide like vermin under rocks.

"Do not allow them to do this!"

Why? We are only here to prevent the formation of another repressive régime of tin-pot dictators.

"Once they have trod upon your freedom, grinding it into the dust, once they have seized your military power, so that you have no opportunity to defend yourself from them, once they have you back under control, then you will never again have this opportunity for peace. Your freedoms will have been stricken from you. Your "choices" will be mandated by those who now seek to destroy the very forces that had been their comrades in arms. Without your weapons, you stand no chance at keeping your freedom!"

Your choices should be your own, not those of a vocal, and violent minority. Though the War Measures Act is by far an extreme action, the rest of the Commonwealth, even your own legitimate representatives in the Commonwealth Parliament believe it to be the only way to preserve true freedom of choice through representative democracy in the Humanoid Alliance. Do not believe this one's lies and distortions, for he has ulterior motives!

"Citizens of the Humanoid state! Rise up and fight!"

Yes, fight against the true tyrants-- The Dissident Generals who threaten to take away your freedoms guaranteed in the Charter of the Commonwealth.

"Fight for freedom!"

"Fight for justice!"

"Fight for choice!"

Yes, fight for your right to choose. Do not let these brigands make the choice for you!

"The history of many of your races is stained with being the victims of slavery in body, yet, if the UC is victorious, you will become slaves of the mind. Your choices will be meaningless. Your descisions will be for naught."

If you allow the Coup to continue, these things are guaranteed to occur. The United Commonwealth vows to make sure that your rights to freedom, choice and representation will remain. Have faith in democracy, have faith in yourselves, should you choose to leave the Commonwealth, we will not stop you, but only if you, the people choose for all to see in a democratic referendum. Only then! Violence will not be tolerated.

"I am reminded of the words of a political figure from another world: 'Give me liberty or give me death.'"

I must say that he who chooses to give up liberty in the place of security deserves neither liberty or security. "Intelligence in chains loses in lucidity what it gains in intensity." (( - Albert Camus))

"This is now your choice. Will you fight for your freedom, or will you be content to live under tyranny?"

Need I say more?

"Know this, should you decide to oppose the tyrants that are now invading you, the Union of Oerth will be fully behind you, as we have been throughout the past."

Know thise, the Union of Oerth is not a democratic society, in joining with them, you lose the rights so important to your own well-being. The Union of Oerth is only here to foster disunity for their own gain! They want to take from you, not give to you. I urge all rational, freedom loving citizens of the Humanoid Alliance to stand with the troops of liberty and justice and cast off the chains of these violent war-mongers.

((Like I said, not so easy... Of course, control of the Humanoid people, who will really make the vital choice, defaults to Edena first, then Forrester, then... get it? Yeah, so I'm gone for the next six to seven hours. Edena, may I ask that you make sure that things do not develop past a certain point for me? My physical absence should not take away from my ability to play my faction...))

 

[William Ronald]

Hazen is asked for a few brief comments by the press on the current situation.

"I find it strange that Kas has quoted the saying: 'Give me liberty or give me death.' By this point, copies of the Encyclopaedia Vellunica and the other information I distributed will be accessible via computer on Toril. Please check the entries on the Union of Oerth. Decide for yourselves."

"In the Union, only the worship of Kas and the God Emperor are permitted. Members of other faiths have been persecuted, and killed. The citizens have only very limited rights. Free speech and the right to chose elected representatives are not among them."

"The PEOPLE of the Humanoid State must chose their destiny. History shows that a military junta seldom gives way to peaceful elections. Nor are miltiary dictatorships known for fair trials, freedom of expression, or the protection of minority groups."

"I wish the PEOPLE of the Humanoid State to make their own destiny. I find it sad that while I am trying to set up a representative democracy, uniting lands which sometimes warred, someone is trying to establish a military dictatorship."

"People of Oerth and Toril, embrace peace, love, forgiveness, and understanding. You have the might to defeat the Dark Powers. You have always had it. You have more power than you imagine. Do not let our worlds fall into the Domain of Dread. Trust me, Ravenloft is not a fun place to visit -- or live in."

"I would like to hear the opinions of the Church of Mercy and the Church of Toril on these events."

