Over the summer, I noticed that more and more of my supporters had been leaving to join Fenton's campaign. Traya Meris, neutral on the matter, speculated that Sari was going to win the Dungeonmaster election because of how the opposition was divided between myself and Fenton. Furthermore, Dungeonmaster Breen had endorsed Frame.

I took to the Public Section of the Ticketer, stating that I did not support either Fenton or Frame, because of how they were dividing the Caucus evermore between the Traditionalist camp and the Progressivist camp. I admitted that I had initially sided with the Traditionalist camp because of how much I had hated Sari's stance. However, I had recently distanced myself from the Traditionalists because of Fenton, who was too radical yet had been accusing me of spewing rumors of conspiracy. I explained all of this in the Public Section as well, and used that as a case for the majority of the Caucus to consider voting for me, in order for the Society to continue functioning in unity.

Alex Cromme of all people responded to that by accusing me of being the one to sow division in the Caucus. He then sent me a private message over the Ticketer, where, in his own words, he stated: "If you want Frame to lose, either support Fenton so that we may unite against her, or feign support for Sari, herself, yet continue your disruptive strife-making behavior among her supporters so that they, divided, may be defeated by Fenton."

I could not fathom the amount of manipulation by Cromme on this matter, though I know Fenton is the one behind Cromme on this. I raised this concern to Cromme as a response through that private message. And I told Cromme that he was helping Fenton's divisive tactics by serving as an enabler.

At this point, I realized that the point of my own campaign was to educate the Caucus to marginalize the ideals of Fenton and Frame, both equally skewed, though each in their own way. Of course, Cromme had been my public announcer for my Dungeonmaster campaign in the past. However, he had fallen silent on me in the last two weeks; and this had been the moment I learned that he was now on the side of Fenton. So I had to reach out to find a replacement. Up to this point, Traya Meris had been neutral. But with some negotiation, I felt that perhaps I could leverage some form of much needed support from her. So I reached out to her.

Like Cromme, Meris responded with silence.

I thought that perhaps she was busy. This all occurred two weeks before school, so I figured that I would reach out to her again after our second attempt at the quest we tried earlier in June. Yet when I had my avatar fly out to Antemaersa to met with her avatar, I discovered that Carneman had pulled the support of the army of the undead. That evening, I reached out to her again via private Ticketer message.

She responded that she would not help me on the quest until I publicly announced that I would end my Dungeonmaster campaign. Outraged, I refused.

And then, on Wednesday, September 13, I received a message co-signed by Fenton, Cromme, and Meris. The message read: "Stand down your Dungeonmaster campaign. If you refuse this counsel, and Sari Frame wins, we will join with her in an investigation which will charge you with the Policy violation of Disruptive Conduct, risking your expulsion from the Society."

I was truly baffled. I realized at this point, that Fenton had worked his diplomacy to consolidate support from the opposition from the numerous subdivisions by asserting his banter, inflamed and divisive in nature. I tried to save rationality within the opposition camp against Sari Frame, yet it failed.

I should have known better, though. In the course of human nature, in the ultimate conflict of the two, it is always emotion that triumphs over logic.

And now, Fenton had maneuvered himself into a position where he successfully convinced the opposition to Frame that I was the radical figure and not himself. In no uncertain terms, I firmly believe that the lengths Fenton went to do this were morally wrong in every aspect. Yet I had no choice. My only chance of survival as a Member of the Third Level Society, be it wrong as it is, was for me to stand down my own Dungeonmaster campaign and declare my support for Fenton.

So I did just that.

I made my statement last night. I bit my tongue as I wrote my post for the Public Stand, announcing the end of my run as a Dungeonmaster candidate, feigning apology for my past actions, and announcing my support for Cray Fenton to be the next Dungeonmaster.

The first response was actually from Sari Frame, congratulating me and commending me for "conforming to the conventions of the Caucus and finally respecting the universally expected norms of the Society."

And though the chief opponent to Sari Frame in this year's Dungeonmaster race, Cray Fenton responded to Sari with: "Well said."

I anticipate that it will not be long before my permanent departure from the Third Level Society.