Chapter 136: Jammed Machinations

### Story Date

Thursday 30 June, AD 1043/6551 ε.Κ/19 Dhu I-Qa’da 434 AH/19 He-Yue Huangyou Era Year 1/19 Sólmánuður ÅrO -1

## Appearances

### Locations

Berk
Rouen
Al Jazīra Al-Khadrā
Inbhir Niss
Constantinople
Burton Abbey, Staffordshire
Bianjing
Lögberg, Þingvellir
Eigg

*...as such, the methods by which appointments to offices and positions are handled are of supreme importance to avoid or at least reduce the development of entrenched interests and corruption.*

*Generally speaking, systems of organization that allow for appointment to offices by patronage are highly susceptible to corruption due to the fact that such appointees are typically more concerned with the needs of their patron than they are with the needs of their office—or, conversely, those who show* inadequate *concerns for the needs of their patron typically find themselves removed and replaced with more compliant individuals. Unfortunately, systems of patronage are typical in environments where the organization is the personal concern of the head individual, such as in absolute monarchies, dictatorships, private businesses and corporations, and other such institutions, where, so long as the patron is satisfied with the performance of their appointee, the appointee can make use of their position for personal gain. In the worst cases, positions can literally be available for purchase, with the understanding or even expectation that they will be used for personal profit by the purchaser.*

*Conversely, systems of organization that require merit and competence to be appointed to official positions and are kept accountable to those that they serve tend to show lower rates of corruption and abuse of office. This is not to say that they are immune—especially for those systems which underpay their functionaries, who* somehow *need to recoup the difference between their wages and those resources necessary for survival, and turn to corruption of their office as a means to do so—but such systems allowing for the ability to remove a misbehaving office-holder from their position without needing the consent of potentially corrupt managers have a means by which to directly reduce and react to corruption.*

*In the end, the difference is between that of a king distributing personal fiefs to his friends for them to manage as they see fit, versus that of a government appointing managers who are answerable to their constituents.*

*—Nationbuilding: How People Move, Talk, Think, Organize, & Structure Themselves, 1888, Amsterdam University Press*

## Chapter Overview

* Taskill finds one of the discussion groups of the Citizenship Conclave and begins realising he had grossly misunderstood Berk.
* Rav Nittai hears of Councilman Benjamin ben David's plans to have Jews who deal with Berk be held in cherem. Officially because Berk is pagan, but Perez suspects it's actually because the Dragon Mail undermined his business interest.
* Viggo discovers Rodhlaug has made her way to his kingdom where she was arrested on various charges. He gives her to Alvin and Delilah.
* Toireasa asks Dagur what he knows about Taskill.
* Inga and Sophia have Milhalis arrested for Conspiracy for his part in sabotaging procurement orders for the Hypsikrates just to get Inga to confirm his theory the Bog Burglars are the original Amazons.
* Yngvarr checks with the Christian monks of Burton Abbey where they left all the noble prisoners of war. Brihtric informs him that he had additional monks show up who turned out to be there because of the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. To deal with the issue of the conflict between him and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Yngvarr advises Brihtric to send them home. Brihtric also informs Yngvarr that some of the noble prisoners are fornicating out of wedlock, including Gruoch, the widow of Mac Bethad, and Edward Æthelredsson. Brihtric suggests to Yngvarr they involve a nunnery and another monastery to hold the prisoners.
* Harald receives a letter from Magnus and considers his options, not liking the idea that serving under his nephew is his best option.
* Kuanfu informs Kurya that after discussion, the Song Dynasty accepts his offer of him training dragon riders for them.
* William learns of antisemitic and anti-pagan slander regarding him and Berk. He leaves them aside for the moment. He announces Stoick gave him a large gift as missed birthday presents to help improve his duchy.
* Hiccup offers the Iceland Althing construction help.
* While walking with Thorkell, an incident occurs where a man curses Toothless as a demon due to the Screaming White killing his cousin and his family when the Thengill attacked their farm.
* Fishswill discusses with several others on implementing checks on the power of the Royal House of Haddock.

## Characters

### Humans

* Taskill Thaddeusson
* Unnamed guards
* Unnamed Conclavists
* Nittai ben Bethuel haLevi
* Schifra (first appearance)
* Habib (first appearance)
* Geyla (first appearance)
* Perez ben Nahmias (first appearance)
* Viggo Grimborn
* Unnamed bailiff
* Rodhlaug nic Savage
* Toiréasa
* Dagur mac Oswald
* Alvin
* Delilah
* Inga Roswynnsdóttir
* Sophia Makris
* Scholar Milhalis
* Jorn Eriksson
* Yngvarr the Merry
* Abbot Brihtric (first appearance)
* Harald Sigurdsson
* Kurya
* Kuanfu
* Kuanfu's translator
* William of Normandy
* Roger de Montgomery
* Orvi Glennsson
* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Thorkell Tjörvason (first appearance)
* Folarin
* Unnamed hotel servant
* Godwin of Wessex
* Cwen clan Tyrasdóttir
* Gwen clan Tyrasdóttir
* Fishswill clan Ingerman
* Abbot Crínán
* Toirdelbach ua Briain

### Dragons

* Windleaf
* Kudret
* Mjolnir
* Toothless

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph discusses corruption of people in positions of power. The chapter shows the following:
	+ Two Archbishops competing with each other, caring more about their own influence than they do about their actual duties.
	+ Fishswills discussing with others on ways to implement checks on the power of the the Royal House of Haddock.