Alistair,
The Seekers and their pursuit of the surface v. the erection of permanent government in Dunwarren proper.
The Seekers as a group are comprised of whimsical, disloyal dilettantes who seem perfectly willing to ignore any sense of responsibility, duty, or allegiance when it is no longer convenient for them. Their decision to reside within Lower Sanctuary and abandon Upper Sanctuary is the final blow in their complete and utter abrogation of any sense of responsibility and faith they might be offered by the Council. What they choose to do on their own is their provenance, but any official support for their activities from the Council should not be forthcoming, as they have proven themselves unable to fulfill the requirements and mandates of such support.
As for their desire to reach the surface, that is their choice to pursue, and I would commend any citizens who have the drive and the initiative to seek out a path to the surface. That being said, however, the role of the Council and the government of Sanctuary should be to provide for the governance, the safety, and the defense of this city-not to attempt to recklessly and blindly pursue a path to the surface that most of its citizens could not survive, were it to be discovered. Given further the fact that discoveries of surface routes appear to be largely fortuitous and based upon the whims of Lady Luck, there is no place for the focus of Sanctuary's government to be on searching for such a route. Specific support and sanction may be offered to individuals who are seeking such, but the primary focus of the Council should always be on providing for Sanctuary and her people within.
Relations between Upper and Lower, and what role said districts should have in enforcing crime in the other.
Lower Sanctuary is not a unified settlement, but rather is a loose collection of fragmented, disparate, and largely criminal or rebellious elements. It does not deserve recognition as any sort of legitimate government, because it most certainly is not-it is a state of utter reckless anarchy. Upper Sanctuary does not have the means to pacify this anarchy, and as such, should not involve itself in any efforts to maintain governance over the settlement below. The Council may be wise to endorse and covertly support initiatives to bring peace and a sense of structure to the settlements below, however, if only to prevent them from spawning so many criminal dissidents.
Lower Sanctuary has no established courts, laws, or law enforcers; Upper Sanctuary does. People of Lower attempting to "enforce laws" in Upper Sanctuary would be criminals, and would be dealt with as such. Upper Sanctuary does, however, have an established system of courts, laws, and law enforcers, which has the support of her people; any criminals who commit crimes in Upper and flee to cower in Lower will be pursued and brought to justice, and any criminals who commit crimes in Lower and deign to enter Upper will be arrested and tried for their crimes. Upper Sanctuary is a lawful society, and should never allow criminals from below to seek refuge within it-or allow criminals to avoid justice by cowering below.
The role of Etorix in the defense of Dunwarren, as well as what relationship our settlement should have with the serpent.
The Shadow Wyrm is a petty, savage beast playing at immortality and divinity-and failing. He has no role in the defense of Dunwarren, and Sanctuary should have no relations with a settlement of monstrous, slaving kobolds who have demanded the deaths of our citizens and attempted to exploit us for their own gain numerous times in the past. He wishes to corrupt the people of Sanctuary to his ways to obtain that which is beyond his reach, and to believe that there is any protection in the embrace of a dark, fickle creature such as he is folly, and should never be countenanced.
Laws concerning 'slaver races' writing Upper and Lower, specifically the races under which most residents toiled during their time in bondage, and what your position is on trading with them if need be.
Monstrous, slaver races have no place in this settlement of freedom. By their very nature, they are intrinsically dark and corrupt; they are incapable of living amongst us in freedom and peace, and it is folly to think otherwise for the hope of some transient gain by trade with them. Trade with slavers should never be allowed, for Sanctuary has risked much for her freedom, and insulting her people and her beliefs by sacrificing the sanctity of her people for a trade agreement that would provide slavers the coin to harm countless more individuals cannot be allowed. Sanctuary was created by the fiery vision of the Bresleys, who fought against their oppressors-they did not bargain with the Drow for their freedom and the right to live, and so Sanctuary should not.
What the best sort of government in Sanctuary would consist of.
A Council composed of talented, dynamic, righteous, law-abiding members, who did not shirk their duties or insist on endlessly debating ideas while demonstrating the utter inability to come to a decision. In short, capable, upright leaders-not pretentious dilettantes.
The role of the Spellguard in Sanctuary’s defense, as well as the Selena Tower’s long history of obscuring information from the Council.
The Spellguard's Agents have repeatedly demonstrated a flagrant disregard for the laws of Sanctuary and the proper enforcement of their duties. The Spellguard have a place within Sanctuary's defense, but they must be monitored closely to ensure that they do not continue the tradition of corruption and malfeasance that is apparently the hallmark of their Order's Agents. Any abuse of their powers cannot and will not be tolerated, and any efforts by the Spellguard to obfuscate the improper activities of their Agents must likewise be dealt with harshly. They have a chance to prove they are more than simply an elitist order of mages; should they fail in that regard, there must be consequences.
~V.S.