Patent Pending - Shralesta - RPLOG
Contents
Participants
Notable NPCs
Date
29/6/477
Log
It is late afternoon, a few hours after noonday mass, and each of the larger churches of the fine desert-city of Shralesta has sent its high priest to the megacathedral.
Each of them wearing only the finest robes, and ready to convene with High Lady Longtail's delegation. The Lady herself is not here though, doubtlessly enjoying a quiet noon with her recently lifebonded partner, exploring the city and showing him around town, leaving Lina, Cassidy and Brutus to fend for themselves.
The gathered priests are of varying species, with, from left to right, a young-looking lion and an elderly lizard, an ursine priestess, with a Small Folk crest at her belt line despite being a large being. To the right of her and slightly in front of her, a duo of a female mouse-being and a male jackal.
At the very front of the group is the hawk that was present at Flora's lifebonding, and due to his regalia, it is more apparent by the moment that he, in fact, leads Shralesta's largest church.
Finally, to the right of him, a jackal, a camel, and a hyena, each of them smart folk, with a fennec to the for back and right, wearing no clan-marks at all... An apostate? As the high priest?
Brutus stumps in, adorned in his most impeccable Sweetwater finery, his fur oiled and hair sheened, and smelling as if he was ravaged by a gang of pleasantly aromatic Plant-Folk. Nevertheless, he seems less winded than he did at the life-bonding. To the Shralestans assembled he sweeps a deep bow, though he balances himself still on the walking stick as he does so.
"We are humbled by the hospitality of your fine city for the nuptials of Lady Longtail, and deeply grateful that you grant us this audience," he begins in his pleasantly unctuous baritone.
Cassidy wanders in alongside Brutus, dressed up in her white and blue finery, long gloves and all. She says nothing, though, frowning slightly when she sees that Flora is not present. A soft nod to Brutus and a murmured "You've got this, I'm sure. I'll be here for emotional support."
Lina follows the grouping along with a hurried step, gawking to and fro as she checks out all the spots of intrest, greeting each and every person she meets with formal excitement. She was in the church and while she promised to be good at the wedding she was still supposed to be mostly good everywhere it counted.
"Yes yes. Of course, of course," the hawk begins, before gesturing at a stairwell to the side of the church. "Shall we head to the conference-room and not waste any time on chit-chat?" he states, blandly, before glancing at the other priests. The young lion seems to be the only one to truly agree with him, while the others are in various states of disagreement.
For example, the elderly lizard is quite excitedly shaking Brutus' hand, not wasting any time asking for permission, while the fennec and mouse are content watching the foreigners from their current spot. Some of them have a slight frown on their face, while others seem to be more excited about the outsiders instead. Yet again, there are two of them that show no particular interest at all, being the female jackal and the hyena.
Brutus chuckles as he greets the excitable old Lizard currently trying to shake his arm off. "As you wish, my lord," he replies to the Hawk, "Lead, and we shall follow."
As with all said in high society, of course, there was a double meaning to this, if any of the bickering mucky-mucks were listening..,
Cassidy turns to follow the others towards the conference room, folding her hands in front of her all proper-like. She was quite good at pulling off the stately and proper look, when it was needed.
A short few glances between the various priests, a small roll of the shoulder. "Motion to move to the conference room?" the hawk finally bellows as he looks between the other priests, who seem to mumble among one-another and finally, after several minutes of bickering, nod in unison. "Aye."
Finally, all of the priests move towards the exit indicated before, while the lizard gestures at the flat roof where a dome shold be. "We converse in the dome. There will be three stairs... Think you can handle it?" he jokes with a smirk. Clearly, age hasn't touched his sense of humor any.
Brutus gives a tight-lipped smile at the Lizard's jest. "Worry not, good sir--I am capable of great feats of strength when duty so requires," he replies lightly, following along, taking note off the resuming chatter among the gathered folks...the Hawk was a familiar figure, but he should make it a point to do introductions and find out who the rest of these fellows were.
Cassidy bobs her head along to some unheard tune. "Yes, shouldn't be any problem," she says distantly as if the comment was directed at her. "Lead on and let's get down to business, hmm?"
Lina follows along the group as swiftly as she can, her focus on the conversation fleeting, there is so much chatter and she's interested in it all. She does catch a jest at Brutuses physique and she distinctly remembers her first words to the rotund noble. She stays quiet for now, not seeing a polite point to speak with.
