Heirs to the Final Empire: Roleplaying Thread

[little wilson she/her]

"Lord Farrsolin, while I appreciate you saying I'm a neutral party, let me assure you that I am anything but. It's true that I've had no dealings with Houses Vinid, Erikell, or Farrsolin, but those are not the only parties involved in this matter. There is also the wronged party, and that is Tekiel. Your three Houses have used him in a way to suit your needs, caring naught one whit for him or his House but only your own selfish wants and needs.

 

"If you would like a neutral party to the Final Empire's laws, might I recommend our High Prelan, Lord Benedict? Who better to provide an unbiased recitation than the one who makes sure the laws are followed strictly?"

[Adamir he/him]

"Objection. (Couldn't resist)  Benedict has ties to House Elariel, strongly allied with House Tekiel. Yes, Tekiel is the wronged party, I fully agree, but the slightest remaining fondness for his original House could tip his verdict. May I propose Lord Queade, for his tireless work in the legal system for the past two generations? I am willing to open Farrsolin mercantile records to prove that there has been no interaction between our two Houses, and I believe that he can be trusted to be fair to both sides based on grievances."

[little wilson she/her]

"Lord Benedict cut ties with his House when he joined the Steel Ministry. The Lord Ruler doesn't allow for bias among his highest officials. Are you saying the High Prelan is biased?"

[Adamir he/him]

"I am saying the High Prelan is only human, and that I had sent a request to Lord Queade long before you stepped into the Courtroom. With all due respect," Anders turned to Benedict and gave a short bow, "if we were to maintain a fair trial with High Prelan Benedict as judge, House Elariel would have to be legally silenced, and this would leave Lords Erikell and Vinid without a witness. If, on the other hand, House Elariel were not silenced, then I myself would be at a legal disadvantage. Blood ties are not so easy to break. I have had no dealings with Lord Queade, I swear on my non-existent honor and by the Lord Ruler's name."

[little wilson she/her]

"Would now be a bad time to inform you that Soren Queade married Nienna Tekiel just a bit ago?"

[Adamir he/him]

"It appears I have fallen behind in my knowledge of current events. House Elariel is bound by blood to House Tekiel, but I believe a man who has dedicated his life to the Lord Ruler's service can be trusted to explain the laws and their punishments equal to the crime."

 

ALL HAIL HIGH PRELAN BENEDICT, HE WHO IS NOT MARRIED TO A TEKIEL.

 

Edited September 4, 2015 by Adamir

[Haelbarde he/him]

Casper Heatherlocke, with Gracia, his daughter, standing beside him, watched the proceedings, content to watch the others battle the issue out. As the discussion turned to whether there existed a neutral party, he nodded to himself as Lord Queade was suggested to be a suitable candidate. But when Lady Qwynne reminded those present of Quaede's recent union with House Tekiel, he felt it was time to speak his part. He slowly got to his feet (with the help of his daughter), and cleared his throat.

 

"If I may have a moment of your time?"

 

He waited until his request was granted.

 

"Thank you." He looked around. "Until recently, you may know I've kept to myself somewhat. Maybe some of you my think me to relatively neutral. Maybe. However, I do not think of myself as such, and I feel that I have existing biases that will make it challenging to keep objective in the face of justice. My daughter would fair better, but for the time being, it falls to me enter this discussion."

 

He looked over towards Lord Tyren Queade. "In the time I have known Lord Tyren, my brother-in-law, I have known him to be fair, and just, and I know that he would not allow his recent alliance with Tekiel to influence any decisions or opinions he had on the matter."

 

He paused, looking around before continuing on. "However, in interest of finding a neutral party, would any here object to Lord Heron? To my knowledge, though my memory is no longer what it was, he has had an interest in legal matters, and has kept himself relatively free from binding alliances, yet in spite of that, is a man for whom everyone here holds some degree of respect."

Looking around once more, Casper nodded, satisfied with what he had said. Returning to his seat, he waited to see what would happen

Edited September 5, 2015 by Haelbarde

[little wilson she/her]

So I probed a little more into Farrsolin's request for a neutral party. Zerrung got a response and gave it to me. Here's the relevant piece from it:
 

My primary motives for requesting that Lady Wilson recite Final Empire law are because she has no direct connection to me or to the accusers. I will leave it to her to decide an appropriate punishment for the various crimes I, Lord Erikell and Lord Vinid have been accused of. The only fruit I reap from schemes is three stone walls, wooden bars and a courtroom summon.

