The Trial

By: Sauti Posted on: June 25, 2011

[Council room. The banners of Seleucar can be seen unfurled in the centre of the
rear wall. Five ornate chairs are visible in the centre of the stage, set in a
semi-circle. The central chair is raised above the others. Voices approaching
the stage can be heard from the eastern exit.]

[Father Orlan and Iron Fist Tung enter from the eastern exit, whispering softly
to each other. They reach centrestage and stand looking around, undecided.]

Orlan: "It seems we are the first here."

Tung: [scowls and taps his foot impatiently] "These templar are never punctual.
Always too early or too late."

Orlan: [with a hard glance at Tung] "Their sacrifices on the field today went a
long way to assure our victory, brother. Martio, Raeman, Kendall, it isn't
befitting to speak ill of the dead."

Tung: [glares back at Orlan] "We have all reaped martyrs today, not just the
templar. I do not fault them their courage, priest. Only their intelligence."
[looks down at his palms], "Perhaps, if they had been more...cautious with their
charge, we wouldn't have lost so many."

Orlan: [starts to respond but holds himself in check. Says with a sigh],
"Perhaps. Martio was always rushing into things, always a step ahead of his
thoughts."

[Tung nods but doesn't reply. Both men are lost in their thoughts. In this time,
some commotion is heard from the western exit. Both men turn towards it.]

Voice of Warleader Lockwood from offstage west: "Too busy? This matter cannot
wait, damn it! We must decide now before that mad man decides to act! Go tell
him, tell Piraeus we're deciding this in the Council Room before the hour is at
an end. He'd better be ready to fix his stamp to whatever we decide. Go!"

[Warleader Lockwood storms onto the stage followed by a servant bearing a tray
with five goblets and a decanter of wine. They are followed by a smirking Raxis
Snake-eyes.]

Raxis: "Ordering the Emperor around now, Warleader? Not a sign of things to
come, is it?"

Lockwood: [glowers at Raxis], "No more of your lip, snake." [Takes a goblet from
the tray and drains it.]

Orlan: "Is...everything alright, Warleader?"

Lockwood: [blinks and turns to Orlan], "Oh, everything's fine, Father. We beat
back the bad guys with only a few thousands dead, there's wine to be had"
[raises his goblet], "Everyone's thrilled to still be alive, it's all fine,
father!" [witheringly], "It's all grand and lovely and fine!"

[Tung rolls his eyes and proceeds to take his seat in the first chair closest to
the eastern exit. He nods at Raxis who takes the chair diametrically opposite to
Tung and shrugs.]

Orlan: [nods slowly], "And...the Emperor?"

Lockwood: "Oh, he won't be joining us today. He has suspended all proceedings
for an indefinite period." [scowls miserably at the central chair], "I have
requested his presence, given the gravity of the matter, but..." [sighs], "I
fear it is we who must decide the course of action now." [gestures at Orlan to
take his seat]

[Orlan nods and takes his seat to the left of Tung. Lockwood pauses before the
central chair, before seating himself to the right of Raxis, staring sullenly at
the audience.]

Raxis: [rubs his chin in thought], "Should we invite that druid...what's his
name, Hollis?"

Orlan: [coughs softly], "The Prophet and his lieutenant both fell to Agith'maal.
To my knowledge, the druid leadership is in shambles."

Tung: [mutters], "Nothing new for the druids, I'm sure."

Raxis: [chuckles], "Well then, it is time someone called this meeting to order,
don't you think?" [glances at Lockwood]

Lockwood: [glances around and clears his throat], "We, the War Council or what
remains of it at least, have gathered here to determine the course of action to
be followed by the sovereign Imperiate of Seleucar against Adchacel, erstwhile
Black Lotus of Mystery, and his cabal, given their willful attempts, ignoring
all injunctions issued by the Council to the contrary, to harness the powers of
the Tsol'teth Agith'maal for their own undisclosed reasons."

Tung: "Are we sure they are trying to harness Agith'maal's powers? Last I heard,
Adchacel ate Agith'maal's heart and then ran off to his basement where he's been
howling for the past two days."

