#and then did a significant amount of slaughtering the next generation‚ given how many were among the suitors

[blueblurbbaskets]

Thinking about Epic the Musical/the Odyssey and isn't it fun how Odysseus is technically responsible for wiping out what is likely the majority of the adult male population of Ithaca :)

[mayfriend-archive]

Totally understand if you're not up for it and fully recognize the ronald mcdonald dom/sub anon vibes which is an AMAZING post btw but like...now i'm curious, what the hell did Lord of the Flies anon DO that got him blocked for the discourse? like...i just can't wrap my head around high school lit being...uh...that inflammatory i guess?

Okay so, I'll start by saying I've had a new anon from apparently the same anon saying they are NOT the person I blocked, just a rando making the same points, but I'll answer your question anyway just to set out why this person in particular got blocked, out of the several thousand who reblogged/commented on that very successful addition to the LoTF post I made.

First off, I added the 'real life Lord of the Flies' story because I thought it was a good story. I had read about it only a couple days beforehand in Humankind and, after reading out the entire chapter to my parents who weren't very interested, I was excited that there was not only a post where it would be relevant to post, but that I wouldn't be hijacking it, as it was already rejecting the widespread interpretation taught in many schools, that humanity is inherently savage.

When making the addition, I a) did not think it would get more than a couple reblogs, because the post was already at 50k notes and I figured anyone that might be interested would already have seen it, and b) I did not know the very specific context that prompted William Golding to write the book; all I knew was that he had been a teacher at a public school (basically, the poshest schools in the country - think Eton, Harrow, very 'old money' places that pump out Conservative politicians by the bucket-load 🤢) who hated his job and the boys he taught (which, valid), and new information I'd been given in Humankind - that Golding had said to his wife one day, "Wouldn't it be a good idea to write a story about some boys on an island, showing how they would really behave?" - which had no mention of The Coral Island by R. M. Ballantyne, which I have since learned was the text that Golding loathed enough to write an entire novel in refutation of - and included what I considered a very telling letter from Golding to his publisher, in which Golding wrote of his belief that 'even if we start with a clean slate, our nature compels us to make a muck of it.' Another Golding quote that I believe portrays his belief in humanity's 'innate savagery' is that "man produces evil as a bee produces honey."

Obviously, the author of a book putting forward the case for humanity's inherent goodness was going to oppose Golding's hypothesis; Bregman not only noted Golding's literary accomplishments and beliefs, but his personal life.

When I began delving into the author's life, I learned what an unhappy individual he'd been. An alcoholic. Prone to depression. A man who, as a teacher, once divided his pupils into gangs and encouraged them to attack each other. "I have always understood the Nazis," Golding confessed, "because I am of that sort by nature." (Humankind by Rutger Bregman, p. 24-25)

I have bolded the part about him as a teacher, because it is incredibly relevant to the original post that I commented on, which begins with a comic of a teacher locking her class in to see them 'recreate' Lord of the Flies, something which the follow up comments before mine staunchly reject as both misunderstanding the point of the book, and the fact that it took the kids in Lord of the Flies a significant amount of time without adult supervision to go 'savage'. This misreading of the text is widespread enough that when Golding won the Nobel Prize for Lord of the Flies, the Swedish Nobel committee wrote that his book 'illuminate[s] the human condition in the world of today'. Whether or not they misread it is beyond my expertise - they do at least mention the factors of the outside world neglected by many when analysing the book, but still seem to believe it says something about human nature as a whole rather than just, to quote thedarkbutbeige 'British kids being rat bastards' - but Golding quite happily took his Nobel prize on this basis. Which, in fairness, I would too. It's a fucking Nobel prize.

It was with this knowledge, and this knowledge alone, that I stated in my now very, very widely read comment that Golding 'wrote the book to be a dick', in response to the tags of the person I reblogged from. As I said, I now know that Golding did not write the book (solely) because he hated the kids he taught, but as a response to The Coral Island and the general idea that clearly the British were inherently civilsed, whilst the people they colonised and enslaved were inherently savage. So. That's the background.

The anon - or rather, the person I thought was anon - was the sole exception out of dozens of replies, who instead of telling me about The Coral Island politely decided it was time to go ALL CAPS and regurgitate points already made by thespaceshipoftheseus, and implied that the only reason that the real life Tongan castaways didn't go all Lord of the Flies was because they weren't British. Not because they weren't surrounded by violence like the boys in Lord of the Flies, or there wasn't a World War ongoing, or that they weren't the upper, upper, upper crust of a class-obsessed society like Britain - but because they weren't British. A complete inversion of the concept that Golding was trying to get across - now, instead of all of humanity being equally prone to savagery in the right conditions, it was solely nationality that determined it. As in, the British were inherently savage, but nobody else was.

I, trying for humour, made the terrible mistake of replying to them.

