Heirs to the Final Empire: Roleplaying Thread

[Gamma Fiend he/him]

*Ahem*

[Aonar he/him]

Lord and Lady Izenry sat in the stands, decidedly uninterested in the proceedings. House Farrsolin already had a reputation for bad business, and while the accusations against Zerrung and Orielle were surprising, they were of little personal interest to House Izenry. 

 

Silence ruled after the High Prelan's announcement; everyone waiting for someone else to speak. Moments became seconds, and seconds became minutes. Ah, rust it all. If I'm going to have to be here all day, I'm going to have to make things interesting somehow.

 

Cifan stood slowly, joints creaking slightly with age. "Lord Vinid," he began, speaking slowly, "you are the one who has summoned us here; I believe it is your duty to open the trial. Present us with all the facts you have gathered against these supposed traitors, and make your argument. And please, do not take more time than is necessary. I am already missing my daughter's wedding for this; between your own insipid remarks, and whatever duplicitous tales my fellow Lords and Ladies are bound to concoct in their manoeuverings, I will most likely miss most of the reception as well, assuming you do not get to the point quickly."

---

 

Edit: I also feel it's worth pointing out that you aren't really voting to lynch people, the Cycle lasts 1 month instead of 2 days, and anyone who shouts 'Objection!' will be keelhauled.

 
OBJECTION! 
 
...Sorry. Not sure what came over me. *Cough.* Anyways, it's your move, Vinid. Explain to us why exactly all these people should be charged of treason.

Edited August 30, 2015 by Aonar Faileas

[Araris Valerian he/him]

An Penrod surveyed the gathered Lords and Ladies. She had been rather worried, what with all the cries of treason going around. But apparently treason wasn't quite the same thing as having a solid relationship with the skaa, or any unruly activity said skaa were involved in. House Penrod would have to get copies of all of these proceedings, of course, and it would be interesting to hear what the defendants had to say. She personally doubted that Lord Zerrung was guilty of treason, since her sister was now married to the heir of that house, and when her mother had examined that house's records everything had been in order. But with all the intrigue going on across the empire, anything could be kept a secret for a long time.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

I'd first like to clarify what voting actually does, Wyrm.

Votir stood, anger barely contained beneath the surface. "Cladent! I was informed by you that I would be here to, and I quote, "You still need to come to the court to potentially testimony. You're guaranteed safe passage to the courthouse by my lieutenants.*" Votir fumed. "Now you accuse me of treason, when you wrongfully informed me of appearing in court to testify only."

"Not only did you abuse your power in using armies-your own, and many not your own, including some of The Lord Ruler's and our acquaintance, Lord Orielle's-to threaten me to come here for reasons you contrived, you were the one with plans to remove Lord Tekiel from the Empire," Votir sat.

"Please, spend time inventing your reasons for my guilt. I'm waiting."

*From a missive from Cladent Vinid to Votir Zerrung

[Wyrmhero he/him]

Can I be part of this, even though I missed the Generation? 

 

You may not be. I am still irritated you jumped the gun and started discussing game-related information between players.

 

I'd first like to clarify what voting actually does, Wyrm.

 

If the majority vote for guilt for any player, I will be applying penalties to Allomantic Strength, Infamy and Reputations for the next Generation.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Okay, so the vote will be the determining factor, it just won't be for an execution.

Shallan, it's all yours.

[Shallan she/her]

This prosecution, led by Lord Cladent Vinid, seconded by Apollonus Erikell, does seek to prove the guilt of Lord and House Farrsolin on the counts of High Treason Against the Final Empire, Mutiny Against the Lord Ruler, Conspiring to Eliminate a Noble House, and Promoting the Rioting of Skaa, Conspiring to Blackmail a Noble House

It seeks to prove the guilt of Lord and House Zerrung on the counts of High Treason Against the Final Empire, Mutiny Against the Lord Ruler, and Conspiring to Eliminate a Noble House.

It seeks to prove the guilt of Lord and House Artorius on the counts of High Treason Against the Final Empire, Mutiny Against the Lord Ruler, and Conspiring to Eliminate a Noble House.

It seeks to prove the guilt of Lord and House Orielle on the counts of High Treason Against the Final Empire, Mutiny Against the Lord Ruler, and Conspiring to Eliminate a Noble House.

 

It will prove these accusations without a shadow of a doubt, and will nearly guarantee a unanimous 'guilty' vote.

 

On the case of Lord Farrsolin. The prosecution introduces this evidence into the court:

     

"I covertly supply you with an army, with the understanding that you will not reveal my part in your negotiations with Tekiel, and that one of your children, once he/she comes into power, will repay me either half the forces I lend you or half their worth in wealth, or one of your children is sent to marry one of mine.

       Route two, I send assassins after Tekiel Mistborn, which will most likely be traced and involve me into a direct conflict with House Tekiel, and potentially House Elariel. I may be able to bring House Zerrung onto my side, and possibly House Artorious.

      Route three, I follow the first option, while covertly gathering allies among other Houses and sending Mistborn to sabotage Tekiel structures."