Emphasis mine

 

Farrsolin's quest to find a neutral party is to obtain punishment, but we were not gathered to deliver punishment. We are here to discuss, attack, and defend each other to decide guilt or innocence. To quote Wyrm:

 

In the meantime, we have three players accused of treason and dragged to court, so why not let the players decide whether they are guilty? Until 6 PM on the 3rd of October, you may discuss, attack and defend each other verbally (preferably via RP). At the end of this Interlude, (or rather, just before), you may PM in a vote to me for each player, stating whether you think they are guilty or not on the charge of treason.

 

Attempting to find a neutral party from within the ranks of the Noble Houses only seeks to distract us from what we should be doing. Let's put this behind us and refocus on the task at hand: that of discussing the guilt or innocence of Farrsolin, Orielle, Zerrung, and the recent additions of Erikell and Vinid.

Edited September 5, 2015 by little wilson
lost half of my post

[Wyrmhero he/him]

Benedict banged his steel gavel, calling for a brief moment of quiet. "To suggest that I am compromised in some way due to the circumstances of my birth is offensive, Lord Farrsolin, and does not endear me to you," the High Prelan stated from his chair. "It seems to me that you are not concerned with factual evidence, but more who thinks highly of you."

 

"When I joined to serve the Sliver, as when any go into his service, I was asked to forsake my House, to put duty before all else." He paused to take a glass of water, his throat starting to sound a little raspy at this point. He did not speak loudly either, but relied on the quiet and those burning Tin for himself to be heard. "Everyone else in this room has had constant dealings with the Houses called to here today. I alone am incapable of thinking about this in terms of allies, enemies and profits for my House," he added, a small sneer flitting across his face briefly.

 

"The new allegations levied at Houses Erikell and Vinid are more concerning than this though," Benedict continued. "I must admit to being shocked by the idea that anyone would ever consider waging open warfare on one of the Sliver's appointed and trusted governors. However, hearing that they may have been asked to do so by his own General is even worse. I will therefore be calling an extension to the trial, to contain as well as Houses Orielle, Farrsolin and Zerrung, the Houses Vinid and Erikell."

 

"Again, I will ask you all to vote on the matter of each of these Houses. If two-thirds of those who vote believe they are guilty, swift punishment will be incurred. If two-thirds call for not guilty, they will be left off lightly - Though all will still question their innocence for years to come, considering the nature of this case. If a verdict cannot be reached, either due to split votes or enough people abstaining, then they will be sanctioned against as a precautionary measure and to show what happens to those who attempt to circumvent the laws of The Final Empire in something akin to a treasonous manner."

 

So... lots happened over the week that I wasn't here. I'm glad to see a lot more RPing in the thread, which is good. To clarify how voting works: Each player may send in one vote per accused player - This vote may be for guilty, not guilty, or to abstain. A 2/3rds majority in either direction is required for a verdict. If that cannot be reached, the players will essentially be considering to be shifty and not entirely blameless, and a lesser punishment will be enacted.

[Gamma Fiend he/him]

.............Can votes for this trial be bought/sold/bribed/extorted, etc.?.....
 

 

The Lady Urbain sat perched on the top level of the courtroom mezzanine. The handrails were gilded and carved with a majestic, scrawling design, with fine ebony leaves imprinted in a twirling fashion along the length of the rail. The seats were just as lavishly decorated, and with a fine velvet cushion that was actually comfortable. By the Lord Ruler, I might actually enjoy myself here! The trial below appeared to be amusing enough for now, as the accusers and accusees bickered back and forth, the debate not really seeming to go anywhere.

Smoke and ash, I swear this all seems familiar, she thought, frowning, swirling the glass of wine in her hand and taking a small sip. She knew she had never actually been in this building before, and putting people on trial required the drudgery of doing things, which didn't really suit her lifestyle. So she dismissed the idea and snapped her fingers, beckoning a servant forward as he plucked a grape off of the vine and fed one to her.

 

No, she was just going to sit back and enjoy the show, she decided, spitting the pit out. Although she did idly wonder if any of the guilty houses down there were responsible for the attacks against her house in the past. She took another sip of wine, and let the proceedings continue, uninterrupted.

[Wyrmhero he/him]

.............Can votes for this trial be bought/sold/bribed/extorted, etc.?.....