Lockwood: "From what that turncoat Matic has told me, anyone who lives after
consuming Agith'maal's heart will be corrupted by its essence and be a threat to
us all. And worse, there is a chance Agith'maal may rise again through
Adchacel." [slams his hand down on his chair]

Orlan: "We have sent emissaries to Adchacel's cabal requesting permission to
keep him in close quarters, under observation of our priests until his
termination. But all our requests so far have been rebuffed. They claim they
have it all under control."

Lockwood: "They endanger us all by harbouring what could well be a weapon of the
enemy. They refuse to co-operate with city authorities. They refuse to disclose
their intentions. This is treason, no less."

Raxis: [raises his eyebrow], "Let us not be so quick in passing judgement,
Warleader. We should give the cabal a chance to explain its actions to the
Council. Perhaps we can arrive at a solution agreeable to all."

Tung: [nods empathically], "Sounds fair to me. Send for them and if they can't
explain themselves and continue to refuse the rule of law, we burn them."

Orlan: [peers at Tung], "If they continue to be difficult, we will decide then
on a fair judgement, yes." [turns to the servant boy], "Go inform the cabalists
that we request their immediate presence in the Council room. Take this." [gets
a sealed letter from the folds of his robe], "Do not return without a reply."

[The servant boy makes a hasty bow and exits running through the eastern exit.
The men onstage brood over their goblets silently for some time.]

Raxis: "We mustn't forget Adchacel's valuable aid during the war. If not for
him, we wouldn't be here. Why, we'd all have been cut down by our own bewitched
troops."

Tung: "True, his occultists were a spunky lot out there, pale little sops though
they are. Didn't flinch for a moment when they saw our own templars come
charging down on us. " [grimaces], "That wasn't enough to save Master Shun
though."

Orlan: "Indeed, their help was invaluable." [pauses], "But this is not about the
occultist cabal as a whole. We are concerned only with the actions of Adchacel.
The cabal need only turn him over to us so the last traces of the ungodly
Tsol'teth are wiped out."

Lockwood: "Aye, also let us not forget the cost of this occultist aid. The blind
eye we willingly turned to their foraging through the city for..."
[contemptously] "essence."

Tung: "If we're talking costs, what of the cost of the Emperor's army, eh? The
common folk have bore the brunt of the taxes levied to pay for it. Let us not
forget the draft, the military crackdown on rebellious villagers, the forced
labour camps..."

Lockwood: [yells] "If not for those taxes, if not for the draft, you'd be goblin
shit today, monk! You dare question the wisdom of the Emperor scant days -after-
we fought off the Black Wave that he kept warning us about? The gall, why I
ought to-"

Tung: [springs up on his feet], "You ought to what, eh? The monastery still
remains inviolate, Warlord. I'm not one of your little runts to be locked in a
box till they learn to jump when you call. Go ahead, let's hear that threat of
yours, I dare you!"

Orlan: [interrupts Lockwood and Tung while Raxis grins and lounges back in his
chair], "This is not the time or the place to be debating what are now, surely,
old and very much dead grievances." [turns to Lockwood and then Tung], "Warlord,
Master...I beg you consider the dignity of your offices and the events of the
days past and desist from this unseemly bickering. It does us no good and only
complicates what is already a fairly knotty issue."

[Tung nods brusquely, smoothens his robes, and returns to his seat. Lockwood
shakes his head and sips from his goblet. Raxis turns to peer at the eastern
exit.]

Raxis: "I think they are here."

[The servant boy enters from the eastern exit and bows. Two men follow after
him. The first is clothed in a crimson tunic, brown trousers and a fur-lined
brown cloak. The second wears a hooded black robe. On his right hand can be seen
a ring depicting a serpent devouring its own tail.]

The servant boy: "M'lords, I present to you Xanthos, the Secretary of the
Occultists in Seleucar" [The first man bows with a flourish], "and Daath" [the
second man nods in acknowledgement], "a...ah, senior member of the cabal."

Daath: "The Adchacel cabal, that is. The one that seems to be causing the
administration so much trouble."

Xanthos: [looks around], "I...see we must remain standing." [nods when no one in
the room responds], "Very well. I was told your Council needed to speak with us
most urgently."

[Lockwood sips from his goblet, seemingly oblivious to the goings-on. Tung sits
with head held defiantly high, saying nothing. Raxis leans forward and steeples
his hands before him, as if interested.]

