Discourse I-II
From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki
Title: Discourse I-II
Author: Isk
An Introduction
I, Isk, A Magincian, a Regent, once part of the Moonglow Town Council, having lived through many things and engaged in great politics write to you concerning a matter that is necessary for your reading; that being the running of town councils. I have separated this book into two discourses the first concerning citizens and the second concerning militias. Surely you will find it enlightening.
Discourse I-II
[On the Subject of Town Councils]
I. On How a Constant Presence Within a Town Brings About a Larger Citizen Class
Many are of opinion concerning the subject of whether or not a constant presence in terms of member visibility is necessary when it comes to town councils. The goal of any town council is to incorporate as many elements of a city into itself as possible as to make it a permanent fixture in the life of the city. No other town council has done this better than the Moonglow Town Council, a council which when measured by Lord British time, has has been in existence for over a decade.
When Moonglow remained an active presence within its city’s fence many in the realm would venture to the island of honesty in order to see the council and gain an understanding of what it was about. It is with this that the citizen ranks swelled and daily life became more in tune with the true machinery of a city. When a town council sets its success on the backs of ordinary citizens innovation and events become the backbone of the city. Festivals, parades, contests and a busy tavern were the hallmarks of Moonglow’s success all of which resulted in greater numbers of recruits. The same can be said for the Trinsic Council of Honor which had only citizens to call upon and brought to the realm great dancing balls and bazaars. These events gave citizens a constant point of involvement and continuously increased recruitment as who would not wish to be part of a town so active?
II. On How War is the Ultimate Cause of any Town Council’s Decline
It is a necessary fact that all town councils must rely upon a strong militia to defend their borders and secure the safety of their citizens. When a town is attacked it can count on both its militia and citizens to defend as the citizens often have more to lose they could easily be persuaded to take up arms in defense of their homes. It is an entirely different matter when it comes to declaring war for the purpose of fighting on foreign soil.
I invoke the example of the Moonglow Town Council. When the Moonglow Town Council began an aggressive policy towards the Protectorate the priority of the city changed from enhancing and supporting the citizens to enhancing and supporting the militia. Taverns became less frequented as did the Zoo, peaceful politicians were displaced or disappeared for generals gained a greater voice. The city thus entered a static period by which everyone waited for the first battle with the Protectorate. Wise Adrien as an enemy of the Moonglow Town Council saw this and stretched out any possible engagement. This resulted in a decline of citizen presence as most began to rely on things read on paper over things gleamed by talking to others while others who would usually bake or enjoy a cool Moonglow night would instead be made to train having joined the militia.
Thus when the first battle came and having met success and being presented with the notion that there would be more battles to come the militia remained the main drive of the town council and since soldiers are praised for battle above all else the decline in active city presence fell dramatically since (as is the case in all town councils) those in the militia felt they were needed only in a fight and those citizens not part of the militia felt that their city’s success can simply be obtained through fighting. And so the state of Moonglow remains today in worse shape than it did before it entered into hostilities.