*A letter to Hlint Council Members*

[Jilseponie Wyndon]

Coucil Members of Hlint,

I would like to voice a concern regarding the crafthall. It seems of late that the crafthall is turning slowly into the local stable area. When I enter the crafthall I have to sidestep oxen waste, the oxen themselves, and practically gag from the smell of oxen waste and oxen themselves. This in itself is not a healthy environment, not only for the folk that craft within the walls, but for the oxen too as some are left in there for days without food and water. That is animal cruelty. There is a barn nearby with water and hay and plenty of grass outside.

And of course there are the health issues for the local folk. Diseases and sickness float in the area with the flies and if left unchecked, things could get worse. And that in itself could prove hazardous to the town itself.

So out of concern for both the locals and the animals, I ask that something be done to alleviate this matter.

Sincerely,

Jilseponie Valhaikor

[Honora]

*Corba pauses and reads the letter, and then looks at her skirt hems and the bottoms of her boots.  She takes out a quill and dips it into her ink vial*

I absolutely second this.  If I go into the craft hall for any reason, it becomes a child's game of hopscotch to avoid the piles!  Perhaps the nimble footed among us enjoy dancing around ox bombs on the floor, but I for one am sick of it.  Please, good Council of Hlint, do something about this before I ruin another pair of boots.  I can imagine those who are tired of the mess will take their crafting, and the coin they buy supplies with, elsewhere if it isn't improved.

*signed*

Corba, healer of the Lady of Spells

[Stephen_Zuckerman]

*Grok, a shovel over one shoulder and a MASSIVE sack of clay dragging in his other hand, is stopped by an irate bowyer with filth covering his left boot.*

You there! Half-orc! I'll give you this bow here if you'll clean this place up!

*Grok, however, only stares at the man for a few moments. The man, realising the sincere lack of intelligence on the half-orc's part, rephrases.*

Take the shovel, shovel the ox dung into that wheelbarrow outside the door, and then dump it all behind the building. I'll give you this bow I'm making if you do it, and arrows if you keep it up.

*When the man shows Grok the arrows he has been making, holding them up to the light so the blue dye he soaks them in is more obvious, Grok happily agrees, and begins cleaning.*

//Problem solved... Sort of. And yes, I can supply my own representations of the items.

[SteveJW]

*Kyle walks by and Jil's name catches his eye. The reads the letter and starts to feel a little guilty*[/b]

"I don't bring him into the Craft Hall...but I do keep him in the smithy. Jil is right though..."

*He heads to the smithy to bring his ox outside.*[/b]

[merlin34baseball]

*smiles at the post*

Aye I agree, the stable is two hundred hands away, and there is plenty of room out back.  If ye need to bring yer oxe in, take it bloody out with ya.  I have started doin alot of my crafting in other cities due to the stench in Hlints crafthall, and shall continue to do so until the situation improves.  Council, I believe Ozy has a solution to this problem... but I don't think the Oxe owners would like it, but it would solve the problem, and I'm sure he would do it for a small fee.

My Thanks,

[Tanman]

*Rose looks at the notice when she passes by*
Finally someone is writing about it! I have seen so many people leave their ox's in the craft hall and it is so annoying. I hope something becomes of this!
*She walks out again with a smile on her face*

[Nehetsrev]

I will also stand on behalf of the common folk of Hlint and all other towns of Mistone that support such public places for crafting.  I agree with the writer of the initial letter to the council that this problem needs to be addressed swiftly and efficiently for the benefit and health of all who pass through or near the crafting houses.  Oxen do not belong inside our public places, get them out.  As stated, there are barns and ox-pens where the beasts may be kept when not needed to haul loads of goods or plow fields.

Signed,

Melanna Jin'Daern
(Servent of the People)

[Rowana]

*The Hlint Council remains quiet, though rumors are beginning to circulate*
~row

[Masterjack]

* Beli walks by and notices the notes and adds*

Could we add to the the sign outside the crafting hall saying that "All unattended oxen will be slaughtered", and all meat and ox pack items donated to charity. That way people do not have a reason to complain if there ox is gone. It will keep this problem from happening again.

Signed
Beli Tenker

[Weeblie]

What gives one the right to take the life of another living creature for a small matter like this one? And that's not even counting the fact that it's not the -oxens'- fault that they were placed there in first hand, but rather the responsibility of the owner!

Releasing the oxen and confiscate the things in the bags is alright. But to even suggest slaughtering the oxens in cold blood?...

Alleina fastens her note and shakes her head, too upset to notice that she forgot to sign it.

[Nehetsrev]

Nature gives everyone the right to slaughter other animals as sources of food, so long as those carcasses of the slaughtered do not go to waste.  If you want to argue this fact I'll simply point out that there are manny, manny animals in nature whose primary source of nutrition comes from feeding off the remains of other animals they've killed.

Now, to advocate further that the idea of slaying unattended oxen left in the crafting halls or other public buildings not designed to house such beasts is a sound idea I will list some of the ways that will benefit the community, other than the obvious fact that slaughtered oxen will feed families who otherwise would starve.  Less oxen in the community means less drain on the communities supply of feed for other such animals, so in essence the death of such unattended oxen benefits other oxen of it's kind who are better cared for by their owners.  If you care for your beast you will be sure not to leave it unattended in a place not designed nor designated for the stabling of your beast.  Further, there is the obvious benefit of a cleaner community where pestilence and disease are not spread through the waste materials produced by unattended oxen in places they shouldn't be.  A cleaner community means a healthier populace to work the fields and ranches in these dark times so that they will produce at the highest efficiency given the current cicumstances of the world.  This means any surplus generated by a healthier community can further be sold or given to other communities who have shortfalls, thus keeping them healthier and preserving life in all the lands.  Healthier communities also foster more persons fit enough to prevent hostile incursion by other races that would despoil the land even more than the communities themselves do.  I'm sure any ranger can tell you he'd hate to see the Orcs take over in the area of Hlint, because they'd not only eat everything they could get their grubby hands on, but they'd chop down every tree in the forrests to fuel their own war-machine so they could expand their domains elsewhere and do the same thing in those places as well.

The lazy folks who leave their oxen in public places such as the crafting halls are too lazy to ever look at the bigger picture of how their lack of resposibility and respect for their fellows and community affects everyone.  So, as an advocate of the common folk I deem that the lazy ones should suffer the consequence of losing their oxen and any property they obviously do not value enough to see placed in a proper area for such things.  And yes, I do also advocate that such abandonned animals and goods should be donated to the benefit of the people of the community as a whole, to fill the needs of the community, whether that means being used as a food-source, or being donated to the farmers to aid them in plowing their fields for the next batch of crops.  Those who know me well enough can confirm that I do not condone needless killing, but if there is a need then let it be done as the need arises.

Melanna Jin'Daern,
(Servent of the People)

[gilshem ironstone]

I am fine with oxen coming in to the craft hall and leaving with their owner, so long as they clean up after them.  Otherwise, I have a great recipe for ox stew.  It is amazing that people who work so hard for crafts are so lazy when it comes their messes.

-Gilshem Ironstone, Acolyte of the Hammer

// I would be happy to see people emote, *cleans up after their ox* as they leave with their ox.  Leave them outside to pasture or in the barn when not using them.

[hawklen]

*he walks up to the note, stein of ale in hand and softly chuckles, pinning a flowing scripted note under the rest*

It be mighty annoyin' seein' all dem oxen an' dere wastes in da hall, in da smithy too. Ah'd be mer den happy ta implode a few an' pawn off da contents of da ox pack. Iffin no word from da council, ah may start doin' it soon.

- hawk