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[Emmanovi]

It would appear the majority of citizens are staunchly against the idea of a mandatory training scheme. I myself am for it, not primarily for the purpose of an army or militia, but for the ability of any normal citizen to defend themselves. But I guess each will go to their own, and we cannot infringe upon the dwarven right to choose.

I will state then for the record that I am happy to stand guard in whatever way this community sees best to act in its defence. If individual citizens are unwilling to give any of their time towards training, then I feel there is more of a duty to ensure they are protected. I have no wish for any citizen to come to harm in Equalvoice, and if that involves certain individuals playing active military duty, then I shall be one of those individuals. The defence of each citizen is of paramount importance.

I don't ask any citizen to fight. I don't want it to come to that at all. But I don't want to be put in the position of a citizen coming to harm because they couldn't defend themselves and no-one was there to protect them.

[LegoLord]

Of course, until we're settled in, I would like for Legon to have some small training, in case something happens (but briefly so he doesn't get stuck in the military).

Easier to keep track of the few dwarves that want it rather than everyone.

[Hilscher]

"Soft cowards." Grail said, spitting onto the floor. She made a fist and pushed it into her other palm, cracking each of the knuckles in a loud and rapid sequence of pops. "If'n ya don't hold a pick, and don't put in trainin', you ain't a proper Dwarf at all. Y'ought ta be ashamed of yerselves. Ain't no body even askin' ya ter fight, ya little girls. We got ter have taxes eventually anyway! Ain't no settlement that made it ever made it without taxes! Mandatory trainin' is part of our taxes!"

Grail leaned up against the wall, and looked the dissenting dwarves up and down, and gave a pitying shake of her head before walking off.

[Goron]

We got ter have taxes eventually anyway! Ain't no settlement that made it ever made it without taxes!

Sounding like a King's man now... We have here the opportunity to prove dwarves can make it without the oppressive demands of kings and nobles without proper representation. We will hold our leaders accountable rather than our leaders holding us, the worker, accountable.

[Hilscher]

Grail stopped, and spun around on the heel of her grimy boot.

"Damnable fool. What'd ya say? Maybe ya find some pie-in-the-sky naive rhetoric to be appealin', but democracy is built on reason, and reason is built on reality! Money is power, and a community without money is a community without power. Power brokerin' is somethin' I thought e'ry Dwarf understood. E'ry time we shape a worthless rock inter a goblet, we're exchangin' time fer affluence you simpleton! Not only do ya wish to leave all our people defenseless just to save yerself one measly season of training, but now I hear you want to leave Equalvoice completely toothless, too?" Grail paused cold with a realization. "YOU sound like the kingsman, Goron. Or maybe I should call you Moron! Yer entire agenda fits the mould of SOFTNESS. Ya want us ter fail, doncha? I can't believe I supported ya fer chairman, Goron. You disgust me! No taxes and no trainin' means Equalvoice will have no power to defend herself! I hope ya die, ya traitor."

Grail spat at the floor once again, but she stood her ground, glaring at Goron angrily this time, waiting for a rebuttal, her palm tightening on the handle of her pick. Slowly, her tongue ran across her bottom lip, and she absently pressed her lips together to moisten them before gritting her teeth in the anxiety of a potential brawl.

[LegoLord]

I vote nay to economy.

[Hilscher]

I vote nay to economy.

(I think the population is capped so that we can't get a baron.)

[Yaddy1]

Yaddy looks at Hilscher with a calm expression. "We came here to found a democracy. Either accept the terms of the democracy or leave. Don't keep whining about the outcome of the vote."

[Emmanovi]

Emmanovi glanced worriedly at Grail and Goron, fidgeting with the straps on his armour and clothing. "Ladies and Gentledwarves, please. I hoped here at Equalvoice we could settle our disputes without resorting to the traditional dwarven methods of shouting, arguing and brawling. Armok, if you want to throw a punch at one another, we'll set up a barracks and you can spar your anger away!"

Regretting the oath in his final outburst, he strutted to the other side of the room, and inhaled deeply before continuing. "I apologise. But in my mind, I have a vision of a dwarven society without needles arguments and fighting, where we can cooperate. This is not yet the official time for voting, yet already we bicker! Let us discuss instead. Let us not call one another kingsmen, nor morons. Let us be rational, let us rise from the common stereotypes that others may have of dwarves!"

He gave the room another of his sweeping glances. "May I remind you that no vote is settled until the deadlines are set and passed. We are here to discuss, and each dwarf retains the right to change his vote for now."

With this, he marched off to one corner and sat, drawing a tankard of dwarven wine from his side, and watching the proceedings with calculating eyes.

