Crusade - James Lowder [7]
In politics, however, rhetorical support and actual support sometimes have little in common. As the time for action grew near, few of the statesmen who seemed eager to lend troops to Azoun followed through on their promises.
The source of this change of heart could be traced to a simple fear of popular unrest.
As in Cormyr, certain guilds throughout the Heartlands opposed any proposed crusade. Guilds were an important part of commerce and even everyday life in Faerun. Each trade, whether it be thieving, forestry, or smithing, had its own guild, and to become a lawful, certified member in any profession meant joining the appropriate organization. In this way, guilds insured that standards be met in the production of crafts and prices remained reasonable. The guilds also represented their members before governments, provided retirement funds, and even took care of members' widows and orphans.
Not all guilds stood against the proposed crusade. The armorers, fletchers, bowyers, and swordsmiths all stood to gain from the war. Even the teamsters and shipwrights knew that they would see an immediate profit from the expedition against the Tuigan. The merchants who stood to garner little from the conflict-the trappers who worked the Heartlands' wildernesses; the tanners who made leather from animal hides; even the butchers, who would lose business since the army would kill and dress its own meat knew only that higher taxes would come their way.
To counter the fear of guild opposition to the crusade, Azoun held conferences with those lords he could visit personally and dealt through messengers and magical communications with those located farther away. He encouraged the leaders to put the Tuigan matter before their people, allowing them to comment on the proposed crusade outside the restrictions of guild politics. Surprisingly, it was only a vocal minority that opposed the venture; most of the people supported a peremptory strike against the barbarians.
By weakening the nobles' fear of popular unrest, Azoun won back most of the troops committed to him during the winter. With the promise of strong dwarven support, the king won a few more tentative troop commitments. His charisma won still others. Finally, after a seemingly endless parade of small conferences, King Azoun called together all the leaders who he felt might support his cause.
"If I can persuade the Dales and Sembia to give me troops," the king said as he straightened his ornate ceremonial tunic, "I will stop the khahan before he breaks out of Thesk." He paused. "I do wish the queen could attend the meeting today. But… other matters of state demand at least one of us be present in the royal court."
Vangerdahast, sitting at a table covered with various parchment notes, nodded absently. "Don't forget to remind them of the dwarven support Ironlord Torg promised." The wizard rubbed his eyes slowly and put down the letter he was reading. "The Lords of Waterdeep send their regards."
Azoun froze. "They're not dispatching a representative to the meeting?" His sharp tone was muffled by the carpets and tapestries that covered the cold stone walls of the study.
"Far too busy running the 'City of Splendors.' " Vangerdahast shook his head. "No. That's not quite fair. They note here-" He picked up the parchment again." 'Though we recognize the importance of quelling the Tuigan incursion, we do not feel that it would be prudent for us to commit any of our forces at this time.'"
"I don't really blame them," the king sighed. "They lost a sizable part of their city guard during the Godswar."
The wizard nodded. "If Cormyr had been attacked by a troop of creatures from the Realm of the Dead, horsemen eating up territory on the other side of the continent wouldn't be our priority right now, either."
" 'The gods save men from some disasters only to thrust them into the middle of others.' " The king opened a dark wooden chest and took out a ceremonial sword. "Isn't that how the