The Tides of Change

[Faith Augustin]

65th Ashan 718

It could, so easily, have been a massacre. It nearly was. As Faith had walked through the worst of it, defending but never attacking, stopping the violence everywhere she could, she had been truly afraid that it was going to become one. However, thanks to the Elements keeping their heads and not responding with the kind of manic killing which they could have, a massacre had been averted. Mercedes, too, although he was injured, Faith was glad that he was not killed. He had been inciting violence but, like the coward she called him, he had not killed anyone. So, he would face justice. As too would Max, the two instigators of this.

Faith saw Amaris and there, right next to her friend she saw an undead. Blessed by Famula, the woman moved and she swung her sword, then it dissipated and Lord Venora's hand was on her shoulder. And he spoke. It was a spirit?! Faith looked at Alistair and then back to where the creature was disappearing. "I thought it was undead. It looks like the zombies we fought so long ago," she said, a frown on her face. She listened to his words and she considered them. A spirit? Damnit, but why on all of Idalos would a spirit look like that. As it put a finger up, Faith raised an eyebrow, but she said nothing to that. "Well, " she said, with a slight glance to Alistair and an expression which he had seen on her face before. "Thank you. For stopping me. Amaris is my friend, and I would hate to see them get hurt." Looking at her sword, she raised an eyebrow. "Neat trick." When he spoke of Damien, Faith smiled. He had been kind to her as a slave in Alistair's care. "Please, pass on my regards to him, won't you?"

Volker, the man who had come to her office with Nalin, some trials prior and had pontificated and tried to fling himself about was here, too. He spoke, but Faith paid him no heed, simply because he spoke nonsense and she had no time to help with that. There were more important things than delusional people with a tendency to growl right now. To Amaris, she glanced and made sure that her friend was alright. Looking around, she saw Patrick and what he had done and she smiled, gratefully. He was here with Lord Venora, she thought and that was just another example of him being good people, in her eyes. "I'd like to catch up, if we could even just briefly?" She said to Alistair. "But if we do not. Thank you. For the letter. I am so deeply grateful." With which, she leaned up on tiptoe and very quickly pecked a kiss on his cheek.

She was about to walk away when Patrick appeared between them and a rioter, trying to run to them. Patrick shot him and Faith winced, then moved, kneeling on the floor next to the fallen man and putting her hand on his wound. It was a non-fatal blow, hopefully, and so she began to work. As soon as he was stable, she would make her way to Padraig, to make sure that he was alright. She rather suspected by now he was half way to her. So, the young medic did her best, one person at a time. "Thank you for the save," she said to Patrick, as she worked. No matter that this person had been attacking them, just trill ago, Faith would heal him the best she could.

Off Topic

Sorry if I've missed anyone / thing! It's a lot of thread!

[Padraig]

[img]http://standingtrials.com/gallery/image ... ge_id=4018[/img]

Padraig had never had any intention of killing the sorcerer, no matter how the man insisted. Mercedes in his current position seemed to be at the mercy of those who might have been otherwise inclined. But it wasn't in the scholar's nature. Under these circumstances, to kill would have been much the same as murder. Still, if there'd been any other's killed in the riots this trial, a great deal of the responsibility could be laid at the man's feet. Padraig would have to wait for the owl to pull away apparently before taking any actions of his own. And then he had, succeeding in knocking the sorcerer out.

Dismissing the light shield in his hand then he waited for one of the Elements, or Kura, or anyone with the proper authority to come round and collect the sorcerer, and made sure Mercedes stayed put until that happened. Only then did he turn away and search for Faith. She was small, and he'd lost her in the crowd and chaos. He had to fight his way back. At least one of the provocateurs had been neutralized but the damage was already done, the spark had already grown into a wildfire. Neighbor against neighbor, family against family, on his way back to Faith, Padraig was even forced to pull apart two brawling housewives and had come away from the experience a little nicked up himself.