I won't lie, I was absolutely blown away that this was real life. What I think they were trying to do was be that Cool Tumblr Person who, after somebody's been shitty on a post, goes to their blog and sees something Damning in their about/description. In an ideal world, I imagine I'd have gone nuts or done something Unforgiveable. In what I can only call the rant that followed, they stated several times that I needed to go back to high school to get some 'proper literary analysis' skills and that the story of the Tongan castaways was completely unrelated to the point at hand which. I mean, I disagree, considering that I made the addition, but I couldn't get my head around how commenting on a post that was already rejecting the thesis that the 'point' of Lord of the Flies was that humanity was inherently savage and was, in fact, about how kids - British or otherwise - learn how to function from the adults around them, and that traumatised, terrified children aren't going to create a mini-Utopia, and put forward a real life example of how without the key additions of an ongoing world war, a colonial Empire and the subsequent mindset of thinking you are 'inherently civilised' and therefore can't do anything wrong, actually, people just want to take care of each other.

A friend has since asked me why I even have 'england' in my description. To be honest, it's a timezone thing - I talk to a lot of people online who don't share my timezone, and it generally makes me feel like if I don't reply immediately because it's 3am, they have the tools to see that I'm not in their timezone and not just ignoring them. I did consider changing it to 'british' or 'uk' after it was... 'used against me', I guess, simply because I didn't want to deal with it, but you know what. No. Not gonna do that. I am from England, and I have never hid that fact. I have a tag called 'uk politics', during Eurovision I refer to the UK's act as 'us' (even if I really, really don't want to. Because James Newman slaughtered that song and it was downright embarrassing), I regularly post stuff in my personal tag about where I live (and mostly complain about this piece of shit government). If people really think my nationality makes every point I make null and void, then they don't have to follow me or interact with my posts; tumblr is big, and I am one medium-small blog very easily passed over.

I did reply to them, trying to explain the above, but their next response really just doubled down. Because I used the word British instead of English - foolishly because the posts above mine focused on Britishness, and also because although Golding was English and taught English kids, the pro-Imperialism author of The Coral Island, R. M. Bannatyne was actually Scottish so, ding ding ding, falls into the 'British' category - they then decided that I was somehow trying to pretend I wasn't English and made all the same points, before ending with this doozy:

At this point, I knew there was nothing to be gained from replying, because if we're whipping out conditions like they're pokemon cards then there's no actual conversation anymore, and I'm not going to start mudslinging like an identity politician. They made up their mind, and I figured there could be no harm in letting them think that they 'won' by blocking them instead of replying.

Until the ask. INNATE ENGLISH SAVAGERY did, I'll admit, make me think it was them, back again. I even thought up a really good response approximately 12 hours after I replied, I was that sure. Until the second message came in, and said they were just someone who came from the post and made the same point by chance. So the saga draws to a close... for now.

It may have been them, it may not have been - the anon feature makes it impossible to be sure, but as the second message I got said, we're in a heatwave. It's too hot to argue. And I've just written a goddamn essay about a book I dislike anyway.

My pasty English ass is going to go melt. If there's Disk Horse, do not tell me. I am Done™

[opiatemasses]

The Truth Behind the Exploitation of Pacific Island Rugby

Anyone who follows international rugby will know of the Pacific Islands and the excitement they bring to the game. The Pacific Islands comprise Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Rugby is the national sport and heart of the islands’ communities, produce some of the world most talented athletes. More than a quarter of the players in the global game come from the Islands, and yet they have a combined population of only 1.5 million people (less than the population of West Yorkshire).

This clip is a personal favourite of mine, illustrating some amazing skill, I could watch this all day.

This shows the other side of the Pacific Island players, the sheer brute force they possess.

And yet the Islands are being exploited in direct contradiction to World Rugby’s values. I’d like you to keep these values in mind as we explore these issues.

Power Imbalance

This inequality underpins the other issues. The Pacific Islands along with tier two and three nations have limited influence over decisions made for the global game.

There are 10 nations in tier one, each receiving three votes making up 60% of the World Rugby Council. In contrast, tier two and three comprise 120 nations and are allocated nine votes between them, and make up 20% of the Council. The other 20% is made up by regions, representatives of the continents.

How can the global game grow and develop when decision-making is skewed in the interests of tier one nations, at the expense of the other 120 nations?

 A system where votes are shared more evenly would be more representative of the global game. In an interview, Ben Gosper (CEO of World Rugby) shut the proposition of Pacific Island nations achieving a three-vote status down swiftly; laughing he said - “I can’t see this happening while I am here”.

This dismissive attitude isn’t in the best interests of the global game and needs to change for the game to move forward and to give these nations a chance to thrive.

This table illustrates how votes are allocated. Notably Japan have recently gained two-vote status, representing an improvement in their ability as they challenge the tier one nations (who can forget that South Africa game). However, it has coincided with an increase in the amount of Pacific Island players in their team with 10 of their 30-man squad at RWC2019 being of Pacific Island heritage including captain and Japanese rugby hero, Michael Leach. World Rugby are rewarding Japan for ‘poaching’ these players.