     

"I have set wheels in motion. The fall of House Tekiel begins tonight."

 

"Wait for the sounds of a thousand skaa in open riots - and what one skaa does, a hundred consider doing. Lord Tekiel physically won't be able to focus the attack; he will have to withdraw his forces to quell his own skaa. That should leave you safe enough to re-gather your forces and set up a defense while an army composed of Zerrung, Artorious and Orielle soldiers march into Tekiel land.

              My allies will topple Fadrex City, and I will send Lord Tekiel an ultimatum; he will supply every house amassed against him, save for House Orielle, with three Wealth, three Allomancers and a single Mistborn. I do not wish to remove House Tekiel in its entirity, for that would require eliminating the entire Tekiel clan, children included. For now, I will settle on breaking them and keeping them on a tight leash from then on."

 

"My skaa are in civil unrest; I will transfer the Orielle soldiers to your command to execute the plan. Remember, you have never had any association with me. The riots have temporarily disrupted any and all profits from Seran and the surrounding region."

 

"The Orielle contingent is under your control. The contract expires by the end of the year, at which point I will transfer a sizeable portion of my own forces with instructions to remain until the reign of your successor's heir or until I call them back."

These messages were sent from Lord Farrsolin to Lord Erikell. Erikell, under my instructions, had been pretending to go along with the plot in order to gain more information for when the time came to end it. Given that they had planned to march on Fadrex City this year, the time was now. I hope this shows you the guilt of Lord Farrsolin. This is a civilized society, and he can, of course, defend himself against the accusations presented here. The prosecution rests.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Shallan

[Wyrmhero he/him]

A minor point I'd like to add here - While I am fine with you bringing your correspondence to court (that is, submitting your PMs between each other as evidence), I'd like to request that this is the only way such things are shared. I do not want players 'proving' such things by taking a screenshot though. Letters can be falsified, and a screenshot doesn't represent anything in game terms.

Also, to answer Mailliw's comment earlier - The punishment may include execution. We shall see.

And now, carry on with your regularly scheduled slaughter. I am going pretty much dark (or tablet-only) until Friday. See you on the other side of the week.

[Aonar he/him]

Lord Vinid spent several minutes shuffling papers around, then finally made his piece. It was, in Cifan's opinion, a tad long-winded, without ever really saying much. Oh joy. If this is the best they can do, then it might be faster just to get the case thrown out than to let it take it's course. More fun that way, anyways.

 

"Before we start actually attempting to determine guilt, Lord Vinid, you may wish to reread some portions of the Lord Ruler's law," he said, rolling his eyes. "Mutiny in this instance is equivalent to treason, and as such, cannot stand as it's own charge and must be dismissed.

 

"Furthermore, all it seems that you have proven here is that Lord Farrsolin sent you soldiers, under pretense that you would use them to attack Lord Tekiel, and that Lord Farrsolin may or may not have incited a riot among Tekiel's Skaa. And this is is assuming all of what you've stated is objective fact."

 

Lord Izenry sat back on his chair, crossing his arms. His tone was distinctly bored as he continued, although it remained loud enough to be heard clearly throughout the court. "All I see here is a largely circumstantial case for conspiracy to commit treason, conspiracy to extort a House Lord, and the incitement of a riot. Well, that, and of course a very strong case for entrapment, as it appears that you, through Lord Erikell provided Farrsolin with means, motive and opportunity to commit treason, in hopes that he would, and you would be able to prosecute him. Which, I daresay, is most definitely not commendable behaviour from our Lord's own General. On that note, I would also like to question your own degree of involvement in affairs; you state that you dealt with Farrsolin through Erikell’s mediation; yet somehow you ended up with all the referenced forces, suggesting, perhaps, that you were more closely involved than you are willing to admit.

 

"Unless you provide better evidence and a more compelling argument, then I know that my vote certainly will not fall in your favour. In fact, I will quite possibly vote in favour of your own prosecution; I do not think I, or any Head of House should be comfortable with the fact that you are willing to entrap one of your fellow Nobles for your own ends. If this is your strongest case, I might recommend just moving to drop all other charges."

Edited August 31, 2015 by Aonar Faileas

[Shallan she/her]

You suggest much, Lord Izenry. It may be circumstantial, but I see no reason to drop all charges without the defendant saying a word. Without him denying any of the charges, we have no reason to drop them. As for the Entrapment; he sent a message to me first basically stating: "Want to destroy Tekiel together?"

One last thing. Do you wish to act as Farrsolin et. al.'s defense? Are you speaking on their behalf? I fear it may not be such a wise decision, since it would associate you with them once they are found guilty. Are you merely an observer and a member of the jury, or do you have some personal stake in the outcome of the trial?

[Aonar he/him]

"I would not necessarily drop all charges, Lord Vinid," Cifan said, surprised to receive such a direct response, "I would however, consider dropping those that are illogical and impossible to press, namely mutiny and conspiracy to destroy a Noble House, as the first is redundant, and the second, by your own account, does not appear to fit the intent of his actions. I would also like to note that where you use the term blackmail, I assume you mean extortion, as he planned to obtain the wealth through the threat of physical violence, rather than defamation.