Finally he reached Faith, saw her with the man who'd been there before, and the first word he heard was zombies? It sparked something in his mind, though he couldn't put his finger on it. What was it about zombies? And Faith. It took a trill or two to click in his mind. She'd run across the things before, but it was her than told him about it and not them together. Before they'd even met and then Padraig realized. Tristan. Figured then. He'd be the first to admit that where the topic of Tristan was concerned, he tended to be a little hard of hearing.

But she'd told him about running into and fighting zombies, he was sure of it now and other names clicked into place. Some of them matched familiar faces and some didn't. Elyna, Alistair, who he recalled now that he thought on it, had written to Tristan and asked him to free her. Padraig owed that man a word of thanks then for without that, he might still be the somewhat reclusive scholar back in the small house in Rynmere, focused on science and not much else for the rest of his life. And while he couldn't have known it then, what a lonely existence that would have been Yes, zombies. That was it. But where had they come from? He'd be sure to ask her later after all this mess was over and done with.

Padraig still couldn't recall if he'd seen the other man before, but not sensing any discomfort between the man and Faith, the scholar offered up a nod of greeting. "The one that started all this has been neutralized I think." Then there was Amaris looking no worse for wear, thank the Immortals, and though Padraig couldn't recall the name, there was the man who had spoken up and thrown insults around at the council meeting. And here, in the thick of trouble again. Something had gone on here, though he couldn't know what it was. So he simply took Faith's hand in his, making sure that she was alright.

[Max]

Each step forward had filled her with an anxiety she couldn't understand. Clearly the Rusalka was one who feared neither the sword or the act of killing. She had made up her mind, and yet there was an inner resistance coming to the surface the closer the moment came when she'd swing her sword to cut down another Element. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the lifting of a bloodied claymore. Maxine's brow rose and her steps quickened, her gladius raising in preparation to protest the much larger blade's swing for her quarry's leg. A booming portal emerged to blink the mage away from the incoming swing, filling Max with an unexpected wave of relief just as Councilwoman Kura made her forceful arrival. The Enormowl talons raking between Maxine and the space the mage had been a moment ago, coaxed the Rusalka to a halt. Her brow furrowed and her head snapped around in search of the saber-wielding Element.

Maxine spun with her gladius extended the trill she glimpsed a flash of steel behind her. Her breath caught at the saber's close proximity, her own blade coming to a halt just beside Sephira's jugular when she recognized her adversary's pause. She maintained the threatening presence while Kura spoke wisely to the warring trio. She pressed her lips together at public mention of the docks. Like the nature of Lavana's murder of Sylvia, there had been a reason Max left certain truths out of her re-tellings of what happened that night. A single glance was stolen to briefly scan the individuals within earshot of the conversation, Elements and citizens alike. Meanwhile, Lavana's attempt at forming a bond with the stubborn renegade was slow going.

The circle of light around Max's non-weapon wrist flickered in and out of existence several times before it took. Instantly, the Rusalka realized she was privy to simple thoughts and general emotions originating from Raskalarn's offspring. Hope. Hurt. Benevolent intentions. Lavana had betrayed her the moment she stood beside someone looking to capture or kill her, but the Mortalborn seemed dead-set on finding a way to free her from a madness of Max's own making. The Imperial in return would find herself struck ten-fold by comparison. There was the expected high notes of fury, paranoia, and desperation. These predictable elements were paired also, however, with an intense desire for a fix and an uncharacteristic reluctance. Yet, by all means, there remained a motivation to see this all to a bloody conclusion. One way or another. The ring of light blinked away within a bit. The Rusalka could barely manage her own feelings. In that moment, she decidedly could not handle experiencing those belonging to another.

The harsh turn of Kura's criticism from Sephira to Maxine made the latter nearly flinch where she stood. Kura Wolfsdotter was perhaps the only political agent on the island who managed to decisively win Maxine's respect regardless of which side of the conflict they both stood. Even as she stood there, focusing on how close her gladius hovered to Sephira's neck, the councilwoman's reasoning was poking holes in her resolve despite the clouded disarray of her mind. She swallowed hard. If Kura was to be believed, Mercedes was indeed alive after all. Better yet, he was in the councilwoman's hands rather than the Elements. Her fingers re-adjusted their grip on the hilt of her gladius. It took all her energy not to let her hand drop when Sephira softly voiced her command.