"Very well... Welcome to the conference-room. It is... Customary for guests to sit first. The first text advocates hospitality, after all," he mumbles, gesturing at four particular chairs at the round table, one for each cardinal direction. North, east, south and west. "Allow me to introduce myself and my... Peers. I am Antoine Grayfeather, high priest of this fine church, and, currently, head of state. This is-" he mumbles, gesturing at the lizard, before being cut off. "I'm old. Not deaf or senile, Antoine. Why don't we introduce ourselves?" he mumbles, eliciting another full round of bickering among the priests, before they all agree to his motion, Antoine and the lion a little... Reluctantly.
"As I was saying... Dionysius goldenscale."
One by one, each of the priests introduces themselves, before seating themselves. The lion, Gerard Silvermane. The fennec, Stephen Sandfur. The two jackals appear to be related, one Selin, one Seth Nighthide, though they do not appear to hold one-another in high esteem.
Soon enough, each of them has introduced themselves, and all of them are seated, vesting their attention upon Antoine.
"Now then... Let us open this meeting."
And again, bickering, although simple things do not seem to take quite as long, and everyone is soon in agreement, as Antoine purses his lips lightly. "Now... Sir... Blackback, I believe? Why, pray tell, should we veer this far off course from the First Text? I do presume you are aware of our... Mode of governance?"
Brutus takes the Northern seat at Antoine's insistence, though his eyes flash with smouldering frustration at being introduced with a loaded question. "Aye, I am Brutus of House Blackback, accompanied today by Lady Cassidy of House Solacious and Lady Lina of House Longtail, and cousin to High Lady Flora." He folds his great,
thick hands over one another. "Aye, sir, a council of Though, my lord Grayfeather, we propose no such radical deviation-- in fact, our local Church representatives feel the notion is meet to the First Text. Not only will it preserve and continue the great body of knowledge, but it also encouraging its pursuit, as it protects the innovators and seekers, those who hunger for discovery but may not be able to fund the entire production on their own and are loath to be beholden to a patron."
Cassidy flashes a genuine smile as she's introduced. "A pleasure. Yes, as mister Blackback has said, we do not seek to deviate from the First Text. Far from it! We look for a middle ground. A different understanding that will benefit many."
Another large ruckus as the priests discuss the various words that have been spoken, mostly between those seated next to one another, and it takes a little while before another speaks up.
"Yes, yes... We all know you are against anything that goes against the exact letter of the First Text, Gerard. Now, I would like to know /how/ this would help the Church's goals of safeguarding promise's knowledge for the next generations... Because after all, I will have to agree with my peers on the fact that it surely sounds like an idea that could bar access to such knowledge."
Another round of mumbling, before the word is offered to Brutus and Cassidy once more, the ten priests each looking at another half of the duo, while Lina... Well, Lina's distant gazing eyes are mostly ignored.
Brutus's eyes gleam as he edges himself up out of the seat, slowly marching behind Antoine and his companions as he speaks.
"Ah, but current practice already does so! If your family seeks to dye their own cloth or fur, or wright their own ships and nets for fishing...if they seek to do so without the cooperation of their respective guilds, it is virtually impossible, is it not? They say it's because these are matters that require specialized education, or contain trade secrets not for outsiders. So you seek their aid and their education, and do they give it freely?"
He thumps the point of his cane on the floor emphatically. "No! You must join their guild, apprentice for them and work as their servant, to their profit, or pay their fees to see it made, or join their organization, pay them for the privilege, and relinquish your designs so that those who contributed nothing to it may yet profit from your work, while choking out any independent laborers who seek to follow their own path!" he finishes, winging his hands fiercely on the well-worn head of the walking stick.
Cassidy gestures towards brutus and nods. "Yes. As he said, when you want to make something but don't know how, yourself, you have to pay someone else to show you how. This is much the same, but it allows it on a larger scale. On group of people can learn how to make something from another, and that way they both profit, in addition to the individual buyer who can get it for less. When I first heard it, I assumed it to be just another money-grubbing plan, but as I thought about it I see that it is less so. And if someone learns how to make something similar on their own without help? Well that's all fine, too, and life goes on as usual."
Again, the priests fire off into a debate right as Brutus' staff hits the creator steel floor with a clang, while Dionysius listens in to Cassidy as well, silently.
Finally, after another while of discussion, Seth Nighthide speaks up, looking between Selin, Cassidy, Brutus, and Antoine in silence, before rumbling. "This is all good, and possibly true, even... I see you've managed to convince my sister, and I know she's not stupid... Just a little... Ignorant of the true meaning of the First Text, but that aside," he mumbles, waiting for Antoine to stifle a protest from Selin.
"How would you ensure people don't still steal the ideas? I trust you have already decided the punishments and ways we should investigate things like this?" he rumbles.
"Don't get me wrong, but I don't... Appreciate it if outsiders decide to interfere with our politics," he mumbles after a while, causing another uproar among the priests, stifling after a few minutes, all eyes settled upon brutus.