 

"If that is truly what he sent to you, then yes, entrapment would no longer apply, as he clearly demonstrated mens rea, and as such his actions likely did not come about as a direct result of your interference. I would note however, an aspect of your account has changed; you no longer claim to have had Erikell mediating your communication with Farrsolin, and this does not help your credibility."

 

On the last item, Cifan thought for a moment. Farrsolin is likely a lost cause, but from what I have heard, the others may not be so. And hey, I wanted to make things interesting right? "I have no personal stake in this trial; although I have some trade relations with Zerrung and Artorius, I would not consider either of them close allies. However, if there are none else willing to step forward, then I will gladly act as the defence, insomuch as my clients can be proven innocent. I am not so good a man to attempt to defend the indefensible."

Edited September 1, 2015 by Aonar Faileas

[Mailliw73 he/him]

It seeks to prove the guilt of Lord and House Zerrung on the counts of High Treason Against the Final Empire, Mutiny Against the Lord Ruler, and Conspiring to Eliminate a Noble House.

 

It will prove these accusations without a shadow of a doubt, and will nearly guarantee a unanimous 'guilty' vote.

 

On the case of Lord Farrsolin. The prosecution introduces this evidence into the court:

     

 

"Wait for the sounds of a thousand skaa in open riots - and what one skaa does, a hundred consider doing. Lord Tekiel physically won't be able to focus the attack; he will have to withdraw his forces to quell his own skaa. That should leave you safe enough to re-gather your forces and set up a defense while an army composed of Zerrung, Artorious and Orielle soldiers march into Tekiel land.

              My allies will topple Fadrex City, and I will send Lord Tekiel an ultimatum; he will supply every house amassed against him, save for House Orielle, with three Wealth, three Allomancers and a single Mistborn. I do not wish to remove House Tekiel in its entirity, for that would require eliminating the entire Tekiel clan, children included. For now, I will settle on breaking them and keeping them on a tight leash from then on."

On your charges, none of them even make sense. High Treason against the Final Empire: Tekiel's House now represents the entirety of our gracious Lord Ruler's domain and blessings. I will jot that down for future reference, thank you for informing me, Cladent. Mutiny against the Lord Ruler: Are you implying that Lord Tekiel is the Lord Ruler? I do believe that is heretical blasphemy. Conspiring to eliminate a Noble House: You have the best chance here. But still, you don't have a case. In your own evidence, Lord Farrsolin, the supposed mastermind behind this, stated: "I do not wish to remove House Tekiel in its entirity, for that would require eliminating the entire Tekiel clan, children included. For now, I will settle on breaking them and keeping them on a tight leash from then on." So Lord Farrsolin desiring not to eliminate a House is now proof that he planned to? You'll have to explain that.

 

Second, that's a brave statement. I'll have you know, all of you gathered here, that I did not participate in massing forces to attack any House. But, what the others don't know, Vinid, is that you were. From missives between House Zerrung and House Vinid: 

"On a separate note, Farrsolin told me to contact you about plans regarding Tekiel."

 

"Can I assume you were on Farrsolin’s side? Basically, the current plan is that my army will surround his city under the pretense of protecting it, and I’ll possibly get command of his army, and then we can do whatever."

 

"Yep. If I wasn't, he wouldn't have told me to contact you. To help out, I need some clarifications:

How are you going to get command of Tekiel's army?

Are you attacking the city of Fadrex itself?"

"Thanks. Basically, Tekiel thinks I am protecting the city. I then pull a ninja move on him and, with it already having been surrounded, reverse my role.

Farrsolin said the plan was to not take the city but to make the demands of Tekiel without actually having to take it."

"Oh I see. So the plan is to threaten Tekiel, saying you can attack his city and cut it off from the rest?"

 

This does show that I was communicating with forces conspiring against one of the Lord Ruler's designated Stewards, but also proves that I did not mass any troops, while Vinid used both his own troops to lie to a chosen Steward with plans to lay siege to one of our magnificent Lord Ruler's cities. 

 

I also accuse Lord Vinid of slandering the name of House Zerrung under false assumptions as well as threatening and lying under oath as the General of our Lord Ruler's army. Lord Vinid informed me that I must attend court today while an army massed of Vinid, Erikell, Orielle, and Lord Ruler's soldiers surrounded my Keep. When he told me that I would be attending to testify, I came of my own volition, but was immediately detained upon arrival and accused.

 

If Lord Izenry wishes to provide information and/or cross examine, fine by me. I invite all of you to speak up if you so desire. If you have evidence to the contrary of one of the prosecutors or defendants, speak and condemn the true dissenters. I shall be my own defense for now, but I will call upon others to witness if it is needed. I hope that you make the correct decision in this trial.

[Shallan she/her]

You appear to have your facts wrong, Lord Zerrung. Of course my forces were surrounding the city; they were there to protect it. Lord Tekiel can confirm that this is the case. As for the non-mediation of Erikell, given that J speak for the prosecution Inthiught it appropriate to include them and I as one unit. A less confusing pronoun would be 'us', which we will use from now on.

