"What makes a human."
"What is in a human's nature?"
"Is it emotional, something tied within someone's very psyche?"
"Is it selfishness?"
"Is it cooperation?"
"Or even cooperation only when it benefits you?"
"This is something that has been debated for years in philosophical debates and the foundation of all philosophy morales and ideologies."
"As it is only when you understand the essence of something its very nature."
"Can you use it for something useful or turn it into something else entirely."
"Just like how you must understand iron and how it reacts to heat and other metals to turn it into a sword or a plough."
"So must a ruler also understand humans."
"Or in DO case, understand what makes a sentient being tick."
"Because only then will you create a government system that works as you harness these human aspects for good."
Reginald Coulan, creator and head of House Aurellion in Dynasties Online.
….
Kadziork Karmine, king of the Kingdom of Oovere, sat on his furred throne, made of a mix of all the many animals he had hunted throughout his life. He even went into the nearby great Strevania Desert, a mix of a vast savanna and hills of sand, to hunt some of the largest and most exotic beasts in the world as most prominent amongst the pelts was that of a tiger its orange and black stripes a manifestation of the goblins kings skill at arms for killing one of the most vicious animals in the world.
Burning braziers illuminate the hall where one man stands before a throne, respectfully listening as its occupant subconsciously taps his finger against the right arm of the throne, deep in thought.
But this king, who had travelled far and wide, was now sitting with a look of perplexed pondering plastered on his face, something that was increasingly rare these days because for the first time in his life, Kadziork, the great and wise king of the goblins, was at a loss.
For five minutes, an uneasy silence prevailed in the large longhouse, as none of the two dared to make a sound and disturb their king. The large audience chamber looking more like a Viking king's hall than a palace traditionally associated with the grand title of king in the medieval era.
Throughout these five minutes, despite his calm-looking exterior, the King of Oovere's mind was a mess. No matter how much the wise king thought about it, the reason for this recent rebellion and attack on the Lethal Legion, one of the kingdom's most vital defensive armies, still alluded the experienced statesmen reading the letter in his hand again and again while trying to wrap his head around its contents.
There was no sign of unrest, resentment indicating such a rebellion, or unusual movements among the upper echelons of the goblin tribes he had meticulously managed over the years, as one can usually find the reasons for a rebellion before it happens if they are intelligent enough.
Anything from tyranny, injustice, or famine could be a reason for a rebellion, but in this case, there were none of the usual signs. Otherwise, Kadziork would have nipped the problem in the bud, as he was well known for his wise and benevolent government, at least among his own people, having dealt with such matters in an efficient and competent manner.
The only odd movement was that some men and women from all tribes suddenly left and gathered to form this peasant army. The army then gathered to attack the Lethal Legion, commanded by one of the kingdom's most prestigious and feared generals.
Chuik Blord, but he was known more commonly by his title, one he had gained through his strategies, which were centred around his flexible use of poisons and ambushes utilising the ancient forest that they call home to his advantage.
The Black Death of Oovere.
What made a peasant army led by no one with military experience or achievements attack this experienced, cunning general was beyond Kadziork and his court's comprehension. Of course, this attack failed, but to say that the kingdom managed to get away scot-free would be very wrong indeed.
40,000 soldiers! Nearly 40,000 elite soldiers were lost, a number that, even with the short development time of the goblins, would take a few years to get back, with most of these being lost thanks to the surprise attack and poisoning of the rebels.
Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of rebels that were killed during the rebellion! Citizens who could have contributed to the nation instead became traitors who harmed for seemingly no reason at all!
Just seeing the number of lost souls made the goblin king's blood boil as one of his fists clenched, shaking slightly to show his tumultuous internal emotional state before relaxing as the experienced politician brought them back under control, knowing that one needed a clear head to make the right decisions.
But what's worse was that all the rebels were not deceived or forced to fight. Each one voluntarily joined the traitors and wanted to bring the kingdom down, meaning that there was little room for mercy, so now he had to execute or punish hundreds of thousands of people and their families.
If the rebels were conscripted or fought for their lord or tribe leader, then that was a different matter as they would be honour bound to fight for their clan or lord, meaning all blame could be put on the ruling family for deceiving the people with a false justification or just subjects being loyal to their lord but now that they had voluntarily joined the rebellion of their own accord for their own personal gain any chance of leniency is long gone.
This matter really weighed down heavily on both the king and the royal court of Oovere as they tried to find a way to lower their losses as much as possible.
But did he really have to order the execution of 200,000 people and their families?
