ROLEPLAY

Dear Ranger Wilk Potskin,

I am sending this open letter to plead to you, Ranger Potskin, to please tell your Ranger-aspirants to stop experimenting on termite mounds in the Verdant Heights as soon as possible.

For what purpose?

Halting the experiments can repair the damaged reputation of the Rangers, can ease the diplomatic missions of the honorable Ranger Companions, can restore the repute and meaning of the Chamber of Nobles, and can enable a conciliation of the Nobles with the Royal Court in a much more relaxed manner.

Freezing the experiments until further negotiations with the Nobles would be a proof for everyone that the Rangers are still respecting their old values of keeping up a good reputation in all nations, of still regarding the well-being of all homins on Atys as their first priority, with peace being an important part of it; and it would also serve as an example of how to act responsibly as a representative of a faction for everyone else on Atys.

Why are you the one being addressed?

I am asking this of you since you are the official Ranger in charge of assigning these experiments, since you have experienced the protests and presentation of viewpoint of the chamber of nobles first hand, and since you are the one whose informations the decision by Ranger-leaders obviously base upon. It's also you who carries the responsibility of choosing official representatives by granting - or refusing - the title Ranger Companion.

It might not feel good to read the following statements, as I am pointing out negative perspectives that you might not have been aware of and at first might even not want to believe; sorry for that. Still I trust that you, Ranger Wilk Potskin, should be informed even of displeasing facts so you can come to a decision that will be for the best of Atys, for you Rangers as well as for the representatives of all the nations, and for good diplomatic relations on all of Atys.

Why is it me asking?

Please understand that the ongoing (!) experimentations of Rangers in Verdant Heights - against express rejection of the Chamber of Nobles - have awoken mistrust in observers of these events. Especially in representatives of the Zorai, since the Circles have refused to allow experimentations within the Witherings just like the Chamber of Nobles has for the Kingdom.

We Circles now have to fear, that you, Ranger Potskin, as the one homin responsible, might next up do the same thing to the Circles of the Theocracy that you already did to the Chamber of Nobles: omitting us just like them and disrespecting our arguments like we were completely insignificant, even non-existent by seeking out and only accepting the words of Zorai-officials who might support you over our heads. I hope this letter can prevent possible future events like that.

Maybe you can understand our worries better if I gave you an example?

Let's say one of our wise and kind Sages talks to a Ranger one day, saying something like this: "Of course the Theocracy wants to abide good relations with the Rangers. So since you insist on this, the Council of Elders will deliberate about giving you permission to experiment on a termite-mound in Paramount Stock…". What if the Ranger in charge then misinterprets these words as a permission to start experiments there? You know that misunderstandings can easily happen, especially since many different dialects are spoken on Atys nowadays.

Ever since the experimentations in the Verdant Heights started, you, Ranger Wilk Potskin, wouldn't listen to any reminder of the position of the Chamber of Nobles who were and still are against experiments on termites. You, Ranger Potskin, continued to tell Ranger-aspirants to go on with experimenting in Verdant Heights, even though you already knew how much this must offend the Nobles.

When I told you at the last Ranger-Assembly: "Please understand that because of you the chamber of nobles of Davae is endangered to be dissolved.", you then replied to me: "And do not blame Rangers for Matis problems please." This alarming example shows that you would do the same to us Circles if differences should occur: refusing to take responsibility for the crucial part that you, Ranger Wilk Potskin, played and are still playing in this whole affair.

If you should chose to answer just like that to any arguments by the representatives of the Circles in the future as well, then we Zorai won't even be able to clear up any possible misunderstandings. And you would most likely just shrug off all of your responsibilities then as well: "And do not blame Rangers for Zorai problems please." while continuing telling your Ranger-aspirants to do experimentations on termite-mounds in Paramount Stock….

And the same problem might occur within the Burning Desert and Aeden Aqueous / New Trykoth just as well in the context of future topics.

