Second Dawn:Margaret Eisenhower
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This is a reference document for the LARP The Second Dawn.
Margaret Eisenhower Player: Abbie P Minister of the Interior Age: 50s
Additional information (read first): Seerstones, Union Government, Plains States
Background: You hate your job. Sure, you’re pretty near the top of the totem pole; leading one of the five major Ministries, you’re certainly one of the top six people in the Eastern Union. You struggled and politicked your way to the top of the heap for years, but the summit isn’t nearly as satisfying as you’d hoped. The post of Minister of the Interior holds some secret traps, and now you’re stuck in all of them. You grew up in Raleigh County, down in the southern half of the Eastern Union. There were perennial grumbles about how the Union government paid more attention to the more heavily populated half; nobody seriously believed that the Southern Union would be better off on its own, but with the difficulty of circumventing the Columbia Wastelands between the two halves, the rest of the nation just seemed so far away, disconnected and only barely relevant. When you grew up, you decided to go do something about this- you became a Congressman for the Socialist Party. You made your way to New Hudson, and dove into the devious sneaky politics. You loved it; it was a challenge, amoral and beautiful, though you always remembered your original dreams, and made sure to send as much of the government’s largesse and attention as possible southwards. Almost ten years ago, you found a way to the top. You uncovered some private hobbies of the old Minister of the Interior, an old Delaware native named Archibald Grey. With perfectly chosen gifts that more than bordered on bribery, you earned his attention, and soon he decided to offer you the chance to be his successor. (At the time, you were surprised with how quickly he did so; now you know better why.) After the elections of 318 had passed, you finally got the seat you’d long deserved, one of the six high crowns of the game of Eastern Union politics. As Minister of the Interior, you were in charge of elections, police, and commerce across the nation. Elections. There, as you discovered in 320 later, lay the problem. As the nation prepared to reelect Jonothan Grant, both his agents and their competitors came to you to speak about the outcome of the elections. After all, since you oversee the elections, you can make major changes to their outcome, even without the need for an unpopular annulment. Everyone wanted you on their side… badly. Too badly. Both sides strongly implied that if they thought you were siding with their opponents, they would have you killed and replaced. The five Ministers have an agreement; don’t directly overrule each other (or the decisions of the majority), don’t assassinate each other, and life stays congenial. It works quite well; none of the five have taken things to a higher, more violent level during your tenure. But it doesn’t apply to anyone else, just the five Ministers. And every time elections rolled around for President or Congress, you had to dance a delicate stressful game for the simple prize of staying alive. You’ve succeeded so far, of course, but you quickly grew to despise it. It’s given you a dour view of all the politicking so far, as well; you did all this work, and for what? A post where every two years everyone wants to kill you? Political backstabbing was one thing, but this is another entirely. Avoiding getting killed quickly is killing you slowly, and you hate it. That’s why you’re getting out, in every way you can. You’ve taken to religion some more lately, in a sort of attempt to turn your life around morally, but that’s a simple issue compared to some others. Slightly less simply, you want to find a successor, somebody who wants power enough that they’ll jump for this job without thinking too hard about the downsides. A nice add-on to this would be arranging your retirement; find a nice and safe place you can live, free from all the crap that reminds you of your ruinous career, maybe even find a spouse. But least simply of all, you have to manage the Plains States delegation. After all, you’ve been working for them for almost 4 years now. With your disgust at the end results of the Union’s complex and backstabbing politics, you look fondly upon its western neighbor, that simple and straightforward society. Tinkers and railroads and all that are nice, but you’d trade every last seerstone for a country where you could tell your friends from your enemies. That’s why you grew more and more sympathetic to the Minneapolis government that now rules the Plains States under the reclusive warlord Cordelia Wayne. Of course, over the last two years, it’s starting to look increasingly like there might be a war, which has you feeling uneasy- you like the Plains States and would prefer to see their rough, honest culture dominate the continent, but you don’t have the moral stomach (or lack thereof) to be happy with a war. You couldn’t turn back even if you wanted to, so it’s time once again to use your well-honed skill for balancing on the razor’s edge.
Roleplaying notes: You are a skilled politician, but you’ve lost the backstabbing fire that got you where you are. You’ve finally seen the empty pettiness of all these games, and it’s made you a bitter, pessimistic man, though you usually hide the true depths of your malaise. You aren’t depressed per se; you can act swiftly and expertly when needed, and tonight is one of those times of need. Hope is in sight, if you can only pull through.
Goals: 1) Manage the 328 elections without getting killed. 2) Assist the Plains States while trying to avoid war. 3) Arrange a comfortable retirement and find a successor. 4) Manage the affairs of commerce and the Second Dawn’s construction.
Opinions: Second Dawn: A huge glittering expression of man’s hubris and Grant’s self-absorption. Technically the construction has been your jurisdiction, but aside from finances, the actual oversight has come from the Ministry of Sciences. Religion: You are slowly returning to your childhood belief in the Gaian faith. All information on earth is a form of thought, aware and alive. The Ancients betrayed and left Mother Earth, and suffered for it. Black Science: Unnatural things, which earn the righteous anger of Gaia. Tinkers: Frustratingly clannish folks, they never like explaining more than they have to. The Minister of Sciences isn’t too bad a guy, though. Plains States: Sure, life is rough out there, but it’s honest and direct. It’s where you belong, or at least where you wish you belonged. Appalachian Confederation: It has the simple, rustic advantage, but it’s even more backwards and isolated than the Plains. Maple Kingdom: Good Gaians, but tied up in their relics of the past to an unhealthy extent.