Importing Pacific Island Players – Eligibility Rules

Pacific Island players have to move abroad to earn a living, not only at club level but often to play for a different nation with no return to their home nation because of the “one nation for life rule”.

Over 600 players with Pacific Island heritage play in the European leagues and more in the Super League, including some of the world’s best like Billy Vunipola and Ardie Savea. This is because there are no pathways for young talents in the islands, with limited funding and no professional teams. The financial draw is huge as players are expected to pay back into their Islands economy and help their family and village, so much so that overseas rugby players contribute about 20% of national GDP to the Islands. This is more than tourism, hospitality and agriculture combined contribute to the UK’s GDP.  

Is it ethical to be taking these players - some as young as 13 - having them sign contracts and move to another county with massively different cultures? (which could have negative effects on players wellbeing). With players moving at such a young age they are eligible to play for the nation they now reside. This is understandable as other nations pay considerably more. An England player is paid £25,000 per international match, whilst a Tongan player earns £80.

This causes problems for the Pacific Island teams. Not only do they lose the majority of their best players but even when tier one nations discard them they are unable to return to play. A prime example of this is Charles Piatau. He has Tongan heritage but played for New Zealand 17 times, however is now surplus to requirements. He has stated “I’d love nothing more than to be able to represent Tonga.” A player such as him beneficial for Tonga’s development.  

Image from Charles Piatau’s Twitter (@CPiutau)

There is an obvious fix to this situation.  This would be to amend the eligibility laws, which would allow players to return to their heritage nation after a sufficient ‘cool-off period’ (for example, two years), where they haven’t played for their tier one nation.

This potential solution is currently blocked by World Rugby and its Council. Ben Gosper claimed that the Council, rejected the idea. Why? One possible explanation is because the Council is made up of 60% tier one nations and allowing tier two nations to grow in ability is not in their best interest. This brings us back to protectionism and clear disregard of their own values of ‘respect and integrity’.

Unevenly distributed funds

The issue here is the share of revenue from international fixtures. Currently the home nation takes all of the revenue from tickets and match day earnings, which is ordinarily payed back with a reverse fixture. However, the Pacific Island teams have drawn sell-out crowds against the home nations 12 times and had the favour returned only twice in the past 10 years. This would bring more exposure to rugby on the islands, but is not viable. In 2016 Samoa hosted New Zealand and made a loss of $1 million; because the host nation has to pay for the flights of the visiting nation and Samoa’s stadia are too small and tickets are priced at $4 each to ensure locals can watch, and therefore cannot support the inherent costs.

If we take a look at England vs Fiji in 2016, the game sold out. There was a total of £34 million earned from the game, each England player received £22,000 whilst each Fijian player was paid £400. The rest was kept by the RFU and nothing was given to Fiji’s union. Fijian rugby gained nothing from this game in terms of development or growth, barring some exposure to high level rugby for their team and supporters.

I suggest profit sharing, where Pacific Island teams play tier one nations but take home a share of the profits they help generate. If a model was put in place to share the profits 80/20, losing this 20% wouldn’t have a significant effect on tier one nations but would have a hugely positive effect for the Pacific Islands, who could grow the game in their region become a stronger team and a greater competitor.

Corruption within the islands

These issues are all important, however the corruption, poor governance and leadership within the islands must be addressed before anything meaningful can change.

Due to the lack of external funding and income from home games, Pacific Island rugby relies on their government and public funding for up to 60% of their finances. This means that politics and politicians retain a tight hold on the sport.

In preparation for the 2011 RWC the Samoan public raised 6 million Samoan Tala (£1.8 million), to pay for the players wages, accommodation and equipment. However, the players were the lowest paid at the tournament (£1000 a week), their accommodation was poor. Captain Seilala Mapusua reported they turned up to training to find there were no balls.

Where did this money go? An independent audit of their finances found that it went missing at the hands of the Board members who took the money for themselves. Even more astonishing is that the Prime Minister of the country is one of the Board members (for more information read here or  watch here).

Arguably more shocking is the governance of the Fiji Union where the President is Frank Bainimarama, who is also the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Union is Francis Kean, Frank’s brother-in-law. This displays a corrupt path to power which more often than not leads to the wrong people running an organisation.

They were both involved in the coup of the Fijian government in 2000 and 2006. Francis Kean was also convicted of man slaughter in 2006 and served one week in jail before his bother-in-law released him, yet he remained the Chairman of Fiji Rugby and was even nominated for promotion to the World Rugby Executive Committee in early 2020. This nomination was withdrawn only after protests from players and fans, and he was stood down less than a month after his nomination, not on grounds of being a convicted killer but on homophobic allegations. World Rugby claimed they were unaware of his background. For more information on this click here

Image from Netani Talei’s Twitter (@NetaniTaleiE)

This governance leads to further issues for the players as many of them are scared to speak up and express their concerns; as C (former Fiji captain) said in an interview “Frank can make you fucking disappear”.

