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[tonnot98]

An old jeweler comes to the fortress with political ambitions...

Could the next overseer dorf me as a gemcutter/setter? I'll also be throwing my lot in with the Sparkly Unicorn Party

Very nice to have you on board. Are you perhaps interested in running in this election as well?

Oh I figured I'd have to wait until someone actually dorf'd me but sure! Are we still on 47.04?

As people gather in the dining room to discuss the election, a previously quiet dwarf that had gone unnoticed barged through the door.

"Greetings one and all! I am one which is known by the name of Tonnot! I am here to declare my candidacy under the Sparkly Unicorn Party, and by the graces of our king Iden Chanceshot I will lead these holds to glory and riches. What can I promise but swag for all citizens? Even those ugly ones confined to the lower levels shall be decked out in silver and glittering gems, with personal rooms and furnishings to match! I will build us a monument to our riches, and it will be the last thing any jealous invaders see before they are broken upon our masterful walls! Not only will the world know our unmatched artistic abilities, but they will forget their own poor excuses for artifacts. I propose a new military program in which we subjugate these lesser peoples and take their artifacts, only to host a celebration in which we destroy these unsightly icons!

For The Confining Clasps! For King Iden! For all that is shiny and pure! Elect me now, and all of dwarf-kind will be made better for it!"

[fatcat__25]

Are we still on 47.04?

There seems to be agreement that we should move to .05 starting this year, so I would say that is the plan, unless someone contradicts me.

[tonnot98]

Now that I had time to catch up and read the thread, I gotta say that Eniteris' turn was very entertaining to read through. Especially the election debates at the start, I never felt so hyped for a soap-maker before.

[Maximum Spin]

Maximum Spin is reverse-dumbstruck by the intrusion - that is, startled from sullen silence into speech.
"Who's this guy? What? We have a king? Not that I've been spying on anyone or anything but I thought half of you guys were anarchists and/or legitimist revolutionaries. Even the rest of us had a whole self-sufficiency thing going, are we going to elect this monarchist weirdo? What this fortress really needs, if you ask me, is more booze and nice houses. Proof: Everything outside my house sucks, but my house is awesome. Fatcat, back me up on this, our bedroom is pretty much the best room in the whole place, even after somebody knocked a hole in the wall and put in a door to the rest of the living complex for some reason, right? And you guys wouldn't believe our dining room, except that you've all tromped through it on account of aforementioned bedroom hole before. I'm not saying this just to brag, I'm saying, let's do more of that. How about we build a big fancy tavern for everyone, with a dance floor and, maybe we chain up Yung Boujee underneath for full moon howling ambiance. This sounds fantastic, I'm going to go start right now."
He staggers back out of the room and in an apparently random direction until gently intercepted and redirected back to his seat by fatcat.

[tonnot98]

"This is my opposition? Such marvelous wonder that this fortress is in the state that it is! Look at this beautiful fool stumble about like a drunken beardling and reflect upon yourselves, 'Is this who I want designing my future?' I, too, have had to pass through your house. I took it as an easy shortcut as I was gathering materials and I can assure you that your place is not, in fact, awesome. I'm fully agreeing with you that we need to bolster our alcohol production with new, exciting, and exotic brews. We must also create comfortable, spacious, and most of all shiny lodgings for all that dwell here. This fortress is called "Goldsilvers" and yet what magnificence do we have to show for our military achievements? Our walls are regularly painted in the most visceral and exciting of fashions in a majestic red, and the arms of our fortress guard gleams blue, the unmistakable hue of true dwarfen superiority. Yet the armor of our warriors is drab, dreary, and boring. The dumb green ones and the filthy tree-huggers are not properly bedazzled before they meet their timely and necessary endings. Instead of a dull black, our warriors should shine like diamonds in the night!"

