Putting Rumors to Rest

In recent months, two prominent adventurers in Cothon-Gadeed--one a citizen, one a barbarian--have been beset by the circling of evil rumors, rumors like the circling of giriku over carrion: Durham and his Ringing Anvil said to be harboring ambitions against the Mother of Cities in her hour of darkness, and Sesel, iqtadar of the North Shore and subject to the envy of others of his class ...

Festering like boils, these rumors were a painful irritation to each of these, one a denizen of Cothon, the other a citizen of Gadeed--and yet both stood forth boldly, and like a leech with his lance, needled the boiling rumors directly, rather than let them fester. Here are their responses; the Scribes note that the ambitions they set forth were sufficient, and no rolls are required for either party:

1) Durham of the Ringing Anvil
(written by Joel)

In order to deal with the protest outside the Ringing Anvil, Durham feels the best solution is to rally support to his side and hold a counter-protest to win the court of public opinion. He will do this by spending 250 dinars (gp) at the four Great Taverns (1000 gp total) buying drinks and meeting with the leadership of each.

A message of the current protest is "non-human connections are bad", in particular Durham's connection with the Wasgo tribe of renyu. Durham will try to persuade leadership and patrons at the four Great Taverns to join him in a counter-protest held at the end of the week (30 April), where he will give a speech to address the untrue accusation that he is disloyal to Cothan. He will tell all who listen that this non-human rhetoric is a danger to all of Cothan-Gadeed as all the great taverns have a non-human association and this rhetoric should be met now before it gains any more strength. 

Durham's speech :

Many of you gathered here are aware of the shadow that has been cast upon me and my loyalties, but I am here to cast the light of truth on the situation. 

It is absolutely true that I have bonds of friendship with the Wasgo tribe and Hanse. But having these bonds does not make me disloyal to Cothan. I have always loved the diversity of Cothan, this city has been welcoming to foreigners like me and embraces others of different race and creed. Are not the four great taverns better with their non-human counterparts, is Cothan not greater for its non-human citizens…then why judge my friendship with the Wasgo so harshly?

Do you really believe I would turn my back on the city that has allowed my business to thrive? –points to the spinning arms of the windmill– People of Cothan search your hearts and you'll know the truth. My connection to the Wasgo is no danger to this city!

2) Sesel, Voice of the Survivors and Iqtadar al Saahil al Shamaliy
(written by Jacob)

As a burgeoning member of the Eyes of the Souffets, Sesel feels it is his duty to aid these Iqtas that have been ravaged by the Red Cloud. While he prepares his own forces to more directly aid in these assaults, he sends a letter to Souffet Khusra:

“I am disheartened by the destruction wrought by the Red Cloud across the Southern Iqtas, and feel it is my duty, as a member of your eyes, to provide what aid I can to these unfortunate souls. Being an adventurer I have some reasonable wealth accumulated, and with your leave I shall hire up a sizable mercenary force to march down to these Iqtas and provide them with some relief. Or, if it be more amenable, I could simply provide the dinars to the Poor Brothers (or other existing organization) that they might already have such a force they could gather and send relief. And, naturally the force will be either disbanded once the threat has passed or otherwise turned over to the control of Gadeed.”

As the Souffets accept this proposal, Sesel hires this force:

45 archers

45 heavy footmen

55 light footmen

1 captain, one Tanahhl al Shams

He pays a total of 1000 dinars, including the 750 dinars to raise the force, and 250 dinars in bonuses to raise it quickly--”The sooner it can depart, the better.” ~Sesel

The intent here is to send it as an aid to move amongst the various affected Iqtas. They are hired for 1 month, from 1 May.

Sesel publicly makes statements as to the support and well being of the affected Iqtas and their citizens and residents. He never addresses the rumors, for surely any such things are but idle gossip; but that he hears the sliver of truth in these rumors, that the Southern Iqtas are in dire need of support, and he is answering the call, however indirect it may come.

While the force is assembled, Zaida [Sesel's wife ~the Scribes] will use her contacts with her family [Banu al Rashid] to begin countering some of the rumors with comments about “I wonder why the Barcidae don’t send some of their forces to support the Southern Iqtas? Surely they have more wealth and power than some newly minted citizen.” and “It is unfortunate these Southern Iqtas felt they had no allies amongst the other Iqta owners or Great Houses such that they have weathered so long on their own. Seems like they barely had to ask and Sesel rose up to help. What are others even doing but cowering behind their forts and drawing a line in their sand?”