[Aonar he/him]

Lord Izenry listened carefully to Vinid's denials, before addressing Prelan Benedict, "May I have a moment to confer with my client?" After a brief nod from the High Prelan, who looked somewhat bemused at all which had so far taken place, Cifan stiffly made his way down to the stand. Leaning close to Zerrung, he whispered, "Lord Votir, I appreciate your impassioned self-defence. For the most part, it was quite good, and will probably help our case. However, treason does apply, as Farrsolin planned to lay siege to Fadrex, which is one of our Lord Ruler's cities, and threaten his chosen representative there. Also, I can't cross-examine you, as you're my client. That would be Vinid's job."

 

Taking a few steps back, he raised his voice, to make sure everyone could hear. "Now, based on my witness's statements, I would like to call the prosecution properly to the stand, so I may ask of them a few questions."

 

With a certain amount of reluctance, Lord Vinid stood. "Thank you, Lord Vinid. So, I have three questions. One; to your knowledge, did Votir Zerrung contribute in any provable, material way to Farrsolin's conspiracy?”

 

“Second, did you at any point claim that Zerrung was being brought to this court with the express intent of testifying against Farrsolin, as opposed to your actual actions, in addition to implicitly threatening him with extreme force, should he not comply?”

 

After a pause, Lord Izenry continued, “And third, did you or Lord Erikell at any time support the conspiracy in truth, and not in pursuit of justice?”

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

" You are mistaken of my involvement in this, Lord Vinid. I have not recieved contact from Lord Farrosolin or Lord Zerrung about trying to take Fadrex City or topple House Tekiel. The Orielle soldiers you claim were going to invade Tekiel Land are soldiers hired by Lord Farrosolin, which I believe he owes me them back. Therefore, my soldiers are not a part of this conflict, they were acting under the command of Lord Farrosolin. Your proscecution, Vinid, does not mention me in any other treasonous task, so I am innocent. I rest my case. Thank you." Lord Orielle said, and then sat down.

[Blank Fate]

From his position in the stands, Daresso Artorius quirked an eyebrow and stood, making a respectful gesture to attract the attention of this self-styled 'prosecution'.

"I must say," he began, "I did not expect to be a defendant at this hearing, though I do thank you for having the decency not to surround my Keep with soldiers." One of his guards gave the heir to House Artorius a questioning look, but was waved aside, unconcerned.

"I would like to formally deny House Artorius' involvement in Lord Farrsolin's plan to extort Lord Tekiel. My father was approached by Lord Farrsolin with a request that our House either side with him or step aside and remain neutral, and we opted for the latter in no uncertain terms. We committed no soldiers or other resources to this scheme, and Farrsolin's claim to the contrary is, at best, a woeful misunderstanding on his part. Should anyone present have any compelling evidence to the contrary, they are welcome to present it."

[Adamir he/him]

Anders clasped his hands behind his back, watching other houses discuss his eventual fate. He had been quiet for too long.

 

"I believe Lord Erikell is getting greedy," he spoke. "I do not deny conspiracy against House Tekiel, as evidenced by the letters; what I do deny are the slanderous allegations that I acted on them. I was attempting to provoke Lord Erikell into acting against Lord Tekiel in my place. But that is not the point I wish to bring across. What I object to," Anders clenched a fist, "is the sheer audacity in accusing Houses Orielle and Artorious. Orielle was as innocent as the skaa who makes the coin a Mistborn uses to assassinate another man, and the forgeries that you proclaim as 'evidence' agree that Lord Artorious will remain neutral; I myself am quite surprised he did not betray me. The accusations against them prove the underlying motivations of Houses Erikell and Vinid for this... inquisition. Profit. Whatever is taken from the accused Houses is granted to the 'injured party', if my understanding of Final Empire law is correct. House Farrsolin is not a House of warriors, it is a house of schemers, and the worst schemers, such as myself, are the ones who forget that they are cut from the same cloth as those they work with.

 

"I thought I could trust Lord Tekiel in an attempt to obliterate the Erikell name for crimes against the Final Empire, just as I thought I could trust Lord Erikell to follow orders and expose himself as the warlord he was. The plan was simple. We would provoke Lord Erikell into military action, expose him and use it to bring the Lord Ruler's koloss onto him and House Vinid. Any losses sustained by House Tekiel would be re-compensated several times over with the total sum of wealth from House Erikell, while I would claim House Vinid.

 

"Then, the mark turned around and betrayed me. Schemers trying to scam other schemers, forgetting the other side is just as likely to do so themselves. I freely admit to one charge of Conspiracy against a Warlord for the Good of the Empire and one charge of Conspiracy against House Vinid to puppet them so as to further Farrsolin goals. I am cruel, but House Erikell is brutal; my cruelty is the cruelty of necessity, to quarantine and eliminate a diseased village to spare others the suffering they would otherwise inflict. I ask only that we look to House Erikell's rampage throughout the untamed skaa. Hundreds needlessly murdered; even if we were to go by the notion that skaa lives matter not, those are hundreds of expended workers who would otherwise have been growing crops and working forges for the benefit of the entire empire.