 

Players make their own arrangements between themselves, remember? >>

 

Also, just to clarify - People cannot vote in their own trial

[Adamir he/him]

Players make their own arrangements between themselves, remember? >>

 

Also, just to clarify - People cannot vote in their own trial

 

Does that mean being unable to vote on your own guilt/innocence, or being unable to vote on both yourself and other people called to trial?

[Mailliw73 he/him]

You can't vote on yourself.

 

I would like to call Lord Tekiel to the stand to testify that I, Lord Zerrung, was infiltrating this group that was planning to attack to report back to him. He can vouch for my good intentions as part of this group. I never sent any form of help, in weapons or armies, or even plans, to the group composed of Vinid, Farrsolin, and Erikell. 

 

Vinid, do you have anything to say for yourself?

[Wblk]

"It would seem that Lord Vinid has no defense to offer for himself at this time. I suggest that we move this case faster, anyone who has anything to say should just say it. Clean and simple. At the end of this we can each analyse all statements and cast our vote."

[Orlok Tsubodai he/him]

Lord Tekiel rose, and took the witness stand once more. He was glad for the opportunity to acquit Lord Zerrung - whose warnings and aid had proven invaluable in preparing the defence of Fadrex City.

“Esteemed Lords, Ladies of the Empire. Lord Zerrung is innocent of all wrongdoing in this affair. He has been in constant communication with Lady Wilson and myself, and indeed, not only did he warn me about the existence of the plot, he freely, without incentive, warned me of the intentions of Lords Vinid and Erikell, allowing countermeasures to be taken to mitigate the threat of an attack by the combined forces of Farrsolin, Orielle, Vinid and Erikell. Not least among these preparations was the acquisition of a set of Ironbows from Lord Zerrung, granted on credit to my House, as I could not spare the actions to accept a contract. These actions speak for themselves. No Lord intending to act against my House would provide me weapons to use against the gathered opposition, without taking immediate payment. Had he been intending to march, he would have known that I would have identified his men amongst the attackers, and had reasonable grounds to refuse payment."

 

I attach here the transcript of the communications Lord Zerrung has had with myself and Lady Wilson, which will allow you to corroborate for yourselves his innocence in this affair.

Edited September 13, 2015 by OrlokTsubodai

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Erikell and Vinid, should we take this lack of rebuttal as a willing defeat?

[little wilson she/her]

Silence reigned as the court waited. Seconds passed, then minutes, as Lord Vinid refused to respond. A few quiet coughs sounded as the hour mark approached; had Vinid fallen asleep? But no, he sat still in his seat, seeming to shrink down and hope he remained unnoticed. Erikell was nowhere in sight, apparently having slipped out at some point earlier in the proceedings. An hour of near silence became two before Lord Zerrung attempted to refocus the court, unable to stand the bemused quiet.

 

Gwynne listened to Zerrung raise that Vinid and Erikell’s silence must be an agreement to their guilt, and while she agreed, she couldn’t help but note that Zerrung was missing a few key points. When Zerrung stopped and silence fell over the courtroom once again, Gwynne stood. “Thank you, Lord Zerrung, for trying to get this trial back on course. I agree with you that Vinid and Erikell’s continued silence is tacit agreement of their guilt, but I fear it is also an attempt to ignore the charges placed against them in hopes that everything will blow over and they’ll be able to escape this farce of a trial with merely a slap on the wrist rather than the harsh punishment they deserve.

 

“I’d like to address the other Houses--the ‘neutral’ Houses, so to speak. The Houses who aren’t directly involved. Some of you might not want to take sides in this matter. You might be thinking that simply not voting would be better than voting one way or the other. However, if you abstain from voting, you are taking a side. A no vote is the same as a vote of Not Guilty. It’s practically a vote of acquittal. By abstaining from voting, you’re taking Vinid and Erikell’s side. I understand if you’re uncertain of their guilt. They’ve not defended themselves through their own words; you only have the accusations of other Houses levied against them. Think about this though: if the charges are true, and they’re not sufficiently punished for their actions, what do you think they’ll do after this trial? Do you think they’ll continue? Their parents attacked a House unprovoked, simply because they were bored and wanted a little fun. They themselves furthered their parents crimes by planning an attack on one of The Lord Ruler’s own cities, against his chosen Steward. Their antics are getting bigger, and that is a trend that I think we will continue to see. Who will they hit next? The obvious target--Tekiel? Possibly. One of his defenders, like my own House or House Zerrung? Also possibly. Or they could go for an unsuspecting target--someone they deem will be easy to exploit. One of you.