A Scream and Leap to Arms!

-- The Kzinti Are Coming --

[written by Phil, player of Bartholomew Pettibone, calling adventurers in the city to be ware the Red Cloud's coming ...]

This is a call for players available to join in a game against the Kzinti before 26 May.

News has been trickling in to Cothon-Gadeed about groups of K'Zin bandits coalescing and terrorizing the hinterlands. A red-tailed comet burns in the night sky. And the rise of a self-styled “mighty K'Zin warlord” has been a conversational topic throughout the Dual Cities – especially on those lips of K'Zin origin! This warlord calls himself the Red Cloud, after that same comet, and has been hinted at as the instigator of several wilderness skirmishes. While he has not (as yet) claimed responsibility for those sorties, it is known that he is calling for K'Zin (and human!) tribal groups to answer his call – to build an army of extraordinary magnitude for liberation and conquest! Furthermore, over recent years, it has been noted that the K'Zin have been infiltrating and desecrating the catacombs of the Necropolis, in search of ancient artifacts of war, buried with powerful historical figures, and often forgotten or neglected over centuries of time.

While these rumors and discussions have led to heated debates within the Dual Cities, little has been done to quell the concerns of the citizens. Political power struggles have stymied any potential actions to thwart Red Cloud. However, it appears that the powder kegs of politics and war are about to ignite and burst forth upon the land, whether the people want that or not! It has been confirmed that in recent months at least two small iqta's have been razed and pillaged. And more recently, the outpost fort in the Tukayyat hills was infiltrated, its Captain brutally murdered, a protected artifact stolen, and its library burned to ashes. Word has it that K'Zin appear to be responsible for all of these attacks.

In confirmation of these woeful tidings, a rag-tag group of four refugees (bloodied, beaten, and bruised) have stumbled to the gates of the Iqta' al Saahil al Shamaliy, pressing the newly minted citizen, Sesel of the Survivors, to provide them a safe haven. They report that their caravan, traveling to Cothon-Gadeed, was set upon by a large band of 40 – 50 bandits, only a few hours march east from Sesel's iqta'! They relate the horrors of being taken by surprise the night previous, ambushed and overrun in the dark by both K'Zin and human warriors. Even though it was dark, and the chaos and confusion were overwhelming, they are certain that these bandits were being led by K'Zin, and they report hearing the human warriors extolling that “Red Cloud has blessed us this night – we can only be victorious!” The wagons of the caravan were broken up and burned, easily carried valuables were stolen, food-stuffs were carried away or scattered to the wind, a good number of their fellows were savagely murdered, and several were taken prisoner (ostensibly to serve as slaves). One of the prisoners taken by the bandits (along with her goods) was one Ilasha – a respected traveling merchant dabbling in gems and jewels (who came to Cothon last year)

These caravan survivors appeal specifically to iqtadar Sesel, but also to any and all citizens and barbarians alike, to avenge them! They fear the worst for their fellows who were taken as slaves, and believe that if nothing is done, the Red Cloud will continue to rampage across the land, and perhaps this iqta' will be next – being that is so close to where the caravan was ambushed!

Who will heed their call and appeal for justice? Who will come to the aid of those taken prisoner? Who will lend their strength and arms to fight for freedom against the tyranny of the Red Cloud and their oppressive K'Zinti regime of horror and genocide? The doom is growing. The machinations of a mad-Cat is at full throttle! Action is needed!

What's Happened in the Interim? A Downtime Update

As readers of this chronicle know, there was a gap of coverage/activity from much of January of this year to much of March of this year--and February was completely devoid of updates. At the same time, the pace of expeditions slowed markedly, even as the pace of life within the Dual-Cities likewise slowed.

There are a variety of reasons for this; mainly, the Scribes were busy with projects mandated them by the Souffets; but also, the Cities of Cothon-Gadeed have been set upon more viciously by the Kzin warlord the Red Cloud than previously expected; and not only the trouble of the Kzinti, but also some dread danger comes marching out of the ruins of Tsur al Qadim of nights (set loose, as some say, by the meddling barbarian adventurers of Cothon ...).

All of which is to say, the Scribes beg forbearance!

