The New Capital

Introduction: The Hoosmoot of N.S. 113

The Hoosmoot of 113 was rather unusual.

Many of the Ave's attending brought local Morbs as their scribes and had them detail whatever visions they beheld or omens they observed. Very little was said of local matters.

There was only one issue raised and deliberated upon. Additionally, unlike most others, it passed unanimously with all present 74 Ave's and Skal's voting in favor.

What was the issue? The motion for /who/ to once again have a capital city.

It was decided after much deliberation that a new port city would be built in the coastal southwest of /who/. Construction was deemed to be an entirely voluntary effort on the part of the various towns and villages of /who/, with the notice added on that any town or village that had directly contributed to the new city's construction would be permitted to send their mayor, earl, or similar non-Ave authority figure to the next year's Hoosmoot for the purpose of discussing the city's name and system of governance, as well as to deliberate amongst each other the future of /who/.

The omens were unmistakable. The Pink Angel had begun to become more active in the divine realm, and she had grown enough in influence to be able to reach the Morbs to some extent. There would have to be theological and governmental talks about the implications of these developments.

Many a Hooman were confused to see a Morb serve as an Ave's scribe. Many more were confused to see their Ave return from Hoosmoot so soon. But one thing they recognized and celebrated was the meaning behind the phrase uttered by every Ave who returned from the moot:

"We're so back!"

Letter from Ave Shochol

Oh hi, Mom and Dad.

It's been a while. Hope the growing season's been good so far.

Things are pretty sparse over here. No houses, only tents. Definitely nothing meant for Hooties yet. The most impressive thing completed here is a dock. The ones who made it stick to their boats most of the time, though. Don't know where they're from or if they're gonna do anything else here besides giving the rest of us their fish.

Fish. The food over here is all fish, all the time. Well, that and berries, I suppose. I never paid too much attention to the Hoojisan's cooking lessons, guess it's coming back to bite me. If I did I could probably find a way to make the two work together. I guess I'll just have to get used to seafood as the primary food source before the rest of you guys get here, but I'd rather not have to think about it. "Don't think just do", after all. At least those folks from Eulvale recently hauled in an owlbear to help broaden the palate for a few days. Honestly tempted to help them with the gate they seem to be working on after I'm finished clearing the land for what I've been assigned to do.

Yeah, the Eulvale hoots' project that they're willing to get a whole crew here early for is the city's entrance. Color me surprised. Can't really complain about it though, they really know what they're doing. From what I've seen and from what they've shared, they chose a good reference for the gate. Plans are for a metal drawbridge in front over an eventual moat, a decently long yet narrow passageway with grated murder holes in the roof while the would-be intruders would be kept trapped inside via the then-raised drawbridge behind them and the yett in front of them. If you or the Hoojisan have the free time, check the library for "The Cities That Were". It doesn't have illustrations of it, but it describes such a gate on page thirty-something. I drew a crude draft of what I believe it'll look like, if you or others reading this want it visualized. I am an architect, you see.

Or I would have been if it wasn't for the mayor. I swear he's not nearly as clever as he imagines he is. It's not exactly hard to notice how odd it is to call for a snap Ave election the day after the script of the last moot was handed out, and how he shilled so hard not only for "someone to survey this plot", but also "someone with a fresh new vision to look to the future" to disqualify dear old Dad. And that he immediately had me sent away to survey and plot the land for a temple with adjoining c-tube and archive. And that he had a novice Morb come with me instead of, you know, an archivist, someone who would have actual knowledge of what the subterranean archives are like.

Oh, and there's also the curious fact that the specific Morb assigned to go with me just so happens to be someone who seemingly can't look me in the eye without getting lost.

Well, if the mayor's trying to arrange a courtship for his daughter by shipping her off with somehoot she apparently admires on an extended vacation, he'll be sorely disappointed. The Eulvale crew have been kind enough to offer the two of us to use separate tents so we could both better focus on our missions here: me with the temple and XXXXXXX with whatever she's ostensibly here to do. The two of us haven't been in contact outside of the meals everyhoot's been eating communally, so I don't have much to say about what she's been up to. Just doing the hymn-singing and storytelling stuff you'd expect from a Morb, if I had to guess. The services she puts on are fine given her inexperience.

I don't want to rush anyone back home, but I do hope to see you and some of the others here soon. I've already plotted out and marked the temple and adjoining structures, so there's nothing else here I'm explicitly required to do. If I had my gun I could go hunting with others, but watching's always been more my speed so I opted out. There's no way I'm setting foot on any of the boats either. Terra firma for me, thank you very much! And aside from the two of us, the Eulvale crew, and those fishers, there's no one here so there's no one to really watch! You can only clear out the plants from a plotted area for so long before you start to think...

Missing you
XXXXXX, Ave Shochol

Letter from the Morb

Oh hi, archivists.

It's been over a month since I've arrived at the new city-to-be with the Ave, and I have yet to receive an omen of the Nameless One or the Pink One. To be frank, if it wasn't for the unusual developments documented in the report of the previous Hoosmoot, I wouldn't believe that the Pink One could bestow us with signs of her presence.