Was there no other way out of this that would not waste such manpower and cause a slaughter?
At this time, an old goblin with a bent back, grey wispy beard, and wrinkled skin walked forward, tapping his small wooden walking stick against the smooth wooden floor of the hall. He came to a stop before the king's throne as he cleared his throat, bowing respectfully to his king. His Yoda-like ears, a prominent feature of all goblins, alongside the long-hooked nose, gave him a slightly sage look as his green eyes gazed at Oovers supreme ruler.
"Your majesty, the rebellion has sent shockwaves through the kingdom, and everyone is now looking at you for a response. We cannot spare the traitors or let them be free, as they may rebel again in the future and would set a terrible precedent where people believe that they can rebel against the state with no consequences."
"But it would also be a waste to kill them all. Therefore, this subject suggests that we execute the leaders and their families while the other traitorous survivors and their families become slaves so that they may be restrained while also serving the state and repay their past sins with future contributions."
"We can even give the young children freedom in the future if they contribute enough and don't make any problems."
The old goblin said in an old, raspy voice. A man of 80 years, he was the chancellor, the highest-ranking official in the kingdom, and the man who was respected by all the tribes due to being the oldest goblin alive in the kingdom, having lived through the reigns of 4 kings and countless crises his advice would be valuable to even the wisest of kings able to speak truths few others dare to. It was partly thanks to his support that the goblin king could even sit on his throne to begin with. Quickly noticing that Kadziork would be a great king, he threw his weight behind him in the last election, where the goblins of the kingdom chose a tribal leader to become king who then stayed in the position for life.
"That's a good compromise, better than killing them or imprisoning them for a few years."
Kadziork said, settling the matter and the fates of hundreds of thousands of people with a few words, knowing that apart from ordering the deaths of everyone involved, this was the most mercy he could show as while the lives of these people and their families would be terrible at least, they had their lives.
Something that would have to be taken otherwise, as they have shown themselves to have intentions to rebel and have even committed treason, so the only way to keep them alive would be to imprison them all for an extended period, which would put a strain on the state and direct resources away from the needs of the loyal citizens or enslave them so that others do not rebel in the future and risk the consequences.
All because these people rebelled for no reason, as if they rebelled due to having no food or out of desperation, then at least mercy would be an option, but they didn't, so there was no justification for lowering the consequences suffered for their terrible crime.
His eyes then turned severe, and he stopped tapping his finger subconsciously as he sighed and gave the message that he had received from The Black Death over to the old chancellor while dealing with the aftermath of the rebellion was important, there was one other thing that he wanted to consult the old fox about.
"What is your opinion on the Gods Favoured?"
The goblin king asked, not indicating his stance on the matter. He had learned to control himself and his emotions a long time ago, even if, at times, they violently flared up. He watched the old goblins' facial expressions stiffen as he read The Black Death's cryptic message and the many implications it could have for not only his kingdom but the world as a whole.
"Can the testimony in this letter be completely trusted?"
The chancellor asked, his eyes turning as cold and ruthless as the goblin kings.
"General Chuik has not lied in the past, and I see no need for him to do so now, especially after suffering the attack himself. You know better than I how diligent he can be and how he leaves no stone unturned."
"He is your son, after all."
Kadziork said from his throne authoritatively that the testimony included in the letter would shock the world as it included critical information about the players, revealing things about them to the NPCs they did not expect as this rebellion had far more wide-reaching consequences than they believed.
"You understand what this means, don't you? What this means for the world?"
The old chancellor asked in a cold voice through his years of experience; it did not take him long to understand the implications that this would have on the world.
"This matter has international implications and could affect how the Gods Favoured, well, those who can be identified anyway, are treated. Do you intend to tell all the countries about these findings?"
The chancellor continued looking directly into the determined eyes of his king, a man whose talent in politics is matched only by his own in the entire kingdom. If it was not because the kingdom needed a young king to help stabilise it and prevent a potential future civil war and because of his advanced age, he would have tried to become king of Oovere himself instead of supporting Kadziork.
Becoming chancellor was the result of his support and loyalty to the king, who understood how important this figure's support was. To this older man, the only thing more important than his own ambitions was the good of the realm.
"Yes, if they did not have this mysterious ability to communicate amongst each other and seemingly work together no matter what their affiliation, then it would be different. But because it isn't…."
"Making such information about the god's favoured available to even our enemies may be the only way to ensure the security of not only our nation and people but others too because as soon as one kingdom falls to a Gods Favoured, it is possible for them to work with other gods favoured around the world to expand that nations borders set up more nations controlled by the Gods Favoured."