 

"The greatest schemer and the most brutal dictator are standing side by side. Lord Ruler help us all."

 

Is there any neutral party who can actually recite Final Empire law? Say, a particular neutral party who has been working entirely in the legal system for the last several generations? Also, to verify, the messages had been edited - I stated that Lord Artorious would remain neutral, but I couldn't find a way to cram that into the rp post without it becoming forced.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Adamir

[Mailliw73 he/him]

"Lord Farrsolin, your plan was foolish and hasty. The attempt to gain wealth off of a double twisted plot was too deranged to succeed and only promised failure. However, I concur with you. Lords Vinid and Erikell are bloodthirsty, power-seeking warlords and deserve swift executions.

"Lord Queade, it sounds as if Anders is requesting you very specifically," Votir said.

[Adamir he/him]

"Lord Zerrung can be... over-hasty," Anders interrupted. "I freely admit that my schemes against House Vinid were to puppet them and therefore use them as indirect Farrsolin agents. I do not call for their execution, by knowledge that they have committed no crimes under Final Empire law. And even if they had, I do not wish to set the precedent that traitors are to be executed; I have no illusions about winning this case, my intentions against House Vinid were purely for my own gain, while my intentions against House Erikell were for the good of the Final Empire as a whole."

 

Anders stretched out his hand, taking a stack of documents from Ebris. "But wait. I do have counter-accusations. Lord Tekiel, I accuse you of attempting to incite civil war by marching an army against Lord Erikell, the murder of Lady Erikell and market scheming to make the Empire poorer as a whole. At least I never planned to murder; I planned to suppress, loot, but not kill. I also have accusations against Lords Erikell and Vinid."

 

A slight Ironpull on the metal piercings embedded in the corners of each page allowed Anders to turn them without moving his arms. "Lords Erikell and Vinid, I accuse you both of sending assassins into Keep Tekiel, and the murder of three Tekiels, alongside whatever thefts you attempted that Lord Tekiel has not yet disclosed."

[Wblk]

The courtroom went silent, as Lord Farrsolin made his accusations. A few of the lesser nobles looked uneasy, worried even. If the accusations that Lord Erikell and Lord Vinid were true, that would mean this entire trial was little more than a farce.

 

Shen waited a few moments, then decided to break the silence. It wouldn't do for House Wair to not at least make a comment.

 

"Lord Farrsolin, you have clearly admitted your guilt and I have no doubt your House will be justly punished for their crimes. However, the points you raised are indeed worrying." He spoke clearly and slowly, so no-one could misunderstand his words.

 

"This...trial...was called by Lord Vinid and Lord Erikell, but if what Lord Farrsolin says is true than not only have they been conspiring against the nobility, but are making a mockery of the Lord Ruler's own rule by abusing the court of law. This trial cannot proceed until both Lord Vinid and Lord Erikell prove without doubt that they have not been acting against any of us."

 

With that said, Lord Wair sat back down beside his wife. Silence.

 

Lord Ruler preserve us.

[Quiver he/him]

Sorry! Been really busy lately...

 

I'll... check this thread and get back here as soon as possible? Sorry!

[Orlok Tsubodai]