OOC: Creamsteak and Alyx and all players with Torillian factions, you really should comment or do something about the current situation.

 

[Kalanyr]

OOC- You think you're underpowered? Do take a look at my PL. , at least you have a large enough standing force to send some of it to Realmspace.

The priest will speak to the humanoid generals
"Listen to Miss Lesage, think about what she says, the Union wishes no one any freedom, they will make you worship them, they will make you into their battle fodder. They have done so with others before. Look at Mina and her Knights, they let them fight and die before they helped, and Mina's goals mesh much more with the Union's than do yours. They will betray you, they will ignore you, you lament that 1 vote for 500 beings is ridiculous but remember they will give you 0 Votes for your entire population. The God Emperor has asked help from the Lich-Queen of the Githyank and The Lords of the Nine. He treats them with contempt do you think he would give you more respect?"

 

[William Ronald]

Passive Resistance

A reporter asks Hazen a question.

"If a citizen of the Humanoid State opposes the coup, but does not wish to fight, how can he oppose the generals?"

Hazen tries to use his full abilities to explain himself. (OOC: Not magically, of course. But Hazen is a skilled diplomat.)

"There is an honored tactic which people who oppose an injustice can take that is not violent. Passive resistance. They can refuse to cooperate with the authorities on any action they view as illegal. They may decide to do such things as sit in front of a building, pray, march and not resist arrest. No government can imprison its entire population."

"Nonviolent tactics have been used to great success in opposing unjust governments and unjust laws. The actions of the protesters draw light to the problem. Indeed, such nonviolent protests have freed nations and ensured the equal treatment of minority groups."

"Passive resistance can be a tool in opposing tyranny. It can also weaken the Mists."

"If people believe their government is unjust, or those who have taken control of their government are unjust, they have a right to protest. Nonviolence can make a difference in resolving the current situation and defeating the mists. The greatest warrior does not need to kill. There are many ways to oppose evil."

"Perhaps passive resistance against unjust governments - strikes, sitdown protests, and a refusal to obey orders from the coup plotters can make a difference. I know of a nation where people rallied behind a leader to oppose those who would strip them of their newly found democracy in a collapsing empire. They suceeded. In time, they gained greater freedom by opposing the coup peacefully. They made peace with the newly founded independent states of the empire and reemerged as a greater power in freedom than they had under a tyrannical empire."

"Perhaps peaceful protests will undermine the coup plotters and weaken the Mists. How can a small band of plotters hope to withstand the will of an entire people? How can a few petty tyrants stand against a just majority? They cannot stand for long if the people rise up against them!"

"I believe in the essential goodness and decency of the individual. We can all make our own destiny. Now is a moment of destiny for us all. We must fight evil when it confronts us, but there are many ways to oppose evil."

"Again, the people of Toril must chose the fate of their world. Personally, I would hate to see the democratic values that so many fought and died for to be overthrown by a few greedy people seeking absolute power."

 

[Alyx]

Whew. Thanks for the massive response list, Edena -- I'm starting to get afraid. As usual in diplomacy, everything is going completely wrong in just a few seconds. Have to admit I'm feeling afraid. Very afraid.

Oh, and that old man and his Kobolds are from an old adventure IMC -- a lighter moment amidst a dying world that needed such. I took him out of it and put him on Oerth for story purposes. The way you reacted was priceless, and goes to show how anything can be interpreted for the worst quite easily. Actually, those Kobolds and the old man had a very friendly relationship... I won't go into the details here, but it was quite a laugh after watching a few cities be overrun by sweeping hordes of darkness, let me tell you .

The Church of Toril is monitoring the situation VERY closely. And it is taking actions. Our military wing commanders convene with their counterparts in the UC, knowing that to jump into a situation with our eyes closed is stupidity at its finest. Note that the church knows all about how fighting strengthens that which we face. We will not be to eager to take full action, but we will if we must.

The Church of Toril will defuse the tension and conflict among the civilian population to the fullest extent possible. This is the Church of Toril, and all therefore religious leaders trying to calm down the population. We should be able to have some effect here. The bond of trust between the Church and society will not be broken so easily!

 

[Serpenteye]

The God Emperor speaks in front of a large crowd of Humanoids and the TV-cameras of the Torillian press.