Focusing back on her sword, she knew she could do it. Just one more Element. One last kill. She could cast her feelings aside and dissociate completely, slipping away only for the trill she needed to let her sword finish the cut. She'd done it when she killed Ned while they were adrift at sea awaiting rescue, ensuring his silence to protect herself at the cost of her innocence. It was that bloody betrayal of her childhood friend that had garnered Chrien's interest in the first place. If the immortal knew Max as well as she'd claimed, perhaps she was right. Maybe she really would betray anyone. All she had to do was harden her heart one final time and do what she did best.

"Fucking damn you, Blackwood," Maxine growled, her sword vanishing from Sephira's throat in favor of angrily knocking the saber away instead. Her inability to make an honest attempt on the woman's life was a testament to the possibility she cared for anyone else besides herself. That offense was the most frustrating of all. Her blood lust, which had only just begun, would not be sated. Not with this Element's blood. Her fiery eyes moved to Raskalarn's protesting daughter as she slid her gladius back into its sheath. evidently done talking with it this trial. "Enough, Lavana. It's over." If questions in the heads of onlookers hadn't been raised about who else had culpability in the docks collapse, she wished no further talk of accountability to change that lest it backfire upon Kura and Sephira. Her attention switched to the councilwoman's earlier interrogation.

"I know that man well enough, Kura. Trust me," she answered with a suggestive twitch of her lips. "He's just another poor citizen I manipulated to my will. I filled his head with stories, twisted the truth, and used his feelings for me to stir him to act. This was a peaceful demonstration he was holding before I came along." This lie was an easy one to tell, mostly because it was one that would be so very easily believed. After all, Mercedes had never lifted a finger against another person all trial. The only time he'd turned was when he was attacked by the authorities for crimes he hadn't truly committed. It was Max these women knew had undeniable motive for causing the bloodshed here this trial. It wasn't as though she'd been quiet about her leanings either. For him and him alone, she'd shoulder the entirety of the blame. She shook her head as she realized what had to come next.

Stopping this was a mistake. Earth Mask is still out here somewhere. This was my chance. My only chance. You three helped him escape me, and you've probably killed me for it.

The Rusalka begrudgingly extended her wrists out toward Sephira so she might put her manacles to use. Slowly she unclenched her fists so that she might reveal her opened palms in good, harmless faith. The cold metal around her wrists would feel colder, heavier than she remembered the few times she'd been arrested for far pettier crimes. Max knew little about how crime and punishment worked in Scalvoris. She knew not where she'd be going or what it would be like, whether she'd be simply thrown behind bars or subject to a more likely outcome that might make death appear more favorable. Max swallowed the panic that was building in association with facing this new unknown.

"You have to promise me," her unsteady voice rose, gaze seeking Lavana, Kura, and Sephira. "If I'm going to go, you have to promise me you'll kill him. You'll find that son of a bitch, and you'll kill him for me." She knew she wasn't the only one harboring a grudge against Earth Mask. After all, it was only trills before Max plunged a dagger in his throat that she'd watched Earth Mask destroy the councilwoman's favored bow, snapping the string sacrilegiously into Kura's own face. Word of the riot was likely to spread throughout Scalvoris. If Earth Mask was still on the island, he'd no doubt piece together that Max's attempted hit on all remaining house-arrested Elements was one on his life. Either the riot had sent him running for good...or it was about to make him return to the offensive. It was a notion that did not bode well for a person about to become a sitting duck, trapped like an animal awaiting slaughter by a lazy huntsman. Her mask was slipping, but in her eyes the pleading was for more than the revenge she craved as much as Ambrosia.

Kill him. Before he kills me.