Tonnot turns toward the two Stukist members of the electorate, wagging his eyebrows.
"Under my control, the wealth and happiness of this fortress will soar through the heavens. Even our one true king, Iden Chanceshot, will have no recourse but to come and gaze upon my works with his own two eyes and witness true beauty. We sit upon many treasure troves deep beneath us. Tetrahedrite, mined out for its silver content, will be the stone that glorifies us in the eyes of our king. Silver... So pretty and pure..."

"As for the matters of repeat offenders within our criminal justice system, I propose a worker exchange program. There are a few hillocks close to the fortress which house fresh, untraumatized laborers. Should we revoke the privilege of residency from our more troublesome citizens, they can be quickly replaced by fresh faces more deserving of being part of this great project. Of course, great efforts will be taken to cleanse the filthier parts of the fortress of the blood and guts that litter the halls and courtyards in order to help prevent such disasters in the future."

"Oh and regarding the tragic Yung Boujee, I believe that he should be released from captivity. Not to rejoin the fortress mind you, it'd be a hideous prospect for the accursed to take their place among us. But when the elves or goblins invade again, we should sic that rabid beast upon them so that he may die in one final dance of savage beauty. While we're on the topic of unsightly beasts, the caverns must be reclaimed. Now do not dismiss this statement by claiming me reckless and greedy, but those beasts who we hear clamoring from deep below cannot be allowed to exist. They are an affront to the gods, and mine own senses. Luxury, wealth, happiness, and above all safety is what I promise."

Concluding his speech, Tonnot seats himself in the throne reserved for the long-absent Yung Boujee and scans the table for the elector's reactions to his intrusion.

[fatcat__25]

Fatcat nods respectfully towards the fiery jeweler.
"It would seem that the newest member of this honored governing band has a way with words. Tonnot, if you can make our home as silvery as your speech, you will be respected for all the coming ages as the dwarf to bring undying fame to our people. There is no one here who would like to see that honor fall on one of our number more than I do. Despite this, I have my reservations: Why would you be any more capable of this feat than any of the past overseers have been? Everyone who has been elected has, at least to some extent, sought to do as you have said you will. The overseer who came closest was Eniteris, who's leadership saw the fortress nearly collapse from shock. No fortress can rush to greatness."
With this, Fatcat turns to the rest of the gathering, and continues on.
"As was demonstrated yet again this year, the Curtain Wall remains incomplete, despite my repeated warnings, and the yearly invasions that have found their way past it to our detriment. How, then are we to build 'a monument to our riches,' as Tonnot suggests? These are the words of a dwarf who cares more for beauty than for cold hard facts. We may construct a fortress of endless beauty, but the facts will remain."
She then glances at Maximum Spin, who is now sacked out in one of the chairs, only half awake.
"As for Maximum Spin, his current state shouldn't be strange to you, after all:" she grins, "If a dwarf is sober, something is seriously wrong. I hope that just because my colleague had a few mugs right before he came here, you won't deem him unfit to govern. Some of you are in a worse mental state than he is. If this doesn't dispel your doubts, remember that MS has experience governing our fortress, unlike his opponent. Last of all, to make sure there is no doubt on this front, I have been declared by the fortress medical team to be the most mentally stable of the electorate, and will be helping MS in planning if you choose him to govern. This way, there will be no chance of error.
I hope this has shown you all that Maximum Spin is the candidate of a stable future, both in the short and long term. In time, there will be a place for leaders like Tonnot, but for now, what we need is a slow and steady approach to building our home. If you have any further questions about our policy, you are welcome to direct them to either myself or," she nudges MS with her shoe, "Maximum Spin. Thank you."
She sits down, and watchfully observes the gathering.

[tonnot98]

Tonnot leans forward, scratching his beard.
"Yes, the curtain wall... From what I hear the gaps in our static defenses have been shrinking steadily, but cunning invaders often find new means of getting around them. We're definitely in agreement there, whichever of us is elected next should prioritize correcting this issue. Our military might be good, but they're not invincible after all."