If the Akenak or the Taliari won't allow Rangers to do something that you are asking permission for, won't you, Ranger Wilk Potskin, ignore them then just like you ignored the Chamber of Nobles, and instead concentrate all your efforts to persuade the Celiakos'/Senators and the Kard'al? And if one of them who lacks information about the position of the Akenak or Taliari will give you the permission you want, like the royal court allegedly has, then won't you, Ranger Wilk Potskin, reply to any objections: "And do not blame Rangers for Fyros / Tryker problems please." ?

So please understand that the trust of all representatives of all nations into the Rangers is at stake here.

And please believe me: I am not the only official representative on Atys who is worried about how the Rangers are treating the Nobles and might do with others in the future. Sadly voicing concerns provokes verbal attacks by loyal followers who turn a blind eye to any mistakes and problems that their factions cause. Merely because of this I am presently the only homin having the guts to talk to the responsible homins.

Halting the experiments on termite mounds in Verdant Heights out of respect for the Nobles would be a sign to all political representatives on Atys that the Rangers respect their position as parts of their governments and will be willing to listen to their voices during future debates.

It would be an act worthy of your admirable organisation that has always been well-respected by all nations and was working hard for the best of Atys, even by uniting nations and making them work together in the past.

Instead of omitting nation's representatives, undoing many hours of political work and treating them like they were invisible dust on the ground if they will dare to utter unwanted objections, basing your actions solely on permissions pulled out of more disposed officials, like the Rangers have done to the Chamber of Nobles.

Please understand that you can easily restore the declining confidence that others now have in your organisation, if you, Ranger Wilk Potskin - as the homin in charge - just asked your Ranger-aspirants to stop experimenting in Verdant Heights for now.

There is a lot more on my mind about this topic as I have voiced elsewhere, and there might be future discussions about the exact role of representatives and diplomats on Atys, but I will spare you all that for now.

Thank you for having read this.

I bow to you with respect

Initiate Zhoi, representative of the Theocracy

Daomei has read the open letter and adds a comment

Dear Zhoi,

While I do not know what Wilk or the Rangers' High Command will answer, allow me to add some comments.

1. I fail to see that the reputation of the Rangers is damaged because the royal court in the forest allowed them to do experiments on a termite mound in Hidden Source. In fact, the Rangers have got the permission to do likewise in the desert and the lakes from the higher governments, the board of governors and the sharükos, without prior consultation of the Taliari or the Akenak.

2. A direct contact of Rangers' liaison officers to the lower governments in any country would have been a breach of rules of diplomacy, and an affront against the higher government. The Rangers did not have any administrative body to confer with the lower government branches without undue interference into the inner affairs of the nations at that time. They hastened to set up a body of diplomatic representatives, called Ranger Companions, after the troubles emerging in the Kingdom

3. I feel that you are widely exceeding your cognizance and responsibilities. You are representative of the Witherings, not the Verdant Heights. If somebody in the kingdom is feeling that halting the permitted work of the Rangers in Hidden Source would help to reconcile the inner problems in the kingdom, it would be their task to notify the Rangers.

4. You are exactly doing what you are blaming the Rangers for. Instead of contacting the now installed diplomatic service of the Atys Rangers for the lower government bodies, the Ranger Companions, you ignore them and appeal to the higher command level to supersede and ignore their opinions and directly order the Ranger Aspirants to act as you feel it necessary. This is a procedure of the pot calling the kettle black to say the least.

5. I fail to see how halting the experimentation in Hidden Source would be useful to reconcile the inner problems in the kingdom. Those were caused by officials of the court not involving or at least informing the chamber of nobles during the process of permitting the Atys Rangers to work with termites in the forest. This has happened, lamentably, and is a fact, now. Even if the Rangers would stop, that would not make it undone. The toothpaste is out of the tube and cannot be pressed back that way. And stopping now would deride the court who has given the permission in the first place. It would add a further crisis to the existant one.

