Address at the Public Forum in Leth

(Leth Deriel, Zoluren: 240 Moliko 356)

For those who could not attend, the following is the address given at the public forum held in Leth concerning the recent events surrounding the town and its mayor:

"Greetings, and welcome all. My name is Tirsten Evanwood, and I will be conducting this public forum tonight. I ask that, in order to keep distractions to a minimum, the audience please keep all pets outside, and have their bleeders healed.

The purpose of this forum is to present several important matters to the public, and then hear questions, concerns, and opinions of the audience. In order that everyone may have an equal voice during the open forum, speaking out of turn, at any time, will not be tolerated.

I will address the audience with the issues at hand, then we will hear responses from public officials if they be in attendance. After that point, we will open the floor to the public.

For almost two years now, the people who dwell in this fair city, the people who have called it home for generations, have lived under an oppressive cloud, overshadowing their joys, and darkening their futures.

This cloud presses in from all sides — from the L’Karm encampments hidden within the nearby forests, from the L’Karm fanatics who harass the townspeople and travelers passing through Leth, and from the L’Karm raiding parties who ambush merchant and supply caravans heading into the city.

Worse yet, the cloud is perhaps darkest within the city walls. Every day the citizens of Leth are faced with the turmoil of the military occupation. These measures intended to protect these people are slowly suffocating them through almost two years of curfews, drunken disorderly conduct, and brawls between provincial guards and local militiamen.

The people of Leth want nothing more than to return to their normal lives. The only way to do this is by eliminating the L’Karm threat. The best way to disable the L’Karm is to eliminate their leader, Ralel.

Ralel has committed high treason against Morganae and her court. After he denounced her as a coward, he commandeered almost a third of her armies against her will, and nearly started a bloody civil war. There is more than enough supporting evidence to convict him of those crimes, so a trial in Illithi would seem natural. He has also committed acts of terrorism and reckless endangerment against the people of the Crossing, bombing the infirmary as well as several other public buildings, so a trial in the Crossing would be understandable.

But now, against Morganae’s direct orders, and without any logic what so ever, Lindryl has petitioned for Ralel’s trial to be moved up to Therengia. Why, of all places, is he now being tried in Therengia? It is the only known province that he has not committed any crimes against. Lindryl’s pretense is “a fair trial.” Since when do terrorists or mass murderers, deserve this treatment? If a man is caught stealing bread in Arthe Dale, is he now to be sent to Riverhaven for trial? So, I ask you now, what are the true motives behind Lindryl’s petition?

The answer is simple, mayor Lindryl Jinsaith is attempting to buy time, and her motives are completely self-centered and self-serving. Each day she refuses to deliver Ralel to Morganae, she compromises an already unstable diplomatic situation, which could leave the people of Leth standing helplessly in the midst of an interprovincial war.

How can the people trust a mayor who selfishly puts her own personal goals ahead of her people’s safety and well-being.. who needlessly risks shattering an already fragile alliance with Illithi.. who carelessly left her people in the middle of an endless siege without any word or hope for a speedy resolution.. Then, finally, when they see the light at the end of the tunnel, she hurls herself in the way, dragging them back into the darkness.

What if, out of foolish desperation, she agrees to an exchange of prisoners?.. Ralel for Keirnen. Even if she plans not to keep her end of the deal, what if her plan fails? Then Ralel is free, and worse yet, she must now answer to Morganae for letting the traitor escape. The last thing we need, is to give Morganae a reason to declare war on Leth for the mayor’s negligence.

Lindryl has already expended what little time she had left. The delaying tactics she is resorting to now could prove disastrous. She is gambling with Morganae’s patience, and the lives of the people in Leth Deriel are hanging in the balance.

Neither is this the first time Lindryl has shown her utter disregard for her position. I bring to your attention the marriage between Ralel and Lindryl. It is already known that this union was solely for political gain. Now, I ask, who gained what? Ralel, naturally wanted control over Leth Deriel. In exchange, Lindryl was promised a seat at Morganae’s court. Lindryl agreed to these terms, in essence, trading her people’s futures away. When she met Keirnen, she backed out of the deal, demanding a divorce from Ralel, and this only made the situation worse. That tactless decision is what led to Ralel’s petition to Morganae for military action against Leth and the ensuing power struggle in her court..

Two acts of selfishness, two crimes committed against the people who trusted her, who looked to her for guidance. The first, perhaps bad judgment, corruption finds its way into even the most honest of souls. But this second offense, stubbornly refusing to surrender the traitor Ralel, endangering the safety and happiness of those people who count on her for safety and protection..

The questions I leave you with tonight.. Is the life of this Keirnen more valuable than the thousands of lives that would be lost because of him? More importantly.. Is Lindryl Jinsaith, truly a competent leader? Is she fit to look after this town after she has caused it so many hardships? And finally, can she be entrusted with the lives of the people who live in this fair city, and futures of the children who will one day call it home?"

End recount.

Since neither Lindryl or any other public officials were in attendance, the floor was opened to the public. Several close friends of Lindryl spoke on her behalf, of past events which showed her caring and dedication to her people. One indicidual claimed that her people would often bring her flowers and other gifts as she walked the streets. I doubted this, as I had never seen Lindryl walk the streets (she has either been away or in hiding for the past year and a half), nor ever heard of people giving her gifts. Later I visited the mayoral branch of the Dyaus, and found her desk baren, and her office completely devoid of flowers or any other tokens of appriciation from the townspeople of Leth.

Further discussions are being conducted at this time, and another public forum is being planned and will be announced to the public soon.

-Tirsten Evanwood