[Sephira]

The two women stood there, both with a blade to each other’s throat. How had it come to this? Once before they had fought side by side together and now they stood as enemies. Sephira’s eyes gleamed darkly through the rain, meeting Max’s gaze. Regardless of her crimes the Element respected the woman, she was no coward. Whether or not Max admitted it she would stand by those that she cared for regardless of the danger. The blade at the mage’s neck vanished as the Rusalka cursed, sheathing the weapon. Silently Sephira breathed a sigh of relief. This had all nearly gone horribly wrong.

Her blade hissed faintly as she also sheathed her weapon as an equal gesture of goodwill. Maxine turned, offering her empty hands to Sephira so that she could arrest her. The manacles were terribly heavy in her grasp as she snapped them around the other woman’s wrists.

Sephira’s eyes flared with hues of green, silver and black that swirledwithin her irises as Lavana spoke. The mortalborn’s words seemed distant and muffled to the mage as she finished snapping the locks into place around Maxine’s wrists. Lavana’s outburst was nothing compared to the gravity of the mage's actions in that moment. Sephira was arresting a women she considered an ally and perhaps even a friend. Whether or not Lavana realized it, the mage had taken responsibility for her mistakes the night of the collapse. She had confessed them to the Militant himself before Throst Fall had commanded her to bury away that guilt so she could continue to do her duty. Not a trial went by that Sephira did not think about the lives that may have been lost because of her magic, because of her lack of control over it on that night. They had all made choices that terrible trial, many of them had been poor ones.

“I’ve made peace with my choices Lavana.” Sephira uttered softly as she stood next to Max, her hand resting lightly on the woman’s elbow to guide her forward. There was wretchedness in her eyes, a sadness that ran deep.
“Have you?”

Max spoke then, giving the three of them one last plea. It was a request that Sephira would gladly accept. Earth Mask had been the last of the four cultist leaders that had escaped alive. He was somewhere out there in the world, and possibly here to-trial with the other Elements; with the Land Troops. The Flame Element’s eyes surveyed her fellow soldiers and her lips formed into a thin line.

“You have my word. We will find him Max. He won’t touch you again. ” Her words were firm, and the look in Sephira’s eyes affirmed that promise. She would hunt him down and repay him ten-fold for the pain he had inflicted upon Max. During that moment of pause while the others spoke, Sephira plucked a nearby tendril of ether from the air and began Attuning to Maxine. It would take a full five bits, but it would allow her to find Max in the future, and perhaps even scry her location. Notes came pouring into her mind, the notes of Vengeance, Desperation and Violence reverberating the loudest within her Attunement spark. Max had a long history tied to these three concepts but a quieter note thrummed in the background, it was always there and never ceasing. The Note of Resolve lay there like a quietly burning flame. Max would survive whatever came at her next, of this Sephira could be certain. The woman was tenacious and possessed willfulness beyond anything the mage had seen in anyone else.

Once the Attunement was completed the Element turned to give Kura a respectful nod.

“I’m glad you arrived when you did Councilwoman, otherwise things might have gone poorly.” The last few words had a cynical ring to them. If Kura had not intervened earlier, then there would likely be bodies on the ground, and Sephira could not be sure who would have survived between the two of them. Saying that ‘things might have gone poorly’ was a bit of an understatement.

Barring any other complications Sephira moved to escort Maxine toward the Elements.

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Aegis]

Date

It seemed the two leaders had finally been subdued. One unconscious, half buried, as a few Elements began to pull him from the ground. It was now known, by his attempted escape, that he was a Defiance mage. As such, he was heavily bound and manacled, his eyes covered, his mouth bound, and was given several Elements with weapons drawn to stand over him. They carried him back to the rest of the Elements, as the riot was dying down.

Meanwhile, the truly violent of the pair, was cuffed. And with the leaders in custody, the riot was snuffed out quickly. Several of the rioters managed to escape in the confusion, but nearly seventy people were taken. Manacles and chains were brought out, and the rioters were lined up and chained. They were being marched to one of the holding jails for lesser criminals who were awaiting trial, and among their number, Volker was taken as well. By law, they would have ten trials to prepare a defense, in which they would be self represented. Additionally during that time, anyone else could use the time to bring forth testimony and evidence against them, not just for the crimes of participating in a riot, but any previous crimes that they have not yet been charged with. The prisoners would be crammed into simple cells, with little more than benches and a bucket to shit in.