In effect, I politely ask you to let the Matis nation settle their problems. In case a halt of the experiments would be helpful and the court and the nobility would signal the Rangers in that direction, I am sure it would not need your intervention to let the Rangers act in that way, though the experiments in the forest are not insignificant at all according to the experts.

yours sincerely,

Daomei Lin Carthan - Rangers' Companion (Ranger Aspirant in diplomatic duty)

Dear Ranger Companion Daomei Lin Carthan,

If you cannot understand why Wilk Potskin's decisions (and Melga Folgores approval, even though in his case nobody knows if Melga was even fully informed by Wilk Potskin about everything that had happened) deliberately has indeed damaged the reputation of "the Rangers" as an organization in the eyes of a number of observers - then I'd suggest that you please read my letter again, since it explains this matter in detail.

I am aware that - like maybe all of us who have been loyal followers of our nations and/or factions for a long time - your view of reality is strongly colored by your absolute trust in your faction, their leaders and the ideals they are supposed to represent. But if you try to see things without your instinctive glorification of your organization, maybe you can see that we are all homins and so we can make mistakes; even Ranger Wilk Potskin.

You might remember the words of Melga Folgore: " I'm the one who manage Ranger relations with others governements and make sure everyone in the camps got enough food and drink. ... I asked Wilk to pause the current experiments. ... The other reason is due to diplomatic issues we had with the Kingdom. Even if the Royal Court agreed to our termites experiment requests. It brought political problems within the nobles assemblies.

Rangers role is not to undermine national govermenents ! Please listen to me, this part IS important ! Goverments support is one of the Ranger's powers key. We will only succeed against kitins if we are able to fight against kitins united. I would like to make sure everyone of you understand this well. We will not tolerate any undiplomatic behaviour in front of any governement assemblies."

I wonder why Melga Folgore permitted Ranger aspirants to experiment in Hidden Source right afterwards - did he think that Wilk had arranged a compromise with the Nobles about this one mound perhaps?

Truth be told there are indeed some homins who have doubts that a permission by the royal court even exists. No proof of the permission was ever shown by the Ranger's leaders to anyone, even though Filira Salazar Caradini had asked Wilk Potskin in person to do so before starting the experimentations in Verdant Heights.

And at the last Assembly the King's advisor Kellen Codgan did not reply to the question if the Karan has permitted the Rangers to do experimentations; and one of the newer nobles said "... seemingly the Karan gave permission ...". So nobody knows for sure!

Since the royal court did not order the Rangers to do experimentation, there would have been no "affront" at all if Wilk Potskin had waited for the Nobles to agree with their court as well.

As Melga Folgore said that he himself "manages the relationships with governments" he revealed that he, Melga Folgore, was / is the Ranger in charge for diplomacy, even long before Ranger Companions were chosen. So no rules would have been breached if Melga Folgore had contacted the chamber of Nobles.

After Wilk Potskin was addressed by Filira Salazar Caradini in person, the Rangers had the chance - no, the moral commitment - to reply to the concerns of the Nobles next, because the yuboball has been passed to them by Filira Caradini. Instead the Ranger leaders decided to just ignore the questions and decisions of the Chamber of Nobles, and by that they treated the proud and respected Nobles as if they were mere fruit-flies - annoying, but completely insignificant. And this breached all rules of diplomacy.

Ranger Companion Daomei Lin Carthan, you are not in any position to tell me what my job is! I demand of you to stop this insolence at once. Our honored superior and mentor, Sage Sens, told us (and weren't you there that time too?) at an Assembly in Zora that our ambassadors have to be present at the Assemblies of other nations to ask questions, to learn of the situation within the other nations, to tell this to the Theocracy and to make sure that the messages of our Theocracy are received.

I already said that our Theocracy is concerned by this matter too because of the decisions of Wilk Potskin, as well as representatives of other nations are worried; and I have already stated that this is not only my personal opinion. And how can you even dream of knowing better than our wise Sages what the job of an ambassador of the Theocracy on Atys (!) is or what has to be excluded?!

Sometimes you make me wonder; you yourself have just reminded me that the Ranger Companions were only assigned a short while ago. Wilk Potskin did not even name all those who he had chosen to be granted this title during the last Assembly in the Almati-Woods. Please remember that Wilk Potskin said that the Ranger Companions are no official Rangers yet! So they cannot be compared to representatives who play a decisive role within their governments/nations, and who are allowed to make political decisions.