Kadziork said his eyes filled with wisdom as the contents of the letter he received from his loyal general were just that terrifying and impactful.
Almost all the players involved in Stator's failed rebellion had given up their dynasties; however, because Dynasties Online is a game with a persistent world, their characters did not disappear as the players would have expected.
Instead, an AI took over their characters and dynasties with all the memories of that player while they played the game, including the reasons for their rebellion. This revealed vital information about the players that the NPCs did not know before they were tortured after being captured following their failed rebellion.
All the NPCs knew until now was the appearance of the so-called gods favoured people who were blessed with education, such as reading and writing in the common language, a skill wanted by many nations who saw them as a potential source of ministers and administrators.
What they did not know, however, was that many of these gods favoured saw themselves as above the other sentients on the continent, even the rulers of nations. This could be seen in how they treated their subjects, though it was also possible that they were just tyrants as not all nobles focused on the needs of their state and citizens to strengthen it, instead indulging themselves and trying to maintain power.
But worse now, they knew why the rebellion happened.
For greed.
The Gods Favoured foolishly thought that if they could gather in large enough numbers, they could take over the country without thinking of how to supply or equip their army.
This was why 220,000 people rebelled.
For greed, for money, for power.
Did they really think they could easily beat those who had held power for centuries just because they were somewhat more intelligent and educated than the lower classes?
The kingdom of Oovere found out how they could communicate through a mysterious, untraceable technique which allowed them to gather together without raising any alarms and of the hidden ambition that seemed to be hidden in each God's Favoured heart.
The ambition for power.
For wealth.
Influence.
It made them no more or less than any of the other mortals in Dynasties Online and, for the first time, put the NPCs on guard against them.
After all, no matter whether they were a player or an NPC.
Each was capable of sentience.
Of emotion.
And the failings and endless greed that inevitably came with being human.
"Your majesty, my opinion on the gods favoured is…."
The old chancellor said, pausing slightly after coming to his conclusion.
"To watch out for them and try to find out who is a Gods Favoured and who is not while also trying to monitor who they come into contact with and where they go but also to use them like you would any other descendent of a noble house."
The old goblin said as he sighed after giving his advice that he knew would only vex his king, but he was the only person who could say it without any repercussions.
"Use them? Why the hell would I use them if they want to overthrow my kingdom?"
The goblin king roared, angered, as the old chancellor predicted, for expecting any king to remain calm after such a rebellion would be a bit too much, even for ones with a broad and open mind like Kadziork's.
"Your majesty, don't The Magic Medows tribe and The Steel Stalker Kin hate you and want your throne? Yet you can tolerate them and even give them important positions at court."
"Why, then, can you not tolerate other ambitious people?"
The old chancellor said.
"I can monitor them and their communications! I can't do that with these gods favoured!"
The emotional king continued shouting, taking a deep breath to calm down his fiery rage before he did something he would regret.
"Can you really monitor all their communications? Look at me and say that with a straight face!"
The chancellor said, knowing that the answer was no, as no matter how much you put surveillance on someone, there will be ways around as he gazed into his king's yellow eyes and the golden crown that rested on his head.
Kadziork looked away, recognising that his long-time advisor was right, but didn't say anything, only sighing again in resignation.
"You can't guarantee that can you? So how is this any different?"
"And so what if they are ambitious? Who does not hold secret desires in their heart? If they are ambitious, they will rule any territories given to them well, increasing our nation's power. On the other hand, if they don't, the power they gain from it will slowly decline to the point where the wealth and influence they have gained are worth nothing. If this happens, then they will never get enough power to overthrow you anyway, and if they decide to tyrannise their subjects, you can use it as a justification to deal with them in the future."
"If they want to be king of Oovere, they will have to get it the same way everyone else does. Through the Tribal Leaders' Kingsmoot."
"Otherwise, all the other tribes will rebel and fight against them, even armies traditionally under the king's control will."
"And winning against such odds will require hundreds of thousands if not millions of people to work together."
The goblin chancellor said, pressing his point home and coming to the conclusion that many other nations would, once they learnt about the Gods Favoured more.
The choice to monitor but use the gods favoured.
"There is also one more thing you must consider, your majesty…."
"Just like how our kingdom is split into many factions, there is no guarantee that all the gods favoured will be united."
"You know what that means, don't you?"
"As long as we don't see them as some sort of divine being or messenger of the gods who can do no wrong."
"We have no more to fear from them any more than we do anyone else."