The Election Campaign of Heffa
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Heffa's campaign begins with less flash than those of others, with simple fliers appearing in the City's streets in all districts. The Dwarf himself is reported to have met with General Neverith, General Ash and Lady Daisy Millern all on the first of the month.
"Vote for Heffa, he's your man!"
"No to slavery, yes to trade - Heffa can compromise"
"Heffa; One hundred years more experienced than other candidates!"
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As the election campaigns begin to near their end, Heffa finally finds his way to the Civic District for his last rally. An impressive gathering of the City's upper classes turns out, no doubt thanks to the efforts of Heffa's supporters amongst the Daedalus family.
"Its been a long an' tough road, this campaign. Same as the recent history of this City. This is the part where I reckon I'm supposed to impress upon ye all how I'm just as traditional an' blue blooded as Snydders. Well, I ain't gonna try, cause ye won't buy it, cause it just ain't so.
I'll give ye credit enough not to be wastin' yer time with empty words. I'll say this much though, ye like yer traditions, well…I am a dwarf, I can understand that. Ye can nay like 'em too much though. I have an inklin' that many o' ye are plannin' on votin' Snydders come pollin' times, eh? Well, today I'll tell ye why its Heffa you should be votin' instead.
The answer is simple enough folks, an' some of ye...have copped it already. City's always votin' on a Seafarer, an' where does it get us? Same old shite, every bloody time. I remember there used t'be a Makere on the Senate. I remember there used to be a Je'laan on the Senate. Now who've we got? Who do you have? Just Fisher, by the looks of it. I ain't sayin' I'm a Makere, an' I reckon I'm a little short to be a Je'laan...but they're the kinda Senators I'd be like. Different. Better.
If ye want more of the same, go on an' vote Snydders. If ye remember when Senators had a bit more to 'em than the Ashalds an' their buddies...I'm yer man."
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General Neverith of the Defenders and General Marcus Ash of the Guard both declare their support for Heffa, not long after also supporting Captain Aelthas.
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Another grand affair kicks off in the Commerce District, with banners and pennants all around the western gatehouse, atop which Heffa addresses a large crowd gathered below.
"Peltarch, I'm standin' up here because this wall has just been rebuilt thanks to the funds provided by Senator Thel. Outside the western watchtower is bein' rebuilt thanks to the same fella. Its been a source of pride fer me to look at these walls an' them that man 'em.
Fer years they've been there, keepin' us safe. An' whenever they've been broken down or aught, there's been a fella like Thel or Dunderstone to set 'em right again. An' there's always been the Stonemasons to make 'em better every time! Mayhaps its nothing but that I'm a dwarf, but I look at a wall like this an' I see Peltarch's history, long an' grand. Giants, ogres, Hoarsgate, kobolds, rebels, orcs, eastlanders, lizards and bloody N'Jast…all of 'em battered themselves up on these walls, an' aye sometimes they got through...but I ain't seein' any of 'em here today!
Mariston Thel was wise to see to the rebuildin' of the defenses right away. But all of Peltarch's greatest foes have assailed our city from th' south. The southern Watchtower that was destroyed in the War has saved our City a hundred times, an' I mean for it to be rebuilt t'do it again! Not only a bastion to protect us, an' forewarn us of attacks, the Watchtower was a symbol of Peltarch's power an' might.
The bandit chief Atol himself came to tear it down, an' we beat him back, an' we chased him down until he had fled all the way back to his wretched town, and there he an' his fell! Creatures magical an' terrifyin' 'ave tried to tear it down, an' failed. I say we cannae let N'Jast be the ones to have that victory over us! The tower goes back up! An' if Enenan Snydders wants t'steal this idea from me too, he's welcome to, if his pocketbook'll stretch that far!"
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Grak can be heard commenting in the crowd
"aye, me hears dat all dem shuntys development ideas fell for deaf ears within them current chieftains. Dem speaks da words of thruth, aye. If Grak recalls correctly, shortly after da siege of dis town it wuz dis shunty indeeds, who laboured like large ox, ta clear da debris ta allow rebuilding begin.Also Grak has heard dat makin' of dem ale gots dem step where da maker needs ta taste dem sample of dem batch. So, if sometimes dem shunty has been seen walking bit unsteadily dat means dat dem shunty bes very hard working type. Sumthing dat dis large-town woulds need as a chieftain.
Dere bes all kinds of vermins trying to skulk inta garments of boss ere. Grak says dat dem shunty ere bests all other wanna-be-bosses around ere. Aye
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_A massive rally begins in the Docks District at noon, a huge stand built outside the Stonemasons Guild, with the Guild colours and the colours of the noble Daedelus family adorning it. Food, drink and music are all freely available, with ale aficionados noting a large quantity of quality brews from the Dwarven Hold present. Crowds around the area are dense, dwarves from the Stonemasons are all close to the front (doing their best not to be too gruff, with the aid of much ale), many labourers under the Guild's employ are also present as well as an awful lot of people from the rest of the city's Lower Guilds. There are also a lot of Wavebreakers present, though they are mostly out of uniform and none of their officers or Captains are present.
