A Call & Candidacy For Steward Elections
Introduction:
Hello! The name's Johnathan Rigsby. I been around a bit but this seemed the time to throw my hood into the ring. Everyone paying attention is already aware Azalin has been relieved of his post as the Steward. And I was curious what would happen after that! Not to say Azalin didn't do his time or earn his prestige, he did, but nonetheless I thought it would be interesting to see who stepped up to take his place. Little did I know that the answer would be NOBODY! ALL THOSE YEARS AND SOMEHOW YOU'VE ALL FAILED AS A COLLECTIVE TO INSPIRE A SINGLE SCHOLASTIC SOUL WITH THE WHEREWITHAL TO IMAGINE THEMSELVES AT THE HELM!
Well that left me a bit flabbergasted and so since it seems that this won't be rectified with the passage of time I am instead rectifying it through force and declaring a desire for the Archmage to oversee new elections while at the same time applying for the position myself. With that out of the way, I will proceed from here to explain my platform and what can be expected of me should I attain the post...
The Office of the Steward as a custodian:
Under my occupation the Office of the Steward will be less bashful about its role as an exclusively custodial post. No more negotiations on behalf of the entire Tower even though the Codex doesn't allocate that authority. The Steward will operate with a focus on outreach and connection making.
What does this all mean? It means I will help the mages of the island to connect with each other for project seeking and project resolution purposes. However, I am not going to personally hand tutor everyone who asks for it and frankly we're not a great place to seek that kind of mentorship anyway. Want a teacher? Join a college. No teachers? Found a college.
Speaking of colleges, I'd like to see them make a comeback and will be exploring ideas for motivating the founding of new colleges within the Arcane Tower.
Lectures & Consideration for Lecturer Controversy:
HOST LECTURERS. I'll scream this from far and wide... COME LECTURE HERE!!! I don't care the topic, I don't care the conundrum, we're a scholastic institute and we're going to return to acting like it under my stewardship.
So long as your idea does not violate the Codex it has de facto permission to proceed so don't bother me asking first.
The era of wondering "What do we do if the knights/citymen/whoever don't like our lecturer?" is going to end. What are we going to do when controversy brooks quarrels? We're going to have some goddamned spine and if people don't like it they can skip attending that day or join The Wardens College to do something about the naysayers. But we're done with "If only this idea was possible here!"
General Controversy & Protection:
I do not care about the foyer social club. I realize it's often the heart of this place. You know what? Too bad. That's not to say we're doing away with it but if you're in the foyer talking about your newest experiment in animating someone's grandmother, or how you enjoy devils over demons, or why it's unfair you can't talk about your dubious god around complete strangers... TOO BAD!
Have some vithing decorum and take provocative conversation to a classroom or one of the lecture halls because our priority is going to be accomodating actual scholarship not just hosting everyone in the portal room to gawk, squawk, and balk when they're held to task by the Radiant Heart for having a complete lack of common sense.
The Warden's College:
Under my Stewardship I will be consolidating the Steward's branch of the Wardens into a collegiate structure in line with those laid out under the Codex guidelines. I think this is the most effective way forward for a number of reasons. First, Clarity. Second, flexibility. Third, because I godsdamned said so. Don't like it? That's fine but the Warden's currently serve the Steward. Azalin has been stripped of his role and so you can either follow him under the auspices of the College system anyway or you can accept this new configuration. But either way I am pushing forward with this particular vision as I think it will be better longterm for encouraging participation.
Peace Treaties:
Want peace? Leave us alone. Got an issue with a fugitive sheltering here? Personal problems are allowed personal solutions. But disrupting scholastic activities in the pursuit of persons of interest will have a strong chance of begetting assassins or sudden onset meteor showers laced with faerzress radiation. We are not a unified settlement so I won't say anything quagmire inducing like that such interruption will result in war. BUT I AS THE STEWARD am going to act like a wizard with an ounce of chutzpah and promise that effective countermeasures will be explored and employed against people who sabotage this establishment while its under my oversight. Accidents can happen.
The Erudite Arcanum:
To head off the gossipers, you're damn right I'm a member. I am EXEMPLAR Johnathan Rigsby. My work is splendid and you better believe I'll be taking notes from the institute as I execute my role here. That said, we are not the Erudite Arcanum and I'm not looking to be your patsy for applying or getting tips on how to stick a foot in their 'door' (I'm hilarious I know).
You want the truth? If you're reading this and feeling disappointed then you probably didn't have what it took to be welcome anyway. Always to the highest standard! Always to the highest esteem! Always to the highest ambition!
Pirates:
They're allowed and not a grey area. That gets tiptoed around sometimes but guess what! Get over it! Not banned. If anything, we're bringing back the spirit of the Sencliff Institute! Eat your heart out Astrolabe enthusiasts.
Underdarkers:
Not allowed by the Codex, I'm not the Archmage so take it up with them if you don't like it. That said, under the newly established Warden's College the Wardens will be focused on activities that prioritize accomodating actual scholarship. Don't like Orogs browsing in the foyer? Come do something about it, don't Bitch Queen at us.
Denizens of the underdark trespassing in an ongoing fashion will not be permitted to linger, as is already the case, but this game where we act like it matters that drow are spending five minutes in the foyer to shop for lenses and flirt? It's ending. We've got research to focus on and we're not going to fall into histrionics over these kinds of affairs while hosting a statue of a drow archmage in the dueling grounds.
Slaves:
We aren't a sanctuary but you're also not our property so you're not our problem. Slaves will not be barred from Arcane Tower grounds unless a need for otherwise is expressed to me by the acting Archmage.
As property and therefore lacking in personal property rights (don't give me arguments about how acknowledging this normalizes it, shut up I don't care) slaves both Andunorian and Sibayan are to be considered incapable of being 'denizens' of anywhere under my interpretation of the Codex.
The above being said, if you are seen as sheltering here to escape your master or larger circumstances I will advise the Wardens College to consider your presence as exploitive when evaluating what services to extend to you on our grounds. You won't be thrown out (because that would imply you being our problem) but if your master comes looking for you then there will be no protection or consideration offered either. We're the ARCANE Tower not the Social Work Tower or the Charity Case Tower.
Qualifications:
-Mentored in Wildmagic by a DRAGON. Choke on that Lady's College elitists!
-Dread Pirate, Exemplar, Magic Man, Thousand Johns, and Swirling Colors. You may not recognize these labels but each was achieved through temerity, tenacity, and time.
-Magic. You know that thing we pretend to care about here? I am FASCINATED by it. Love it. I am one of the best scholars of eclectic magic on the island and I loath how much of contemporary arcane discussion is really just magic adjacent topics rather than actual dialogue about understanding the transmundane. We're fixing that even if other topics are still going to be widely welcome and encouraged as well.
-Still breathing despite efforts to the contrary!
Day 3, Month 3 (Ches), 189 AR
Johnathan Rigsby