As the Elements took control of the area, Lorstran Philt looked on proudly over the lack of carnage his Elements had shown. Many blades were struck with the flat of the blade, many shields used to render unconsciousness onto the civilians. There were injuries on both sides, and only a small handful of actual deaths. Those he was not proud of, but he knew it could've been so much worse. He allowed the healers to do their work, as Mercedes and Maxine were brought before him.

He said nothing as he looked over the woman who was at the core of all of this, ignoring any words that might come from her venomous mouth. He turned to a subordinate, "Bring me Water Deputy Thorst Fall."

"No need Assistant Deputy, I'm here now."

The dominating woman broke through the crowd upon her Merquestrian, and slid off the saddle. Her piercing eyes examined Maxine and Mercedes. "Their trial begins now." Maxine was gagged by a particularly sweaty handkerchief, and they were dragged over to a nearby shop. Their arms were chained to a beam overhead, just high enough so that Maxine could stand upon the tips of her toes, her ankles chained as well, to keep her from kicking. Thorst Fall, after speaking with Lorstran, stood in front of them, before turning to the crowd of those who had supported the Elements, as well as those onlookers now gathering.

In a loud, booming voice, "The trial for these two has now begun. Anyone who wishes to provide evidence or testimony, either in their defense or exoneration, may do so over the course of the next three breaks. This may include crimes both current and past. This may include character witness. No information pertaining to either of these two individuals is unimportant. Form an orderly line, and present your evidence and testimony in a clear, timely manner. Once everyone has spoken their peace, I, Water Deputy Thorst Fall, serving as Judge over this case, will announce their innocence or guilt, as well as any necessary sentencing or compensation. I would be most appreciative if someone who knows their names were to begin, to help keep things clear."

When she stepped away, she approached Sephira, "Good work Blackwood. I will expect you to testify." She looked over at councilors Faith and Kura, and nodded, "Councilors." She took her place at the edge of the crowd, looking upon Maxine and Mercedes strung up, waiting for the first witness to step forward and speak their piece. And so, the world would keep turning, as the healers healed, as the onlookers looked on, as the boat thieves stole boats, but the bloodshed had stopped. And in this moment, it was as if the entire island was holding its breath.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura didn't respond immediately to Lavana's comment, her gaze wholly focused on the confrontation between Maxine and Sephira. Once Max lowered her sword, Kura let out a breath of relief and turned to Lavana. "First off, I don't actually have authority over the Elements, unless the council fixed that idiocy while I was out of town. Second, I gave no order sayin' that Max wasn't to be brought in." she said, before looking over at the half-crazed survivor. "Good. That'll keep any accusations of him bein' our friend from the ruins from takin' hold." she said, before Maxine asked for their promise. "Of course, lass. I have no intention of lettin' that one wander about for too long, and all I need is to see him, and I can track him whereever he runs." she said, her tone serious.

At Sephira's comment, Kura shook her head. "You've a gift for understatement." she said, before gesturing towards where the Element commander was. "Come on, Lavana. The best way you can help her now is through talkin', not fightin'. As is, we've saved her life." she said, before pausing in thought. "Maybe more..." she said, before looking at her mount. "Make sure Padraig and Faith join us, please." she said, before frowning. "The people whose roof you hung out on that one time." she said, her tone blunt before she frowned more deeply. "They walked you home, you daft bird. You bloody know who I mean." she said, before rolling her eyes as the owl finally took off.

Taking out her pipe and lighting it, Kura smoked in silence as the trial got underway, nodding to anyone else she knew. The owl she had ridden had landed next to Faith and Padraig and had used his big head and wings to nudge them about to try and get them to go the direction he wanted, while the rest of the owls milled about and occasionally used their big wings to gently knock over a riotous civilian so that they could be captured without trouble.

