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Post by Phear of Cleopatra on Apr 7, 2006 15:58:15 GMT -5
He nodded, understanding the relevance of the question. "Please understand, Lord Goodwest, that after that night we had little to no time to do anything else other than leave to try and stop the other attacks from happening. We were on a very tough schedule and when we weren't searching for more information on the other attacks, preparing for the attacks or preventing the attacks, even, we were resting our only mortal bodies. So, this left little time to concern over what the royal guard would and would not do. Lord Preten was already making arrangements to explain everything to His Majesty, so all we could realy do now was to try and prevent a major blow to be struck against both the Pretens and all the people that were depending on the goods stored on those warehouses." He stopped talking, regaining his breath and ready himself to speak in a calmer fashion. "As for the second question... I was not aware that we were going to attack the Drachen's warehouse until I got there with the rest of them. I can honestly say, though, that I would most likely help them destroy the poperty. I would do this with a high degree of dislike because, as bad a family as it is, some of those items had some significance to me. I would do this only by keeping in mind what the Drachens were going to do to the Pretens." He wasn't lying, not one bit. Everything he said was the ultimate truth for him, especially about his motivations.
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Post by DM Cyphus on Apr 7, 2006 18:23:30 GMT -5
"Lord Gunner Drachen, do you have any further contentions?"
"No, I do not, Lord Goodwest."
Goodwest looked to Lurrin, "You are dismissed Lord Lurrin Drachen of Lethtar."
When Lurrin was seated, Goodwest announced the next individual to speak before him. "I am to speak next with Master Arikias Kolendur of Sambar."
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Post by Phear of Cleopatra on Apr 7, 2006 18:37:12 GMT -5
Lurrin bowed slightly and returned to his seat, confidently tapping Arik's shoulder to wish him good luck, in secret wondering if he had done well enough.
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Post by The Ascendant on Apr 7, 2006 18:47:33 GMT -5
((I am confused..I thought my title was Lord? Can I correct him safely and get away with it?))
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Post by Phear of Cleopatra on Apr 7, 2006 19:03:01 GMT -5
((No, you'll get smoten.))
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Post by The Ascendant on Apr 7, 2006 19:08:07 GMT -5
Arik arose and straightened his livery to make sure that the crest of his family was perfectly clear, then stood there looking on at the Magistrate, his face blank and calm.
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Post by DM Cyphus on Apr 7, 2006 19:09:44 GMT -5
"Master Kolendur, please identify yourself before the Court," Goodwest ordered in a stern tone.
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Post by The Ascendant on Apr 7, 2006 19:19:52 GMT -5
A slight nod and "As you wish Lord Goodwest. I had hoped that your memory were a touch clearer on the situation. I am Lord Arikias Kolendur of Sambar, eldest son to that noble family and servant to the Throne of Lantan. I present myself for your inquiries and you may proceed." It came out blunt, not out of spite or malice, but out of self-respect. Arik feared this man no more than he feared the morning sun and it was evident. He had done nothing wrong and the gods knew it. It was obvious that Arik, whether titled such, was still noble and proud.
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Post by DM Cyphus on Apr 7, 2006 19:24:41 GMT -5
"I sympathize with the Kolendurs, but in this court I may not refer to you as such. I would ask for your cooperation despite my inability to refer to you by the title you consider proper. Can we find agreement in this so that justice might be served here today?" Goodwest asked. It seemed that he did sympathize with the Kolendur's plight and rapid fall from nobility. But he was restrained by that nobility today. To refer to Arik as a "Lord" would only anger the Drachens...and should Goodwest find them in some type of violation, they could appeal his decision to the King on the grounds that he had been biased to the Pretens and their witnesses. He had to default to formality in this instance to remain completely impartial.
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Post by The Ascendant on Apr 7, 2006 19:33:27 GMT -5
Arik smiled broadly, "As you wish Lord Goodwest. This Court has been unable to uphold, protect, or recognize my family's nobility for over three generations so I am not surprised by your request. I am simply stating the truth and will do so through out your inquiry. I am here as a Servant to the King and whatever title you personally prefer will be fine."