Politics runs deep in Fiji rugby, as Ben Ryan who led Fiji 7s team to an Olympic gold medal in 2016 said he would have the military come to the gym telling him what players to select and to not pick players because their parents weren’t supporting Franks political party.

Image from Ben Ryan’s Instagram (benryan7s)

These issues of governance need resolving, but if reform can’t come from within the Islands it must come from World Rugby. I suggest a programme from World Rugby to appoint specialist and leaders to the Pacific to, in the short-term aid in running their Unions and checking the finances but in the long run to train the next generation of leaders for the Union and set-in place the standards of governance that must be met, in order for them to start making progress on and off the field.  

What needs to be done?

There are 5 key actions:

We need to change the way we view these nations and give them a hand up to help them develop in the long-term instead of handouts to keep them afloat in the short-term.

World Rugby need to take responsibility for the governance of these nations.

World Rugby need to change their voting system and stop the blatant protectionism of tier one nations.

Pacific Island teams need to receive a fair share of revenue they help to generate.

A simple change to the eligibility laws, to give players freedom to play for their heritage nation.

Ask yourself, if you consider the RFU and WR values to be legitimate and worthy, why are they not being upheld in relation to the Pacific Islands?

Leave a comment below with your thoughts on this issue. I’d love to hear them.

What can you do to help?

Please share this blog post and help to spread awareness. 

Support Pacific Island Rugby Welfare– they are a charity that do great work in supporting Pacific Island rugby players and their families and are really the front line in battling these injustices.

Make sure to support their posts and petitions and stay up-to date on this issue by following them on twitter - @pacificwelfare.

Support them with whatever you can through Patreon.

I would also highly recommend you watch the documentary ‘Oceans Apart’ on Amazon Prime if you wish to educate yourself further on these issues. (Watch here).

There are links throughout the blog to articles which expand further on what we have covered here, so please read them and educate yourself further.

Remember to leave a comment and let me know your opinions on this issue.

N0802218

References

Kihl, L., Skinner, J., & Engelberg, T. (2016). Corruption in sport: understanding the complexity of corruption. European Sport Management Quarterly, 17(1), 1-5.

McDonald, B. (2014). Developing ‘Home-Grown’ Talent: Pacific Island Rugby Labour and the Victorian Rugby Union. The International Journal Of The History Of Sport, 31(11), 1332-1344.

Naha, S., & Hassan, D. (2017). Introduction: ethical concerns in sport governance. Sport In Society, 21(5), 721-723.

[atamascolily]

A Natural History of Tatooine, part 3/?

In which Luke tells stories from his childhood and Tor quotes more poetry (this time it's from Robert Frost's 'Desert Places').  

(Parts One and Two)

Luke had never felt much fondness for his home planet, slogging through the heat and the endless hours of toil, always dreaming of better things beyond the horizon. He'd left without a backward glance after his aunt and uncle were slaughtered on the doorstep of his childhood home by Imperial agents. His best friend Biggs had died a few days later in battle against the first Death Star, and Luke had never really stopped moving for the next few years after that.

He'd come back briefly to Tatooine to rescue Han from local despot Jabba the Hutt, but had spent less than a week on the planet's surface. They'd left as soon heist was over, and there'd been too much going on--first at Endor and then with the New Republic and the Jedi Academy--for him to care about what happened on some sandy dustball in the Outer Rim.

No doubt Jabba's death had left a temporary power vacuum that other criminals had rushed to fill, effectively maintaining the status quo. No doubt the moisture farmers still eked out a living as best they could on their isolated holdings, the Sand People roamed and raided at sporadic intervals, the Jawas traders circuited the dunes in their massive sandcrawlers, and Mos Eisley--was still scummy, rundown and desperate little backwater spaceport. Just like always.

The only thing that was different now was there was no Imperial presence in the system, but it was unlikely any of the New Republic's reforms had reached this far out into the Rim, given how many crises had come up in the last few years.

"This is your show, I'm just along for the ride," he said aloud. "And to keep you from getting into too much trouble. Bribes and permits can only get you so far in this place."

"Believe me, I wouldn't have it any other way," Tor agreed.

She brought up  an intricate, detailed 3-D model of the Tatooine system on the holo display. A single planet, flanked by three ragged moons, orbited a pair of shining yellow stars, flaring bright in the holo display until Tor adjusted the levels to a more tolerable gleam.

"As you can see, the three moons would make for incredibly complex tides if there were any surface water, but the planet is close enough to the binary stars that we don't have to worry about it. They do account for significant fluxes in atmospheric moisture, though, which probably caused your aunt and uncle no end of headaches," Tor said, settling into lecture mode.

"Tatooine was initially settled in the later years of the Old Republic by humans eager to exploit its alleged mineral wealth, but all of the established colonies quickly went bust after an initial boom, resulting in generations of poverty for the surviving settlers. The Hutts quickly took advantage of the decline, purchasing massive amounts of territory and property--including sentient beings--and initiating a sharecropping system for those unable to pay their debts. However, free farming enclaves, populated by the descendants of the original human colonists, still remain--"

"Can we skip ahead? I already know this," Luke said.