Orlan: [with a glance around], "Well, yes. Though to be precise, we are only
concerned with...the Adchacel cabal and their continued rebuffs of all requests
from the Council to hand over their Tsol'teth infected member. We, in the
Council, have good reason to believe he represents a grave security risk to the
kingdom and must thus, be dealt with at the earliest. We hope the Occultists and
the cabal in question will co-operate with us in this matter." [nods]

Daath: [scoffs], "There is nothing to deal with. The Demiurge is healthy and in
his senses. If it weren't for the search parties and the meddling local guards,
we would be better able to continue our studies of his...condition."

Xanthos: [coughs], "What my colleague here is trying to say is, your concerns
regarding the safety of the people and the kingdom are quite valid and have been
noted by the cabal. However, at the moment, it is the occultists who are best
equipped to probe into the mysteries revealed by the Demiurge's unique
condition. There is much we hope to learn from him and hence, we request the
Council to allow us more time to complete our research."

Lockwood: [frowns], "Research! The man is a monster. I have it on good authority
that the longer we delay in purging the evil in him, the greater the chance of
him turning into Agith'maal! There is no time for your damned research."

Daath: [his interest piqued], "Turning into Agith'maal, you say? We...haven't
seen any signs of this yet, but it would be most revealing to see such a
transformation." [turns to Xanthos], "Why it would be what we've-"

Xanthos: [cuts Daath short with a flick of his hand and smiles at the Council],
"As I mentioned, we fully understand the Council's concerns. I would also like
to note that the offhand comments of a goblin general in the heat of battle can
hardly form the basis of any judgement. The essence of the Demiurge is mingled
with that of the Tsol'teth, true, but that does not suggest the Demiurge is
Tsol'teth." [flashes a pearl-white smile], "These are matters best understood by
the cabal."

Tung: [with narrowed eyes], "Are you suggesting the Council and those of us
outside the cabal are too dense to understand these 'esoteric' things?"

[Daath smirks. Raxis catches his eye, grins and shakes his head.]

Xanthos: "Of course not, no, not at all! But you must understand these matters
of life force and the nature of essence have formed the heart of occultic
studies for ages now." [forcefully] "So yes, we understand these matters better
than you the same way the templars understand swordplay better than us or the
way monks understand the flow of kai. If the Council wishes, once we have
understood the nature of the Demiurge's condition, we will gladly share what we
can with any experts appointed by the Council."

[Daath turns and blinks at Xanthos. Xanthos exchanges a hard look with him
before turning back to the Council.]

Raxis: [amused], "It seems your colleague here does not agree with you about
that last item."

[Xanthos gives a hollow laugh and starts to reply but is interrupted by Daath.]

Daath: "There are matters, the knowledge of which, can only be held by those
ready for it. If given to those unwilling to accept it, it can lead to
unforeseeable, possibly dangerous, consequences. As my brother advised, these
matters are best studied by the cabal." [fervently], "There is much to be
learned from the Tsol'teth essence, from the transformative processes in the
Demiurge. If there are any dangers to it, they are best addressed by the cabal."

Orlan: [turns to Xanthos], "Firstly, Blade Captain Matic Ridley is a trusted
ally of the kingdom and more importantly, the only ally with knowledge of the
Tsol'teth. Considering the volume of destruction wrought by the Tsol'teth so
far, the warning uttered by Matic is not to be taken lightly. Do not question
the wisdom of the Council in this matter."

[Xanthos starts to respond but stops at a gesture from Orlan.]

Orlan: [turns to Daath] "Secondly, these dangers are not just dangerous to your
precious little cabal. They are a risk to all Seleucar, nay, all the world.
While I admire your zeal for knowledge, it cannot come at the cost of countless
innocents."

Lockwood: "Indeed! We in Seleucar have no need for the devilries of the
Tsol'teth. Their blasphemies and their dark sciences are of no matter to us.
Channel your thirst for knowledge somewhere else, occultists. Turn over
Adchacel."