The non-Shochol Hoomans are certainly of a different mind, though. It seems as if half the time I attempt to engage in conversation with somehoot the first thing I'm asked is if there is any news of the Pink One. What I find worrying about them is that they never seem to speak of the Nameless One in isolation. People still attend the retelling performances of Her, but that seems to be the only time when they exhibit reverence solely to the Nameless One. Any other time She is mentioned, it is done for the purpose of comparing the Pink One to Her!

Aside from that, though, the Hoomans here other than XXXXXX and myself so far have been welcoming and of a communal spirit. Hoomans from Stenopelia and other fishing villages sharing their hauls with us, and a group who is here from Eulvale not only allowed XXXXXX and I to use different tents at his request but also brought in an Owlbear they hunted to share with all of us a couple weeks ago! It did take some time to get used to the taste of fish, but I imagine those Eulvale hoots wouldn't have the energy to build those long thin pillars solely from foraging!

There have also been some who arrived after us. A group from Satowlno came not too long ago to build a stable. I talked with them about their plans. The plan on their end is to return to Satowlno after finishing the stable and returning with a half dozen pegasi and several bales of hay, with further trips to and fro bringing more hay to feed them. After asking for permission they did say we could house our pegasus in the stable when it's done.

The timing of this was certainly ironic, as they came only a couple days after XXXXXX sent his letter off. I didn't ask him who the addressee was or what he wrote about, but I will say he chose a lovely place for the temple. It's close enough to the sea that people watching a C-tube performances would have a view of it, but far enough away for it to not be the focal point of such a view. If the demarcations are as I imagine, the eventual temple will prove to be a great deal larger than ours back home.

Besides relaying developments to you, there is another reason why I'm sending this letter: my memory of the Nameless One's tales is lacking compared to that of the senior Morb back home. If practicable, could you duplicate a few of Her parables and send the duplicates with you in your response? I would be greatly appreciative.

In the meantime, I will attempt to steer discussions with hoots from the other locations in the direction of the Nameless One and try to work what they say about Her into my services. Who knows, maybe they'll jog my memory. I suppose if there's anything unusual about how they pay tribute to the Nameless One, like holding a retelling on a boat or communally taking off their feathers and hooing in unison, I'll get back in touch with you!

Regardless, I'm looking forward to you and the rest of Shochol to move here when the harvest is completed. In the meantime, I'll be waiting.

Waiting
XXXXXXX, Morb

First letter from the Skipper

Oh hi, sister.

I need you to stitch together a jack or preferably a sail with a new insignia. If my crew is going to operate using the city-in-progress as a setting-off point, we'll be wanting to use a new insignia so others won't think we're doing things on behalf of Stenopelia. For the design, the crew's thinking it should be a flower. We don't want others to think we're pirates, so something nonthreatening'd be good. And what better than something that calls back to that famous tale?

We don't want the flower on the jack/sail to be the one described in the tale, though. There's the risk people might mistake us for Brats or (Pink One forbid) Kronies. The flower my crew'd like to be used for the design is one found in the field where the city-in-progress is to be built. I drew a sketch of it on the back, for reference.

Don't bother replying to this message. Me and my crew are sailing to Stenopelia right after we send the pegasus your way. Where'd the pegasus come from? Well, get this: some inland village sent their Skol (or Ave, apparently) here already, with a Morb and pegasus to boot!

Interesting, eh? That's just the tip of the iceberg! In fact, there's so much to tell I suspect it's too much for one letter! Don't you worry, I'll tell you all about it when I come to pick up that jack/sail!

Seeing you soon
XXXXXXX, Skipper

Letter from "Snuffkin"

Oh hi, Ave Shochol.

You don't know me yet, but I've gotten to learn a bit about you from the folks who built the stable. I hope that by the time the new city gets named we'll have a good understanding of each other.

I am a cowhoot from Satowlno, you see. It's my duty to take care of pegasi and other equines. Just not unicorns, no one can control them as far as I'm concerned. I know this sounds presumptuous, but could you mark out space for a paddock near the stable? Ideally enough space for a small herd of pegasi? I'm bringing a half dozen to give the new place a total of eight, which should be enough to sustain a modest population for the first few years. This of course assumes that the one carrying this letter doesn't get returned to Satowlno and that the one you brought with you also sticks around. I would like to see her if you wouldn't mind. From what the others have told me, she's a fine filly.

Of course, the pegasi won't be all I'm bringing with me. This trip's a caravan, much like the last one from Satowlno. These wagons have a few bales of hay to help the herd through the eventual winter. We had a good harvest last year, enough to have a surplus for an occasion like this. A few of the carpenters from earlier are coming along with me, and we're bringing the wood and tools to build the paddock that'll hold the herd outdoors. Of course, the pegasi'll need to be taught that this is gonna be their new home, and that might take a while depending on their tempers. That means I'll be here a good while, just like you!

If you want to reply to this letter, I suggest you don't address it to me or to anyone who was working on the stable. Me and them both are headed your way as you're reading this.

Cheers!
"Snuffkin", Pegasus Wrangler

Second letter from the Skipper

Oh hi, Skol Strixhalla.