She leaned forward, zooming the display to focus on Tatooine itself. "How much planetary geography did you study?"

"Uhhhmm, very little," he admitted. "I knew the area where I grew up like the back of my hand, but mostly I focused on star charts and atmospheric conditions. You know, pilot stuff." <i>So I could get out of there,</i> he thought, but didn't say.  

"Can you plot the coordinates of your childhood farm on this map?" Tor asked.  

Luke nodded. They were one of the first things he'd had to learn before Uncle Owen would let him go out alone in his T-16 Skyhopper: how to get back home, even with a damaged navcomputer, and only one engine functioning. He still had the coordinates memorized. Some things, once engrained, never left.

Tor punched in the numbers he recited and zoomed in still further on a map derived from the most recent planetary survey - from the Imperial era, Luke noted, a few years before the farm had been destroyed. The familiar white structures of the farm's outbuildings were still visible in the holo. He felt his throat tighten at this eerie glimpse into the lost past.

"Your moisture farm was located in an ancient lake bed," Tor said as she studied the image. "Millions of years ago, massive amounts of water flowed in--and never flowed out. As the climate grew warmer, the water evaporated over time, leaving the salts it carried behind."

"Uh, whatever you say," Luke said, still unnerved by the glimpse of the past the survey maps offered. "We called it the Great Chott."

She clicked her tongue thoughtfully. "Not very conducive to plant life, as you observed earlier. And the uneti would be very conspicuous; there's no shelter here at all from sandstorms or unwanted attention. I think we'll have to look elsewhere for them.

"Tell me about this place," she continued, pointing to a vast stretch of sand to the northeast of the point she'd marked LARS' FARM.

"Ah, that's the Dune Sea--" Luke told her about building a small hang-glider the winter he was twelve, and launching himself off the tops of the largest dunes to catch the thermal updrafts and soar for hours, until he lost the air current and crashed, giggling, into the shifting sands. "That was the first time I ever flew," he said, smiling at the memory, "and I could never get enough of it after that."

"What about here?" she said, pointing to a different spot on the map. This marked the ruins of a failed mining operation that Luke and Biggs had explored when they were fifteen and convinced of their own immortality. Not even flushing up a massive colony of womp rats had dampened their spirits.

He showed her the Darklighter farm, where Biggs had lived until he'd left for the Imperial Academy, and Anchorhead, where he'd gone with Owen and Beru to pick up any supplies that couldn't be easily shipped to Tosche Station. He showed her the station general store, the abandoned dune hut where he'd hung out with his agemates during poor weather, Old Lady Whittaker's place on the outskirts, the Marstrap family greenhouse and Fixer's machine shop.  

He told her about his family's infrequent trips to Bestine, which had become the de facto center of Imperial power on the planet, as the Empire had left Mos Eisley under the rule of the kleptocratic Hutt crime syndicates. He told her about sifting through the algae tanks on the farm to gather greens for dinner; how Beru had splurged and bought him his first fresh fruit, a wik'u melon, when he was four years old, and it was the best thing he'd ever tasted. He told her about the informal races through Beggar's Canyon, where every heartbeat counted in the quest to reach the finish line, how the day he'd threaded the Stone Needle and shaved a few seconds off his time still counted as one of the best days of his life--though he lost his stabilizers in the process and it was a rough and bumpy ride back to the farm afterwards.

He told her about fetch fetch, or dry quicksand, that could snag an unwary traveler on foot and ensare them, and fulgurites, glassy chunks of sand fused together by ancient lightning strikes. He told her about the drum sand, that vibrated when stirred by the wind, causing eerie echoes that the Jawas claimed were the voice of ghosts, and glow sand, which radiated at night with mysterious phosphorescence and no one knew why. He told her of the characteristic ripples the wind formed in sand, and how they varied depending on the composition and consistency, and how there was always sand in his clothing, in his mouth, dust everywhere, and he'd never known that life could be different until he went away with Ben into space.

As he'd half-expected, she was most interested in the Jundland Wastes, which was not an area he'd spent much time in. He told her as much as he could remember from following an escaped Artoo-Detoo into the rocky canyons there--only to be ambushed by Tuskens and rescued by Ben Kenobi's krayt dragon call. Tor was intrigued by this particular detail, and made Luke imitate the sound several times before she let the matter drop.

"Ben said the Jundland Wastes were not to be traveled lightly--I think that was one of the few things he and my uncle agreed on," Luke said thoughtfully.  

This segued nicely into Tor's next line of inquiry: the location of Ben Kenobi's hut.

That was a harder question to answer. He'd only been there twice--one in a dazed rush with Ben, after he'd been knocked unconscious in a Tusken ambush, and once guided by the Force. But none of that translated into working coordinates for Tor to use.

Rather than panic, he let his hands relax and wander over the landscape until he found a location that <i>felt</i> right. "Here," he said, and tapped it. A geomarker appeared and Tor saved it.

