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The unity you hope for can only be achieved should everyone hold Haven above all else. This will not happen. Discord cannot be removed, but must be accepted and accommodated.

Dallid speaks wisely as always. However, the hope and vision that Arthos and Donovan have articulated today must be fought for. We cannot permit those who persevere on the basest selfish desires to remain less than they could be, if only they chose to serve something greater. To live as though this is the way of things reduces us all. Rather than accept and accommodate, we must be examples of what communal self-sacrifice and trust can yield. We will work with those who strive for disharmony and thus put each of us at risk. To fail in this task puts our collective survival in deepest peril.

*Dallid nods*

Harmony should be fought for, certainly. With proper methods, discord can be reduced, but never truely removed. Preventative measures will accomplish much, but reactive methods are also needed.

Accept discord is there. Know where it lies. Expect it to strike. Do not let it take you by surprise. Indeed, accepting it exists and guarding yourself against succumbing to it is one of the strongest defenses.

But realize there are those who seek it out.

When discord does strike next, know that damage will be done. Re-enforce weak points and be prepared to weather the storm. Be ready to act to minimize the cost and have assets in place to begin the healing.

As with any wound, one sustained by society is best treated with rapid response, the right tools, and proper care.

*Sethreal nods to Donovan and quietly follows him to his office.*

*Olan pushes himself up from the wall he has been leaning against, visibly agitated by the discussion."

So, it appears that we are on unstable grounds with nearly all of the surrounding governmental bodies and various indigenous beings, ranging from casting suspicious glances at one another to open and rather violent hostilities. In the cases of some threats, such as the Perfect Being, we are helping to bring about it's creation by doing the dirty work of assembling the pieces of it's shattered essence into one spot so that the beings that want it created -the Dragons, also a threat according to Donovan's list- can presumably walk into the Haven and claim them once we've put them all in one nice spot.

We've been attempting to make deals and alliances with factions that are at OPEN WAR with one another, most notably the Elves and Dark Elves. Paranoia and xenophobia extend to nearly every non-human sentient race, lessening only when a race or members of that race show complete submission. Even under conditions of complete cooperation, members of the the more "undesirable races" are more often than not shown distrust at best.

We create rules and regulations which we are supposed to hold others accountable to and uphold, yet criminals walk free. We are supposed to have leadership and guidance from superiors whom we choose to trust with decisions the rest of us are supposed to be incapable of making, yet they falter and let chaos decend amongst the ranks. We have open threats against us, most notably in a trio of necromancers who we can only hope are not in league with one another, yet we sit and do nothing.
We fall victim to the ruses of an enemy and are lead into the lair of the Doom Worm, yet we blame the simple mindless beast for defending itself against armed intruders.

The most correct mention of threat I've seen is "Internal". We have no direction, no organization, and no hope of surviving in a world that either wants us all dead or is intent on having itself ended. I certainly cannot speak for every brave soul that I walk beside in battle, nor do I have the right nor honor to commend those that have lost their lives in the meaningless fight under a wavering banner, but unless we figure out where we are going in this life and how we are going to get there, we may as well all just sit down and cry for what we are - mewling children that have lost their mother.

*With that Olan stalks out of the Inn."

*In neither acceptence or disapproval, Drake raises a glass to Olans speech*

*In a very low voice*

"Welcome to Haven."

How sad that despair and inexperience have damaged someone who could have proven valuable to our cause. Many of the other relatively new individuals have listened carefully to the lore told by those of us who have been here for years. They have learned of our mistakes, which we do not hide, but more importantly of our triumphs. Together we have thwarted many epic threats to this planet. The challenges currently before us are perhaps more numerous than we have known in past seasons, but no more dangerous than that which we have already defeated. Ask any of the peoples of this land, who live and prosper under our protection, how things were before and just following the establishment of this community. Therein will anyone find the meaning in what we are constructing.

Now, let us return to the task at hand.

So have you finished your list of things for me to kill yet?

OOC: Whoops! wrong forum.

*Having listened to this conversation; sitting at the bar. Ravinal stands and walks over to Donovan. He initates a lazy salute and waits to be recognized.*

"Sir, I believe that the wood wraiths are not our enemy. Atleast not all of them. I believe they are who they say they are. *after a small pause* I have reason to believe this, Sir."