Key Information: •You used to be a member of the Socialist party, but officially shed your affiliation when you became Minister. This is both true (it was never about party for you) and believable (since you’ve seen Grant, a Capitalist, through two reelections). •Your Ministry is one of the five Cabinet posts that effectively chooses the President. Your political opinions are defined by your dislike for the whole Union government but tempered by your desire to live. •Ministers rarely fight directly. If one were to use his or her power to openly thwart the will of the majority, or have another assassinated, that would invite similar measures in return. •The Ministers have resolved to make their decision about the 328 elections tonight. This is good, since you can’t retire until the election outcome is set; a novice Minister would cause all kinds of problems. •Few people outside the Plains States even know the name of warlord Cordelia Wayne; despite ruling that nation, she’s quite reclusive. •You invited Ryan Healey to come to the launch. He’s a Gaian priest from a sect focused on the ocean, and his blessing would be a good thing for the launch. •The Secret Service is the police branch (i.e., in your Ministry) concerned with protecting the upper echelons of government. You were supposed to have a security manager here tonight, but the damn fool got seasick and had to be left behind at the last minute. •When Congress tightened the budget for the Second Dawn, the loss was compounded by the Ministry of the Watch claiming more Executive Branch resources. You took it out on the construction workers’ salaries, because you didn’t have any choice; they were the only things really under your own control. •Citizenship issues are under your Ministry’s jurisdiction. Immigration is rare and normally difficult, though spouses of citizens can become citizens easily. Your personal decision could supercede any rule, but you should not do so lightly.
People (in approximate order of importance): Charles Bazett, Minister of the Borders (Paul E): Very smart and competent, and a masterful political warrior. Be careful: he’s in charge of foreign diplomacy, and he’d surely be angry if he knew of your Plains allegiance. You don’t think he likes you, but he’s always polite. Luther Gaines, Minister of the Watch (David R): Originally you resented his office, since the Watch controls many internal intelligence functions that might otherwise fall to the police. You couldn’t care less now, though you do remain annoyed that he managed to pull discretionary funding away from your Ministry to his own. Kara Atkinson, Minister of the Army (Hillary K): Tough as nails, a no-nonsense woman. You like her personally, though you fear she’d be viciously angry about your Plains allegiance. Artair [ARE-ter] Tinker, Minister of Sciences (Jed S): A smart and reasonable man, you get along well with him because he isn’t a politician. Apparently, the Tinkers appoint their own ministers from within, a simple setup that leaves you a bit jealous. Jonathan Grant, President of the Union (Ted M): A visionary, sure, but at the end of the day that only means he’s a self-absorbed egoist. You don’t think he’s done a great job; you’ve supported him partly because of the larger political climate each time, which is now shifting away from him. Plus, he’s seemed really distant and unfocused this past year. Eleanor Truman, Premier of Congress (Alison H): How did someone so young become Premier? The Socialists must’ve been desperate for a bright young idealist figurehead. She’s no mere political animal, you know she really believes in all those principles. Ryan Healey (Matt M): A priest of the Gaian faith, you only knew him by reputation before now. His sect is focused on the oceans, so a boat like the launch platform could certainly use his blessing. He too is from the southern Union. You’d like to get to know him better. Kenneth Sanford (Kyle R): A member of the Secret Service. Technically your employee, but he’s a member of the President’s personal guard, so he’s certainly got a strong personal loyalty to Grant. You can issue him orders, so long as they don’t cross that line. Franklin Kennedy, Chief of Staff (Matt W): The President’s gatekeeper and yes-man, no better or worse than any other. You haven’t taken the time to get to know him. Mario Patriarca (Paul S): Construction chief for the Second Dawn. He and his workers are probably annoyed at the budget tightenings, but what could you do, between Congress and the Watch taking away the money?
Ratings: Pilot: 0 R: 0 D: 1 G: 2
Nametag Symbols: E, Q, B, S, R
Attributes: Physical: Defense 2 Pool Rating 2 [] [] Mental: Defense 4 Pool Rating 4 [] [] [] [] Social: Defense 4 Pool Rating 3 [] [] []
Recoveries: -Let slip a sign of your stressed-out state (+1 point, 2/hour) -Provide some assistance to the Plains States delegation (+2 points, 1/hour) -Find someone or something that will make your life easier in some way; e.g., something to help with your retirement (+1 point, 3/hour)
Abilities: Penetrating Insight, weasel, very important person, evasive (x1), suspect, charm, diversion, authorization, citizens of the union, pokerface, southern accent
Items: Pouch of coins, piece of jewelry
Southern Accent System: Any character with the “S” symbol speaks with the accents and rhythms of the southern Eastern Union. Any character without such a symbol definitely isn’t, the accent just isn’t quite right.
Citizens of the Union System: You can identify any character with the “E” symbol as being a citizen of the Eastern Union.
