Embassies

The report of the recent Rangers Assembly is tacked up in the usual locations for the perusal of Ranger Aspirants who missed the meeting and also for the information of other interested homins.

Report on the Ranger Meeting of (2 December 2013)

The homins gathered as usual at the Ranger Camp in Almati Wood. There were twenty present to start with, which number swelled to more than thirty before the end.

Before the official start of the meeting there was an announcement from Les Justes.
Chonchon, the guild leader, announced that his term as leader of Les Justes was approaching an end and that he won't seek re-election. The election is in process. In the meantime, there is a new interim leader, Zykai. Zykai greeted the people present. Various folk congratulated Chonchon for managing to escape.
Wilk made an announcement about the current political troubles with and in the Matis Kingdom.
Melga Folgore has offered to deal directly with the Kingdom and invited the Royal Court to attend a Ranger Meeting. At last report the Karan was studying the proposal and will consult with the councils of Nobles before answering.
Wilk also asked that the Ranger Companions (ambassadors) let the leadership deal with this one. (Daomei denied everything!) The leadership is now awaiting word from the Karan or his Court.
Seturnulon rose to ask a question: He is head of security for Windermere. They are building a fence to protect themselves from the kitins in the mound near Windermere Farm. He asked if the Rangers had a good tip for materials?
Wilk had advice: Arana wood is good, but hard to get in the lakes and rots rapidly in wet climates. It might be possible to treat it to resist rot. He will ask the Ranger engineers, but also asks that the folk of Windermere consult amongst themselves since Tryker are good engineers.
Feylin noted that the great walls around Zoran in the old land did not stop the Great Swarming. Walls, in the end, do not protect.
Seturnulon had just wanted to make sure that they didn't use materials that the kitins would just eat. It was noted that if they were made poisonous to kitins that would be nice. Unfortunately Daeronn Cegrips is still missing.
Daomei reported that she had attended some meetings in the Forest, but that she had not spoken on the matter of termites, but did speak on the matter of building the camps and the problem that there are some very hard to harvest mats in Forest. She thought we should figure out a way to support them there.
DjiperThinks the Matis are just lazy. It's really easy to find the same materials in other kingdoms.
Wilk said he will bring the matter up, but more diplomatically. However, the nations need to do it themselves.
Ozwomen rose to speak. She was upset and said it was rude of Daomei to say that Matis are "out of brains" on the matter of termites. She said they have shown respect for the Rangers. Then she asked a direct question: Are Rangers still doing experiments on Matis Land? Daomei made an intemperate reply, then sat down.
Rangini takes the answer, since he is the one leading that research: He is on the hill in Matis desert and has done some experiments there. (Ozwomen: are you still doing them? Rangini: please let me finish). That hill works the same as the ones here in Almati Wood – all the same. He has been careful and returned the mound back to what it was before he started because he heard of the political problems. We now know what we need to know. That is all. In answer to repeated demands from Ozwomen: Yes he is still doing small experiments.
There was some rowdy discussion on the matters of the safety of termites, Daomei objecting to being told to curb her tongue in a Ranger meeting and matters of the science behind termites. Participants included Zhoi, Daomei, Bitttymacod.
At this time Mephyros Xytis (King's Counsel) arrived in camp. Everyone was polite to him.
Mephyros Xytis stated that he is acting as a messenger today; he comes on behalf of the Karan.Wilk: So, we have news and it is good news.
Wilk then came to the questions on activity:
Killing Kitins: Many have done so, and not all are at the meeting.
Scouting the Kitins: Not as many have done this. Many had not done separate patrols, but had kept a sharp lookout during other activity.
Attending Nations Assemblies: A few have done so. Some have even spoken.
Status of termite mounds: Rangini already made his report. Sharleen has nothing to add.
Daomei, Kiwalie, Geyos reported nothing new with the others. Kiwalie is still snacking and sounded very smug about it.
Wilk spoke about the near future expedition (the small scouting one). There have been a lot of applications. Some candidates have been selected. Selected homins will receive a message from Wilk in the next few days. Everyone will be on the "wait list" in case the initial offers are turned down (for whatever reason).
Chonchon asked if the Rangers had condoned the guild on Silan calling itself Rangers of Silan. Wilk's answer was that it did not and that the matter had been dealt with. ((ooc: CSRs already handled it.))
After some further small talk, Will adjourned the meeting and announced that the next meeting will be on (16 December 2013).

Respectfully presented: Mac'Od Bittty


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Seal of the Fyros Guild of Scribes
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Thank you Bittty.

Well reported as always.

An interesting if not always constructive meeting. I will attempt to join you for the next one. As we are a truly neutral guild and probably believe, more than most, what the Rangers are trying to achieve, I feel we should make the effort, rather than simply leaving he task to yourself.

Mai

Thank you Bitty for the concise and precise report. Your work is highly appreciated.

