full image - Repost: Vibood: Neilu’s Ears (from Reddit.com, Vibood: Neilu’s Ears)
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Knowledge is power- at least in most regards. An individual with the right intelligence can take down an entire army if they know what to do with it. However, one can only keep track of so many things before it becomes a cluttered mess of insignificant data. The solution is structure. Access to relevant information when necessary. Organization such as this requires a network. Which is why I believe the only trait more important than knowledge is charisma. You see, with the right reason and presentation, someone can not only justify the death of another person, but convince a crowd it is an optimal solution. A common problem is that an intelligent crowd can't be convinced if they do not trust the speaker. And if they are known to be the intelligent crowd, the lesser intelligent will either hesitate or be disregarded as fools and will bear no weight in the discussion. The trick is to read the audience, target the intelligent, and sway them to your side with logic before they further analyze the situation and label you an antagonist. How might someone convince an intelligent person to trust them? An open display of knowledge, especially if followed by confirmation. Truth is easy to get confirmation for. If a drunkard is convicted of destroying property and someone saw it, a witness will suffice. Two or more witnesses are even better. Especially when they're lying. Obviously if the same individuals were backing up false accusations, people would start to get suspicious. They need to be trustworthy people and also support blatant truth. And that's where gossip comes in. Nothing's more enticing than hearing people talk about a sensitive topic. Even if the topic is fallacy, people seem to assume that because they accidentally heard it, it must be true. And no traveller would believe a beggar might be lying, for why should they care what anyone else thinks? There are countless ways to inject false truths into a smaller community to eliminate the skeptical until an unshakable trust has been formed. And once that solid of a bond holds is when ethical boundaries can be reasonably pushed.There's always the questions of "what if your lies catch up to you?" or "how do you know what the real truth is if you spread so many lies?" And to the first I answer this: Be a better liar. If you worry about lies catching up, become the lie. Turn it into the truth. As for the second, one of the most important parts of becoming a successful source of intel is being able to tell the difference between a lie and the truth. Knowing your sources and cross referencing them against one another, even if you think you trust them. And lastly, realizing that if you're unsure, you don't actually know for certain.I tell you all this not so you can judge me for my actions, but for total transparency. My goal is to maintain control- not over the people, but over the knowledge I have access to. For in order to keep peace within the walls of Neilu, I need to know what needs to be dealt with. I do not care about petty trifles, debts owed, or what crimes an individual is seeking asylum from. But believe me when I say I already know your quarrels, the exact coin you owe to whom, and why you might have changed your name before moving to Neilu. I know the paths you walked to get here and will know those you take back. And I certainly don't have to ask if I made myself clear.
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