 

“You can ignore the threat they pose to the Noble Houses and the Final Empire right now and continue to wait until they’ve struck again, or we can take action against them here and now, in this trial. We can punish them for what they’ve done and that punishment will deter them from seeking to further harm our House and The Lord Ruler. As long as they feel they have free reign to act as they please without fear of retribution, they will continue to use their power against us. Against all of us. I ask you all to vote Guilty when the time comes.”

 

---

 

I know there are Houses that wish to remain neutral in this. But what I’ve said above is true. You’re not neutral if you abstain from voting. You are taking a side.

 

Each player may send in one vote per accused player - This vote may be for guilty, not guilty, or to abstain. A 2/3rds majority in either direction is required for a verdict. If that cannot be reached, the players will essentially be considering to be shifty and not entirely blameless, and a lesser punishment will be enacted.

 

That ⅔ is based on all the players. If enough of you abstain to create a ⅔ majority for abstaining, they’ll get off with very little in terms of punishment (probably. I’m not actually sure what Wyrm is going to do with an abstain majority). And if a ⅔ majority isn’t reached, they’ll escape with a lesser punishment, and I guarantee that that lesser punishment will not be severe enough to deter them from further actions. As for who those actions will be against, I’ve no idea, though I have my guesses.

 

Now, if you don’t feel you’re likely to be a target of their attacks, you might be disinclined to vote against them. If you’re not allied with a House that is likely to be attacked, you have no motivation. Except this: Vinid and Erikell are only loyal to themselves and each other. Alliances matter not to them. After all, Vinid is the General of the Lord Ruler’s armies. Who would dare oppose her? They don’t have to worry about petty alliances when they can trust each other implicitly because they’re siblings. I doubt they’re focusing much at all on forming alliances and much less on even keeping alliances. And the alliances other Houses have matter even less. After all, Tekiel was able to muster a force of 50+ MP by the end of Gen 2 to retaliate against Erikell for Erikell//Vinid’s attack on Keep Tekiel. I’m not going to lie--some of my own forces were in that number. I also had troops at Fadrex. I’m not the only one either. Tekiel has allies, and Erikell and Vinid know it, even if they don’t know who. But they don’t care. Because they have the bigger force. They’re the biggest bully on the playground and they’ve no problem throwing their weight around and forcing others to capitulate to their whims. If they come after you, will you capitulate? Will you want to? Or will you fight back?

 

If you wish to let them continue, abstain or go all-in with them and vote Not Guilty. If you wish to swear only to the tyranny of The Lord Ruler and no one else, vote Guilty. You leave yourself open to them if you do not.

[Wyrmhero he/him]

I will be calling an end to this interlude on Saturday the 3rd. Generation 4 shall begin on Sunday the 4th.

[Haelbarde he/him]

So, there are 19 (I believe) players as of the conclusion of Generation 2.  I presume the accused cannot vote for themselves. This means we need 12 votes to achieve a 2/3rds majority. Given what I know of the various alliances that have formed, that Vinid and Erikell might get 1/3 voting would not surprise me. Of the 6 that would not need to vote, one of those who will not be voting is Vinid/Erikell (they won't be voting against each other). So that's 5 votes we can afford to not have. And we have a couple of players that might tend towards inactivity (afaik). So better yet, don't just leave it to people to check this thread, start warming up those PM's and make sure everyone starts gearing back up for the game. 

Edited September 29, 2015 by Haelbarde

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Accused cannot vote on their own cases, I can confirm.

[Comatose he/him]

Does someone want to explain how the voting works again (like where we do it, and what the format is)?  I've had fun following along with this interlude, but am unsure of some of the technicalities.  Do we just send the vote into Wyrm in PM, with the names of the people we feel are guilty?

 

I just did three MBI posts, so I'm a little RP'd out at the moment, but I'll try to get up an Elariel reaction to things tomorrow.  If it doesn't happen, it wouldn't have much bearing on the game, since they've been more observational of this conflict anyways.  

 

EDIT:  Also, I have verbal in person confirmation from CraigJohn (who plays Jessica Sarasvati) that he will no longer be participating in the game (apparently he bit off more than he can chew), so that's one less vote.

