Adventures In Deltonia
The Tide Turns

In every town square throughout the Kingdom the bells were ringing. Many of the inhabitants of Deltonia flooded into the streets in wild jubilation. The Great Court had announced their decision. Henceforth all elections held in Deltonia would be decided only by those who vote. This meant that those who refrained from voting, for whatever reason, would no longer be counted as a vote for the King. Democracy might be at hand.

Bad News For The King

But not everyone shared the jubilant mood. Inside the Castle in Atlantia there was weeping and gnashing of teeth as the news was announced to King Richard. Sir Earl Michael of Campbell was weeping on the Royal floor and paused only long enough to shout at the Court Jester, who was snickering in the corner.

And the bad tidings did not stop. Several weeks later the Great Court found that the Court’s Leadership Team (CLT) had interfered with an election in the village of Simtechia. The Unionistas had long petitioned the Great Court to find that King Richard was not following the rules of the Court. At long last they found that the King had offered land to the peasants as a reward for refraining from voting. The King’s henchmen, said the Great Court, had had secret meetings with some of the peasants to persuade them. The Great Court said the election must be rerun.

And there were still more bad tidings for the King. It was clear that as the election came closer, more and more of the residents of Deltonia wanted to find out for themselves just what it was that the Unionistas stood for. Every day more Deltonians signed petitions requesting the Great Court to schedule an election.

The Message

The Unionista message was simple. “Our experience with King Richard was not a good one. We believe we can protect our families and our land best when we stick together and when our rights are guaranteed in writing. Although we do not trust the King, we trust the Lords of Wall Street who tell King Richard what to do even less. They care for nothing but gold and their actions are ravaging the land.”

The King’s Counterattack

In desperation the King turned the entire force of his Kingdom against the Unionistas. When Unionistas entered new towns to bring news of their cause, the King’s henchmen turned them away. Town criers were instructed to make announcements favorable only to the King. The King’s newspaper, Ye Olde Deltanet, carried stories each day to convince his subjects that disaster would befall them were they to vote for the Unionista cause. King Richard issued veiled proclamations to the populace suggesting they must vote NO, against democracy, in the coming election. “The Royal Family can best take care of your interests” said the King.

It appeared certain that a vote would occur before snow covered the fields. The Kingdom was abuzz with anticipation. The Unionistas knew that victory was within their grasp.