Completed I Demand Justice to be Served!

[Harrier]

"Master Javier, thank you for your testimony. You are dismissed." Reptilian eyes narrowed in the direction of defense counsel. "Maester Urberus, I would hate to hold you in contempt of court for intimidating a witness. Please moderate your zeal."

Turtious Interferens broke off as an excessively perfumed wizard entered the court chamber from a side door. Ignoring everyone and everything but His Honour, the wizard and his long, pungent beard whispered in Turtious' earpore, then wafted out.

"You may proceed, counselors," said the judge blandly. "I am aquiver with anticipation."

 

[TTamark]

Steve began writing out an apology letter for Urberus to look over before he presented it,

Dear, ladies and gentlemen of the court room,

I have come to understand that though I had only the best intentions, and this was done at the request of Ella, that my action led to unexpected consequences that were bad. When I was using a spell that the college had taught me properly, for its intended purpose, for a good cause being the extermination of undead, the pregnancy forced me to make an impossible choice. I understand that the method I chose to save all parties likely has caused them as much emotional distress as it has caused me. I understand that I through lack of knowledge went about seeking treatment in a less than ideal way. I also understand that my lack of knowledge on how to get treatment is no excuse for how I handled the situation.

Sincerly Steve, son of Will, Spudmancer supreme, Founder of farms for salvation, Necromancer of friends, Apothecary to all, First member of the Eternum, Father of the Chicken-Orc race

P.S. As for the rat, I put a potato on its leg but you know you could have literally just taken it off. It did not replace the leg, it was just being held on so that the missing leg could grow back.

P.S.S. Can I go now, I need to hit up Amol Kalit real quick and then get all the way back to the north so I can undo the spells that worked properly on the hundreds of others before the next year is up.

Steve scribbled out a few things before passing the letter to Urberus to proof read.

 

[Urberus]

"Of course, apologies your honor."

Urberus sat down, examined the parchment Steve handed him, closed his eyes for a long moment, then took out a magic quill that absorbed ink from paper and began removing sentences until the parchment resembled something he could hand to the court.

Dear, ladies and gentlemen of the court room,

I have come to understand that though I had only the best intentions, and this was done at the request of Ella, that my action led to unexpected consequences that were bad. When I was using a spell that the college had taught me properly, for its intended purpose, for a good cause being the extermination of undead, the pregnancy forced me to make an impossible choice. I understand that the method I chose to save all parties likely has caused them as much emotional distress as it has caused me. I understand that I through lack of knowledge went about seeking treatment in a less than ideal way. I also understand that my lack of knowledge on how to get treatment is no excuse for how I handled the situation.

Sincerly Steve, son of Will, Spudmancer supreme, Founder of farms for salvation, Apothecary to all.


"Your honor, if the Procurator has no further witnesses, the Defense wishes to negotiate a plea."

 

[Red Guild]

Hawkshaw stroked his fabulous muttonchops in quiet contemplation. “Ah, so they wish to plea... That sounds ideal.”

Mandible looked up from his rigorous note-taking, and whispered furtively to his supervisor. “What about the other seventeen witnesses?”

“Mandible, my dear friend. When your opponent offers you the path of least resistance, always take it.”

Mandible’s brow furrowed in consideration. “But what if-“

“The office of the Procurator is amenable to negotiating a plea,” Hawkshaw announced.

 

[Urberus]

“Your honor, Steve is willing to plead to the second count of a chimeric construct if the first count of necromancy is dropped.

On the subject of the alleged undead, the only evidence Procurator has provided so far is the word of Lieutenant Gullhorn and Javier. Lieutenant Gullhorn is a pixie dust addict who appears to have been intoxicated while carrying out the search and arrest, as evidenced from the fact that he hurled two bolts of lightning in the middle of the crowded city, a dangerous and negligent discharge of magic, and missed the pegasus both times. He was clearly under the influence during this whole affair and thus his word should not be given full credence. Javier, meanwhile, is unable to articulate that this horse was truly undead. The horse in question is not here to examine, as it escaped. For all we know, this emaciated pegasus was nothing more than what it appeared to be - a malnourished flying horse.

Furthermore, the court should note that Lieutenant Gullhorn acquired the evidence only after chopping down Mr. Willson’s door with axes. A clear violation of Mr. Willson’s privacy rights. We live in a civilized society here in Elbion and if the City Watch are allowed to chop down doors and ransack private abodes as they see fit, on the word of nefarious highwaymen, this would set a poor precedent going forward.

In any case, even if Mr. Willson did create this human chimera, he does not appear to have done so out of malicious intent, as the court heard, but rather with the intent of helping the girl. Here is a letter he wrote acknowledging this. I would urge the court to take this into account in sentencing.

Steve Will’s son may be misguided, but he is not a villain."

 

[Red Guild]

It was not so much Gullhorn's status as a Dust-Huffing degenerate that upset Counselor Hawkshaw, but that he had been so blind-sided by it. Whoever made that Orc's eyepiece, he wanted one.