The tension in Keep Tekiel was a tangible thing, all pervading, and unrelenting. The storm had been brewing for years, and was now on the verge of breaking. This was evident everywhere; from the supplies stockpiled to survive a siege to new additions to the fortifications - murder holes, gatehouses. Regular patrols arrived - a steady stream, ensuring information was as accurate as possible. The battalions were rotated on the duties, between keeping Fadrex and the villages protected, to manning the ambush positions set up to delay and cause damage to any attacking force, and between the two Keeps.
A force of loaned men, from another Noble House, whilst wearing a distinct uniform, mingled freely with the Tekiel men - they had been serving together for years.
Lord Tekiel lay at the centre of the logistical web, never shirking his duty. The stress, however, had taken its toll. No longer was he the vigorous man of his youth - a life under threat had beaten the energy out of him.
The atmosphere in Luthadel was incredibly flammable, with both sides knowing the attack was coming, and the knowledge that one would be obliterated hung heavy over all.
Lord Tekiel knew the odds were stacked well against him - that much was clear from the number of Houses arrayed against him, and yet he was determined to ensure that it cost the attackers dearly.
Lord Tekiel had been unsurprised by the makeup of the coalition. House Tekiel had had unfriendly dealings with House Farrsolin in the early days of the Empire, and the enmity with Erikell and Vinid was fresher still.
Indeed, Lord Tekiel wasn't quite sure the confrontation had ever ended. Of course, Lord Erikell had come forward with information about a plot against Tekiel, but had charged him dearly with it - demanding the cancellation of all agreed reparations to expose the plot.
House Zerrung, on the other hand, was a fine example of a House fulfilling its duty to the empire - revealing the plot without delay or fee, and aiding House Tekiel in preparing its defences.
Lord Tekiel was therefore unsurprised when Lord Erikell had demanded a significant fee to not flatten Fadrex, alongside Lord Vinid - the two were never seen apart anyway.
And it was this that had forced Lord Tekiel to prepare for the end. He was resolute. No House would extort Tekiel. If the price for survival was his dignity, it was not a price worth paying.
And so, when the messenger burst into his chambers, Lord Tekiel was prepared. An army was marching through Luthadel, comprising those aligned against him.
His resolve unwavering, Lord Tekiel left for the walls, preparing to bolster the morale of his men.
The armies filled the streets, an endless swarm approaching Keep Tekiel.
And then carried on past.
A cheer arose from the walls, before a glare from Lord Tekiel quelled it instantly.
Lady Vinid was a dangerous opponent, and letting down the guard at this point would be foolhardy in the extreme.
----------------------------
A laugh of incredulity burst from Lord Tekiel, before he restrained himself and returned to his impassive demeanour.
Lady Vinid had marched on Farrsolin?
He supposed that she must have got wind of the rather unpleasant plans The Lord Ruler had drawn up, in preparation for one of his generals going traitor. Lord Tekiel had seen them, and it was enough to convince him to never go near the position, lest he make a mistake that brought such wrath upon him.
And the charges? It amused Lord Tekiel immensely to see Lady Vinid attempt to distance herself from the plot. It was unfortunate, however that her story didn't add up.
--------------------------
Lord Tekiel rose to speak to the judge presiding.
A few murmured words, a sharp look, and then a clerk summoned to check procedure.
"Very well" the judge told Lord Tekiel, before announcing to the court that Lord Tekiel would rise to the witness stand, and was laying charges upon Houses Erikell and Vinid, for Conspiracy to commit Treason and Extortion.
Lord Tekiel turned to address the court. "Assembled nobles, it pains me to cause such chaos and muddy the waters further in an already complicated affair, but in the interests of the justice Lady Vinid seems so keen on, it must be done. I am having my servants distribute to you now a copy of all recent correspondence between myself and Lord Erikell. I am of the belief that it speaks for itself. Given, though, the seriousness of the charges I am levelling, I shall ensure that they are properly explained. My counsel and representative during this trial will be Lady Gwynne Wilson, to whom I yield the floor.
------------------------
------------------------
Well. This is interesting. You see, I would absolutely love to be able to corroborate Vinid's delightful story. But I'm afraid it's quite a bit more complicated than she makes it out to be.
This doc contains all recent PMs between myself and Lord Erikell: Here

[little wilson she/her]

Lord Tekiel sat down and a number of his men began distributing the messages. Gwynne had already looked over all this. Tekiel had fumed to her about it shortly after he’d received those messages. For her part, she’d been surprised and shocked too. And after hearing Cladent’s claims, she was even more shocked. She was glad she’d recommended Tekiel bring copies of the messages. She’d hoped it wouldn’t be necessary, but one could never be too prepared.

 

Gwynne stood and addressed the courtroom. “First, I want to clear up this matter about Lord Farrsolin’s charges against Lord Tekiel. The first two charges, Attempting to Incite a Civil War and Murder, should be thrown out as not only were they not committed by Lord Nestor Tekiel but his father, but they were also already dealt with by The Lord Ruler. Are we to now say that the Lord Ruler’s punishment is not good enough? For the second charge, that of Market Schemes, this was also something Lord Tekiel’s father did, but I suppose if you want to make the charge upon House Tekiel, it might have merit. However, Lord Tekiel has explained what happened with the pyramid scheme. He was unaware that it would affect any of the Great Houses like it did, thinking that he would gain the money from minor Houses. He has apologized on behalf of his House for this error.

 

“If his apology is not enough for you, and you wish to charge him with something, the most his House is truly guilty of is Negligence. However, if you wish to charge him on that, you’ll be setting an interesting precedent for the future, since most of the Houses here are guilty of Negligence in some form or another, including yours, Lord Farrsolin. Was it not your grandfather that burned the countryside around Seran, not realizing the impact on skaa relations it would have for your House? Charging Tekiel with Negligence would mean that every House from this point on would have to thoroughly think through every move you want to make, considering all the possible implications and effects it could have on the Final Empire as a whole. Tell me, Lord Farrsolin, are you sure want to criminalize negligence?”

 

Without waiting for a response, Gwynne turned away from Farrsolin to address the courtroom as a whole. “But to move on to the more important matters. I think we can all agree that Houses Vinid and Erikell have been working together through all of this, whatever this may be. Vinid says that Erikell was acting under his guidance, and as you can see in the missives Lord Tekiel has just distributed, Erikell also agrees that he speaks for House Vinid. Lord Vinid says that he directed Lord Erikell to go along with the plot in order to gain information, their involvement was never going to result in an attack, and they were always trying to bring Farrsolin to justice. However, Erikell’s messages to Tekiel indicate otherwise.