But as was perhaps mentioned in an earlier plea, life did not stop in Cothon-Gadeed during that time, and likewise the populace continued pursuing their own lives. Just so the barbarians! And so here is related the means by which barbarian-adventurers can set to record the works they pursued during those three months:

Any player-character who did not specifically set aside time for downtime activities during the months January, February and/or March, may avail themselves of either 1) generic downtime OR 2) special downtime for each free month.

The Scribes know in particular that Bartholomew Pettibone scheduled out his downtime pretty particularly for much of these months (or perhaps all). By way of example, let us assume he scheduled all of January and part of February. In that case, he would be free to use option (1) or (2) for March only. Having scheduled through January into February makes him ineligible for either of those months. Contrariwise, if Revna didn't schedule any downtime in the same set of months, she may elect option (1) or (2) for each of those three months.

1) Generic Downtime

Unlike the normal course of downtime, a character may spend one of the stipulated months automatically advancing a generic clock, rather than rolling. This automatic advancement applies only to specific activities, and only to a certain extent. The stricture that a player-character describe how they're advancing the clock with at least a sentence of detail still applies. The allowed activities (and maximum advancement) are noted hence:

• Non-magical research (limit 1 success)*
• Spiritual Exercises (limit negotiated with referee, according to goal)
• Martial Training (limit 3 successes)
• Alchemical Pursuits (limit negotiated with referee)
• Cultivating a Relationship (limit 3 successes)
• Magical Research (limit 1 success)*
• Professional Pursuits (limit 3 successes, only gp may be earned)--dinars according to one's skill:
  Plebeian -- earn 60 dinars (gp) per month selected
  Skilled -- earn 120 dinars per month selected
  Noble -- earn 225 dinars per month selected

2) Special Downtime

Instead of using a month for a generic downtime, a character may instead elect to have spent time involved in the "life" of the cities in that particular month.

For, though the game has been in a bit of a stall, the life of the cities has continued apace, with new developments, some noted (the Red Cloud), some hinted at (the strange goings-on in Tsur al Qadim). Characters who choose to involve themselves thus in the life of the city during any one of these months selects the month and rolls a d6 against the table below:

Special Downtimes

Month	Roll (d6)	Effect
	1-2	Hoarder – gain d6x250 dinars, -2 on reactions in Cothon for a year
January	3-5	Friend in Need – spend d6x100 dinars, +1 on reactions for a year
	6	Too Generous! – earn 1 xp per 1 gp donated; cannot increase in level
	1-2	Haunted – hair whitens, and lose 1d10 years of life
February	3-5	I will not fear – +1 on saves v. undead/fear for a year
	6	Fearless – cannot be paralyzed by undead, permanently
	1-2	Panicked – roll at -1 on reaction rolls in Cothon-Gadeed for a year
March	3-5	Held fast – AC at -1 bonus when facing Kzinti for a year
	6	Kzin-killer – +1 to hit when rolling against Kzinti, permanently

During the month of January, rumors of danger began to circulate through the Dual-Cities (and the Ten Cities' League at large). The Red Cloud and his Kzinti were at that point threatening, and though they had not yet done anything specifically, the air was thick with tension. And too, winter is on its way, long months of cold that will cause fields to lay long fallow, and supplies of grain and foodstuffs to grow thin.
Given this, characters with their "ears to the ground" may elect to have spent January preparing against the rumors of danger circulating in January, either by speculating and hoarding supplies, to be sold at profit; or by securing supplies to be donated to friends or associates. 

During the month of February, something of the true danger in Tsur al Qadim was revealed: shadows and spirits were seen to walk through the Cities at night, and Poor Brothers of the Dead who defend the Pallbearers' Way to the Necropolis reported constant skirmishes with restless corpses marching out of the Old Ruins. A terrible fear crept through the Cities, a palpable terror ...
Some stayed in their houses and apartments during this terror, but others chose to rise and meet it. Those who were unafraid, or who wished to master their fear, volunteered to assist the Poor Brothers, or to assist those who patrolled the streets at night in Cothon or Gadeed, to ward back the shadows with extra torch- and lantern-light. Even some of these could not meet their fear without blanching, and more than a few volunteers returned with whited hair and faces lined with terror and premature age.