After people have all had a good chance to stuff their faces and enjoy the atmosphere, Lord Jesomar Daedelus takes the stand, his robust figure casting an impressive image combined with the traditional mason's hammer hanging from his belt._
"Peltarch!"
He booms the word out, his deep voice enhanced by magic to reach across the entire crowd, the cheering crowd falling into a moderate hush of attention.
"I have lived to see my city torn apart by war, and then rebuilt brick by brick, hour by hour. My family and the Stonemasons Guild spent these hours, laid these bricks and brought Peltarch back from the destruction laid on us by N'Jast. I say this not as a boast, for there are many men and women without whom we could never have done this! Gold from Senator Mariston Thel, manpower from many of you here today and all over these Docks, the guidance of General Lavindo and Captain Varid Illesqueth!
But there is one man without whom none of our efforts could have been possible! One man who brought the Stonemasons together, who kept them independant of other Guild's interests so they could focus on the task of rebuilding, one man who worked tirelessly for our City and our People, who always insisted rebuilding be done on the basis of need and not on the basis of wealth!
That same man is one who I could not be prouder to give my voice and the support of my family in his bid to become the first dwarven Senator of this fair City! Peltarch! I give you Heffa!"
Jesomar stands to one side as Heffa stride up onto the centre of the platform, his beard in distinguished looking braids for the occassion, as the crowd thunders its approval below. Only after several attempts and despite the presdigations on his voice, can Heffa make himself heard.
"Thank ye fer comin' out today, Peltarch! An' my thanks to Lord Daedelus for his words an' his support today. These are tough times, when few men can be counted on, an' let me tell ye, Jesomar Daedelus is one of 'em!
I won't be keepin' ye from the fun for too long, us dwarves ain't much fer talkin' too long. We're better at listenin' I reckon. An' I been listenin' well enough these past few months! Hearin' such nonsense about this Oscura business that me ears are filled to the brim with it!
I'll spell it out clear as day. Slavery's their main complaint, an' my answer to that is fer anyone with a problem with slavery t'get on their horse an' ride over to OSCURA an' do somethin' about it! Punishin' the business of Peltarch over the sins of Oscura ain't goin' to free a single ruddy slave, it'll just make them bleeters sleep better at night with the illusion they're doin' something about slavery! I don' know about ye…but I say Peltarch shouldn't be the one to pay when slavery's still gonna be swingin' high over in Oscura all the same!
As fer other things, I got more aye...much more. Us in the Stonemasons, us an' Lavindo, we planned out this city back durin' the reconstruction. An' then the bloody Senate got re-elected and what happened? They bollocksed it all up, is what! Spent all the gold on refittin' these docks, an' meanwhile the market in the Commerce was in shite, an' merchants had t'pay for their own refurbishin' or else...like th'most of 'em, move to another city! So we got these brand spankin' new docks, an' not enough folks and places in the Commerce District to sell enough to make good use of all the gold spend in this district!
What's the short of it, Heff? Refurbishin' the Commerce District, that's what. Call it civic renewal, call it fixin' it up, call it whatever, it's gotta be done, it shoulda been done an' if I get in I'm gonna do it!
Jesomar an' the Stonemasons here rebuilt Peltarch brick by brick, like he said, now its your turn to start rebuildin' a Senate that's worth something...startin' with me! I'm from a Guild with simple, honest interests owned by simple honest men and women. I got no secrets, no agendas, only to call things like I see 'em, an' then...if ye'll let me, get right to fixin' 'em. I'm as plain as day, folks. An' it be plainer still that I'm the man fer the job."
The crowd is already bellowing and unruly by the time Heffa wraps up, his outright attack on the Senate apparently unexpected but certainly successful in riling the crowd up into an excited state, and it is some time before the rally calms back down to the festival atmosphere it began with.
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@896d34dac0=Caoimh:
Heffa's campaign begins with less flash than those of others, with simple fliers appearing in the City's streets in all districts. The Dwarf himself is reported to have met with General Neverith, General Ash and Lady Daisy Millern all on the first of the month.
"Vote for Heffa, he's your man!"
"No to slavery, yes to trade - Heffa can compromise"
"Heffa; One hundred years more experienced than other candidates!"
Grak can be heard commenting Heffa's campaign
"Pfff, dem barrel of shunty shall but drink und leech dem town coffers dry, like typical hin-thief in da night. Grak says nay fer dis lout. Wus dis simpleton just dat one, who wuz crying in da streets aboot terrible headache after sip of some pointy-ear wine. Dem who cans hold deir liquir bes nay worthy of Graks vote.. Hmph!"
