A copy of this poster is posted in the Stand, in the Town Hall, and one is attached to the painter's canvas/open discussion nearby the fountain in the Residential District.

The Alturiak election is a democratic process to determine who will be the leaders of Sanctuary. The leaders of Sanctuary represent the people. With that in mind, I will not tell you people what you want to hear, what would please you the most, or what would entice the most votes.

I will simply tell you who I am; what I want to do; what my goals are.

I am Senestia Avarscanti, Priestess of Sune. Like my Lady Firehair, I value love, beauty, and passion. I would see these grow, spread, and defended. I will do everything possible to beautify the city. That structures are well maintained and safe, that the streets are clear and clean, that one never needs to squint through darkness to look about in the open.

To appreciate what my Lady values most in all of the world, people must be comfortable within the city. I will do everything possible so that the people are just that. I wish to see families in financial stability, a shelter where the downtrodden and newly arrived can go, and festivals and events to spread cheer.

To appreciate what I value most in all of the world, people must be safe within the city. I want to see our defenders—all branches of them—properly equipped and trained. I want to see our defenders work better, sharing information, responsibilities, and goals. I want to see the city having as little contact with likely dangers and threats.

Beauty. Comfort. Safety. These are the simple things I want to see guaranteed within the city. These are the simple things which good, free people such as us deserve. I pray that you people realize this and want the same things. If what I offer is what you wish for the city, then please allow me the honour of representing you in the Town Council of Ches.

Best regards and may Sune bless you all with beautiful days, Senestia Avarscanti

Copies of this poster are tacked alongside the others neatly and securely, ensuring that they do not fall off to litter the ground.

I recently had a wonderful opportunity to have some words with Spellguard Operative Kryos Miller. I would like to share some of what he and I discussed because I think it reveals quite a bit more of myself that the people of Sanctuary should know about.

The gist of the conversation revolved around my attitude towards the Spellguard Order and whether or not I would support the organization if I managed to obtain a seat on the council. As one of the key forces in maintaining the city’s defense and protection, I would naturally support the Order when it comes to Sanctuary’s safety. However, I was also presented with a peculiar situation where Operative Kryos asked me if I would fully trust and support the Order indefinitely and without question.

This instantly brought to my mind the general populace’s attitude towards the Order. It pains me to say this, but quickly after arriving within the city I gathered the impression that the Order, despite its effectiveness and value, is not trusted by a decent number of populace. If anything, it is seen with skepticism and a level of distrust bordering on animosity.

In my opinion, such attitude towards the Order has been wrought by the secrecy it so expertly practices and its preference to work alone more often than in conjunction with other aspects of the city's defensive forces. This negative relationship between the Order and the average citizen is then further aggravated by the Order’s ambivalence and distance it holds towards the citizenry. Whispered rumours speak ill of the Order but the Order, in turn, seems to do little to lift such words from the minds of the people.

When I asked Operative Kryos if the Order takes the concerns of citizens seriously, he answered: “Regardless of what Sanctuary thinks of us, the most important thing is that we preserve their well-being, whatever the cost. If we are hated, despised; so long as Sanctuary is well, it is more than worth it.” I agree with Kryos to an extent: being a defender can be a thankless job and to defend what one loves is one aspect of a truly noble and good life

But such an attitude can make defending a city so much more difficult than it needs to be; it can make it so much more risky and prone to accidents and mistakes. Just how well can one protect another who is alienated, distrustful, and skeptical? How well can one protect those who do not want to be protected?

Successful relationships between people and groups of people depend on trust: transparency, optics, sharing, supported perception, and visible signs of honest good will. These are things that the Order appears to be lacking and, thus, I told Operative Kryos that if the Order continues to operate as it does, I cannot fully support it because I share the sentiments of the general populace.

Before we parted company, I told Operative Kryos that I would work towards trusting the Order, but results would be easier produced if the Order did the same and tried to take steps towards the middle ground.

I hope that, to the citizens of Sanctuary, this has shed further light on myself. If any of you readers have any further questions, please feel free to write them at the painter’s canvas I have set up by the fountain in the Residential District.

Best regards and a beautiful day to all of you, Senestia Avarscanti

P.S. Operative Kryos, I hope you get a chance to read this. I do not believe I thanked you at the end of our conversation for the delicious and delightful tea you served me.

A notice attached at comfortable dwarf height, reading in bold letters, and horribly ale-stained:

Naive.

The above attached note is removed, in it's place a much cleaner note appears:

"Naive".