As they approached the trial, Kura did veer over to Padraig and Faith, however. "Padraig, would you be able to create a device that nullifies magic in a spherical radius about the device? Specifically to neutralize any magic entering the field or already present in the field? And would it be able to emit some sort of tone if magic or a person entered the field?" she asked, her voice intent as she waited for the trial to be set up.

When the trial came to order, Kura let someone who knew Maxine and possibly the man speak up first, then stepped forward. "Deputy, as you know, Maxine is a survivor of the events at the docks last season. In the wake of such an incident, especially with the degree of violence she both suffered and witnessed, it is not uncommon for those who survive them to develop mental health problems as a result of the trauma. In particular, I have seen soldiers who lived through particularly traumatic battles develop aggressive tendencies similar to those Maxine has displayed tonight. I call into question whether she can be treated as though she was wholly in control of her actions. While she must answer for the damage she caused tonight, I would request that she be treated as someone who was drugged or partially coerced, and that she be given a full run of mental health treatment by a member of the Order of Adunih." she said, her tone calm, though her glowing gold eyes might have said otherwise. However, that was a side effect of Parliament of Owls and not something she had control over.

Taking a breath after that bit of dialogue, Kura spoke again. "In addition, she very nearly killed the Earth Mask. He has shown vindictiveness towards her in the past, when he speared her foot. With that in mind, simply tossin' her in a pit somewhere would likely be a death sentence. However, if she is willin', she may be able to help us catch the Earth Mask, a big step to findin' out the truth of the cult conspiracy, by exploitin' that very vindictiveness. That being said, we'd either need our loyal mages and blessed protectin' her, or an anti-magic field. I asked, Professor Augustin, one of the islands foremost alchemists, if not supreme alchemist on Scalvoris, if the latter is possible." she said, before glancing at Padriag as she stepped aside slightly in case someone had a counter argument.

[Patrick]

And just like that he managed to keep the good doctor safe for the moment, even then Pat didn't feel too great about having to shoot someone in the ass. Well... 'close' to the ass more like, the bolt had a pretty good place in the waist and cheek anyways. "No hard feelings." He muttered as Faith first proceeded to take care of him, then moved on to help out everyone else that demanded her attention. He stuck at a distance for the most part with her in sight, albeit a little bit of a challenge every now and then since she was shorter than most. Eventually however the dying embers of the riot finally went out, and the cavalry that had arrived earlier managed to put an end to the fighting.

Good. He definitely wasn't in the mood to shoot any more people even with probable cause, thus he finally lowered his crossbow and started to wander away from the center of the scene. "Illaren's perky tits you all need booze." The Rharnian swore with a shake of his head and a sigh, his head brought back to feel the rain pelt on his face. It felt colder than home. But that didn't matter since he had reason to be here, reason to stick around now that something gave him hope. Hope. Maybe for the first time in this chaotic world Patrick could start over, get himself a new mantra that suited his outlook much better than his current one. Dominek... How long before they'd be finally together again?

He'd have to wait and find out sure enough, but never would he give up so easily on his own kin. The Rharnian finally lowered his head and with eyes opened, noticed that the Elements gathered here were to put on a trial. Now. That was certainly faster than he expected, Scalvoris didn't seem to kid around when it came to riots. The thought amused him though. Scuffles were an every day part of Rharne's life, but of course the Lightning Knights always prevented it from escalating to bloodshed. He looked around and saw that Faith and her man were with someone, far safer now than compared to before when she tended to any wounded. That was good then.

He didn't see any need to linger here any longer, even if people wanted a testimony what could he say? He was just a foreigner in the wrong place at the right time, and thus with a dryness in his mouth he determined it time to leave. He wasn't sure how many he would see later that trial at the bar, but he certainly wasn't going to waste time in getting something to drink. Thus Patrick moved to pass around civilian's that started to gather, quick to put behind him the gathering crowd as he went to the closest bar to mellow out.

