Fellowship of Animus | First Council of Sages

[sageprincess]

Characters: THE FELLOWSHIP OF ANIMUS aka pretty much everyone
Setting: Floor 38, early afternoon - forward-dated to July 29
Format: Party style - pick your poison
Summary: After repeated delays, Zelda and Gandalf have finally called the populace of the Tower to discuss productive means of dealing with their situation.
Warnings: None yet, will edit should something come up

It's taken far too long to get to this point.

Come Sunday, the various couches and armchairs of the uppermost lounge have been arranged in vaguely semi-circle-like patterns, with chairs from other floors scattered amongst them to increase seating even more. The semi-circles face inwards towards a central point to facilitate discussion among a large group of people. Though this is by no means a party, small slices of Lembas bread are available on tables around the perimeter - though there is no shortage of food, the hungry tend to be less cooperative, all the same.

Outside, the sun shines brightly without a cloud to obstruct it, but the atmosphere inside is much less carefree. Considering the purpose of gathering here this day, it's to be expected. Should this council succeed, it may very well change life in the Tower as everyone knows it. If not, well... one should certainly hope individual efforts begin to bear more fruit than they have in the past.

Comments

On the topic of the bad guys in the Tower...

[pengeen]

[Kidou had been quiet for quite sometime, thinking over what Zelda had said. There were a lot of issues in the Tower, as previously stated, but there was one issue that he couldn't keep quiet about.

The boy rises from his seat and clears his throat before speaking up.]

Princess, you previously stated that not only do we have to worry about monsters and traps and other potentially dangerous things, but we have to worry about others who were brought here in the tower, as well. [His gaze shifts to the others sitting at the table behind his goggles]

I might be a little naive, but I think we should try proposing a truce with the villains of this tower. If we can get them to agree, then we'll have more people to help find out more about the tower and eventually find out how to leave.

They'll want to join forces if it means getting out of this place quicker, wouldn't they?

[childhero]

[Link's voice is quiet, but clear. Again, he doesn't have a whole lot to say, but... This is set up to voice your opinions, so that's what he's going to do.]

I agree. So much time is spent fighting with each other... But don't we have a common enemy? Shouldn't we be focusing that energy on the administration, not one another?

[the_white_rider]

[ Gandalf intervenes here. Oh no, bad idea. It of course originates from good intention. But all evil was good originally. Even in his homeworld, Sauron, enemy of the free people of Middle-Earth. He was good originally, much like himself. And then...

He shakes his head speaks gravely. ]

Siding with The Evil is not a solution. It has never been, it never shall be. I do believe some people who once walked upon the wrong road can return and redeem. And of course, they must be welcomed, for that all who live are condemned to commit mistakes and learn from them.

[ He pauses and looks at the people around. ]

But here, we are speaking about people whose soul is blacker than that of our hosts for the most part. They only lack their powers, and I would rather not imagine what would happen if they had the power of our hosts.

[pengeen]

Even so... working together with them is better then fighting with them. Why not have strong people on our sides then having them against us?

[And after a pause he adds on quietly]

...and even the evilest of people can be turned to the side of good after a while.

[wildfiresage]

[There's a loud grunt, and Darunia speaks up once Gandalf finishes.] The wizard is correct. I will have no alliance with evil forces! [Link gets a...somewhat confused look. Sworn Brother, what are you saying?] Especially those whose ranks include a man who attempted to destroy my people twice over.

[the_white_rider]

I for one would rather know who my allies are and who my enemies are. For an alliance to be effective, there need to be trusts between its members.

[ He looks at Kidou. ]

Kidou, I would trust you with my life as you would trust me with yours. But would we do the same with with one of those "bad guys"? Would we turn our back on them? Would we trust them with important missions? Would you trust them with a friend's life?

Of course, we do not all know each other. Some of us do. That's, in part, why this reunion exist.

The day we work with the Evil, we accept to allow mistrust in our alliance. Soon paranoia would grow as we wouldn't be able to differentiate our enemies from our friends. As paranoia runs rampant, our noble ideals would be lost and our alliance would fall.

[notontheflowers]

[Sorry Gandalf, Reno here completely disagrees with you.]

There's a difference between siding with people and working with them. The kid's got a decent idea, but not because it'll give us more people or anything.

It'll get them off of our backs and give us a chance to scope their abilities out and figure out how to make them ineffective.

[a pause]

Dying doesn't matter, so there's no threat of it to hold over their heads as an ultimatum. Brute force and all the firepower in the world won't break a stalemate here. People come back and they're pissed about it.

This is far more about who can get the most people on their side; politics not gun waving. We have the advantage of being able to appeal to people's morality, but somewhere like this... those who can wave a gun the best are gonna have people thinkin' they're the best protection from the monsters and then side with them.

[another pause]

It would take a lot of delicate planning and stuff falling just right but we can get them to off themselves by 'accident' and think they were the ones who thought up the whole alliance thing.

[keybearer]

You've got a point, but who says they wouldn't stab us in the back later on?

[He narrows his eyes, fingers drumming on his thigh.]

It's true that they don't have a lot to gain here, but bad habits die hard. If we do form an alliance with them, we'll have to be cautious. Otherwise, they'll walk all over us.

[It's something he's very familiar with after what happened to his Sora.]

[the_white_rider]

You are correct, there are advantages to having them with us rather than against us. But where we can scope their abilities, they can hence scope ours.

We would have only a temporary advantage by siding with us. On the short-term, yes this alliance is positive. But what on the long-term? There is no saying we will win against them. They will not fight fair while we will.

[ Sorry Reno, that just doesn't work for him. ]

Taking risks, yes as long as they are not inconsiderate.

[crouching_sin]

[Naoya just chuckles quietly from his corner of the room, voiced raised slightly in order to be heard.]