"Humanoids of Toril, do not allow yourself to be decieved by the lies and misinformation of your former owners and their Oerthian lapdogs, they will say anything to regain your submittance. They slander the Union of Oerth, but that's completely irrelevant in this situation. If you do or do not join the Union of Worlds is entirely your own decision. The current issue is your independence.

The United Commonwealth is robbing you of your racial identity. In the past they have used their powerful magics to alter your alignments and your outlook on life. They have ensorcelled you to fornicate with elves, to taint your genes with elvish traits and gradually turn many of you into mutated halfbreeds. The elves of Evermeet almost destroyed Toril in their racist hatred for your races and you have been made to breed with them! Your women and children turned to pleasure slaves for effeminate elven pansies. Are you really going to accept this? Surely they will go even further in their perverse destruction of your races if they manage to crush your revolution. After all, you have rebelled, you have proven that they cannot trust you to remain oppressed forever. Surely, they think, you will rebell again. If they don't do something about it... Imagine how far they will go, this time.

Join the revolution! Join the fight for freedom! The time has come for you to stand on your own feet as your own people.

__

The moment the first UC missile or bullet kills a humanoid the Humanoid military will counter strike against military targets in the UC. They won't use nukes or catastrophy-class magics, yet, but they will strike hard.

Another warning goes out to the UC government from the Humanoid generals:
"Seace your attacks against our territory. Consider this the second warning. Strike against us again and we will respond with maximum force."

 

[Alyx]

Jand walks into the conference hall.

He is no angel. He cannot grow tall enough to shatter a roof. He is not an Archcleric, an avatar, nor a chosen of some god. Compared in power with the other delegates at the peace conference he is a nothing. He will not pretend otherwise.

It is safe to say that few notice him before he takes his turn at the podium. He has no insignia to mark him as an Oerthian or Torilian, no visible connection to the Sunrise Faction he rules.

There he stands, fresh red cloak draped about his shoulders and running to the floor. His shirt is a deep crimson, his pants a brilliant shade of scarlet. The glove on his left hand is the same shade as a young maidens blush.

He faces the cameras. The delegates of Oerth and Toril who are present he ignores. The camera is his sole object of fixation.

'Two kinds of people will watch me speak the few words I have.' He begins. His left hand grips the podium, his right taps out a quick ditty on its surface.

'The first kind are those who have already decided what they believe. Oerthians are the enemy, Oerthians are friends. The humanoid generals are revolting for justice, or they are seeking only to grab power. Fine. Those who believe in Oerth will do so more fiercely with my words, and those who don't will only hate them more. The chance that one of you would be swayed by even more words is very nearly zero. You've heard enough already.

'Those who have not decided make up the group that I now speak to.'

Jand leans forward, eyes intent on the camera.

'Here is the truth; your world is now part of this conflict already. There is no more stopping what has started. The mists draw closer with every blow, and the earth beneath your feet is being devoured by an unstoppable force of red "goo". The skies are dimming. Fleets of starships battle overhead.

‘Stop this conflict before it begins. I do not pretend to know how you can change your world, nor would I tell you if I did. This is your decision, and if you want to bring peace and make a difference hard enough you will find a way to do so.

‘It begins now. Decide. You will not have another chance.

Jand takes a deep breath. Then he takes another.

‘That is all I have to say.’

With that, the Red Elf spins from the podium. He walks from the room as he came, ignoring all questions. Twice does he look from the exit into the crowd. The first is to Anfaren, a look of friendship and silent communication. The second is to look at Hazen and give him nod of respect. Then he is gone.

OOC: Anfaren will answer all questions on Jand’s behalf (I'm not closing up against a response/debate by any means). The Red Elf is full of energy now, and he spoke truly when he says that the time to decide which path to take has ended. This meeting has been one of impressive speeches (bravo!), but the time for words to rule the day is over. Now I act.

'

 

[Kalanyr]

OOC- Serpenteye you don't have the humanoids yet, so assuming control of them already is really weird. (And is quiet likely to lead to Edena assuming you have them which is probably your intent ) (However since you getting another helping of 11th and makeing me the only power without free 11th and a massive PL boost with the same is not on my agenda, I'll just point this out. )