Personally I pity the Ranger Companions who are now being sent out by Wilk Potskin to negotiate with parts of governments he has affronted. I respect most of these engaged homins of good character; and they cannot be made responsible in any way for what Wilk Potskin has personally decided - well at least I do not want them to feel too bad for the things their superiors do/did. Still I have started to talk about this matter in front of the whole Ranger Assembly with Wilk Potskin AND the new Ranger Companions present.

Additionally to that I in fact already tried to talk to Ranger Aspirants who are maybe Ranger Companions about this topic a bit more ever since by writing on the information boards - like with yourself, and you know this very well, although you are falsely accusing me of the opposite! - before sending an Izam to Wilk Potskin. I was forced to tell him personally because of the completely uncomprehending reactions of said Ranger Aspirants, and their obvious refusal to forward anything I said to Wilk Potskin or other Ranger leaders, as they just tell me to not say anything "bad" about "the Rangers" or especially their leaders, as if they were holy beings...

I have already explained why halting the experimentations in hidden source will be extremely helpful for a reconcilation within the Kingdom.

This whole affair is definitely not just an "inner problem" of the Kingdom! The Rangers are the ones who asked for a permission in the first place. And Wilk Potskin has played the crucial role in all of this. He obviously did not want to accept the "no" told to him by the Nobles, so some think he might have not informed or maybe have even misinformed Melga Folgore who tried to get permission elsewhere - from the royal court in hopes that the court has not fully been informed about the opinion of the Nobles.

How did the court "cause" any problems? Isn't this a clear accusation? Is it alright for you to speak so badly like that about the Kingdom after what Melga Folgore told you about "undiplomatic ways"? To some observers it seems like the court was tricked instead after the Rangers should have stopped trying to wring a permission out of anyone since the chamber of Nobles had already informed Wilk Potskin of the Nobles' veto. Of course the Rangers must have known about the refusal of the chamber of Nobles to do experimentation on termites long before Filira Caradini talked to Wilk Potskin about all of this in person.

How can pulling this trick have nothing to do with the Rangers who actually obviously were the one going through with this? An "inner problem" of the Kingdom? This is definitely a refusal to see the harsh reality, if not perhaps deliberately putting all of the blame of this whole affair solely on the Kingdom by those who might have tricked them on full purpose... And let's not forget that even the permission exists only "seemingly" as of now, but has never been proven yet.

The Chamber of Nobles was ignored and made to feel insignificant. This will change immediately as soon as their word is being respected by Wilk Potskin, which has to be proven by stopping the experimentation in Verdant Heights. The Nobles will be reassured that their word still has significance and still has a political effect on what is happening inside the Verdant Heights. After that the mere misunderstanding or lack of information of the royal court is only a very petty problem that can be easily solved.

Again it seems that I have to point out that this problem is not "confined" to the Kingdom. Do not shift the blame on "the Matis" like Wilk Potskin has done! In truth it concerns all of the governments representatives on Atys and their diplomatic relations to the Rangers as an organization. You as a Ranger Companion are not doing your organization any favor by trying to bend the facts, by accusing representatives of other factions/nations, even reprimanding them of their job and ridiculing the observation of representatives of the government of the nations in total.

As a side note I am bit curious about your status as an "official Ranger Companion" since I was informed about Melga Folgore telling you, Ranger Companion Daomei Lin Carthan: "I'm saying that there may be better way than your very undiplomatic way to settle things down. ... Before continuing I would like you to agree to alert us first before participating to a matis assembly please. Well, as long as Ranger are concerned, of course.".

You have been at the last Assembly in Yrkanis as I remember... and now you are talking about the matters of the "Kingdom" in a rather incriminating way, even though Melga Folgore has voiced concerns before... Does that mean that Melga Folgore has given his approval to this letter of yours, and is it an official statement / petition (like the part about wanting me to eat my words after having sent this letter and to "keep out" of this topic that concerns all nations) by the Rangers as an organization?

Best regards,

Initiate Zhoi from Hoi-Cho

What was said at the Ranger Assembly on Pluvia 1st in the 1st Cycle of Atys-Year 2576
- without altered meaning like the memories/records of some renown Rangers unfortunately have...

