Carving Worlds - Jordan Clearcreek

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[Some leaflets find their way into the book, memories of a Debate]

Debate Format

Each Bout will consist of two phases. The first is the Initial Statement. The second is the Rebuttal Phase.

Initial Statement - 4 Minutes, til Yield

In the Initial Statement, you must state your base argument. In this phase, you should not attack what your opponent has said or may say, but instead focus on your main point. Once your main point is complete you may Yield.

Yielding in the Initial Statement will add your remaining time to your Rebuttal Phase.


Rebuttal Phase - 4 Minutes, til Yield

In the Rebuttal Phase, you may expand on your own topic or attack your opponents perspective and argument. Once you have made the points you wish to make, you may Yield.

Yielding in the Rebuttal Phase will stop your time, until the next volley. There can be as many rebuttals as the participants yield for.

The bout will begin when the question is read in its entirety. The second to go will go immediately after their opponent has yielded.

Participants will not be told to engage after a yield, this must be done automatically. If your opponent yields their time, it is then immediately the others turn, until time runs out.

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Topic:

Residency and Citizenship is a hot button topic for every league within Ephia's Well. While some believe that residents should go through stricter processes for Citizenship, others think that Citizenship should be based mainly on the conviction that one wishes to reside.

Stance A is to defend the idea of strict requirements for residency to be promoted into citizenship. Stance A should be prepared to offer suggestions as to what these requirements should be, and their benefit to the State as a whole.

Stance B is to defend the idea of loose requirements or none, for residency to be promoted into citizenship. Stance B should be prepared to explore what it means to be a citizen, when it is not limited in exclusivity.

Topic:

There are some with the belief that knowledge, in all its forms, should be open and available to any who seek it. On the other side of this coin, there are some who believe that knowledge should be shared, only when it is earned, or hoarded.

Stance A is to defend the notion of sharing knowledge freely. Stance A should be prepared to offer examples of what a free-knowledge state would look like, and what it could achieve.

Stance B is to defend the idea that knowledge is not meant to be shared ubiquitously, and must be safeguarded, hidden, and hoarded. Stance B should be prepared to explain how keeping knowledge has benefits.

Topic:

Some believe that there is no place for Faith when it comes to matters of governance or of jurisprudence.

Stance A is to support the idea that divine guidance is crucial in governance and advocate for a theocratic approach.  Stance A should be prepared to advocate the ways that a Godly tribunal has benefited society.

Stance B is to represent one who believes in separating religious beliefs from governance, promoting a secular state. Stance B should be prepared to defend how the separation of divine and state would change the perspective of law and civics.

Topic:

The desert has many oddities, macabre and innocuous alike. Among these things are ancient technologies that we have repurposed for our wants, but don't seem to really grasp their original purposes.

Stance A is to represent the idea that ancient technologies and artifice should be used to protect the Disc in all its forms. Stance A should also be prepared to explain how technology we have already adapted has influenced our current lives.

Stance B is of the mindset that if we don't know what something is, in its fullest form, we should simply not use it. Stance B should be prepared to advocate for deeper understanding over experimentation.

Topic:

The ramparts of Nusrum are constantly besieged by orcs of the different thousand clans. Many believe that they should be ruthlessly and endlessly culled, while a subset of others might claim that they are a barrier from the Sibilant to the South.

Stance A should defend the idea of wanton slaughter and purging of them from our Mountains. Stance A should also be ready to explain the positive effects that this would have on our caravans, and likewise.

Stance B is concerned that if we strike at the Orcs without any thought, and see them only as enemy combatants, we may shift the tug of war that is their fight against the Sibilants, and the Sibilant will replace them, and be a worse foe upon our doorstep.

Topic:

Bribery is a cultural tradition of the Sultan's people. Some believe that this practice should be abolished in place of other means of lobbying.

Stance A should defend Bribery as a means of lobbying governmental powers. Stance A should be prepared to offer examples of how Bribery benefits our electoral and civic services.

Stance B should argue against Bribery as a means of lobbying governmental powers. Stance B should offer alternative methods that may work as well, or better, and explain how bribery has negatively impacted life in the Desert.

Topic:

When it comes to the Creep, there are two primary schools of thought. The first is that the Creep is a necessary part, and the other is that it is only a detriment.

Stance A is expected to side with the Creep in this argument. Stance A should be prepared to offer factual areas win which the continued operation of the Creep benefits the Well and society.

Stance B should be against the establishment as a whole. Stance B should be ready to offer examples of malign and detriment.

Topic:

For most of us, writing down our thoughts and findings on Historical matters, and lineages is a natural way of life. For Stonefolk, however, they believe only in orally transmitting history through song and verse.

Stance A is to explain why the passage of history would and should be done through Verse. Stance A should consider the longevity of a well-passed tale and the ease of which a listener can adopt new information.

Stance B should defend the written word. Stance B should be prepared to offer supporting arguments based on the fact that conceptually, the story is immutable through writing, only able to be destroyed.

Topic:

For most of us, the Well was not Home before Ringfall. We are a city of refugees, who, by and large, have adopted local customs and been asked to forget our own. This has been a struggle for some, who hold onto the belief that their way is the 'right' way.

Stance A should be for the adopting of a culture, over being set in ones ways. Stance A could make the argument of a life of more ease, not going against the grain.

Stance B believes that their culture from their home, wherever it may be, will follow them to death. Stance B should argue against the idea of abandoning ones rites, Gods, cuisine, and traditions for that of the foreign, and unknown.

Topic:

The topic of Faith is one that comes up often, no matter where you look in Ephia's Well. It is a cultural staple, and common to have practitioners who are not priests. Some could make the argument, that for these laymen, they put their faith in their Priesthood, more than the God they serve.

Stance A should make the argument that Faith for the common, non-clergy man, the faithful layman, lies more in the teachings and guidance of the Priesthood than direct connection with a higher power.

Stance B believes that true faith is a personal and direct connection with the divine, transcending the need for intermediaries like the Priesthood. Stance B could argue for the individual's ability to commune with their deity without reliance on religious institutions.

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Day - ?

I almost forgot about you. How could I forget about you? Months ago, you were the only friend I had. The only wisdom on the Disc. But your name, it left me for some time.

I don't know if you are dead, or in rest. I don't know if you ever existed, or just the sermons that I was taught about you did. I don't know if you grow from each word we write. I have gotten comfortable, and I have been numbed to the catastrophic loss that you represent.

Help me. I am in over my head.