[fatcat__25]

Fatcat glances sharply at Tonnot,
"Now you see some of the problems this fortress faces. If you hope to lead, you will have to be prepared for many more. Another serious problem that has been nagging me, and I hope some of you, is the state of the fortress warehouses. They have not been organized or better secured since we excavated them in our first year here in Goldsilver. The proper way would be to completely remove them, and construct a new complex of warehouses, but that would be a long and painful process, and would likely preclude any other grand project to beautify the fortress.
I hope you understand what I am saying. I appreciate your ambition, and even share many of your dreams of Dwarven glory. Even MS here, who you were so quick to scorn, has a vision that would make our home as great of a wonder as the abominable spires of the goblins, and of much greater beauty. We, however, understand, and are prepared for, the slog of dreary years to prepare Goldsilver for true greatness.
I would urge you to keep your energies unbroken by command of this chaotic fortress, but if you truly wish to lead, I simply warn you that you will be frustrated in your endeavors to make Goldsilver as bright as its name."
After a moment of silence, she gestures toward the disheveled and hollow-eyed figure of Nephilim, and adds,
"We simply cannot afford to rush. Nephilim, the commander of our military, and leader of the original band here in Goldsilver was reduced to the haunted wreck he now is by the unwise grasp for premature glory under Eniteris. The slow recovery has taken many others the same way. He is one of the lucky ones, who has kept his sanity, if only barely."
Fatcat, who had risen to her feet, sinks back into her chair, apparently thinking deeply.

[tonnot98]

Tonnot appears to glow red for a moment before hiding his face in his hands,
"How could I forget? The rumors that brought me here in the first place..."

He looks back up at Maximum Spin, tears streaming from his eyes and into his glittery beard,
"It finally connected! How could I ever doubt the dreams of those that are chasing after my own? The dome! The bejeweled dome! I had heard rumors of some proposed designs for the fledgling fortress and someone had off-handedly mentioned that there was talk of creating a shield against the skies made of nothing but gem windows. I had originally come to see this project for myself, and between the disappointment and the tumultuous chaos of these last two years, I had nearly forgotten! Such a majestic dream must be realized!"

Tonnot wipes the tears away before continuing,
"Just the same, I still insist upon mine being the better candidacy. All of you beleaguered folk need some rest, allow a fresh set of eyes to help solve the fortress' issues. And worry not, Fatcat, your concerns regarding the warehouses will be addressed and restructured. Like the infinite intricacies of a perfect gem, so too will this fortress be molded into perfection, and if one year is not enough time to fix all that I wanted, then it will undoubtedly be enough time for me to leave it better than how I got it."

[fatcat__25]

Fatcat, once again cheerful, smile broadly at Tonnot's response.
"In that case, there is nothing left for me to say. It is up to the rest gathered here to decide who will lead Goldsilver on this step to the path to greatness. If anyone else has aught to say, they may. I am ready for the vote."

[Travis Bickle]

Nephilim raises his wearied voice for the first time in the whole evening: "Speaking both as an individual and as the leader and representative of the Stukist Party, I find neither candidate standing for election to be satisfying. This newcomer is particularly offensive in his determined support for a traitor to the Dwarven monarchy. I decline to endorse either candidate. In a better year I would vote for someone else, though this is not such a year. I encourage any supporters I have left, as well as everyone here, to simply vote for the dwarf least likely to kill us all.

"I have said what I have to say; the rest of you seem to have done the same. We shall proceed to a ballot."

Are we still on 47.04?

We'll move to 47.05 as soon as this election is over.

The ballot has been sent out. May the best dwarf win.

[Travis Bickle]

When all the dwarves assembled had concluded voting, the votes were counted and the results announced. Not counting abstentions, only seven votes were cast, with three voting for Maximum Spin and four voting for Tonnot. Thus, Tonnot became the newest overseer of Goldsilver.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"It seems," commented Nephilim, "that our brash newcomer has made enough of an impression to win for himself this position. I hope that he proves himself worthy of the job."