The Gnome ground his teeth as Urberus continued. It was, for lack of a better word, adorable. Once he was done, Hawkshaw only spoke in his usual, friendly drawl.

"Your Honor, it is not my intention to turn this into a trial regarding Lieutenant Gullhorn, but if it is the desire of the defense to continue issuing erroneous, slanderous, and - most egregiously - baseless accusations against him, then we will have no choice but to call additional witnesses to dispell these assertions."

He gestured widely with his arm, "I ask that Counselor Urberus recant these statements and apologize immediately. Then we may proceed with considering this plea."

 

[Urberus]

Urberus tut-tuted.

“I would, I would, but the residue on his fingers, combined with the redness of his nose, and the gold sparkles in the sclera. Indicative. Quite indicative, I apologize if I overstep your honor, but I merely repeat the findings on cross examination.”

 

[Red Guild]

Hawkshaw gawped, "So there's gold sparkles in the sclera now? All this from a casual inspection of the hands? This is outrageous, and does not prove in any capacity that he was under the influence at the time of arrest."

"With all due respect, Counselor, seeing as you are acting on behalf of the defense, you can hardly be considered an impartial observer of the Lieutenant's current state. And seeing as there are no physicians on the docket to corroborate your claims, I ask again you recant this at once."

 

[Urberus]

Urberus shook his head sadly and let out a wheezy sigh.

“Perhaps... Perhaps we should call for a physician then... and have the Lieutenant take a urinalysis test, of course. If the results come back negative, I shall recant my statement.”

 

[Red Guild]

Hawkshaw opened his mouth. He must have been prepared to say something quite important, or loud, given the width to which it opened. But in a moment of clarity, he closed it again. And when he did finally speak, he was a little quieter.

"The Officer of the Procurator acknowledges that Master Will's Son is not likely to be a necromancer and likely had no part in the creation of the undead construct. As such, we are willing to expunge the charges pertaining to necromancy on the condition that Master Will's Son acknowledges the existence, ownership, and importation of the undead construct."

"We believe it may be of greater importance that the source of the construct be ascertained, rather than pin it on this transparently... Good natured individual, however troubled he may otherwise be."

"We request that Master Will's Son issue a statement to the College, under duress of magic, as to the origins of the construct, how he came to own it, and who created it, if he, indeed, knows. We will, of course, extend immunity from any additional charges pertaining to that construct and its creators as a show of good faith."

He shuffled some papers.

"Whether the golem was created out of malice is immaterial - the practice was reckless, unnatural, and unlawful. The accused's failure to properly act in the aftermath of her creation and suffering cannot be overlooked either."

More shuffling, although it didn't look like Hawkshaw was actually reading anything. It was all a ruse. A sham. A falsehood, just like the eyepiece. Mandible looked on in something approximating concern. The overbite made it difficult to tell how, exactly, he was feeling.

Hawkshaw continued, "Pending the acceptance of these terms, we ask that the sentence include the maximum fine of nine hundred silver pieces, that Master Will's Son be suspended from the College for a period of no less than two years, and that he be held liable for any additional costs pertaining to the restoration of Ella to her natural state."

 

[Urberus]

“Those terms are acceptable.”

 

[Harrier]

"Well, this has been..."

His Honour Turtious Interferens trailed off for about half a minute.

"Stev son of Wil, as per your plea I find you guilty of the lesser charge. I take the following factors into account when determining your sentence.

"You and your counsel have demonstrated, with at least moderate credibility, that your original intent toward Ella was protective. However, your letter and verbal statements show a near-total lack of remorse, and scant concern for how your actions impacted Ella as her situation deteriorated. You kept her penned in a stable stall in an unnatural and, doubtless, traumatic state rather than do the obvious thing and go to the Foard of Maesters.

"Whether due to hubris or lack of judgment, your irresponsibility is not suited to membership in the College. If the Maesters kept you on as a student or a peer, they would send an unmistakable message far and wide that they do not care how their magical whimsy can destroy lives. This goes beyond reputational risk and speaks to the fundamental relationship between the College and the city."

The tortoiselike being adjusted his robes and came out from behind the table. He'd been sitting for hours.

"I sentence you as follows. You are expelled from the College as an unfit student. You must pay all costs associated with the specialized care of Ella, which I believe stand at roughly one silver zoldo per day in perpetuity. You may have no contact with her ever again. You may not, under any circumstances, own living chickens within Elbion. If you are found in the company of living chickens at any point, you will spend a week in the stocks. Per chicken."

Turtious Interferens smiled unpleasantly. "Oh, and there is also the matter of the extensive bribes that you deployed throughout our judicial system in advance of this trial. I further cite you for contempt of court and attempted perversion of justice. Your penalty will be a week in the stocks."

He waddled out and was gone.

 

[Urberus]

Urberus patted Steve on the shoulder and leaned a little closer.

“We should discuss my fee...”

 

[Red Guild]

This was a success - or something that looked close enough to it that Counselor Hawkshaw could not quite tell the difference. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he muttered, to no one in particular, “We got him.”

