(Finally got the meeting out properly.)
28th Galena
Haven stood at the corner of the boneyard, watching the rest trudge their way towards him. One hand rested on his axe, the other held a sheaf of records and plans. The plan itself was simple, he thought, not worth calling a meeting about. But the rest would need to be reassured, consulted. These trials began when they felt power slipping out of their grasps, and causing this same feeling in the others was unlikely to go well. As it were, he nodded.
"Good to see you could all arrive in time." Haven said. "I have with me the plans I intend to enact for the rest of the year, and with them the goals I hope to reach." He took a breath. "As we all know, nobility has arrived earlier than we expected. It is not my intention to foster outright hostility between us and our Queen. However, as founders, it is our duty to maintain control over and manage this fortress as we see fit. Our most pressing threat is the Dungeon Master, Sodel. I'm fairly sure most of you have managed to puzzle this out on your own, but to be sure we are all on the same topic, she is the one who had the false migrants sent out to attempt to steal our treasures away. A Queen would have no need to resort to underhandedness, and no lesser noble could hope to lay hands on treasures under her care. Therefore, Sodel, and those loyal to her, remain the primary obstacles to our goals. To solve this, I intend to oust her from our fortress, to either be replaced with a more sympathetic dwarf, or perhaps to simply leave the spot vacant."
Haven shifted through his papers as he spoke, organizing them to be laid out in accordance with his plan. "To acheive this... Well, we can try simpler methods first. Dungeon Mastery is a legitimately dangerous job. But at the same time, Sodel is stubborn, and likely would not wish to leave her quarters. As such, I suggest we... To put it bluntly, begin a revolt on our behalf. Create an absurd disparity between the living conditions of the nobles and the common dwarf, to the point where it cannot be borne any longer, while remaining a sympathetic alternative ourselves. For a beginning to this, we have the housing projects." He pulled out the papers and started laying sketches and notes down in turn, speaking about their contents. "Here, we have the plans for the new living quarters."
"As you can see, they're fairly average sized apartments for a relatively affluent city. They will give our dwarves the impression of the wealth they hold, appeal to their sense of pride and dignity, speak to them of their worth. Each block will hold a small statue garden in the center, for them to meet with others in, that should only bolster their confidence and foster relations and community as a whole... For those who dwell in the block."
"Now, here we have the lay of our own quarters, having just been smoothed and finished today."
"An analogue to the common quarters. The rooms are roughly two times as large, and smoothed, but the garden is in the same place, same size, even the same quality statue in place. Also helping to offset the matter is a second such block to the north of ours, where important guests or community members can be housed, further giving the influence and illusion of control to the populace. Note, of course, that as yet not a single noble has any reason to mingle or be associated with the lower classes. This will be important for a sense of alienation. Ourselves being working dwarves, we have an advantage that cannot be matched by our noble opposition."
"To bring the point forward a bit more, here are the plans to the quarters of our good Dungeon Master."
"As you can see, they are significantly larger than any other non-noble's quarters. Indeed, the entire block is dedicated to Sodel's chambers, and each room is itself almost triple the space any working dwarf could hope to gain. Note that there is no reason for anyone to enter Sodel's chambers, nor reason for her to leave for more than food to bring to her own table. There will be little contact with her among the masses, so she will be easy prey once they have finally had enough of foolish mandates and punishments."
"And here, we have the plans for the Queen's Plaza."
"This is more or less a larger, more open version of our own rooms, with all four dedicated to our Queen's use. Notable here is that the center is as much a public gathering place as the Queen's courtyard. While she will likely be inside her rooms more often than not, the public is assured to see her whenever she steps out, reassuring themselves and putting her in the public's eye quite often. If her mandates prove not to be feasible, she will feel the public's scorn. If they are simple, she will garner it's favor. Remember the reason she has come - She will not leave, not while we still have our precious Adamantine in the mountain. Therefore, she will be forced to bend to the public's will... Which will be forced to bend to ours."
Haven put the papers back into their place. "Simply put, we will turn the masses against Sodel, while keeping them in favor of the current Queen. The Queen will not go, and Sodel's reputation will suffer through either her own hands, or ours. Either way, it will drive a wedge between Sodel and the Queen, and the people and their Dungeon Master in turns. Eventually, it will become harder for Sodel's loyal 'subjects' to remain an inconspicious part of our fortress, and they will either be exposed to us, or forced to work in silence, hindering their activity greatly. I will field a guard, handpicked from those dissatisfied with Sodel's effects on the Queen, and they will watch these dwarves closely for any sign of betrayal. If found, the dwarf in question answers to me. And once Sodel is thoroughly disgraced, I doubt anyone will look too closely if she should happen to meet an... Unfortunate end."
"So... Your thoughts?"
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Topic: Succession game, hardcore mode? (Read 6514 times)