Wilk Potskin says: Yes Zhoi, do you want to add something else ?
Zhoi says: sorry, but about this topic, termite-mounds in Verdant Heights...
Zhoi says: have you, Ranger Wilk Potskin, read my letter that I sent to you (OOC: to events@ryzom.com) on Floris 2nd, 4th AC 2575 (OOC: Nov 19th) and published too (OOC: Arispotle-RP-Forum with proper tags)?
Wilk Potskin says: Yes I did.
Zhoi says: in the meanwhile things have gotten worse
Wilk Potskin says: I don't think so.
Zhoi says: Filira Salazar Caradini has stepped back from his political position...
Zhoi says: and Filira Ozwomen from Natae is about to leave Atys permanently i was told
Wilk Potskin says: We are in the process to build up an agreement with the Karan himself.
Zhoi sighs: that might not be enough, you know?
Daomei murmurs: Matis should speak for themselves
Wilk Potskin says: To deal with diplomatic issues born from that situation.
Zhoi says: please think about something to also show the chamber of nobles that they are still being respected by the Rangers...
Wilk Potskin says: What I know for sure is that: your are neither noble nor matis.
Zhoi says: could you do that please? I won't say anything more than that then
Zoline chuchotte a Zilon: elle est encore celle la .....
Zhoi says: you know that this matter is of concern to us Zorai as well. Because of two reasons
Zhoi says: the first reason is that the Matis nobles have been our very important allies at finding the botanical solution. They have withdrawn now after they have felt neglected ...
Zilon soupire: malheureusement oui, on se demande toujours pourquoi d'ailleur
Zhoi says: and the second reason I have explained in my letter. We Zorai also have to be worried.... what if you talk to our officials, the dynastic circle maybe, to get a permission, because you don't like our veto?
Zhoi says: we would like to be assured that you Rangers are still the admirable group that gets along well with all Nations on Atys that you have been before the second great swarming
Bitttymacod stands and looks to Wilk for permission to speak.
Wilk Potskin says: You can answer Bittty.
Zhoi looks at Wilk Potskin worried
Bitttymacod says: Zhoi -- I think you did not hear what Wilk said.
Bitttymacod says: He said that he and the Ranger leadership are dealing with the Karan *about* the diplomatic matter, not about the termite experiments.
Zhoi says: I heard that, but that means that the experiments are still going on and the nobles will still feel offended *looks at Bittty*
Bitttymacod says: In my opinion, if you have concerns about how the Rangers will deal with the Sages, you should bring them up, but you are not Matis, so you should not bring that up.
Bitttymacod says: I'm finished, Wilk.
Bitttymacod sits
Wilk Potskin says: Thanks Bittty.
Zhoi says: I already explained why I have talked about this matter with the Kingdom, I don't have to be a Matis to do so
Zhoi says: I have to say a word about interferences or "mingling" as some might call it...
Wilk Potskin says: Is it really necessary ?
Zhoi says: I sincerely believe it is
Zilon says: je ne crois pas
Wilk Potskin says: I really do not see the point here.
Zhoi says: in our part of the world, our diplomats have always "mingled", telling each other what was going on in other nations
Rangini says: i dont care about the nobles anymore, the did not even react on that what i say. and a noble is lower rang then karan isnt it ?
Zhoi says: we informed the public and informed ourselves. But because of this "mingling" we diplomats were able to prevent a war between nations and to find a healing for the late Emperor Dexton when he was ill one day and nearly died
Wilk Potskin says: What is the link between Dexton's death and termites ?
Zhoi says: this is the story of our success, the success of what you call "mingling". We called it working together, exchanging informations, warning each other
Zhoi says: please consider this
Zhoi says: thanks
Wilk Potskin says: I will consider it, for what it is worth.
Wilk Potskin says: Next subject now.
Zhoi starts to cry, showing a letter to Sartyrica. It's from Ozwomen saying that she misses her friends. She left because the royal court refused to talk with her about the meeting to clear up the problems with the Rangers and the termites