Hawkshaw swung his legs around and hopped off his stool, failing to notice that Mandible was holding his arm out for a high-five. The Satyr meekly retracted, and set about sorting the parchment into piles that were manageable for transport.

“There’s another one for the books,” Hawkshaw said, wistfully, “Counselor Glarmoril Hawkshaw, defender of the fundamental relationship between the college and the city. Has a nice ring to it - that ought to get me some more respect around here, hmm?”

No one answered. He took off his eyepiece, revealing a bright red spot of irritated skin surrounding his eye. Hours with that thing on. That whole part of his face had a heartbeat now. A small price to pay for justice.

Hawkshaw meandered out in his leisurely way. Mandible scurried after him a few moments later, some loose papers falling off behind him.

They were all blank.

 

[TTamark]

Steve reached into his robe, and after looking around to make sure no one was looking, handed him a gold potato,

"Thank you for your time. This experience was most educational. I do hope this will cover it."

There was a intelligence in Steve eyes that seemed absent throughout the whole trial.

 

[Urberus]

“Ah eh, no need for such material wealth,” Urberus handed the potato back and whispered so only Steve could hear, “I would like the formulas for the chimera and the undead pegasus, please.”

 

[TTamark]

"Ah I see..."

Steve sat at a desk, and grabbed one of the blank sheets that were dropped from the ground, Enchantment after enchantment were placed. Most were simply that if the paper was tinkered with it would destroy itself. Some more kept ease droppers away, and recording from being done. Steve made the area he sat safe enough for him to plan the destruction of Elbion and no one on the outside ever being able to find out. Each time Steve channeled a potato into the spell, finally he pulled out a potato and began writing with it as though it were a pen.

"There are two types of people who would have done what you did: Those who have a unstoppable sense of fairness, and those who desire what one with my charges could provide. Don't mind me"

Steve reached out towards Urberus stopping short of actually touching him, placed his hand on the orcs magical essence. On the sheet Steve started with the horse, explaining in a hushed tone,

"I will keep this simple as with a lot of magic it is the basics that matter and your own preferences that bring it to life. Find a living thing, place its soul in a container while you turn its body into unlife. Note that this requires you to either be able to turn energy into negative energy or, produce your own. Infuse the soul to the body again. I would recommend placing a spell to keep the body from decaying for valuable assets. This style allows the being to live an unlife almost identical to its previous life, while still needing to be 'fed' to maintain itself, note that a soul is delicate and can easily be damaged causing the being to lose memories. I get optimal result when I place the living entity within my potato stew. Using the life energy from the potatoes as a container I have no shortage of energy to work with. The soul can safely be held in the formula, and the body can easily be converted to the ideal form, before reconnection.

Now for the chimera, it is almost identical to how it is taught in the college. This one I really recommend additional aid of a pot, you require it when melding body and tying soul. You separate and hold the souls, preferably within the pot. Then you combine the bodies taking aspects that are preferential from one, and making it more prominent in the final product. You can do this piece by piece, or after the important bits are done, just do an even mix, or blend throughout. Double check it is stable because you don't want to have it die the moment you are done sustaining it. The souls you simply twist to blend so to speak. The more dominant of the souls will be the personality of the final product, it will likely take some of your own experimentation to find what species have more dominant souls, but it isn't always hard: Chicken<Monkey<Humanoid. The souls combined allows the dominant soul to make decisions while the other will handle maintaining the body. Because of how this works the aspects of the secondary soul's body present will be stronger than the dominant's traits. The souls can be placed back in the final body like putting a soul into any other body.

The most important skill in all of this is proper soul handling. If training needed I recommend finding a body, and just practicing putting an animal soul into a soul container, and into the body.

...And here you go, to read this just pour some of your magic into it. Do not pour magic into it while it is being observed by another or it will destroy itself, do not try to tamper with it or it will destroy itself, do not quote more than 5 words of it or it will destroy itself.

We good?"

 

[Harrier]

Still seated in the gallery, Harrier scribbled one last time.

ANTI EAVESDROPPING SPELLS IN MY WAY. CAN YOU READ HIS LIPS?

After a minute, a second pen, this one carved from jade, trembled and wrote back in a ghost's handwriting.

HE SPEAKS MAINLY OF POTATOES.

Harrier read that line once, twice, three times, then packed everything up and adjourned.

 

[Urberus]

Urberus jade eyes sparkled brightly.

“Thank you very much, this is most informative. Most informative.”

The orc picked up the pieces of paper and nodded to Steve.

“Best of luck, Son of Will.”

The monkey hopped from the table back up onto the Maester’s shoulder. The pair appeared headed toward the door when Urberus stopped in the gallery near Harrier.

“Hello, hello, I thought that was you back here.”

He eyed her notebook.

“Very studious.”

The orc smiled, then kept walking.

On the floor near where he had been standing was a piece of parchment. Apparently forgotten.

 

[Harrier]

Apparently her disguise wasn't as effective as hoped. She watched Urberus move on, then scooped up the discarded parchment on her way out. Cleaning up litter was one's civic duty, after all.