[a speech delivered by a confident young man in a leather coat in the Town Hall]

Hello, Sanctuary. My name is Sylus Gray, and I’m running for the Sanctuary Council.

In light of First Citizen Bhast’s death, I'm apprehensive about delivering this speech. I have some large shoes to fill. First Citizen Bhast embodied many of the philosophies I hold , and though I disagreed with his decision to become take control, I share a similar vision for Sanctuary.

When I was preparing to run, I spoke with many of you about what you’re concerned with, about what you wanted from your Council. Many of you expressed discontent with a largely inactive Council. Most of you told me that they didn’t believe the Council was listening to them. Most of you told me that over the last year, Sanctuary’s become more dangerous! Less happy!

It is about time Sanctuary got back on track. It’s about time the Council starts pursuing agendas that help YOU, the people, not religious demagogues, bogus crusaders, or sensationalistic fools.

First, I’m going to tell you the truth: I’m not going to have miraculous solutions to all of your problems. I’m not going to make Sanctuary as safe as it can be, because no one man can do that. I’m not going to promise that we’ll find the Surface anytime soon.

Here’s what I promise. I will work to further the two issues most of you hold close to your hearts. Safety and comfort. Many of you shake your heads at the notion of comfort. How can we be comfortable down here, in a place so hostile, in a place so devoid of the comforts of the Surface? How can we do more then merely survive? We need to stop thinking about the Sanctuary in Surface terms. Other races, from the vile drow, the insidious illithids, to the thriving Svirfneblin, live in cities more secure then any on the Surface. I’ll tell you right now: if they can do it, so can we. We are as intelligent, as strong, and as motivated as any other group down here.

We need to stop supporting the Seekers, whose sole function is to foster rebellion and trouble, and search aimlessly for a path that may or may not exist. If they haven’t found it for the past a hundred and fifty years, how could we now, and if we did, how could we justify leaving our old, and young? It’s about time we hold the Seekers accountable, and give their funding to groups that will make us safer and happier.

We need to foster economic growth that the Council has been stifling over the last year. If elected, I will meet with any businesses that have feasible ideas and want them implemented, and introduce legislation allowing the funding of organizations with coherent, reasonable, and necessary business ideas, so that our economy, and business, will prosper. We need to promote new business in Sanctuary, and your government needs to start supporting it, so that we’ll never have to rely on thieving duergar or illithid thralls again.

The brave men and women of the Watch are our truest heroes, and the Council needs to introduce legislation that will help them do their jobs. I will work with the Watch, not against them. After all of the losses they’ve suffered over the past couple of months, including three new Sheriffs, they need our support now more then ever. If elected I’ll pursue ways to increase enrollment in the Watch, increase their funding, and improve their fortifications. We need to focus on securing all of Sanctuary, making certain that infiltration, whether it be by Chosen, or rebels, is impossible.

I will work on providing public services for all of Sanctuary. For too long we’ve lived in Sanctuary as though it was just a resting point. The Seekers have failed in finding a feasible route to the service, and Sanctuary has accepted that. We need to stop focusing on the Surface, and start focusing on our own safety and happiness.

Finally, and most importantly, I will not be another silent man on the Council. If elected, I will speak with you, directly to you, every week that I sit on the Council. I’ll tell you what we’re doing, what we want to do, and how we plan on doing it. The Council has been mysterious, inactive, or both, for far too long.

For a safer, more comfortable, Sanctuary vote Sylus Gray.