[The massive golden half dragon pushes his chair back loudly, and comes to his feet, towering over Fred and Tia sitting on either side of him. His face is distorted slightly through the translucent dragon statue, but he looks a bit graver than usual as he explains.]
For those who are unaware of the situation in the nation of Slovechnia, we've been dealing for years with an underground black market slavery trade that the country's government not only endorsed, but also controlled, financed, and profited from. Shadowkind prejudice has been a deeply divisive issue in the country's history, and the buying and selling of Shadow creatures for forced manual labor has been the culmination of many years of racist legislation. Several of our diplomats have worked with prominent politicians and activist groups in an attempt to force the governing body to ban this practice, but we have been blocked at every turn.
Most notably, only a short time ago, when an act of cyberterrorism collapsed the country's financial security, plunging their stocks into a series of worsening dives and wreaking havoc on the government's reserves. The already steep divide between rich and poor became more pronounced, and as unemployment rose, unrest grew in the streets. Many Slovechians have taken to rioting, looting, and even killing the richer citizens who managed to hold onto their funds: most of whom were those who were at the top of the slave trade food chain. This has led to not only a dangerous situation for the Slovechnian citizens, but a perilous one for those Shadowkind slaves who find their owners either dead or unable to afford feeding, clothing, or housing them anymore. Some owners have killed off their own slaves, others lock them up with the intention of starving them... A lucky minority manage their escape, only to find themselves in the midst of the riots.
As you may imagine, the situation is quite bleak. We were forced to recall our diplomatic efforts not long ago. But a new element has entered the equation: the country's former royal family has been making a bid to reseize power, and it looks as if the people intend to bend to this. This is our chance to establish contact with the King before he ascends to the crown, and make our case.
Of course, there is the difficultly of reaching the man for a private word, and, naturally, we wish to help aid as many of the Shadowkind slaves as possible, and find a way to escort them to freedom.
This is our two-fold mission. Reaching Valentin Milosovici safely and attempting to influence his stance on the slavery issue before he takes the throne - and doing what we can for the Shadowkind in captivity to bring them to safety. Other Knights are already stationed in the country, establishing escape routes to expedite the latter process.
no subject
For those who are unaware of the situation in the nation of Slovechnia, we've been dealing for years with an underground black market slavery trade that the country's government not only endorsed, but also controlled, financed, and profited from. Shadowkind prejudice has been a deeply divisive issue in the country's history, and the buying and selling of Shadow creatures for forced manual labor has been the culmination of many years of racist legislation. Several of our diplomats have worked with prominent politicians and activist groups in an attempt to force the governing body to ban this practice, but we have been blocked at every turn.
Most notably, only a short time ago, when an act of cyberterrorism collapsed the country's financial security, plunging their stocks into a series of worsening dives and wreaking havoc on the government's reserves. The already steep divide between rich and poor became more pronounced, and as unemployment rose, unrest grew in the streets. Many Slovechians have taken to rioting, looting, and even killing the richer citizens who managed to hold onto their funds: most of whom were those who were at the top of the slave trade food chain. This has led to not only a dangerous situation for the Slovechnian citizens, but a perilous one for those Shadowkind slaves who find their owners either dead or unable to afford feeding, clothing, or housing them anymore. Some owners have killed off their own slaves, others lock them up with the intention of starving them... A lucky minority manage their escape, only to find themselves in the midst of the riots.
As you may imagine, the situation is quite bleak. We were forced to recall our diplomatic efforts not long ago. But a new element has entered the equation: the country's former royal family has been making a bid to reseize power, and it looks as if the people intend to bend to this. This is our chance to establish contact with the King before he ascends to the crown, and make our case.
Of course, there is the difficultly of reaching the man for a private word, and, naturally, we wish to help aid as many of the Shadowkind slaves as possible, and find a way to escort them to freedom.
This is our two-fold mission. Reaching Valentin Milosovici safely and attempting to influence his stance on the slavery issue before he takes the throne - and doing what we can for the Shadowkind in captivity to bring them to safety. Other Knights are already stationed in the country, establishing escape routes to expedite the latter process.
[He looks around] Questions thus far?