"Good," she said. "Very good. You've told me quite a lot, Skywalker, whether you realize it or not."

"What are you going to with all this?" Luke asked curiously.

"I like to know the lay of the land before I come out of orbit. I already had a good idea of where to start looking based on the map data alone, but what you've told me now has confirmed my initial impressions."

"Huh." This was not an approach he'd ever thought to take. "If you already know where the seeds are, why are we going at all?"

Tor smiled. "To see if I'm right, of course. Ground-truthing, we call it in my business. I trust your memory, of course, but a lot can change in twenty years. And sometimes maps lie."

"Who would alter a map out <i>here</i>?" Luke asked. "This planet is a wasteland, there hasn't been any mining out here for centuries--"

"Someone who didn't want to be found," Tor said, shutting off the holo. "It's what I would have done in their place."

She didn't say Ben's name, but she didn't have to. Luke had seen Ben befuddle the minds of stormtroopers at an Imperial checkpoint once. He had no doubt that Ben could have altered the official maps and records in an effort to hide his tracks.

Tor must have seen the distracted look on Luke's face that indicated his thoughts were wandering, because she started quoting poetry again. "'They cannot scare me with their empty spaces between stars - on stars where no human race is. I have it in me so much nearer home, to scare myself with my own desert places.'  

"Good night, Skywalker," she said, and left him alone in the greenhouse with his thoughts.

***

It was only later, as he sprawled back in his bunk in the <i>Destiny</i>'s spare quarters that he realized he'd been so absorbed in answering Tor's questions that he hadn't thought about Callista once. Or Mara, for that matter.

No doubt that had been Tor's plan all along.

[silver-gm]

The First Federation: Major Factions.

A follow-up from last week, here’s some examples of the various factions that could of formed out of the ruins left by the Reckoning. Feel free to change anything up to suit the needs of your campaign.

The Dwarven Union

History: As the Reckoning approached, the ancient dwarvern Kingdoms built their might strongholds as large as they could in their decayed state. They called all of their troops to their capital of Kor-Khaz-Krak in preperation for their last campaign. Foreseeing this, the dark elf wizard Alleyhan struck the fortress with all of his might, before exhorting a horde of orcs to swarm over it's ruins. Yet, dwarven patience (and, some would say, slowness) proved to be their salvation, as the bulk of their forces had yet to arrive. Still, the strike did all but wipe out dwarven leadership, and many of the surrounding forces would fall in the battles to come. Eventually, only one hold remained. It's lord having perished in battle, there was some question as to who would lead them. It became apparent that it would be the guild leaders, still being recognised authorities. Each unable to exist without the aid of the others, they formed the Economic Board, to co-ordinate and lead them

Government: The Economic Board  consists of the major Guilds that form the dwarven economy, including the Smith's guild, Miners guild, Cave Guard guild, among others. Each guild is represented by sending their Board Liaison to the former throne room of the hold, that forms the meeting ground for the Board. The Board serves to control interactions between guilds, such as trade deals an co-operation on larger projects. Within each guild, power is primarily meritocratic. Each level of the guilds power structure has regular elections, where they select the most skilled member of their branch of the guild to be it's leader and represent them in the next level up, up until the guild leader selects his liaison for the board.

Special Ability: With their entire economy planned under one government, the dwarves are capable of making projects of such magnitude that no other empire can hope to achieve. They have the capability of making wonders that rival the great works of the dwarven masters of old.

The Tor Tribe

History: Before the Reckoning, the Tor had little in the way of centralised government. There were sizable communities of them scattered throughout the villages and districts of cities, no centralised nation. Many were brought together during the Reckoning as armies sought the strength of their soldiers. Thanks to having no major holdings, they weren't individually targeted, but they did suffer sizable casualties in the fighting. After the fighting ended, villages found they were without protection and industry, with there were sizable platoons of Tor mercenaries wandering without cause or supply. Their problems were solved when Captain Leon Scaratan united the scattered Tor under one banner. Gathering existing communities into Clans, and helping wandering individuals to find a place, he created the Tor Tribe, and became it's first king. He took his most loyal followers and founded the city of Scarat, which would serve as his capital.

Government: All decisions are made at a Tribal Moot, at which the chieftains of all the clans meet to discuss matters. Leading the discussions is the King/Queen, who is whichever chieftain is recognised as the strongest. This leads to kings/queens having long reigns, ended abruptly by political power struggles coupled with displays of power. Chieftains are selected in different ways, depending of the clan in question, from meritocratic promotion to monarchic inheritance.

Special Ability: Between gregariousness, natural strength, and general good looks, the Tor have a way with subtlety influencing peoples opinions of others with just a little time. When prodded, they can use this on those around prominent politicians, allowing them to influence relations between factions.