During the month of March, the Red Cloud showed his hand. The Iqta' al Zaytun was plundered and burned, and Kzinti and their tribal human auxiliaries raided the hinterlands hither and yon. Not long ago, a band of Kzinti even attacked and burned the hillfort in the Tukayyat Hills, on the headland between Cothon and Ittiyqa!
Too late, much too late, the Souffets called for patrols to go forth from the Dual-Cities, to attempt to stave off these brazen attacks. Men-at-arms of various families and bands from the various Fighting Societies went forth, and volunteers who wished to test their mettle went with them (not a few having learned courage the month before) ...

Of Coffled Slaves and Pirate Woes

 Not yet has the Hanseatic captain, Telman of Tsipa, returned to Cothon and his masters at the Kantor Kabljuahof--not yet, but word of his successes in his campaign against the Luwian Pirates precede his return! Running before a batch of foul weather blowing in from the east, Dirac's Wanderer, a single-masted dak, has come into the harbor of Cothon. Her captain, Lews Telaron, has come with a hold full of prisoner-pirates to be sold at auction in the souks of Cothon, and with news that Telman has driven the Luwians out of the greatest of their island strongholds.

Though ocean storms and bad weather--portending the coming winter--have stayed the campaign, preventing Telman's final victory, still, much has been accomplished. Unlike previous campaigns, Telman has invested the Luwians' islands with garrisons of the Hanse's men, preventing their being retaken by the Luwians (as has so often happened before). As the long winter descends, fraught with storms and bad weather that will prevent further campaigning until the next solar year, Telman has opted to return to Cothon for a time, to see directly to his own affairs in the Dual-Cities. According to Lews and his crew, Telman's galley should arrive by the end of the month, and with them will come a fleet of others like Lews and his Wanderer, ships and captains carrying holds of captured pirates to be sold off as slaves, the sales of which will back the war bonds offered by the Hanse at the start of the campaign.

Lews himself came early, hoping to make himself a tidy profit before the souks are glutted. The holds of the Wanderer hold not only war captives, but also a variety of other goods for sale:

(as with all such merchants, please comment on the blog below with any purchases, as these goods are first-come-first-served, and comments make an easy way to track such things)

Lews Telaron's Merchandise

Price	Item
40 dinars ea.	40 pirate-slaves, billed for hard labor
100 dinars ea.	8 prisoners billed as "household-worthy" slaves
25 dinars ea.	9 gilt or jeweled seax-knives (d6 damage)
300 dinars per case, OR 30 dinars per bottle	4 cases of sujamma liquor (12 bottles per case)
200 dinars ea.	7 pristinely white gadhar pelts, beautifully preserved
500 dinars ea.	3 polyjuice potions, allowing the imbiber to assume another's guise
2500 dinars	Ring of the Five Fingers of Pai

War Bonds Payouts

As Telman and his prisoner-bearing fleet return toward Cothon, and news of Telman's successes against the Luwians filter through the Dual-Cities, the Hanse begins to pay out to those who invested in war bonds back at the beginning of the campaign.

Per the records of the Scribes, Bartholomew Pettibone has been the only player-character who bought any such bonds, and he paid 1000 dinars (gp) into the coffers of the Kantor by way of this investment. When he receives word of the payouts, he also hears that the Hanse is returning investors' money, plus 25% of what was invested. This remarkable increase is based on the near-constant successes of Telman and his fleets against the pirates, the many captives taken and sold or to-be-sold in slave auctions, and the great amounts of booty recovered from the pirate isles. For, despite an early success by the Luwians (recounted here, as might be remembered, by Koway of the Weatherlight), every other engagement has been a success under Telman's sure hand on the steering-oar of leadership.

Which is to say, if Bart wishes to claim his money back, he would receive 1250 dinars. As this is based on the current success of the campaign, it is unlikely to change in the near future.

If Bart prefers, he can let the Hanse know that they can retain his investment for the upcoming renewal of the campaign in the spring (it'll be more than a few months), and their records will be updated to note that Bart's war bonds are now worth 1250 dinars, to increase or decrease the further campaigns play out.

Anyone wishing to may invest now in new war bonds, which will likewise pay out according to the future successes (or failures?) of the campaign against the Luwians--for the war is not over! Telman intends to return to the fray as soon as the evil winter weather recedes and allows it.

Session #75: Return to the Library

 [write-up by Max, who ran the session, a couple weeks back--thanks, Max!]

A group once again gathers in the library of Cothon-Under-Star with a hmela in tow.