 

“Erikell warned Tekiel about the plot early on, and Tekiel and Erikell worked out a payment for Erikell’s information. Lord Tekiel has informed me that this payment was simply a cancellation of reparations owed for Erikell’s attack on Keep Tekiel years ago. Now, this request for payment by Lord Erikell didn’t seem odd at the time. However, Lord Vinid says that Erikell was working on his behalf, under his instructions. Cladent Vinid is the General of the Lord Ruler’s Army. Putting down rebellions is part of the General’s duties. If word of a conspiracy to oust the Lord Ruler’s chosen steward of one of his cities finds its way to the General, it is for the General to do his job on behalf of the Lord Ruler. The Lord Ruler would not request the Steward pay him for protecting the Empire. It is therefore not within the rights of the General or the General’s chosen delegate to request payment either. If this was just about catching Farrsolin red-handed, Tekiel owes Erikell and Vinid absolutely nothing. Vinid and, by extension, Erikell were both simply doing the job required of them. For them to request payment is for them to say that this was about something other than catching Farrsolin. Yet now they claim that’s all this was. Why would they need money for doing their job?

 

“Erikell demands Tekiel pay him for stopping the attack on Fadrex. He “expects” wealth and allomancers from Tekiel. Again, if this were just about catching Farrsolin, there would be no need for Tekiel to pay up. Furthermore, Erikell’s demand is worded in such a way that indicates this decision to stop the attack is very recent. He says “I have decided to be on your side.” “Your city would have been entirely destroyed (no way out) had I chosen otherwise.” He even argues that Tekiel is trying to make him “reconsider” his choice. If this were always about getting Farrsolin, they would be so deeply entrenched in their mission that there would be no reason to reconsider anything. There would also be no reason to mention sides because they would’ve never been on a different side. Essentially, Erikell as much as says that he was going to go through with the plot. He says and indicates numerous times that he was not always on Tekiel’s side. The only other side in this debacle is Farrsolin’s. If they were not on Tekiel’s side, they were working with Farrsolin.

 

“This is backed up by the very specific amount of military power that would’ve come at Fadrex City. 160+ troops. There is no way Farrsolin and Orielle alone would be able to muster that kind of force. Even throwing Zerrung into the mix wouldn’t be enough, and Lord Vinid knows that none of the Zerrung troops were involved. The only way they’d be able to get a force that size is with Vinid’s involvement, since Vinid controls not only the House Vinid troops but also TLR’s. I’ve no doubt that Erikell’s troops were also in this mix, and both Lords Orielle and Zerrung can back me up on that since Erikell also surrounded their Keeps. Between Farrsolin, Orielle, Vinid, and Erikell, that’s definitely enough to acquire 160+ troops. I would like to further note that Erikell’s statement was no hypothetical, “Yes, they thought they were going to hit Fadrex with 160+ troops, but since Vinid and I weren’t actually going to help them, their true force was significantly smaller.” No, this was “Fadrex would’ve been hit with 160+ troops.” They were going to attack the city.

 

“Basically, Vinid’s statements do not align with anything that Lord Erikell said to Lord Tekiel. There is nothing in his demands to Tekiel that indicate that they were always trying to bring Farrsolin down, which is what Vinid insists is the case. Cladent says that Erikell was always only a mole in Farrsolin’s group, but Erikell’s actions do not back this up. A mole would have no reason to try to extort the would-be victim. A mole would have no reason to insult the would-be victim by calling them a “fool” when they try to stick up for themselves. Erikell’s behavior is not that of a mole. His behavior is that of someone who has recently changed sides and is now trying to get all he can out of the would-be victim. Since Vinid and Erikell are a team, one can only assume that Cladent Vinid supported Lord Erikell in this matter.

 

“Lord Farrsolin’s testimony adds a further complication to this mess, as he is admitting that he was simply trying to manipulate Vinid and Erikell into attempting to destroy House Tekiel on their own, with his encouragement. According to Farrsolin, he was going to back Tekiel up, but Tekiel received no warning from Farrsolin, nor any show of support from Farrsolin. On the contrary, Farrsolin went to great lengths to contact various Houses to either secure their support in the destruction of Tekiel or their neutrality in the potential ensuing House War. Lord Artorius can verify that, as he swore neutrality. Lord Elariel might also be willing to verify that claim, as Farrsolin claimed at one point to have secured Elariel’s neutrality as well.”

 

“However, this isn’t about Farrsolin. I think we all know he’s guilty of something, whether that be Conspiracy to Commit Treason or some other charge. What I’m concerned about is Vinid and Erikell. I believe that when Lord Farrsolin contacted them, they jumped at the opportunity presented. They then contacted Lord Tekiel to “warn” him about the attack, hoping that Tekiel would trust them enough to ask them to defend his city from his attackers. But they had no intention of actually defending the city, which is made abundantly clear in Lord Vinid’s message to Lord Zerrung about “pulling a ninja move” and attacking Fadrex City with the attacking force. He even would’ve used Tekiel’s own army against him if he’d given him access to it. So why did they turn on the plot? It’s likely because he realized that TLR would be severely displeased with his General if that General used TLR’s own troops to attack one of the Lord Ruler’s cities.