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Post by DM Cyphus on Apr 7, 2006 19:34:51 GMT -5
Goodwest nodded, but did his best to show no emotion and was relatively successful. "Master Kolendur, please state your involvement in these matters for the Court."
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Post by The Ascendant on Apr 7, 2006 20:13:57 GMT -5
"Thank you for the opportunity to do so Lord Goodwest. My involvement in this affair was unfortunate. My brothers and I had been scouring the woods towards Featherale searching for the goblins that had preyed on the King's roads and subjects, and we had just returned to Lethtar to resupply ourselves. In the city, we were surprised to learn that my sister and Lord Lurrin Drachen were engaged. It was obviously an odd situation, afterall, I am marrying a Preten, while my sister is deeply in love with a Drachen. We were overjoyed to think that perhaps the rift between these great families could finally be mended, but it was our sad misfortune to learn that the Drachens, specifically Lord Gunner and his son, did not share those sentiments."
"Apparently, the edicts of the King had again fallen on the deaf ears of that family, and in their arrogance, they had chosen to take action against the Pretens. I believe that I can personally attest to the ruthlessness of that family when they wish to go to war, but I did not immediately accept Lord Lurrin's word. Instead I communed with the Gentle Lady and divined his heart. When I knew that he spoke the truth, I was shocked and immediately offered my services and abilities to Lord Jonathan to help stop this bloodshed."
"My involvement from that point is fairly straight forward. I was resolved and recruited men to aid me in stopping this Blood War. We have heard the rumors that there are wicked, godless men who are using illegal technology to destroy buildings. When Lord Lurrin told us that this was the intention of his family, to destroy the Preten holdings in Ilul, we resolved to determine if his claims were true. We knew that the Drachens held most of their secret possessions in a well guarded warehouse in the cemetary so we decided to simply investigate. The guards were unharmed and we were going to search the place when it exploded like Hell itself had vommited the wickedness of that family forth."
"The place was already empty and an obvious trap into which we fell fairly easily. This is the manner in which these men wage war; like cowards. Convinced by the demonstration that Lord Lurrin had told the truth we rushed to Ilul. In Ilul we found mercenaries who claimed they had been hired by intermediaries for the Drachens to attack the very same warehouses which Lord Lurrin had been told by his family were going to be attacked. Coincidental? Since Lord Lurrin has been healing in Sambar and is entirely unfamiliar with the Preten holdings in Ilul, the manner by which his information was obtained had to have come from the direct relation of it by his family. Inside the warehouses, we were told by these mercenaries, were barrels of this wicked substance that had been the instrument of destruction before. Their story proved to be true. They were paid 500 platinum pieces, an awesome sum available to only a few purses in Lantan with 500 more to come when the job was done. My brothers and I were able to thwart this plan through diplomacy and without the shedding of blood."
"Obviously, it is the intention of the King's servants to bring all matters of this nature before him, but the Pretens were already doing so, and as you have pointed out, my family holds no favor here in this Court. What options were available to me were taken, and as soon as we had captured the culprits involved, we came to kneel at the Throne and make our actions known. That is the extent of my involvement. No one was hurt. No commercial damage was inflicted. It is an unfortunate thing that the lessons of the past are yet unlearned. I hope those involved will learn from this incident and resolve to ammend their ways. That is my report Lord Goodwest. Of what may I be of additional service to the Throne and to this Court?"
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Post by DM Cyphus on Apr 7, 2006 21:16:53 GMT -5
Goodwest nodded to Arik's account of the events that had transpired over the past tenday. "Master Kolendur, I'm sure you've heard the rumors, as many have, that I am capable of forcing the truth from the tongues of men. But that is something beyond my arcane talents. Yet I have heard of men so faithful to their god, that they are capable to do so by commanding the weave to aid them. Are you capable of such divine magics, Master Kolendur? And if you are, did you apply such magics to Lord Lurrin Drachen?"