Sesel, fighter 7

• Raoden magic-user 5

Bart, magic-user

• Gan fighter

Najm, magic-user 5

• Alianor Drake, fighter 1

Heijo, magic-user 6

Revna, magic-user 5

The group returns once again from the library sans hmela. They seem in good spirits but otherwise say little of what they are up to in the library. Patrons continue to talk about a mysterious door with seemingly no way to open it.

The Lucre

• 120g

• 600s

• Dice, bone (40g)

• 7 Books
  Ciamar a mharbhadh torc
  Essays on Gambling
  Shipping Documents
  ᴁ (Claimed by Revna)
  Дракула
  Tave Jidai Tvarka
  The Blessed Light, a spellbook: I. Light, II. Bless, III. Continual Light
  

• 5 Flasks of Ink
  Black (100g)
  Red (200g)
  Blue (200g)
  Green (200g)
  Infernal (500g)

• Strange Crossbow like metal tube

• Stinger, trapdoor spider (Claimed by Revna)

The Learning

• 1440 xp from treasure

• 125 xp from Trapdoor spider

The Cut

• 313 xp to each player-character
  157 xp to Raoden, Gan, and Alianor

• 18 dinars (gp) and 92 dirhams (sp) to each player-character
  10 dinars and 47 dirhams to Raoden, Gan, and Alianor

• Dice, bone (40g)

• 7 Books
  Ciamar a mharbhadh torc
  Essays on Gambling
  Shipping Documents
  ᴁ (Claimed by Revna)
  Дракула
  Tave Jidai Tvarka
  The Blessed Light, a spellbook: I. Light, II. Bless, III. Continual Light 

• 5 Flasks of Ink
  Black
  Red
  Blue
  Green
  Infernal

• Strange Crossbow like metal tube

• Trapdoor Spider stinger (Revna)

It is up to the company to decide whether to sell the various strange inks claimed from the so-called Infinite Library, or to keep them. Those in the company who wish to claim something may pony up the dinars from their personal hoards to "buy out" the item, the money thence to be divided by the remainder of the company.

As always, write-ups or art will earn a character 100 xp per level ... the scribes doubt that any map of the Library would prove useful, other than as a piece of art ...

"Bob Hall" or A New Way to Think About Specific Institutions

 Much that is strange has been discovered and subsequently taken and held by various barbarians in the sea-caves known as the Ocean's Throat, north and east of Cothon. Ideas-man and renyu-friend Durham of the Ringing Anvil has taken the former pirate-hideout now called Fort Doghouse, as well as allying with the "native" renyu tribe of the Wasgo; and Citizen Sesel and his association, the Survivors of the Tel, claim to have seized some kind of further holding behind the legendary Green Doors within said sea-caves.

Well, the Survivors have begun to call their section behind the Green Doors "Bob Hall", and one Bartholomew Pettibone has been granted some kind of "stewardship" over whatever "hall" this may be.

Now, having long used Ben L.'s wonderful rules for building an institution for this game, it struck this referee that one could perhaps write something "custom" more akin to the special "relationship clocks" Ben has developed for cultivating relationships when thinking instead about institutions.

So:

Let us agree and establish that "Bob Hall" is currently "inconsequential" as an institution (rank 1); few dinars (gp) have been spent to upgrade the area heretofore, and no specific rolls have been made. It is merely the case that the adventuring-barbarians have ransacked the area and claimed it for themselves, with some scant resources allocated to ensure its security with a small garrison.

Granted! But now Bartholomew Pettibone has been set up as "steward" of the place, at least for the moment, and offers to pay up to 4000 dinars to develop the area in the caves into something more amenable to human occupation (rather than the strange green-skins that dwelt within it before!).

Rather than just have some generic "clock" to invest into, for this in-dungeon holding I'd rather have a little more buy-in, between me as the referee, and the players making the investment. So as referee, I'm going to suggest three possible uses for an investment, but also leave the end result up to the investor if they (Bart) have a different/better-explained development:

1. Spend 2500 dinars to line the walls with lead and other heavy metals, hoping to make "Bob Hall" better defensible against psionic attacks
2. Spend 2500 dinars to expand the bunkrooms and armory, and to hire fighting men to better defend against "conventional" attacks, esp. those coming from Sakkra that dwell in the self-same sea-caves
3. Spend 2500 dinars to make "Bob Hall" more comfortable for the adventurers dwelling there, and to allow for groups to strike out easily from Bob Hall, rather than "wasting" time in Cothon

Bart has suggested spending 4000 dinars altogether on the Hall; the referee proposes that Bart spend 2500 dinars for one of these improvements, and for each additional 500 dinars that he spends, up to 4000 altogether, he will receive a cumulative +1 on his roll of 2d6 (+3 altogether if 4000 is spend). Bart need only spend 2500 gp of the proposed 4000 to be eligible to roll the dice.