*Atrum exits the Inn a few minutes after Olan with a scowl on his face*

*After a pause that seems to last an eternity*

"One of their numbers happens to be my wife." *He looks to the ground with a mix of anguish and longing.*

"I died that day. Not literially, yet I might as well have. The day her life was extinguished by the Orcs that took my daughter and our home. That day I became a phoenix. I died along with her. All of my dreams of a 'normal' life were gone and buried. The woodwraiths were the ones who raised her back to life. My love for her is still as strong as that day, ten years ago. And if I were to lose her again; I don't know what I'd do."

"I do believe the woodwraiths as a whole have cause Haven much trouble. I will not argue that. But is it our policy to not even try to negotiate or investigate a supposed enemy's intent? *He looks up from his emotional state over his current situation.*

"Do we kill all others in 'our' way? Or do we suppose that there is a reason behind all acts of violence and cruelty; whether of ill worth or noble cause. They have mentioned to me a enemy of their own and it may be possible that their enemy may have been the very same that destroyed my life long ago." *Ravinal becomes flushed with anger from that thought, and for the first time he howls his torment aloud. The howl is so wolf like that no human could hope to utter the same.*

*He gathers himself with a sigh and proceeds to speak once more.* "I just feel that we should search for what we should do rather than who we should kill. For that is not always to correct option, oppose to popular belief."

*With that he sits back down and drains the rest of his ale.*

“We know communication with the Wood Wraiths is possible, yet highly improbable. Multiple times have they proven unwilling to engage in dialog – attacking those who try. However, improbable does not mean impossible.”

“You may have the best chance of any here to negotiate with the Wood Wraiths. As a Druid with ties to one of their kind, perhaps you can achieve what others could not.”

*Nods at Dallid's words*

Make the effort Ravinal. If you could arrange some sort of dialogue between the wraith leaders and myself, or establish some system of communication, I am more than willing to try and resolve the situation peacefully. Their threat was diminished for a time when we destroyed their supply of witchwood, but with the devastating spells they employed against us on our last encounter, we need to be prepared for the worst. If you cannot establish reliable contact with them, we must continue to look for the means to stop them before all our people suffer.

*Donovan recognizes his wolf-like friend and salutes in return. He listens quietly to Ravinal’s words, his reactions clearly sympathetic. When he speaks his words are warm, but also sad.*

“The things you speak of, the killing and lack of negotiation, have become standard procedure for the Haven. In many ways we have become feral in our associations, biting at every new hand because most of the old hands have struck at us. The times we have trusted or investigated someone, our investigations have proven inadequate to show their betrayals and we have paid dearly for our trust. That mistrust has seeped in among us, so that now we glare at each other and whisper of shadows and blood.”

“I, however, have had enough of hidden blades and veiled threats. The Duke feels the same way. If we are to be a land of decency, a bastion of Light in the Darkness, than we must find a way to purge ourselves of this paranoid melancholy. I believe it begins with something like these Woodwraiths. We will listen to what they have to say, and we will determine if their cause is noble or evil. Should they prove noble, we will grant them whatever assistance they require. Should they prove evil, we will find those amongst them who can be redeemed and bring them into the Light.”

“I know some will scream at this, saying we are leaving ourselves vulnerable to subversion and betrayal, but I disagree. The truth is we are vulnerable to subversion and betrayal no matter what we do, and all of our efforts at being cold and worldly have only alienated us from each other. We have denied ourselves both the power and comfort that comes from cooperation. Instead of saying “We must keep everyone at a distance in case we are betrayed” and living on the edge of a sword, I say we have faith in those around us. Disaster has never been prevented in the Haven by dark scheming or suspicion, it has been prevented by those brief moments when we cast aside our differences and work as one. Even if there are questionable persons in or around Haven, I don’t think they can hurt us if we stand together. Moreover, I believe that some who might be questionable could be made friends if we stood for the Light instead of simply standing against the Darkness.”

“Ravinal, I listed the Woodwraiths as a threat, not an enemy. If you can broach some kind of negotiations with them, do so. Find out what sort of people they are and if there is a way we can coexist peacefully. If they are just desperately trying to fend off an evil incursion we will aid them, and hopefully make an ally in the process.”

*Donovan puts his hands on Ravinal’s shoulders and looks directly into his eyes. Something in Donovan’s voice changes, and one could draw the impression that he’s speaking from experience.*

“Believe me when I say I know exactly how you feel. Finding her after all these years is terrible and wonderful all at once – and if there’s a way to get her back, we will.”