21: Publicity politics

When away from the building the group sat down in silence, and Jane was terrified.

Garion hugged her and asked “What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared!”

Hugging her tighter “So am I.”

Drenak frowned. “I’m worried as well.”

Harlen elbowed him, “Don’t ask Garion to hug you to make you feel better. He’s a bit busy right now.”

That earned her a weak chuckle from the others, including Jane, so Drenak continued it “Will you hug me instead?”

Harlen responded “So I’m the backup, am I?”

Jane laughed a little at this.

The bantering had done the job and Jane was calmer.

Drenak asked her “I understand being worried, but you seemed terrified. Why?”

Jane could not begin to answer, so Garion tired to. “I think my home world is much more like hers is socially, so I will try to explain. You know how there are people so can convince the entire village or town of some gossip they make up, regardless of the truth?”

The divinely born did now about that.

“Well, I guess they have limits and people able to stop them.

“In my world, and I guess hers, there are people who specialize in influencing how people work. They can use it to promote selling products, or how people think for politics. They can have millions of willing audience members. And there are gossipers who can destroy people on the local level without even trying. If you combine them, possibly via Subsuming, you have people who can spread gossip and rumor, convincing people of things on massive scales very quickly.

“What is worse, I have seen both types in the student body!”

Drenak and Harlen were stunned. The sheer magnitude of the danger was hard for them to understand.

Garion continued. “There are people who specialize in altering how the public as a whole perceive others. These are called Public Relations specialists, because it is how the public related to their target. Often it is too boost their client’s image, but sometimes it is to destroy someone else’s.

“How bad can it be? I mean, what kind of impact can they have?”

Garion took a moment to figure out how to respond in a way they could understand.

“Imagine if an emperor had to choose who to marry his daughter off to and the candidates has factions of his court supporting them. Now imagine if someone spread a false rumor that one of the candidates had in the past had a sickness that would render him sterile. The empire would need an heir, and the idea of there being no heir would turn the entire court against him, possibly setting off civil war and destroying the empire.

“You can guess the one who spread the rumor would get the empire. All for the cost of a few words to some gossips.”

Drenak and Harlen were shocked.

Garion nodded. “Yes, politics!”

Thinking a bit, he chuckled softly and everyone looked at him.

Seeing their looks, he told them “Remember how the social activist stalls were mostly abandoned yesterday? Well, people are going to be going to them once they figure this out. People will want to be seen as being caring and active in those areas.”

“Thing is, if those groups recall who joined and when, it can be used to discredit a lot of them as being attention seekers.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Getting a nasty smile on his face, “Any of you want to suggest that to the gossips? It will keep them busy!”

They laughed.

Garion thought a bit more “We will have to boost our own reputations. We have to be known, and known in a way we can agree with. We will have different focuses.

“Harlen, you will be want to be seen as helping the community and still having a good time. Drenak, Jane and I will need to figure out our directions, but helping others won’t hurt.”

They nodded, and drifted back towards the main area. Sitting down near some gossips who were chatting about what they thought about the lack of social media and going back to old gossip, the group got active.

Garion asked his group “What do you think of all those club stalls?”

Drenak frowned. “Interesting.”

Jane piped in “What do you mean by Interesting Drenak?”

“Well, first day they were all busy with people checking them out. Then people abandoned the clubs that did not seem to help them, and now they are going back to ones that boost their image.”

Harlen nodded “Jane, Drenak’s right. He and I might have trouble joining groups because of our birth Domains, but we were born to this a bit, in a different version. Those ones who joined first were interested in the groups. Those who stayed with them latter care about the subject or are just stubborn. Those who are rushing to join now or soon are just in it for the attention to boost their totems.”

Garion nodded. “Harlen, you forgot that it goes double for those seeking to rejoin. They have shown they don’t care and will abandon those in need if it suits them.”

“You’re right Garion. Of course, all this means those of us who put off joining any group until we settled in here or found one we could join would be considered sus.”

“What do you mean?”

Harlen smiled while facing away from the now very attentive gossips who actually did a good job at hiding their interest.

“I have a Hearth Domain via my mother, thus I am limited to that. I like to party and help the community. However, I am restricted by my Domain. Considering that is a niche Domain I do not know why she made me come here. In theory I could help run soup kitchens and feasts for the community parts, and even get some partying involved, but I’m stuck in the kitchen for now. Maybe a cooking club would be acceptable, but I hate being cooped up. I want to be able to let loose and my current Domain won’t let me!”

Drenak added “I have a similar and in a way even more restrictive situation. As a Psychopomp I can only as such in matters relating to escorting the Dead to their afterlives, with their Deity’s permission. I have to be neutral, and joining a club or helping political groups could be seen as siding with a cause or group. I can’t do that! I also hate the politics that go on with these groups.”

Garion swore, and was genuinely interested in this now. “What can you do?”

Drenak shrugged. “I tried to stay away from all of it by living as a stone mason for a few millennia and not taking up the mantel I was born and bred for. If my dad didn’t order me here, I’d still be doing that.

“In theory I could act as a free agents working for all Deities and powers, with their permission, or deal with souls who are unclaimed and place themselves in my protection, but before I can try that I have to figure a few things out. If there was a club for figuring this out, I don’t know if I could even join it as it would probably be run by those after the knowledge Domain!”

Garion swore “Well shit man! You are really screwed!”

Drenak smiled chuckled “I know. I’m just hoping we learn something I can use to stay as a quasi-deity!”

Harlen asked the mortals “What about you two?”

Jane thought for a bit. “I like to learn, but Garion was right; I need to know what to learn about and study. No point learning a bunch of stuff that no longer applies here. I need the Wisdom Domain is addition to Knowledge, but as can only have one.”

Garion frowned. “I think I might know something that can help there, but I’ll have to look it up.”

“Really? What?”

“Remember how Drenak mention the issues with translation magic like we are using here not translating things exactly as we may not have the same concepts other languages have. If you can find a term for the concept of both knowledge and wisdom, you might be able to claim that as a Domain.”

Jane frowned. “I’m the supposed bookworm here. How come I didn’t think of that?”

Garion was serious. “As a bookworm you were trained to absorb knowledge and not think outside of the box. I was raised in poor family, so I learned to always think of ways to get ahead. I might not use them, but I think of them.”

Thinking hard to remember something he chuckled. “I was reminded of a quote from my world from some ancient philosopher who was against the invention of writing.”

Everyone was interested, so Garion told them “I heard it from a friend who like to find this stuff to mess with people’s minds. The quote went something like this: If people learn to write, they will not learn to remember in detail and depth. People shall write their knowledge and people shall read it instead of seeking mentors. By this they will come believe they know a subject when they do not understand it at all. Without discourse and debate to make a student think they will accept not the truth but what was said to be the truth.

“I might have gotten bits slightly off.”

Drenak laughed. “I like it! I’ve met too many stuck up just like that.”

Jane smiled. “The ancient philosophers in my world were a wild bunch in some places. This includes one pissing on people in public when they called him a dog, and asked what else they expect from dog.”

They had a good laugh at that.

The group wondered away still talking and joking.

As they turned a corner, Garion glanced at the gossips out from the corner of his eye, and they were on the move already!