[Hilscher]

Grail tightened her calloused free hand into a fist and retooled her grip on the pickaxe with the other. Her venomous gaze swiveled from Goron to Yaddy.

"Shutcher mouth, parasite. If ya wanna curl up in yer room and hide from any service ter Equalvoice, I can't stop ya. Don'tcha preach ta me about democracy, though, neophyte. I've proven my commitment ter freedom. While you were still snivelin' ter the king, I was diggin' out the room ya now sleep in! You ain't yet proved yerself in my eyes, an' Democracy don't mean we gotta all get along and play nice. Quite the opposite. It means the struggles of politics are passed on ter the people, which means fightin' is inevitable an' any fool who says we're supposed ter all cooperate in harmony is naive." Her gaze flicked briefly to Emmanovi. "E'ry dwarf will put in reasonable service ter the community. I ain't gonna raise a hand ter defend a bunch of little children who thought that Democracy was delicious cat dinners an' happiness an' love fer all! I was the king's slave, an' now I ain't gonna be any body else's. You freeloadin' parasites will put in work or you get out! You wanna just do whatever you want every day, with no service ter the community? Yer traitors, end o' story. Soft little children pretending to be men! Probably left the Mountainhome because no woman would 'ave ya. Ha! You can pass any stupid law ya want, just like the King, but reality don't change. Rationality don't change. Logic don't change. They don't compromise, an' neither do I. If ya try ter pass a law that makes me yer slave, I'll move right out o' here and dig me a nice hole to the north an' come back after yer all dead ter rebuild a proper democracy not filled with freeloader mystics."

[Hilscher]

(How's that update coming, Org? -_-)

(Oh, and so you guys know, I'm not really angry, just like I wasn't really upset about how my adjudication of the summer season went. Grail is just extreeeeeme...ly awesome.)

[Org]

(How's that update coming, Org? -_-)

(Oh, and so you guys know, I'm not really angry, just like I wasn't really upset about how my adjudication of the summer season went. Grail is just extreeeeeme...ly awesome.)

I have no free time lately. 

WIll try to finish more today.

[Yaddy1]

Stares at Grail for a minute before saying, "I am not suggesting we do nothing. I am only saying that every citizen should attend to their duties. It is the duty of the military to train not the duty of the citizen."

[Hilscher]

"Idiot! It's not that cerebral a concept, 'ere. We're not talkin' 'bout a military here, it wouldn't 'ave any use fer someone as stupid as you. What this comes down ta is taxes. The community demands some form of shared cooperation fer it ter remain a community. In this case that currency is time. No one wants ter make anyone fight; what we are talkin' 'bout is mandatory time - a few months out of yer life - that ya do work not that you choose ter do but that the community requires. If the community collects no money, no time, and no influence from anyone, then in what sense is it a community? Equalvoice then becomes a loose gatherin' of unaffiliated dwarves doin' whatever they please, in which case I will respect yer democratic decision and depart ta the north ta do as I please. If some give ta the community and some do not, then those who do are forced ter pick up the weight that the lazy and greedy and selfish dwarves did not carry. 'Ave you not 'eard anything I've said? It's not that complicated! I will not be yer slave!  Yer oblivious ter reason, and yer oblivious ta the fact that the three smartest dwarves 'ere 'ave unanimously backed a mandatory trainin' scheme. Lav laid out some excellent reasons that didn't even occur ter me. Perhaps you ought ter shut yer ignorant mouth and listen ter Dwarves smarter than yerself, and then consider with yer head instead of yer emotions and you'll actually be a positive addition ter Equalvoice, ya selfish child."

Grail glared at the newcomer, fist shaking in anger, daring him to speak again. Cocking her arm, she looks ready to abandon trying to reason with the dissidents and resort to brute force.

(How's that update coming, Org? -_-)

(Oh, and so you guys know, I'm not really angry, just like I wasn't really upset about how my adjudication of the summer season went. Grail is just extreeeeeme...ly awesome.)

I have no free time lately. 

WIll try to finish more today.

(Then why'd you accept the task as being director? Delays are bad. I nominated you to find out if you'd do a good job. It only takes ten to thirty minutes to do a season. We've been waiting for days. Squeeze in the rest already. Your update was good, but let's finish it up already.)

[Lav]

"Please, Grail, calm down. We voted for the issue, and we failed. There's no need creating additional tension within the community itself."

"As for you, gentledwarves", Lav was now addressing those who voted against the proposal, and his tone was suddenly cold and emotionless, "I must tell you this. Grail thinks you are committing a crime against Equalvoice. I disagree. I think what you just did is worse than a crime. It's a mistake. A mistake that everybody will have to pay a very steep interest rate for. And I really hope we don't go bankrupt when the payment time comes."