Scourge Eight - Politics

Scourge Eight - Politics

Scourge Eight - Politics

I drag one of the seats around so that its facing the others a bit better. Felix has opted for leaning against the nearest doorframe while Esme is slumped next to me on the loveseat, her eyes blinking every so often as she tries to stay awake.

Across from us is Bianca, who seems entirely comfortable with being the centre of attention. Then again, theres only the three of us (and a few little friends) watching her.

Arlight, I say. Where do we start?The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

I suspect from the beginning. How much do you know about the Caselfella Republic?

Not too much, I admit. I know that its relatively young, as far as nations go. And that its mostly made up of nobles that were from the Kingdom of Hero. Culturally, its not that different from there.

Bianca nods. Thats accurate enough, I suppose. Though its not the entire picture. The Republic is, as you said, a young nation. My father was born when the capital was still only a relatively small city, and my great-grandfather was the first member of my family to move here, along with his retinue and some companions.

Alright, I say.

The first thing you need to know is that Caselfella isnt a kingdom, its a republic. That means that matters of state are determined in a specific order, without a king or monarch at the head to lead the nation. Instead, each of the noble families has a vote which can be cast at the capital. Laws can be proposed by any family, but they must have majority votes to be accepted into the books. And each family rules over a province of the country, though some of these provinces are barely developed at all.

Huh, I say. So who rules this area?

Vizeda and its surroundings are ruled by the Caquero family. Theyre one of the first seven, though they are a relatively small family, one that isnt quite as prosperous as the other six.

Wait, so theres only seven families? I ask.

Not quite. There are forty-two families that have a vote in the Republic. The vote is held by the family patriarch, though a lot of families send a delegate to vote in their stead since the votes are held at the capital. Of those forty-two families, there are seven that hold a city. These are the seven original families. The others are often offshoots of those, or noble families from other nations that moved to Caselfella after its founding. There are also a few merchant families that purchased a seat on the council.

Alright, so its almost like a democracy, only the people cant vote, I say. That sounds about right.

Bianca nods. Essentially, yes.

Felix shifts her spot against the wall, then makes a little go-on sort of gesture. Whats any of that got to do with the monsters attacking this city?

I listen for a moment, trying to pick out any noises from outside of our inn room, but theres not much to hear. I cant see any fires from the one window I have facing the city itself, so I figure things havent degraded entirely.

Wow, her voice might be all flat and neutral, but I can feel the anger in her core. To be fair, Im decently sensitive to that kind of thing, but it still takes a lot of emotion for it to sense-able.

So, can we rule out your family? I ask.

We likely can. My father is the plotting sort. This attack was too crude for him. Which leads me to suspect the Notari. They are a rather envious family, of middling wealth and middling importance. They spent decades trying very hard to expand their domain and their influence but only to moderate success. They are noted as being ready to spend vast sums to ameliorate their situation.

Hows that work? Felix asks.

Mostly theyve been trying to attract artisans from other cities and even other nations, theyve set up multiple temples and churches to curry favour with various gods and goddesses, and they have tried to turn Algecante into an important trade hub. Unfortunately, I think the geography of their territory has complicated things for them, and some of the other families have tried to curb their growth a little.

And it would make sense for them to lead monsters to attack Vizeda? I ask.

It wouldnt surprise me if they were somehow responsible. It seems like the kind of extreme action theyre fond of.

I lean back into the couch while I consider things. Esme asks a few more questions, and I listen with half an ear as Bianca answers. She seems pretty knowledgeable about local politics, but if shes the daughter of a big family I guess that only makes sense.

My big problem is figuring out if any of this stuff actually matters.

I dont think it does.

Sure, theres going to be some stuff to take into account, but my mission, and Esmes, mostly means that well be moving on to the capital first and foremost. Once were there, well need to investigate things. Unless this whole kerfuffle makes it so that we cant move over to the capital, then it really doesnt matter all that much.

Still, someones using monsters for their own ends, and thats a little concerning.

Alright, I say, cutting off the others mid-conversation. Heres what were going to do. Im going to write a letter to Mom. Tomorrow morning, Ill send it over. Ill tell her about the monsters around here, and maybe shell know what to do from there. Im pretty sure she can get a few stronger monsters to navigate over to here.

Stronger monsters? Bianca asks.

Theyll be older, smarter. A lot harder to trick with something as silly as some food tied onto a few dogs. Anyway, they should keep things steady while we go on with our mission. Esmes thing is still going to be in the capital, right?

Probably, Esme says.

Then thats where were going, I say. I push myself up then stretch my back. I think Im going to grab something to eat, then take a quick nap. We can figure out anything more complicated in the morning, I think.

***