An Essay on Sanctuary's Dysfunctional Communication,
Varlam Nikitovich, Agent of the Spellguard, in Eleasis 151.
(Second Draft: 9 Eleasis 151)
There is no greater threat to our continued survival than miscommunication and misinformation. We may believe that after One-hundred and Fifty-one years we have earned a state of near normalcy, or even security, but there are empires far older and stronger than our fledgling city in the ‘dark. All they need to manipulate us is for us to make ourselves weak, and we are in the process of doing this for our enemies. Due to mismanagement of Tiger Eye relations, a poor understanding between Upper and Lower Sanctuary, and inefficient intra-organizational communication within Sanctuary, we are putting ourselves in imminent peril.
Our first terrible mistake in recent events was how we handled the Tiger Eye Mercenary Company. By the time settlement began expanding into “the Sanctuary below”, what would become Upper Sanctuary was supposedly well managed by law enforcement and imitation of nobility was becoming rooted; as a result, many newly freed slaves were unable to compare with the standard of living and chose the then-frontier lands. The Tiger Eyes, a primarily-Duergar company, represented slavers taking over their freedom. Many Lower residents may have even been escaped Duergar slaves. Worse yet, the Tiger Eyes were on the pay roll of the city, governed from above in the pristine Town Hall. Being Mercenaries, the Tiger Eyes were loyal only to the coin, and even there took liberties regarding their defense contract with the Sanctuary Council. Reports of abuse by the Tiger Eyes was largely unpunished, resulting eventually in a 2% budget cut in Alturiak 151, years after their institution and months before the revolt that would destroy them. What action that was taken against them by city officials was done by the Watch and the Spellguard, Upper Sanctuary’s law enforcement agencies, instead of the Council. This was usually in the form of warrants after sufficient evidence was acquired for a capital trial. Because the Tiger Eyes were on the Warrants Bulletin receiving list and Watch and Spellguard could not safely arrest in Lower Sanctuary, wanted mercenaries were often able to “hide” in Lower until the warrant was forgotten or even retracted. What few Tiger Eyes were arrested for their crimes and tried were usually exiled from Upper Sanctuary, or Sanctuary as a whole (in which case they would “hide” in Lower). The Tiger Eye’s fondness for drink and poor recruitment standards ultimately resulted in known and dangerous criminals destroying the company from within in a staged riot towards the end of Kythorn 151.
Since its settlement, Lower Sanctuary’s lack of understanding of Upper Sanctuary’s developed standards has made it a threat to our continued existence. After it was discovered unregulated magic use and criminal activity ran rampant in this section of the city, a failed and likely hasty attempt to impose order through a Watch presence cost us the appreciation for law and order that Lower Sanctuary desperately requires. A cold and detached guard force and secretive defense wizards garnered no trust during the settlement of the “Sanctuary below”, despite the fact that proper diplomacy might have revealed that Upper Sanctuary developed for over a century those laws and practices, which had and would continue to preserve it, with much reason. Common sense might have prevailed then and quickly weakened the criminal hold on this section of the city. Instead of seeking reason and the support of what good people resided in Lower, heightened security measures were taken, resulting in the Lysik Revolt in 118 where Lysik’s Lancers seized the Watch bunker in the area and attempted to form a separatist “Ascendant Regime”. There was no diplomacy with the “Supreme Ascendant” Jher Lysik, and Watch Sheriff Dhogur was granted emergency powers to retake Lower Sanctuary. What followed was a ruthless (and by that point, necessary) domination of the city below. No attempts were made during this time to make the “dominated” people aware of the necessity of stable law enforcement, and two years later the Ubel Rebellion transpired. The resulting chaos affected the whole of Sanctuary. Once again, the opportunities for words had long passed and only force could set right the wrongs in the city. After the quelling of the Ubel Rebellion, the Upper Sanctuary Council and Mayor Yorrick Bresley took a stance of appeasement, making decisions that were sure to calm the rioters but that, in the long run, would hinder Sanctuary’s progress towards stability. Some of these actions, such as stripping the Spellguard of their arrest powers, were undone out of necessity relatively recently.
Finally, we come to issues originating within Sanctuary’s own city-funded agencies. Alone, each organization has a proud history, but when observed collectively reveal poor cooperation and communication. Most devastating is the relationship between the Order of the Spellguard and the Seekers, stemming from the death of former Commander Melinda Bresley and the controversial judgement which followed. For better or worse, Ivlysar Tal’en’qir- arrested for Melinda’s murder- continues to lead the Seekers. Under the direction of Commander Stephanos Simms, the Spellguard continues to ward Sanctuary’s buildings as they are established and develop the need to deter scrying, and remain aware of the magical threats within and on the outskirts of Dunwarren, as well as retrofitting of the ancient Svirfneblin defense animatrons. While the Seekers look abroad for freedom, the Spellguard focuses on Sanctuary’s prolonged existence. Their objectives often clash, the Spellguard believing that Seeker operations may agitate our hostile neighbors and destroy us all, the Seekers believing that the Spellguard have no desire to see the people of Sanctuary safely to the surface. The Seekers may indeed be a great risk to Sanctuary’s survival, but for this risk they provide much needed hope and even scouting intelligence. The Spellguard may or may not have any interest in the surface now, but that does not mean they would subject the thousands who have broken the bonds of slavery to a life without sunlight. Their charge is the arcane defense of Sanctuary, and thus the Order will see to their charge. Most deserving of mention in regards to charge and duty is the Town Watch, as long-standing and changing as Sanctuary itself. As Grendshur, author of “The Reckoning of Law”, points out, the Watch has gone through various stages, from heroic defenders of the frontier to sturdy, unflinching gate keepers. Its latest and likely completed stage may be the lax years (for “corrupt years” may be harsh and in decades to come, misleading). With the execution of Sheriff Walters after his slaver-ring involvement was exposed, the Watch will hopefully be entering a reform stage. Watch files which may have brought Walters under suspicious were not transcribed or made available to the Spellguard, or more appropriately the Seekers who specialize in freedom raids and the like. Instances of intra-organizational document requests usually result in opposition to the release of the document or worse, “I don’t know if we have anything on it, stop wasting our time” responses. Years of documentation become lost, accessible only when a member of that city agency takes the initiative to hunt it down. Rarely does this happen on behalf of an outside party.
Our past- the Tiger Eyes- our present- Upper and Lower’s disputes- and the governmental communication issues in the foreseeable future are elements of Sanctuary’s possible demise. We are weakened by a lack of understanding and poor sharing of information. Steps must carefully be taken to manage the situation in the years- perhaps even months- to come.