The Elven Council

History: When the Reckoning came, the elves sat just behind the scenes of every fight. They sent rangers to battlefields, spys to political functions, and lorekeepers to magical deals. With so much indirect fighting, they were almost defenceless when a massive hobgoblin army landed in their forests and marched, razing, slaughtering and pillaging all in their path. Their forests lost, their agents throughout the world found themselves without support. The only thing that stopped the elves from being wiped from the face of the world was the hobgoblins supplies suddenly stopping due to a political play in their homeland. That, combined with significant elven sabotage, the hobgoblin legions collapsed onto themselves. The scattered elven survivors attempted to rebuild their great councils of old, but their broken leadership left the elves in the only elven settlement of Alunae under the control of an elaborate plutocracy of spies and nobles.

Government: The elves are under the control of the Shadow Council, a collection of spies, nobles, politicians, and other powerful figures. The only way to earn a seat on the council is to be given one by a group of other council members. The protocol and decision making process the council goes through is so elaborate that only and elven mind could make sense of it, let alone make it run smoothly.

Special Ability: Even after the brutality of the Reckoning, the elves hold the world's biggest spy network (after the dark elves nearly wiped themselves out with infighting). Though it's not what it once was, they can still get policy done in other nations.

The Warforged Republic

History: During the Reckoning, more soldiers were wanted than the world's population could possibly sustain. The richer nations answer to this was to hire artificers to forge soldiers for them. However, they quickly ran into the problem that warforged couldn't repair themselves as easily as flesh-and-blood troops, coupled with the desire for even more troops. The artificer's solution for this was to build some warforged with self-replication capabilities. Soon, millions and millions of artificial soldiers were being created and destroyed in the seemingly endless battles of the Reckoning. As such, it's end presented a problem for them. Without a war to fight, none had need of their services. Without supplies, they couldn't replicate or repair themselves. With nothing better to do, and no personal grudges, the warforged that were still intact banded together for mutal protection. When a series of power struggles over pre-Reckoning power positions made it clear that a military government wouldn't work, they formed a republic, eliminating of relevance of old ranks.

Government: Any decision that allows ample time for debate and protocol is made by the Senate, which consists of senators elected by the people of an Electorate, a space carefully drawn so that all Electorates have roughly the same number of voters. The majority of senators are members of one of the political parties that make up the senate. While shifting alliances and priorities can change the number and makeup of the parties at any given time, there are usually around 4. Whichever party gets the most seats is known as the Ruling Party, and it's considered their job to deal with the other parties in order to get legislation passed.

Special ability: While most legislation can be debated for months in the senate, when a catastophe strikes something they have reason to care about, they can get an efficient and co-ordinated response very quickly, which can provide significant relief to the beneficiary.

Human Church

History: In the time before the Reckoning, the humans were by far the most powerful of all races. Their empires were vast, their wizards powerful, and armies mighty. So great was their dominion that even the spirits learned to bend down to them. When the Reckoning came, this dominion was turned on it's head. After countless wizards sacrificed everything they had for an edge in the war, spirits suddenly had vast amounts of power, while humanity had torn itself to pieces. As many of the last surviving human congregated in the ruins of Alamar, formerly a shining metropolis, all manner of supernatural creatures flocked to the city to stake their claim to power. Of course, as there were so many, alliances needed to be made before anything could be done. This formed the Alamar United Church, commonly abbreviated to The Church, where dozens of spirits compete for power.

Government: All government is controlled by the various Spirits that have seized control of domains. The political power of a spirit is mostly determined by how many followers it has. Changes in a spirit's follower count can lead to them gaining or losing domains. This often leads to spirits sabotaging each other.

Special Ability: Convincing others to flip to their side is a necessary ability for spirits, to the point where each has a sizable corps of preachers for that purpose. Sent to a foreign outpost, they can change their targets' allegiance.

The Ent Mafia

History: The Ents were once a quite and peaceful people, content to dwell in the forests, trading with the elves for what little they needed. Then, when the Reckoning came, entire forests were logged for warforged and battleships, and to prevent enemies from approaching undetected. In the chaos, some ents began dealing with the humans, allowing them to log the lands of their enemies in exchange for leaving their own territory alone. Soon, their groves were the only ones left standing, forcing all other ents to bow to them. As they regrew their forests in the time after, these various criminal elements began to make contact with one another. Though a combination of alliances and hostile takeovers, soon they had coalesced into the Ent Mafia.

Government: The Mafia is ran by the Don, who delegates their power through his under-bosses. The power of the Don is not quite as complete as any Don in history would admit, due to old dealing guaranteeing his under-bosses some level of autonomy. Besides, they generally spend most of their time laying about enjoying the wealth their position grants. Instead, power is held by the various under-bosses, who each work to further their own agenda. The power of any given under-boss is proportional to their favour with the Don.

Special Ability: The ents quickly learned that the greatest way to gain power over your enemy is with threats, and no threat is easier than that of blackmail. As such, they have quite the collection, they they are willing to share... for a price.