[Haelbarde he/him]

Does someone want to explain how the voting works again (like where we do it, and what the format is)?  I've had fun following along with this interlude, but am unsure of some of the technicalities.  Do we just send the vote into Wyrm in PM, with the names of the people we feel are guilty?

AFAIK, it's just sending a PM to Wyrm with your votes. That is all I have done.

[Comatose he/him]

Valerie Elariel watched from the gallery at her father's side as the trial came to a close.  One by one, the elite of Luthadel were making their way to the Lord Ruler's representatives to cast their votes and determine the guilt of those stood accused of crimes against the empire.  Though Elariel had kept itself removed from the conflict, the trial had been the talk of the town for many months now, and Valerie had spent many of the afternoons since returning from her honeymoon watching the proceedings with her new husband or with her father.  

 

"How curious that House Vinid and House Erikell are not stepping in to defend themselves, or their leaders."  Lady Wilson, Lord Tekiel, and Lord Zerrung had laid a compelling case against the former accusors, and neither Lord Vinid nor Lord Erikell had offered any form of defense.  "Do you think their silence will condemn them in the eyes of their peers?"  

 

Valerie's father, Lord Mikhail Elariel, smirked to himself, as if laughing at a private joke.  "You assume dear, that the votes will have anything to do with the case at hand."

 

Valerie nodded thoughtfully.  "You think people will vote along political lines: shielding their allies and accusing their enemies.  But what about the truth of what happened?  Even if they survive this mess, how do Houses Vinid and Erikell expect to gain influence in the future if they do not at least deny the allegations that have been made against them?"  

 

Mikhail Elariel made a dismissive motion with his hand.  After allegations that High Prelan Benedict's former ties to their house might unduly bias him, Valerie's father had made a point of staying away from the proceedings, lest his interest fuel undue speculation.  Looking up at the dais, it was hard for Valerie to imagine anything biasing the High Prelan.  Years spent in service of the Lord Ruler had changed him, made him hard and cold.  He barely seemed human.  Comparing him to her kind-hearted father was like comparing night and day; and had she not been told she could have never guessed they were related.  

 

One thing was clear.   While the lords and ladies in Luthadel might be influenced by political agendas, the High Prelan was only interested in seeing that justice was done, and Valerie had a feeling that the sort of Justice High Prelan Benedict desired was the kind that involved an obsidian axe and a great deal of blood.  

 

"Their fates are all sealed in any course," Mikhail was saying.  "The most powerful truth is not what actually happened, but what the most people desire to be true.  If Cladent and Appolonius do not have the support to get through this ordeal without defending themselves, then they wouldn't be able to last long after this trial anyways.  The Lord Ruler has no tolerance for weakness.  Whether he expunges it by inciting House Wars or by holding trials is of little consequence.  The stronger parties will win today, and the weaker ones will lose."  

 

Something going on down below drew Valerie's attention.  It would seem that the time for voting had almost come to a close.  "So, how are you going to vote, father?"  

 

Mikhail smiled.  "Weren't you paying attention dear?  I will vote for what I think is true, naturally."  

[Quiver he/him]

Lord Queade took a sheaf of paper, an inkwell and a pen, and quickly scratched out a few words. The end of his duelling cane tapped the stone floor, attracting a servant.

 

"Hand this in, will you," he said amiably, grinning. The manservant nodded, taking the page and scurrying towards the representatives.

 

Tyren laid the duelling cane across his knee's once more, leaning forward. The truth was, he hadn't been paying much attention. The trial was important -obviously- and he had scribes taking notes to be pursued and filed later. But, really, the crime wasn't the most important part of the proceedings. 

 

People thought Tyren was an idiot. It was an image he liked to project. People were less likely to pay attention to idiots. 

 

They paid attention to the people who stood in the middle of the room and made big, grand speeches about conspiracies. They listened to the people who had all the documentation of the political machinations of the nobility of the Final Empire. They paid attention to the people who tipped their hands, and let everyone know just who it was that had their hands in every pocket.

 

Tyren grinned, and awaited judgement.

 

...No, but seriously. Sorry for not being the most... active this week. Or, months.

...I kind of got distracted with stuffs. Sorry!

Edited October 3, 2015 by Quiver

[Wyrmhero he/him]

And that's the interlude over. Tomorrow, the verdict shall be read, and we shall see just what the fates of the accused are...