The other proposition of Councilor Arabat, however, caused animated disputes among the members of the Council. The Demon councilor drew attention to the problem of his native faction, its popularity among the novelty of the Empire, problems that, in his opinion, were making his kin unpopular, and methods to solve them.
Arabat Flamesoul the Fourth stated financial impediments, tactical difficulty and general intimidating, somewhat farfetched, natural impression usually caused by the very thought of the infernal race. He drew attention to the census statistics listing Demons as the least populated faction, to strategic difficulties considering the difficult gating mechanics and as a result - complication in receiving the skill in Demon leadership.
The councilors agreed on all of the above, trying to understand what the whole thing was about and what the noble Demon had in mind.
"It is my concern to increase the vogue of my kin among the Lords circle. Our troops are always available, but not much in demand compared to all other factions. It is our wish to integrate into the Empire as fully as possible, and for this, I have thought up certain means to increase our popularity, which I would like to present to this council"
"We are all ears", - councilor Thutkra spoke for everyone, clearly interested in the possible military aspect of the matter.
"The entire idea is to organize a festivity of some sort, carnival as some would call it. During this short period, everyone would have a chance to part with Demons temporarily and to make sure with their own experience that Demons are an extremely competitive, comfortable and efficacious race. My plan is to organize a competition among all such examiners to reveal both the most decent Lords who are currently parting with us, and those who would become most successful Demon strategists should they think of changing faction."
"Arabat..." Councilor Kalirosh interrupted, "Flamesoul Fourth!" He hastily added, noticing a blaze of fire sparkle in the Demon's eyes. "Please do not get me wrong here, but I think I speak for everyone here if I say that, given the history of the Empire, carnivals honouring the Demons would be something very odd to organize even among the military forces alone", - the Knight looked around him looking for support. Most of the Councilors were nodding, staring warily at Arabat. "Besides, you as nobody else should understand that such kind of festivities would cause the Lords to go into even greater expenses, I don't see how it could benefit them so that they would be able to spend on building their Demon castles from anew."
"I have thought of that too. That is why I am planning to declare discounts on all Demon castles throughout the Empire, for all buildings on all levels..."
A loud hubbub arose in the Court hall; the councilors were speaking all at once, trying to shout one over another. Lady Quetlisse kept quiet but gazed indignantly at the Demon. When the noise finally settled, councilor Feurlis took word.
"Councilor, this is not how things are done. This would put Demons into serious advantage over all other factions which is not a proper way to even out the popularity you claim to be a problem. Have you been outside today? The Lords are raging because of the Herald's incarceration. They are protesting peacefully for now, my agents are working day and night to pacify those who would potentially become a threat, but if the level of discontent rises any more, this could very well grow into a coup attempt."
"I have thought of that", - Arabat replied somewhat offended by the lack of credit among the Council members. "I understand the consequences and I think that such festivities need to be organized for every faction of the Empire. As Councilor of Finance, I consider this a good way of improving the financial situation. All I ask of is simply allowing Demons to be the first swallow in this series of festivals."
After some more minor discussion, the Council consented to organize the Demon festive week. They decided it was necessary to convene daily for short reunions to discuss the daily reports on the event.
Lords and Ladies of the Empire, this week is declared Festival of Demons. During this one week:
- all buildings in the Demon castles may be purchased with a discount of 15%, for both gold and diamond prices;
- all faction skill points received by representatives of the Demon faction are increased by 15%;
- "Insight on Demons" tournament will take place. Regardless of current faction, any Lord joining this tournament will be able to choose a preset Demon build of army and talents out of a short list, and conduct a series of Survival style combats using that one build. Thus, all Lords wishing to participate in the tournament compete at how insightful they are on the Demon faction. Faction skill points received in this tournament will be added to Demon faction skill regardless of what the Lord’s faction was at any moment of the tournament. Top 30 contestants on every combat level will share the main prize and get a special achievement. Top 10% contestants will share the incentive prize and Hunters' guild points.
The Court has plans to organize Festivals of every other faction in future. |