Brutus seats himself once more, splaying his paws in a gesture of 'hands-off'. "We realize that each state will have its own opinions, and we do not seek to rewrite the laws of these other countries." He sets his great hands on the treacle once more. "The minutiae of laws and penalties will fall to each local government to do as they may." A fist rises and a single finger points upward. "What we propose, is the system of safekeeping.
"Now, the desert flower Shralesta, my dear home of Sweetwater, shrewd Cliffside, the remote mountains of Thera'dor--what do they have in common?" He gestures about the dome with a flourish. "The Church! And our local priests have agreed to be stewards of these designs and ideas, this...intellectual property. They keep it on file, and when a citizen wishes to make something, they go to the Church and ask if such a thing exists. If so, they are granted the schematics, at no more a cost than a tithe to the noble institution for their service, and perhaps a small fee to be paid to the originator for use of their idea, if you choose to levy it. Thus, the innovator is rewarded for their creation, and the knowledge is a available to any and all who enter the Church."
Cassidy raises her brow, not having much to add after that. Instead, she nods and offers a gesture of consent. "As he said, yes. It will be up to you to police things as you see fit."
Another round of discussion, another mumble among those, before they look towards Brutus once more, and finally, Stephen Sandfur, the apostate priest speaks up. "So, if I understand this correctly, your plan would benefit the small being, without the support of his peers, to allow them to make a living with their ideas, without needing the support of his peers or superiors? Instead, he goes to the church, and we ensure his ideas are available at a small fee?" he summarizes, before looking towards Antoine with a small smirk, then around the room.
"So, your proposal is for the churches of Promise to cooperate to this end, and for us to write legislation for the Jewel of the Desert, Shralesta?" Antoine sums up, nearly silently, before once again, firing off into a debate, long-winded, and with words in favor or against firing off between the different high priests.
Nearly silent, Dionysius hisses towards Brutus and Cassidy, suggesting it's best if they wait this out. Leaving during the final discussion is very, very bad form.
Brutus nods, though he suppresses a small shudder at the tone his pitch is summarized in-somehow, it still sounds like a brush-off. "Not only the independent being who is not part of the guild, but any collective that has the will to invent, but may lack the means to mass-produce. My lady Flora would like to see her 'camera' available to all, but House Longtail lacks the means to finance a fishing expedition and see if we get a bite, so to speak. But with the designs available to all, those with the idea can sell it, and those with means may buy it. Guilds can become places where crafters and artisans share tips and plan joint ventures, instead of secret clubs that only enrich their officials and hoard knowledge jealously. The details are up to reach government, aye, but the idea is to build a marketplace for one's intellectual property." He gives a final nod. "Each state may determine their fees and penalties, but the Church ensures all have open access," he concludes, folding his hands, and shifting his bulk in the chair, getting comfortable while he awaits their final decision.
Cassidy smiles and nods at Stephen. "Yes, exactly. It's to support people that have ideas but not the means, as well as people that have means but not the ideas. Maybe you've got a dreamer that likes to come up with great ideas in his spare time, but you know, he's not doing so great on finances. It'd be a shame to let those ideas go to waste, wouldn't it? Sure, he could take it to a guild at which point it'd not really be -his- idea. Or he could give his idea to the church, and if others want to make it and sell it, they can. And he gets a stipend for the use of that."
It takes a good thirty minutes, but finally, the ten priests fold their arms, looking to Antoine, silently. "A decission... Has been made. We have voted in favor of this... Idea."
"That is to say, we shall forward it to the rest of Shralesta, to be discussed during the noonday-masses, and among the high priests. As you are well-aware, Shralesta is a mighty nation, a giant, if you will... But she sleeps for a long time, while we unify our thoughts and goals. It is not often an idea finds unanimous support, and until that is the case, we shall not implement this system. We trust you... Understand?" Antoine monologues, before clicking his beak lightly.
"In the mean time... We hope you will enjoy the remainder of your stay in this fine city, until your duties see you elsewhere."
Brutus's smile is subdued, but his heart songs with joy at the decision. Flora will respect him, the family might even consider granting his majority for it! He sweeps another deep bow as he levers himself to his feet. "Of course, my lord. I am well aware of the speed of government, as it were." Lina would surely fawn over him, once she got her feet on the ground...the rotund Skunk makes his acknowledgements and farewells out of habit, his mind already on how to leverage this for a raise with High Lady Longtail...
Cassidy folds her hands in her lap and smiles. "That is a good outcome, yes. I will continue to enjoy the lovely city, as you say. Thank you for your time today." She pushes herself up and gives a light curtsy before moving off after Brutus.