Off Topic

Unless there's actual reason for Pat to linger this'll be my last post of the thread. Was a fun event guys!

[Sephira]

“Of course, Deputy Fall,” Sephira responded somberly as she watched the Elements string up Maxine so that she could face her trial. It brought the mage no pleasure to watch the woman be treated like this, but she had made her bed, now she had to lie in it. Standing beside Thorst, Sephira waited patiently as Kura spoke. The Councilwoman had voiced a concern that had been stewing at the back of her own mind. Maxine had done terrible things; however she had be led away from sanity by Earth Mask. She had been traumatized ever since the collapse at the docks and her mind had descended into a state of frantic paranoia.

Once the council woman finished speaking, Sephira moved forward to stand before the gagged and bound Maxine. She met the woman’s eyes only briefly, passing on a subtle nod of reassurance. Max had surrendered willingly, Sephira intended to repay that decision by fairly recounting the parts of her past that she was aware of.

“I agree with the councilwoman’s observation. I was also present during the events of the dock collapse last season, and I witnessed this woman suffer greatly at the hands of one of the cultists. This trauma has clearly driven her to such dire lengths and I implore some leniency in her sentencing. She done terrible things to-trial, but I believe that she could benefit from some form of treatment.”
Sephira turned to survey the other Elements, marking the faces she recognized among the mass of Land Troops.

“Also, I would like to add that Max assisted me in the defense of Elements hall on the twelfth of Ashan, when it was attacked and damaged by a violent group of protesters.” The mage’s voice was firm as she met the eyes of several Elements. There was anger and pain creasing their faces into stern frowns. The Anti’Element sentiments this season had been hard on them all, and Max was responsible for fanning those flames.

“She bled for the Elements. Regardless of her actions to-trial...she defended us then.” Sephira cast Maxine another passing glance before returning to the crowd, standing near where the councilwoman and the others were watching. The soldier stepped next to Kura, waiting for the trial to continue before speaking.

“If you make a play for the Earth Mask, then you can count me in.” The mage had every intent of keeping that promise to Max. She would do everything in her power to find that man and bring an end to him. Perhaps they could learn more from him as well, as Kura had suggested. They still knew very little about the Element’s cult and their origins. Capturing one of the leaders would go a long way in attaining that knowledge.

Off Topic

Was told I could go ahead and post Seph's testimony.

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Faith Augustin]

65th Ashan 718

Faith nodded that yes, she'd be there but, before she did anything else, she made sure that the injured were cared for. That was her priority and always would be but, once it was done she made her way forward to speak. She didn't like it, didn't want to and it was unusual for her to be reticent about such things. When Padraig took her hand, though, Faith held on and smiled slightly. Just a slight smile, but a sign of relief that he was there. Still, she got on with what she had to do and then she stepped to the hearing, such as it was.

"After the events at the docks," she said, her voice soft and yet carrying as much as they needed to. After all, she taught for a living. "I was involved in the relief effort," by which, of course, she meant that she'd organised it. But that wasn't relevant here and Faith had no need to turn the focus to that. "In that capacity, I treated this woman, Max. Also Sephira, and other survivors of the original attack and kidnapping." She looked to Sephira and smiled slightly; at the time she'd felt strongly that the anger against the Elements was unfair and unjust and she'd said so. "Max was angry, bitter and in shock. She was furious at the Elements, all of them. She also, it must be said, helped out in the relief effort - even though she's injured. She was determined, and lucid and didn't seem to be someone who would do this. In my honest medical opinion," Faith said and she turned her gaze first to Max and then to Sephira. "She's come unhinged. That she should be imprisoned and held accountable for her actions this trial is not in question to me, but I would urge you to consider that she has been pushed and pushed. Faced with extreme circumstances and she should be treated, helped to recover. However," she said and she looked at the two of them.