On 3/8/113, a ship from Strixhalla interrupted a crew-wide orca observation, claiming it was in violation of Orca Protection Ordinances. When I asserted that Orca Protection Ordinances and other local laws didn't apply to me and my crew on the basis that we're operating from the new city and gesturing to the design on our sail as proof of it, the Strixhalla crew refused to recognize our legitimate authority. Ultimately, my crew was forced to turn back on the threat of being boarded and captured to stand trial for alleged piracy and OPO violations.

Do not take me and my crew's initial submission as recognition of a foreign authority. Strixhalla's crew was quicker on the draw. My crew will not keep our arms stowed below deck next time. We will continue our activities in the sea and we will defend ourselves if need be.

That being said, I believe you agree with our perspective that it would be a waste of lead for Hooman crews to come to blows over something that can be negotiated. In recognition of this, I'd like to suggest a way for this dispute to be resolved peacefully.

Strixhalla shouldn't be more than a couple weeks away from the new city by foot, and the trip should be even quicker by sail if the winds aren't hostile based on how the currents are in the sea this time of year. There also happens to be a Skol here (though he calls himself an Ave since he's from "Shokehole") who was asked to stay here until the next formal Hoosmoot. You see what I'm getting at, right? You come over her and hash things out with the Skol Ave so this whole affair can get straightened out and everyhoot can get on with their lives. It's one of the things we have Skols for in the first place, isn't it?

We'll temporarily go back to hoisting the sail of our old home and even keep away from the v-flukes while we're at it! Just make sure you get here for those negotiations. If you reject my proposal of dialogue or drag your feet on this, we will return to the new jack and resume our earlier activities. You have until the second week of the next month!

Don't keep me waiting
"Two H's", Skipper
And witnessed
Ave Shochol

Second letter from Ave Shochol

Oh hi, Mayor.

I need you to relay the following message to as many nearby towns as practicable within the timeframe:

Oh hi, Ave (location).
There is a premature Hoosmoot scheduled for 5/6/113 in the unnamed city. Please attend if you are able.
Thank you
Ave Shochol

There's a dispute between some of the settlers who came from fishing communities and the fishing towns themselves and one-on-one negotiations stalled, so the Ave I was negotiating with (calls herself a Skal since she's from Strixhalla) called for a Premature Hoosmoot. I get the feeling she's trying to rally her numbers from other coastal towns to force their will on the new place by outvoting opposition so I need your help in getting as many inland Aves to go as you can. A Satowlno cowhoot brought a small herd of pegasi a few weeks ago but there's no way a herd of eight can match whatever number Strixhalla can send out.

There has been a good amount of development in the past few months but I don't want to distract from the task at hand. Remind me to give an update after this dispute blows over.

Thank you
XXXXXX, Ave Shochol

Summary of the Premature Hoosmoot of N.S. 113

Date: 5/6/113
Number of Aves/Skols in attendance: 57
First issue raised: Formal recognition of the poxy flower as a symbol of the settlement known at the time of the Premature Hoosmoot as "unnamed city" and subsequent recognition of any vessel that predominantly incorporates said symbol as a ship or boat of "unnamed city"
Vote tally: 39 for, 12 against
Second issue raised: Establishment of a boat registry in the settlement known at the time of the Premature Hoosmoot as "unnamed city" for the sake of ensuring the authenticity of any vessel that flies the poxy flower
Vote tally: 57 for
Third issue raised: Introduction of Orca Protection Ordinances in the settlement known at the time of the Premature Hoosmoot as "unnamed city"
Vote tally: 23 for, 16 against

Letter from "Not a phase"

Oh hi, "Ton Ton".

How are things going over in Canashi? Have any plans to go back to the new city? Hoo boy, what a coincidence our first trip there was! Who would have thought both of our groups set out to build the library at the same time? Good thing the Ave was able to work out a compromise, and even better that we collectively had enough extra wood to make that registry building as per his instructions.

Me and the boys back here at Felinashi have been thinking (dangerous, I know) of paying the Ave back for his help by building a permanent home for him and that Morb of his. Since Canashi and Felinashi were able to put aside their differences working on the library and registry, what do you say we get our groups back together to build some residential buildings and see just how close our peoples can be? Lumberjacks here are hard at work so there'll at least hypothetically be a wealth of lumber coming in. There are rumblings of some folks here moving to the new place, though, and their demands may take a bit of a toll on the supply. Hopefully they'll let their homes here be deconstructed rather than demolished so that at least some of the materials can be reused. Still, based on the reports it seems like there'll easily be more than enough for the Ave and Morb's surprise new home from the fresh wood alone in the first of the back-and-forth caravans.

On a more personal note, have you considered moving to the new city long-term? A few here have been talking about the prospects of raising families with hoots from other towns and it's kept a thought (again, yes I know it's dangerous) in my mind ever since I came back home. I don't mean to pressure you or anything, just don't be surprised if a certain Femhooman writing to you might want to see more of you in the future.

On my way next month
"Not a phase", Carpenter

Letter from "Pete"

The Hoosmoot of N.S. 114 (to be added)