It concerns me that the building of the Kitin observation camps and the problem therewith, namely to collect enough materials so that the delivery riders don't ride in vain, is not being addressed by Wilk. Personally I am saddened to read in between the lines that this work is not as highly esteemed as killing Kitins, scouting the area, or studying the termites.

In my humble opinion, digging materials for the camps is a task that agrees well with even the youngest of homins. As such it should be promoted to them. As it is, digging those mats is already far less interesting and rewarding for most homins than doing any of the things that the Rangers actively promote, or carrying the packages between the camps.

It may be that Wilk thinkgs the building of the camps is a national issue. But with that line of thought one could also argue that all defense, all studying of the Kitins is a national thing. So why do the Rangers promote killing of the Kitins, but not the building of camps to study their behaviour?

Maybe this could be clarified in one of the sessions? I won't be able to join, unfortunately.

While the matter was not brought up officially, it is clear from things that have been said in the past that delivering and harvesting resources is something that all Ranger Aspirants should be doing. At the meeting of (30 September) I asked Melga Folgore about that. He said yes, and he is Wilk's boss.

In fact the observation camps *are* a national matter, since they are manned (when completed) by national troops. However, it is my feeling that I cannot escape my duties as a Tryker born simply because I am not a citizen, and I have been digging and I have been riding as well, and so have others in my Guild. While I have not reported on it as a matter of the meetings, since it has not been part of the regular discussion, it is also clear that many of the other Ranger Aspirants feel the same way about their ancestral lands.

I agree to everything Bittty and Irfidel said about the camps. I, and my sister Diwu together with me, am going on to support the weakest camps in terms of progress, no matter in which nation. The kitins do not care for nations, but they will love weak points in our defenses. So I consider it as a duty of a Ranger applicant to avoid gaps in our defense lines. And again, I invite and encourage everybody to take part in that great task.

As to another thing: I like to elaborate a bit what I have been telling in discussion with Ozwomen and others. I do not feel that I was "rude". When saying that certain Matis were "out of their brains" concerning termites, I did in no way assert that they lack brains or are unable to use, in general, but that they are blocked to use concerning that topic. One may disagree, but that was not an insult nor was ever meant to be one. In German, we call such an attitude of being blocked to think clearly "neben der Kappe" (beneath one's cap) in sloppy language. I am a Tryker (though not a Lakelander) and I am entitled to some extent of evil tongue - compared with my old teacher Milles Dodoine I am still an angel and a role model of politeness.

Also to my "intemperate response": I asked Ozwomen to behave like a guest. I considered her inquisitional insistence towards Rangini, who explained patiently and politely, a quite insolent behavior. She may have been glad not to have harassed me that way.

Thanks for your attention

This is so funny Daomei, my screenshots say you said :

"pointless anyway as their are out of BrainsThere"

You said this about all Matis people. King's Counsel said you should show respect, he felt you were rude.

I had only asked the question about the termites, because you had refused to answer in Yrk.

I will not attend another Rangers meeting, so it would be nice if you stayed away from my meeting Daomei.


Regards Oz

Have fun in the game :)

Sigh. It seems I have to comment once more.

What I indeed said, according to my notes [ooc: the chatlog], was:

Daomei says: I absolutely avoided to discuss with them about termite issues, yet we have other important fields of cooperation. first of all the reconstruction of the camps.
Daomei says: A problem is that some of the materials especially for the highest three camps are hard to harvest in the kingdom. me, i harvest them mostly in the Lakes and the Jungle. Prime roots also possible
Daomei says: I think we have to support them there. to discuss termites with them is pointless anyway as their ( a typo, should have been: they ) are out of brains there

Such was my "rudeness": I explained that I avoided discussing termites and called for support of the Matis people with the reconstruction of the camps. Somewhat below, after criticizing rumour mongering and speculations about termites while never asking us about our experiences, I said:

Daomei says: Matis are gardeners and have scientists. The rubbish I heard is ashamable for this excellent people

Strange way showing disrespect for Matis calling them "excellent people" and asking to support them.

Btw., the king's counsel did not address me, rather two ranger companions who had been sent out of an assembly some weeks ago (and while their comportment was not ok, I could understand them - at Matis assemblies even ambassadors do not enjoy much freedom of speech). Btw., I have never been asked to report my experiences with termites in Yrkanis, Davae, Avalae, or Natae, nor has any of the other Rangers' Termite Experts. I would have gladly explained all I learnt about, about how we assessed risks and reacted.

Just for information. Have fun too

Daomei, Ozwomen, if I may interject a comment here, I think that what we have is a misunderstanding of what Daomei said based on the fact that she does not have English as her first language.

It seems to me obvious that what Daomei meant by "there" is "on that subject" or "with respect to that matter". I see Ozwomen's reaction as being based on the perception of "there" as meaning "in Matis lands", that is to say as a slur on the entire race. Given Daomei's other comments during the meeting, I think that this is not likely.

Now I am going to seek a flame-proof shelter of the sort used by many people who attempt to be peace-makers.

-- Bittty