Faith looked and then turned to Thorst Fall. "I am marked by Famula and Vri." Both well known Immortals and both rather morbid, or considered such. Faith never saw them in that way but then, different strokes. "There is a lot of.... Around him, especially, there are a lot of restless souls. I can't make out what they're saying, they're screaming. But I would suggest that he is questioned with someone present who is Xypha marked." There was no hiding Padraig's Xypha, it was clear on his face. "I'd suggest both of them are."

Faith didn't like it, as an option, and so she put forward another. "Or, a better option which requires no interpretation on the part of others, they are given an alchemical truth serum which forces them to speak the truth. Either way, I would suggest that we need to be sure." Looking at Padraig with an apologetic glance, knowing that he would not want to do this Faith very much hoped that he did not have to. "It is a thin line between a bloodthirsty psychopath who uses a trauma to excuse violence and a victim of a trauma who is not in full control of their actions. I would suggest, most strongly, that the distinction can not be drawn here and as such, anything Max says in regard to her companion can not be believed. It might be true. It may be self aggrandizement of a narcissistic personality or it might be a woman trying to protect her man. I do not know, we can not know and the only way to find out for sure is to separate out truth from falsehood. I suggest we do that expediently." Bottom line, for Faith? "I would urge you to be absolutely sure of the truth of their part in this situation, and any other crimes, before you pass judgement. Since Max's sanity itself is in question, I'd advise a truth serum is the best way to do that."

[Padraig]

[img]http://standingtrials.com/gallery/image ... ge_id=4018[/img]

Was this really how things worked in Scalvoris? Or in any other civilized location? Tried on the spot, in the heat of the moment long before cooler heads had the chance to prevail. When witnesses and participants were more likely to speak and respond off the cuff and perhaps less in a clear headed way than they might once the crisis was past? Apparently, Padraig thought dryly and shook his head.

The scholar couldn't say it was in favor of a system like that. Then again, it was just another of the many reasons he preferred to keep his distance from politics or anything like it. Surely there'd been perpetrators and rabble rousers who'd deliberately sparked a flame and caused a deadly riot in the process. He'd personally whacked one of them with his shield. And they deserved to face justice. He just wasn't completely sure that this was justice.

Nonetheless, as soon as he'd reached Faith, a familiar bird landed beside them and urged them to join the others. Faith had much more to add than him to the proceedings. He'd only had very brief exchanges with any of them, and in some cases only knew the faces. He wasn't prepared to offer anything in regards to their character or past actions as a result. It was simply too little to add, and mostly based on opinion or impressions anyway.

Still, both Kura and Faith had questions for him, related to his field of study. He didn't care much for either of the inquiries really. This sort of thing was not what he preferred to focus his learning and research on. Not at all. It rubbed against the grain, all of it. Ethics. What could be used for good could also be used for ill. He wasn't agreeing to do either thing that he was asked about, so much, as considering what was possible and what was not. "It's possible that it could be done," he said carefully, and meaningfully, in response to Kura. "You're talking about a device with some sort of field...which calls to mind electromagnetism. Physics combined with chemistry and alchemy, maybe." At first he considered the blood of an Immortal, used as a reagent. The right Immortal, and he had quite the collection by now.

But then, perhaps the blood of a magic user counter to whatever the offending magic was. Then again, electromagnetism. One would simply bounce harmlessly off the other. "The blood of a like mage," he considered. "Someone with the right skills could probably devise something like that." He had the skill, no doubt, but wasn't exactly leaping forward to volunteer his services. It was a slippery slope he wasn't happy with messing about on.

As for Faith's suggestion, it danced around the edges of that same slope. Something created for a particular time and circumstance, proven effective, was bound to have an appeal as useful again, for good or ill, and on a much larger scale. It was no different than a mage poking around in someone's head, and he'd brain the mage that trespassed on his thoughts in that way. He didn't like it, though he understood completely the spirit behind Faith's suggestion. He smiled, squeezed her hand and uttered, "It's probably possible." And again, it more than likely was, though he wasn't eagerly volunteering his services there either. Moreover, not in the heat of the moment, much like the carrying out of this hasty public trial.