Goodwest listened to Arik's response and then moved on with his questioning. "Were your intentions to simply investigate the cemetery warehouse owned by the Drachens, or did you in fact intend to destroy it, for whatever reasons? And...did Lord Jonathan Preten know of these actions and approve of them?"
As Arik responded to the latest question, Lord Goodwest scribbled notes on a piece of parchment. As Arik's next response came to a finish, Goodwest was already ready with another question for another matter, "I assume from your wording that the guards were not spoken with, and from the rumors I've heard in the past few days, I assume that you and your men were not even seen there. You do admit however to being present when this happened. Were you or one of those with you responsible for the appearance of the hauntings that occured there?"
Goodwest didn't seem to write down Arik's response to this. He merely nodded, as though the question were more for his own interests than to determine any information relevant to the hearing. As Arik finished this response, he moved on to yet another question. "From your wording earlier, I assume you reference the smokepowder that has been plaguing our streets that the clergymen of Gond have publicly decreed as herecy to use without their permission. The Royal Court of course does not agree or disagree with such statements, our only interest is in determining the location of this smokepowder to get it off of the streets. Was it smokepowder that destroyed the Drachen warehouse, and were you able to retrieve any of it if it was?"
This response he did write down. As Arik finished, he moved on, "The mercenaries in Illul that you encountered. You apprehended only one, yes? And, did this mercenary or any of those you apprehended tell you specifically that they had dealt with Drachen messengers or servants?"
He seemed to really be grilling Arik. Again he had a question and asked it without really acknowledging or following up with other questions, "Master Kolendur, did you alert the Blairs of Illul that you would be operating within their governance?"
After this question, he seemed to pause for a moment to think on all he'd asked and review his notes.
(((Figured I'd get a bunch of questions outta the way, eh?)))
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Post by The Ascendant on Apr 7, 2006 21:26:33 GMT -5
((Of course I would answer truthfully to all of those questions...we didnt gain evidence of smokepowder being used to destroy the warehouse, though we did see it...I would prolly tell him that we werent going to destroy the warehouse unless we found evidence to corroborate Lurrin's claims...we notified the Blairs in Ilul and apprehended the leader of the mercenaries so why would I need to parade 30-40 men through the court? I am here if you want to rp any of it...although Im happy to move on as well...I would also love to continue getting surgical on the Drachens))
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Post by DM Cyphus on Apr 7, 2006 21:56:05 GMT -5
(((Of course...of course...that'll do...we'll move along to the next victim. lol ))) Goodwest sat and wrote down a few more notes. Then, after a few moments, he looked back up at Arik. He made eye contact with him for a few moments before looking back down at his paper. While reading his notes, he spoke to Gunner Drachen as he'd done before, "Do you have any contentions with this testimony, Lord Drachen?" The elder Drachen stood up and looked directly at Arik. "I would only ask that the Court take special care in considering Master Kolendur's verification of my son's information and remind the Court that it is the position of the Drachens that Master Kolendur and the rest of these mercenaries were responsible for the destruction of the warehouse, and not some well-laid trap. With the testimony of these men behind me, I intend to prove that they were in fact well-laid plans by our adversaries. The items and relics in that warehouse are still missing, and if they disappear to the Black Market or the depths of the earth, they are impossible to replace for us." "Duly noted, Lord Drachen. I would ask that you cease referencing the men testifying here as mercenaries for the duration of this hearing. Your comments are viewed as derogatory. Please simply state facts and contentions and nothing further." "Yes, Lord Goodwest," Gunner Drachen responded with a slight bow. "You are dismissed, Master Arikias Kolendur of Sambar," Goodwest said and waited for Arik to be seated before continuing, "I am to speak next to Wandering Flame Serol Kinspar of Boetrah."
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