The Hobgoblin Corporation

History: The Hobgoblin Empire was once on of the most feared powers in the world, with massive legions built on the back of millions of slaves, their armed might keeping a stream of plunder flowing into hobgoblin lands. When the Reckoning came, the hobgoblins sent almost all of their armed might out into the world in an attempt to conquer all. They might of succeeded, had a team of assassins not killed the governor left in the emperor's place while he was on campaign, leaving a traitorous magistrate in charge. In an attempt to sieze power, the magistrate cut off supplies to the outer legions, using the resources to raise a private army. Not content with a traitor on the throne, a band of 1000 legionnaires left in the guard stormed the palace, kiled the magistrate, and claimed power themselves. After some debate as to how to run things, they decided that they’d break the profits of their empire into 1000 shares, 1 each, and let each-other do with the shares what they would. 900 of these shareholders proceeded to die under mysterious circumstances. The remaining 100, most of whom now several shares richer, powered their new economy with capitalism. Fortunately for the common folk, after the loss of their legions, many of their further outposts managed to win independence.

Government: Everything in hobgoblin territory must pay various forms of rent to the Corporation, which splits the profit amongst it's shareholders. The Corporation has very little to do with policy, laws instead being written by successful security companies for the benefit of their subscribers. However, in the event the Corporation-wide policies must be implemented, the policy is voted on by the shareholders, each with a number of votes equal to their shares. There are only ever 1000 shares in circulation at any given time. Most of them go to a megacompany with 10-75 shares, though there are plenty of minor ones that can impact the result in large enough number.

Special ability: Say what you will about capitalists, they know how to get the most out of something. They can give allies a boost to their economy just by sending a few advisors

The Troglodyte Legion

History: The troglodytes spent millennia raiding from their swamps deep in the south of the land. When people stopped settling near them, they mastered the art of long range strikes. When the Reckoning approached, the troglodytes sent everything they could spare and a mission to jump from village to village, using their own plunder to spur them on until they reached the richest cities in the world. Mistaking this tactic for the existence of a supply train, a band of wizards cursed the troglodyte swamplands with plague in an effort to slow them down. When that evidently failed, they hired assassins to kill their leaders. As such, when the battered troglodyte armies returned to their homeland, they found it in chaos. Seizing the chance, the supreme commander took direct control of all government, turning the troglodyte into a military state.

Government: All power is held by the Supreme Commander, who delegates resources to the various branches of the military government according to his agenda. The more resources any given branch has, the easier it is for them to affect policy. The agenda changes from time to time based on the situation and changes in troglodyte leadership

Special ability: When everyone has a certain place in a society, it becomes easier to assemble teams of the best. The legion, thanks to elite high-level personnel and high co-ordination, can conduct projects with a precision no other can hope to match.

The Orc Monarchy

History: When the Reckoning came, the orcs rejoiced. War had always been their primary love. Millennia of cultural integration and natural selection left them more war hungry than any other race on the map. The orcs made a mass migration to the battlefields of the world, eager to shed blood. What little they left behind the greatest warchief left in the hands of his most favoured assassin. Realising how temporary her reign would be, this assassin assembled a huge army of like-minded orcs. When what little orc survivors returned from their campaign, the new warchief intended to place himself into power. He was promptly assassinated. The assassin declared that she would decide who served her in what capacity, and any rebels would be promptly assassinated. After the silencing of several opponents, the orcs fell in line, establishing a more organised feudal structure. When the assassin began to grow old, she left her rule to her son, making his the first orc to win power with birthright (aside from the many magical enchantments he needed to protect him from prospective assassins)

Government: Final power is held by the Monarch, a hereditary title. The Monarch then deals out roles to their court of nobles, each with a specific personality. The personality of the noble affects how they carry out the various actions of their stations. Roles often shift rapidly as nobles gain and lose power with the monarch, in addition to constant power struggles.

Special ability: The orcs always had a talent for brining out great, albeit unpredictable, strength at opportune times. When a nation is backed into a corner and it doesn't have much to lose, a little encouragement from some orc 'professionals' can provide help... hopefully in the way you need.

[blueblurbbaskets]

The 600 men that went with him was probably a sizable chunk if not the majority of adult males capable of fighting on Ithaca, which is not/ was not historically a large island. And between the fact that Ody brings a whopping 12 ships to Troy when some of the other kings bring 30 or 40, and the fact that most of the men around when he gets back to Ithaca after twenty years are either old men who couldn't have fought‚ young men who would have been children when he left‚ or suitors from other islands...

Yeah he basically wiped out an entire generation of men. And then did a significant amount of slaughtering the next generation‚ given how many were among the suitors. Like no wonder people rose up and tried to kill him before Athena stepped in and was like "no he gets a happy ending" lol. I have to wonder how many people were bitter after that, cause sure‚ *Odysseus* gets a happy ending. Not your husband. Not your son. Penelope and Telemachus got their happy reunion after twenty years but not the other 600 families

Thinking about Epic the Musical/the Odyssey and isn't it fun how Odysseus is technically responsible for wiping out what is likely the majority of the adult male population of Ithaca :)