Spires of Aeldrum/Session 0

Violette de Bains is a political firebrand, using her oratory gifts and expert knowledge of the law to stage high impact protests that skirt the edge of criminality. The ardent desegregationist began her career with the Lodil Baths, giving rise to endless bath-related slogans. She organized a protest against the inauguration of Serene Doge Leopold M.E. Orvhim using a combination of dedicated professional demonstrators as the core of the protest and then drawing in thousands more from the streets of the Aeldrum Spire.

Unfortunately, while the event itself was animated and enthusiastic, its political impact appears to have been minimal: poor outreach and pamphlet distribution mean that while Violette is remembered in the Parliamentary District and surrounding levels of the Spire for her sudsy antics, relatively few people outside the original protest actually learned about her policies. Such grass-roots efforts have allowed Violette to build an enthusiastic party core, but they limit her appeal outside Aeldrum.

Nevertheless, the Aeldman Party boycott of the inauguration was large enough to make a noticeable gap in the seats of Parliament. Perhaps posterity will notice that state film records of the event seem to "skip" several seconds as they pan around the Parliamentary chamber, just as the camera comes on the empty seats of the Aeldman Party.

The broader-based Common Party took a different approach to protesting the new Serene Doge. With deeper pockets, a slick news organization and leadership in two of the Spires, the Common Party avoids associating with the rough-and-tumble protests of their Aeldman Party allies. And so, its leader, Doge Ulysses "Stubbs" Durant spoke at the 25th Anniversary Show of the Sergeant Peppers' Club Band
the Common Party did not boycott the Inauguration. However, while the Doge held court at a musical rally, his party whip, Marvin Eugen acted as his proxy in Parliament, giving a peremptory nod when the Parliament acknowledged the Serene Doge. The two senior Common Party figures, however, the Doges of Galthad and Estonne, used the rally as their platform, staking their claim against the Serene Doge as yet another out-of-touch aristocrat, perpetuating the injustices of Aeldrum's economic and social system.

While the populists agitated, the Serene Doge himself gave his inaugural speech. First assuring the assembly that he would honor the legacy of his predecessor, expressing his condolences to the Luvelath Family for its terrible loss, then turning to his first policy priority, the Fialta Imperium and its containment. While protestors spoke of domestic grievances, the Serene Doge described a Serene Duchy besieged from without
declaring to Parliament that he sought major new arms sales to the Shantine Empire, arming it against the Fialta Imperium. For the first time, however, the Serene Doge went further, declaring that he sought escalation measures should the Fialta intercept these arms shipments. He brushed up against the threat of war, and though he did not commit, he left the door open.

Hannon Mossag, present in Parliament in his capacity as a baron, made his headlines after the inauguration by staging a lavish post-inaugural soiree. As always, the soiree would take place in stages through time and space: deeper into the evening and the sprawling venue, events would become more debauched, reaching the bacchanalia for which the baron, etherics tycoon and media darling was renowned.

Meanwhile, deep inside Castle Lidenia, atop its highest tower, Count Homer (Mimir to those unfortunate enough to know his nature) received a visitor in the body of his chambermaid. An angelic being, calling on some longstanding debt of the poor woman, approach Mimir and spoke furiously to him of an empty tomb and a contract evaded. Its last words before its mortal frame was destroyed by Mimir's guards were to give the Count grim warning that the angel's host had thought to evade agreements too.