Xanthos: [takes a deep breath. To Orlan], "I had no intention of insulting Blade
Captain Ridley. Indeed, his brave actions on the field turned the battle in our
favour and I apologise for whatever slight you read in my reference to him. That
said, he was a soldier in the Tsol'teth. Not a scribe, or a scientist, or a
mage. He knows the local lore of his homelands which may be true to some degree.
What we have here is a chance to know more."

Xanthos: [to the whole Council], "What we have here is an opportunity to truly
understand the nature of the Tsol'teth and their powers, a chance to go beyond
the hearsay of soldiers. We were attacked once and paid a huge price for it. Who
knows when other Tsol'teth may choose to turn their attentions aboveground. What
we learn here could turn the tide of any future war we may have to fight. It is
not an opportunity to be wasted."

Daath: "Already, the other Tsol'teth outside Shallam and Ashtan are being
brought down and their hearts thoughtlessly burned to cinders. The Demiurge is
the only relic of the Tsol'teth that exists. We must not allow it to go to
waste."

Tung: "What is all this talk about things going to waste, eh?" [snickers], "Such
noble intentions, you occultists have. Putting all your time, your energies into
studying this for the greater good of us all, are you?" [scoffs], "You're only
doing it to puff up your own knowledge of necromancy. Thinking you'll learn
something about avoiding death. And for this, you would have us forsake all
caution and allow you your experiments?"

Raxis: "There are also the rumours surrounding these...experiments, about people
disappearing suddenly, as if into thin air. And strange goings-on in graveyards
in the still hours of the night."

Lockwood: [sneers], "We fought these Tsol'teth back this time and we'll fight
them back again without any need for their dark arts. If you're so worried about
your patriotic duty, do your job as honest citizens of Seleucar. Stop this
slinking around in basements doing unmentionable things." [menacingly], "Or you
may soon find yourself answering some difficult questions."

Daath: [angry], "Brother, I see no reason to stand here and be further insulted
by this...Council. I have said what I needed to, but it seems you have decided
to stay deaf this evening. For once, open your ears and hear me now. If you come
for the Demiurge, you will have to pass through us. Understand this, though we
fought with you in the war, we will show you no mercy when you come after us.
Come armed to the hilt if you must, for you will face the full might of the
cabal. You have been warned. Now, do your worst."

[With a nod to Xanthos, Daath leaves through the eastern exit. The Council sits,
shaken by Daath's announcement.]

Xanthos: [grimly], "I ask you once more to consider our reasons. Again, I
reiterate we have no reason to harm the kingdom. We only do what we do to learn
what we can, to know what we must. For now, I await your judgement."

Lockwood: [snarls], "Threaten us in our own council room, will you? I say, burn
them all! Whoever stands against the law of the kingdom is guilty of treason.
And the sentence is death."

Tung: [frowns],"For once, I agree with the Warleader. We have asked you time and
again to be reasonable, but it seems your cabal considers itself above the law.
I move we give them a day's time so any who chooses to vacate the premises be
allowed to do so. Any who stay when the law arrives will be considered an
abettor to the act of treason and treated accordingly."

Raxis: "The risk posed by Adchacel outweighs all other considerations. I propose
this: if you give Adchacel up by nightfall tomorrow, all others will be spared.
If not...you have heard the sentence already."

Orlan: "I will summarise the sentence as it stands now. The occultist cabal has
a day's time in which to give up the Tsol'teth infected Demiurge, Adchacel, to
the local guard so he may be cleansed of his evil. If they choose not to do so,
all who are found protecting the infected Demiurge will be considered guilty of
treason and sentenced to death forthwith. Are all in agreement?"

[A chorus of "Aye"s is heard from the Council members. Xanthos stands rooted
where he is, his face ashen.]

Orlan: "There you have it. You have a day's time. Choose well."

Xanthos: "There is no choice here, Councilmen. In your blindness, you have
condemned us all." [shrugs and turns to the audience], "Perhaps, it was not to
be. Perhaps, we must bide our time until the Occultists learn what we must. In
the fullness of time, all will be." [closes his eyes and hangs his head.]

[Curtains start to close. Sounds of marching footsteps can be heard, followed by
the sounds of struggle and screams of pain. The glow of a fire can be made out
through the narrow slit in the closing curtains as a last long howl of pain
passes over the audience, followed by silence.]