Having spent the 2500 dinar investment, Bart will roll 2d6 (+1 for every 500 gp thereafter up to 4000 gp total):

• 2-6 the investment fails to "grow" the institution
• 7-9 the institution grows (to rank 2 -- minor), but its growth incurs a complication (see Ben's complications at the moment, until I write my own)
• 10+ the institution grows without complication

It will be noted that this is more expensive than growing just any old institution. Indeed, I feel like an institution build inside the dungeon probably should cost something more. BUT, it is not strictly the case that these developments are all mutually exclusive; maybe Bart will be interested in both developing "psionic" and "conventional" defenses ... Perhaps he'll invest in one this month, and another the next? But once some investment is successful, the Referee will offer further suggestions for development, based on what's been done.

... This is only the beginning of a new way to look at developing certain institutions. I hope that it can be a way to differentiate/personalize developing institutions--and remember that like all Referee suggestions, these are all just such, only suggestions!--for those who want to get into some nitty-gritty details. None of this is to supersede the "normal" rules, only to add the possibility of more nuance.

The Envy of Iqtadars

 In early February, Citizen Sesel, newly minted Iqtadar of the Iqta' al Saahil al Shamaliy on the coast northeast of Cothon, paid 2500 dinars to upgrade his iqta' from a minor institution (rank 2) to a middling institution (rank 3) (per Ben L.'s excellent rules). Alas for Sesel his developments came with a complication, and much as Durham has recently learned, such complications can, well, complicate things.

In Sesel's case, his meteoric rise from barbarian to citizen to iqtadar has evoked much envy and ressentiment among the lesser-to-middling iqtadars who hold iqta's in and around the Dual-Cities. Now, Sesel has done a fair amount of legwork to head off this envy, particularly in spending several weeks playing the socialite, going around to various get-togethers with the various Bani and Houses of Gadeed to head off the envy of these lesser lords and ladies.

And while that quick acting on his part certainly helped to tamp down on what otherwise could have developed into "evil rumors" like Durham has seen leveled against him--unfortunately, recent events have just complicated things.

For, un/fortunately for Sesel, his grant of an iqta' was on the far side from any effort possible by the Red Cloud and his forces. Fortunate for Sesel in that he has seen none of the depredations that the Kzinti and their warlord have vented upon such iqta's as al Zaytun to the southeast--yet this very fortune has aroused the ire and envy of those very iqtadars suffering said depredations!

As the conflict grows sharper--especially as new rumors filter in of the Red Cloud's wide daring!--the ressentiment grows apace, and a coterie of iqtadars have redoubled their envious whisperings (probably too at the behest of the Barcidae, who know little love for Sesel and his friends!):

Fortunately for Sesel, the income of his iqta' is not directly related to business in Cothon or Gadeed, and so he suffers no financial hardship; unfortunately for him, this informal "alliance" of lesser iqtadars will make things difficult for him when attempting to cultivate relationships in Gadeed especially, but even in Cothon. Which is to say, as of this week (ending 30 April, as the rumors gather again), Sesel will suffer a -2 penalty on all relationship rolls in Gadeed (excluding his wife's family, the Banu al Rashid), a -1 relationships penalty in Cothon, and a -2 penalty when attempting to build-up an institution related to either city.

Good for him--he has already started on one means of putting this envy to rest, by having solicited the ear of Khusra al Arasqiy, one of the two Souffets of Cothon-Gadeed. If he can secure a relationship with Khusra of (rank 3), these penalties to downtime will end, as Khusra puts her foot down against the nattering nabobs. Alternatively, if Sesel wants to wait things out, the penalties will also end when new Souffets are elected in November of this year (2022), and the iqtadars have to reassess their relationships with power. (Also, for Sesel, don't forget that even when the Souffet rotates out of power, it doesn't mean that the person ceases to have political weight and cache--it can still be very lucrative/important to have the ear of a former Souffet)

Sesel is also free to come up with his own solution to the trouble--the above examples are only suggestions that are made fairly clear through Sesel's relationship with one of the Great Bani of the Cities.