[Maximum Spin]

Maximum Spin nods sharply. "Congratulations. I probably won't plot to destroy you this year."

[tonnot98]

1st of Granite

I have been elected as the overseer. I likely nearly cost myself that election by loudly proclaiming my fealty to Iden, and it didn't seem that Nephilim caught the assassination plot I was insinuating, either. Well now that I have the people's trust in me, it is time to get things back in working order, starting with the crime that permeates every level of this filthy place. My first action was to sift through all of the cold cases and see if I could bring closure to those afflicted by random acts of violence. The easiest thing to get out of the way is to convict the dead of the crimes they've comitted. Nothing actually gets done, but the people that reported the crimes feel a bit of vindication at the very least. Hell, there was some dead dwarf on the roster noted as a murderer, who has been dead for about a month and still had pending crimes to be convicted of. Oh, if only all of the fortress' problems were this easy to deal with.



My second action was to make note of repeat offenders, and those who are too weak-willed to continue living within the stressful confines of these walls without constantly snapping. Many of those who are no longer able-bodied or of sound mind will be put into military squads and armed with whatever scraps we have laying about, and then pushed out of the gates in "retaliatory strikes" against the goblins and elves. In actuality this is an easy and productive form of banishment. I'll both conquer new lands for King Iden and rid myself of these people who would likely continue to be headaches in the future. As controversial as this is, I'm sure the citizenry will see things my way when things calm down in a few months. However, I cannot simply send away rival electors so easily without losing all credibility. Unfortunately, it just so happens that quite a few of these electors are exactly the type of problematic people I need to send away. Oh well, if I can't banish them then dwarven justice will take care of things eventually.

Spoiler: Presenting: The Glamour Warriors! (click to show/hide)

Now, I just need to wait until they're used to swinging around swords and axes...

On the topic of justice, I need to find out what I'm going to do about these rebellious Stukists. I can only get by for so long by insinuating that I'm bringing the king here for an assassination plot. Eventually they're going to dig deeper and find out that I truly am a loyalist. I've already informed the Outpost Liasion about how dangerous the situation here is, but I'd bet that simpleton already lost my letters. It will be no easy task to rid myself of this traitorous "black legion" when they make up the entirety of the fortress guard. I'll have to play their game for now, at least until I can move against them without waking up to a knife in my throat.

Spoiler: Presenting: Myself! Tonnot Ambermine! (click to show/hide)

[Travis Bickle]

Journal of Nephilim, Captain of the Black Legion
1st Granite, 257—The enemy operates within the fortress. It is likely that they had already done so for several years now, but now they do so not by stealth or subtlety, but openly. The newest overseer of this crumbling fortress openly announced his support for the false claimant of the Dwarven throne during the election. At this time I know not whether he is merely an ecstatic monarchist fighting on the wrong side of this conflict or if he's an agent in the employ of the usurper. What I am sure of is that he'll be a problem. I was foolish to not issue a harsher condemnation of his candidacy, though it may have not made much of a difference in the outcome. The widespread crime and insanity that has gripped the fortress for these past few years clouded my judgment, restricting my thoughts to only the most immediate concerns. I didn not stop to consider how much damage the enemy could accomplish during just one year in power; did I learn nothing from Eniteris I?

I must act carefully to ensure that the work I have already accomplished is not undone. The Black Legion is still under my command. As long as this is the case, I do not imagine I'll be seeing myself exiled to some frontier hillocks, a fate the new overseer proposed for the less cooperative members of Goldsilver society. I'll have the Legion keep a close eye on this new overseer and his actions. If this overseer has no intention to do anything but beautify the interiors of the fortress and build a few statues to a tyrant, this year may be pleasantly uneventful. If there is a plot to squash the Stukist movement in Goldsilver, however, I must be forewarned.