 

“In fact, The Lord Ruler might’ve been displeased enough to lay waste to the entire Vinid House, utterly destroying that House (I have confirmation from Wyrm that this would’ve been the case, along with confirmation that koloss would’ve intervened on the attack and killed a great number of the opposing army. Fadrex City was never in any real danger from the opposing force, with or without Vinid/Erikell’s involvement). The Lord Ruler dislikes traitors, and I believe that the two switched sides to spare House Vinid and House Erikell from the wrath of the Lord Ruler. They then turned on House Farrsolin and all other Houses Farrsolin had named as allies, regardless of whether or not those Houses had actually offered any real support to him.

 

“While Lord Farrsolin may be guilty of conspiring against The Final Empire and against another Noble House, Lords Vinid and Erikell are equally guilty, despite their claims otherwise. They are traitors to the Final Empire and to the Lord Ruler, and the only reason they’re not on trial as well is because they are cowards of the highest order.

 

“I move that we acquit Lords Zerrung and Orielle of the charges laid against them. I also move that we charge Lords Vinid and Erikell with Extortion and Conspiracy to Commit Treason. Lord Vinid should have an additional charge of Perjury.”

 

Gwynne finished and sat calmly back in her seat, staring into the eyes of Cladent Vinid. She knew the man would contest her, but she didn’t care. She spoke the truth, and that was all that mattered. Even if Vinid and Erikell bribed or bullied their way into the conviction they sought, that wouldn’t change the truth. The Final Empire and the Noble Houses wouldn’t be safe until Houses Vinid and Erikell were punished according to their crimes. Gwynne knew that their antics wouldn’t end in this courtroom if they got what they were looking for. No, this would only be the beginning of their tyranny. Lord Erikell had already tried once to invoke the name of the Lord Ruler to give his words and actions additional power. If he’d done it once, he’d do it again, and who knew which House would be next? Gwynne wouldn’t let her House stand idly aside while someone used the Lord Ruler’s name, laws, and forces against His own Empire. His appointed General may be a traitor, but so long as Gwynne led House Wilson--and she hoped her daughter would follow suit--they were loyal to the Lord Ruler and the Steel Ministry, and they would oppose any who dared act against Him.

 

---

 

tl;dr version -- Farrsolin’s charges against Tekiel are a farce. All three of them were completed in the previous generation, and I believe the Statute of Limitations should only extend to the current generation. Beyond that, TLR already punished Tekiel for the marching through Luthadel. The Pyramid Scheme was the result of poor planning on Tekiel’s part, who didn’t realize that he’d gain wealth by making every House lose wealth. He did not discuss this action enough with Wyrm to realize its effects. The most he is guilty of is Negligence, and I highly doubt we want to criminalize that, since the vast majority of us would end up guilty of it at least once in future generations.

 

Erikell admitted he wasn’t always on Tekiel’s side. He tried to extort wealth and allomancers out of Tekiel for payment for protecting Fadrex City and House Tekiel, despite protecting a city of the Empire being the General’s duty (without payment) and House Erikell working under Vinid’s direction. The force attacking Fadrex was 160+ MP, which is far too strong for Farrsolin and Orielle alone, so Vinid and Erikell had to’ve been part of the attack.

 

Vinid and Erikell were only surrounding Fadrex so they could turn on the city and attack it. They were not protecting it. They changed sides when they learned that the attacking Houses would be crushed by TLR and Vinid would be utterly destroyed for completely going against their duties as General. They betrayed Farrsolin and are now trying Farrsolin and the Houses he stated were his allies, even though those other Houses weren’t actually involved in any attack (Orielle’s troops were under the control of Farrsolin and Zerrung didn’t give a single MP to Vinid).

 

Farrsolin is guilty of conspiracy to commit treason (or a similar charge), but Houses Orielle and Zerrung are not (nor is House Artorius, who remained neutral throughout this entire affair). Houses Vinid and Erikell are also guilty of conspiracy to commit treason as well as extortion and perjury.

Edited September 4, 2015 by little wilson

[Adamir he/him]

An honest noble. Anders had to force himself to quell the fits of laughter threatening to burst free. Someone who wasn't aligned with either faction, and with no dealings with either faction. Someone who eviscerated the arguments of both factions equally; his own defense was splintered, with House Vinid's attack faring no better.

 

"Lady Wilson," he finally spoke up, "as a neutral party, would you care to recite Final Empire law under oath that your recitation is unbiased, whether to House Farrsolin or to Houses Erikell and Vinid? I temporarily rest all charges against House Tekiel; it is obvious that Lord Tekiel had nothing to do with this untimely court summons, and I bear him no ill will."

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

Rowan watched Lady Wilson give her statement, then stepped forward and said, " I, Lord of House Orielle, deny any claims made by House Vinid and Erikell against me, and accuse them of extortion and treason against the Final Empire. I also hereby accuse Lord Farrosolin of treason against the other Houses, and our beloved Lord Ruler. "