Some one wrote of me. Operative Kryos and I actually did speak briefly about my naiveté. What did he say to me? "It certainly is innocent of you. Refreshing, true."

Do I consider myself naive? Yes. I am not ashamed of it. I am new to politics. But so was every councilor, former councilor, and current candidate at one point in time.

I am not just naive, however. I am hopeful, expecting, trusting--but expecting trust in return. Idealistic? Yes. But I idealize the simple, the basic, the necessary for a decent life which one cannot live without.

It's not just naiveté, not just idealism. I have Sune's will and wisdom to guide me. And as many of you know, my faith is strong.

Copies of this poster are securely added in the same area as the others.

Like all within the city, I see the Watch in action both actively and subtly. Whether it be arresting a criminal or patrolling the streets or something greatly beyond that most of us could imagine, the Watch is an invaluable asset to the city and its defense. Recently, I had the chance to speak with Corporal Rodon Brinson and Private Luke Danger in regards to my potential position on the Council. I would like to share some of the words spoken between the three of us so that you may know more about me.

From these two fine men, I learned that they are content with how they are treated individually as defenders of the city. They are well supplied, well equipped, and consider their salary fair and worthy of their hard work and efforts.

What they do lack, like so many of us, is time. Time to do what they have sworn to do: watch over the city and ensure its safety. Such a duty, however, is shared and so for the Watch, time is manpower. While very few of us have mastered the arcane so thoroughly to have learned how to control time itself, one thing that can be worked on by all of us is Watch recruitment.

The men and woman of the Watch have taken upon their shoulders a great burden: Sanctuary’s safety. This is a burden both epic and mundane. When the city is threatened by attacks, they are the ones manning the walls. When street need patrolling, it is their tireless feet making the rounds.

These are the men and women that watch over us when we sleep and when we are awake. These are the men and women that make us feel safe in the streets. These are the men and women that should never feel as if they perform their duty and carry their burden alone, without support, and without being appreciated.

Whether you look for a purpose or work, I would encourage those who think themselves capable to contact the Watch and inquire about enlisting. The men and women of the Watch deserve all the help and support that would be given to them. I think, therefore, that increasing recruitment opportunities and enlistment appeal is an important issue that deserves a great amount of attention. To the Watch I give and will continue to give my best wishes and support, that their numbers are bolstered, that the fellowship of Sanctuary’s defenders grow strong.

Best regards and may Sune gift you all beautiful days ahead, Senestia Avarscanti

P.S. If anyone has any concerns or questions, either in regards to the topic of this flier or to any other, please feel free to make a note on the painter’s canvas I have set up by the fountain in the Residential District.

More posters added among the others.

While recently walking among the streets, I overheard some words shared between two people. One said to the other: “A Sunite for Council? We need to be worrying about the Underdark, not a beauty pageant. Voting Senestia for Council is a mistake.”

It does not bother me that people would say such things of me specifically, they are all entitled to their opinion. What does bother me, however, is that some people would make simply ignorant comments about a whole faith without fully realizing the basis of what it is they speak about.

Yes, Sunites do hold beauty pageants and other such events. It is one of the ways the Church of Sune draws the attention of others to the wonderful things around us. However, before one is quick to presume that I, as a Sunite, am superficial or frivolous and would do nothing but hold beauty pageants within the city, they should take into consideration that I, like all of you, do not exist alone.

I exist within a city. I live within Sanctuary. I am surrounded by its people and to love and be beautiful is to do so within this very city. A city and its people need basic things, not just to survive but to live: safety, comfort, freedom. Without these things, the city cannot be anything else. Without these things, a good person simply cannot be happy, cannot live. This is something I know well. This was a hard lesson I learned when I was shackled by the drow. One cannot enjoy luxuries when they are missing the necessary basic things in life.

Before one can appreciate art, one has to have an understanding of freedom, of choice. Why did the artist decide to depict what he or she does in his or her work? Why this material? Why that colour? Why those shapes? An appreciation of art means an appreciation of free choices made. Before one can see a work of art, one must be able to open their eyes with their own will, without fear, without harm.

Think of me as frivolous if you will. But follow the simple logic and then ask: who or what would I be frivolous about if I had nothing? What could I appreciate if I had nothing?

Before any of you presume to know what my priorities are, please take a moment to thoroughly consider my words.

Best regards and a beautiful day to all of you, Senestia Avarscanti

The posters are replaced with cleaner, tidier, fresher copies. Senestia ensures that the old copies are neatly disposed of in the waste bins so that they do not end up littering the streets.