'Evil' is a point of view, first of all. Second of all, who are you to judge who is evil and who is not? And above all else... what if those whom you consider enemies have resources that can help you? Would an alliance not be better, to use those resources? An alliance has the possibility of helping you - spurning them can only harm you.

[pitiedthefool]

It is not simply a matter of differing points of view, but what actions tell of our character.

[He'd been in the center, and even so... he hadn't spoken up until this very moment. After all, his hands weren't exactly clean in this, either.]

Whether or not refusing to ally with those who are of opposing opinions 'harm us' depends on who they are, not what is plainly seen at first glance.

[the_white_rider]

"Evil is a point of view" has been used too often throughout history to justify horrors of all kinds. People causing misery and disasters only for the sake of their selfish interest. Some may even do it for the greater good- But the end doesn't justify the means. I will not enumerate you every cases and possibilities, and I will not be alone to judge. But I believe we can determinate what is good and evil.

Of course as I said I believe redemption exists... But some do not wish to redeem. Some cannot any more.

[ He pauses. ]

I would rather obtain those resources another, a harder way, than getting them by betraying what I believe in. By threatening the very harmony and trust in which this alliance lay.

[firstofthefallen]

A bit dramatic, are you not?

[Her voice is bored. You are boring, Gandalf. Boring and offensive to listen to. You remind Lucifer far too much of YHVH and his cruelties. Of his use of the terms "good" and "evil", of "pure" and "unclean" in order to justify the destruction of races. Of worlds.

It's too close to home. To disgusting to her ears, and she can feel the hatred she feels for Heaven and it's forces welling up and pointed at the wizard.]

Tell me. Who are you to judge the soul of others? It has always been those who claim such authority who have ordered the greatest atrocities.

[blackstranger]

Really, it's always a gamble. But hey, who can be a real judge, am I right?

But in all seriousness, trust? [He chuckles.] Oh good luck to all of you on that. I am positive that will work!

[the_white_rider]

Me?

[ Then she better doesn't learn that Gandalf is an Ainur, it is to say the equivalent of an Angel back in Middle-Earth. Gandalf stares at her gravely. ]

I am no one to judge another soul. Yet we can judge actions and reason whether they are right or wrong. But I may agree that those who claim such an absolute authority without wisdom are often those who have ordered the greatest atrocities.

[ Morgoth and Sauron probably being the greatest offenders in this category. When you have dealt with Dark Lords of their kind, you're doomed to see the world black & white. ]

[myblueskies]

But mister Gandalf the bad people... the bad bad people who run the tower hurt even the people here who aren't good... I don't think we should be friends with nasty people but sometimes we got to work together when badder people want to hurt us all.

[In his mind it was simple, like when the Black Brothers made a truce with the Wolf Pack to stand up against the adults who wanted to hurt Alfredo and Bianca.]

[the_white_rider]

Romeo, the issue is not to ally with them now, it is the consequences of such an alliance.

[ He pauses... Sorry Romeo he really doesn't want to go against your opinion, but... ]

The only reasons those bad people are a lesser threat is because they lack power. If we defeat those in charge of the tower, they will attempt to gain power and may become a greater threat than those in charge of the tower ever were. Allying with them would take us only closer to a virtual victory.

[capax_infiniti]

Those whom I'm sure you're referring to as "villains" seem more concerned with their own agendas and trying not to squabble amongst themselves in regards to getting what they desire. While some may be forward-thinking enough to put aside such things in this regard, it is unlikely they would be that altruistic in true intent. Their type prefers to harbour its own hidden agenda, waiting until the right moment to undo all that has been done as it ends up benefitting them.

[pengeen]

[He gives what Xehanort says some thought before speaking up again.] I am aware that what you are saying is true but...

I am also confident that they're smart enough to see that they aren't going to be able to get anywhere by causing disorder and suffering.

[capax_infiniti]

You presume that they can put aside their agenda for the moment? If this was possible, would they truly be "villainous"? No, they may agree to what you say, but only as benefits them. The allure of the selfish is far stronger than that of the just or benevolent. Why else would they be held in the esteem they are?

[cullscuttlefish]

I think...I think there are some we might not ever be able to trust. There are people who are too far gone, and nothing we do can reach them.

What we can do is leave the door open, I think. It might be too soon to fully propose a truce with everyone, but we should certainly try to work with them as we can. Attacking them is an awful idea, to be sure, but I think that we should see who we can work with rather than proposing a blanket truce.

[firstofthefallen]

They'll want to join forces, of course.

But do you truly think a desire to join and fight side by side warrants trust?

[pengeen]

If we didn't warrant some kind of trust for each other, then we wouldn't be fighting side by side.

[firstofthefallen]

You confuse "trust" with "use".

They will work with you to attain their goal. But once their goal is attained they will not honor any alliance with you. No one will.

That is what alliances are. Momentary decisions to work side by side to destroy the larger threat before they turn once again upon each other.

[moontothetide]

I...I think it depends on the truce. And...um, what they consider "t-teaming up" to mean.

[Tara hasn't met anyone truly bad here, not that she's seen. The Minatos weren't in their right minds and even Fuhito hasn't actually done her any real harm or put her in any danger.

But she remembers Spike - she hadn't known the vampire until after he'd had the chip put in his head, but what she'd heard before and some of what she'd seen after had been enough to convince her that the chip had been the only thing making it possible for them to let Spike keep on living.]

I...I think there should be something...real. S-Something official and, and serious. I mean, um, we're already a group, right? Already, um, k-kind of official. I mean...I-I don't know what it would be. [And here she blushes in embarrassment, gaze falling back to her feet.] But...I agree that, um, there should be a truce, it's just...t-truces are complicated.