Annotated 50-21
Don Gobligno breaks out the old “What makes you think they all want freedom?” Always a classic.
The answer, of course, is that they don’t all want freedom. There are always going to be some who prefer the life they know to the uncertain promise of a life they don’t. Other things might motivate this orc or that orc to prefer the chains: simple masochism, codependence, desire not to be alone with their thoughts.
None of this, however, really matters. Given an informed choice, the crushing majority of orcs would prefer to be free, and granting their wish (in a way that prepares for the consequences) would lead to a better society.
I will say, though, that Gobligno does have one justified gripe. The trolls have renounced their slave trade and declared it immoral—but still retain the gold that the goblins paid them to buy their orc slaves, prior to their change of morals. Even in this time of prosperity, Penk might not be exactly eager to pay that gold back. He wants to build his people up, not shame them for past misdeeds—and trolls are still working their way back from being an endangered species, too. But if it was the only way to secure orc freedom, he would make it work. And that’s a point of negotiation that might eventually get Gobligno to bend.
FB: Don just wants to do a big-time trade deal, but these young people just keep distracting him by squawking about other races’ “rights.”
Don Gobligno would fit in well with the old Heads of Houses. He’s easily the most unpleasant new member, while also comically transparent in his motivations, which may prove a good thing. Would you say that he has any redeeming qualities, T? Would he try to usurp power if his peers were weaker?
Don would absolutely try to usurp power if his peers were weaker. He tried to do it with Harky, after all, when Harky looked as if he might be weak enough for that to work. And one of the reasons he’s going after Clair here is that he sees her as maybe weaker than the rest: he’s right that her people are undergoing an impressive transformation, but some are still a bit lost in transition, as Jemmington proves. In that respect, Clair disappoints him in the last few panels: she will hold to her principles, and she recognizes he needs her help more than she needs his.
But yeah, I would say Don has his redeeming qualities. For one thing, he’s a bit right in panel 2. Maybe he overestimates how many “baser motivations” someone like Syr’Nj or Gondolessa has…but the high-minded discussions of the council can use a person who can just come out and say, “Look, everybody needs money.” He considers almost everything negotiable: this may make him amoral, but I’d sure rather negotiate with someone like that than someone religiously opposed to any compromise with my political faction (cough).
For another think, I think he really does care about a better future for his people, even if that’s a bit tied up in his mind with “Let’s make sure goblins in general and I in particular get all the gold.”
Finally, there’s the comical transparency you mention. It’s sort of an accidental virtue, but as Oscar Wilde put it, “True friends stab you in the front.” The Don is simply incapable of hiding his goals long enough to try the sort of calculated coups that Iver and Iwatani Sr. tried. Which means that, in a certain sense, he can be trusted.
Don Gobligno will make you an offer he expects you to haggle over.
That’s… certainly less intimidating than the other fellow.
Thanks for your reply, T! :)
Seeing Auragu always makes me happy. :) Such a welcoming face (and general body-language) really.
I’m surprised the trade deal is worth it. When the possibility of trading with all the Sky Elves was feasible it would be too good to pass up, but now you have a handful of them. Moreover, Clair won’t let them conjure and portal which made them invaluably useful. With all that said why does Don Goblingo want this trade deal?
I take it the deal is to use the sky/city elves portal for transport, thus cutting down the transit time of goods significantly (no refrigerators so would be a big deal for meat and produce) Clair won’t support a economy still based on slave labor so is more or less telling the Don to swallow the immediate monetary loss if they want all the economic gains of portal transit. Some people won’t do the right thing until you point out how they benefit.
Clair absolutely will let street elves make portals…they are, in fact, making portals right here and right now. What she’s blocked is “unauthorized” portaling and conjuration, which means that any street elf portal activity has to be authorized from the top down. And the “top” is Clair at this point, so the Don’s goal is to get her to authorize the portal activity he wants. If he could do an end run around her to deal with Jemmington instead, he would of course do that.
The fugitive sky elves did bring some valuables with them (and the smarter ones, unlike Jemmington, held onto theirs). But even cutting transportation costs by a factor of ten, and transportation time to basically zero, would make the Don giddy with glee. Clair would have no moral issue with that as long as the street elves got some pay for their time and this orc issue got resolved first.
I see. I wasn’t entirely clear about Clair’s rules. In the past she and Holister expressed their moral issues with conjuring. Perhaps I mistakenly thought they had similar problems with portals unless done for a good cause. Your explanation makes sense since if Sky elves can’t practice their magic because of Clair’s edict it wouldn’t be long before they mutinied.
Mmm. Logistics. I’m never sure if logistics or charisma is the more useful school of realitymancy. They’re just so broken good compared to some of the others.
I think both can help, but I think the most useful is strategy because otherwise you have no idea whom to charm, what your logistics should try to make happen, or how to use any of your other skills.
Conversely, with a good enough strategy and a little charisma, you can get to a place where others will solve your logistics problems for you.
Mind you, none of those things will get you have a happy life, just allow you to succeed in all kinds of other ways. Happiness is … one of those things you can’t find by trying too hard. So maybe *that* would be the ultimate school of realitymancy? The ability to find happiness, independent of your success in other areas. Maybe not the most “useful”, depending on your definition of the word, but probably the one most people are actually trying to emulate.