Jesselle nods to Emerson as he points out the fact that Fey warrior is injured. She whispers back to Emmerson, "That would help if we try to take the Duchess into custody. He won't want to attack, and I do not want to make an enemy of the Unseen Court."
Tobias looks in to the room but all he can see is Asrabey, his blood stained shield and his fiery sword. He listens to the exchange and mentally files it all away. There's plenty being said that he's sure his superiors back home will find interesting.
He looks over and mouths to the other constables.
"I can try to put them to sleep. Yes, no?"
He waits for his small group to respond, positioning himself to see both Varal and his colleagues.
While the more silent ones are sneaking to get a better look, Willem covers the rear for the stair's group by aiming his rifle from where they came from. He looks over his should every so often to watch the group's movement and charge when they do.
Unfortunately, Gemma can't get a good view of the situation to judge the right protocol, but she weighs the options with Tobias' words.
"My fear is that it won't work on Asrabey. It might work on Ethelyn and maybe the other but that's a gamble. As soon as you let it lose, he'll know and we have no way to signal the others to let them know what we're doing. But, hey, we can't just stand here all day, right?"
Gemma says the last part with a feeble smile. She's torn between her heart, which says to charge into the room and try and subdue everyone with force, and her head, which tells her the opposite. It's really the first time she's been met with that problem and she doesn't like it. It most certainly has the chance of compromising her abilities and she can't afford for that to happen. She takes a deep breath, lets out a quiet sigh and hangs her head. She then looks back to Willem to see if he's ready, gets her crossbow ready and then looks to Tobias with her jaw set. "Go ahead and try it." She shrugs and then smiles a little. "What's the worst that could happen other than death for everyone, right?"
Willem looks over his shoulder to see Gemma looking at him for ready status, Willem returns with a thumbs up and hand signals stating the stairs appear to be clear at this time.
”How? How do YOU know Kasvarina?”
”Um, well uh…”
”ANSWER ME CURSED OF HOUSE JIERRE! OR I SHALL CUT YOU INTO PIECES WHILE YOU STILL BREATHE!”
”She…she was here, terrible lord! Here at Axis, a season or two ago! I was here visiting the observatory as I have often done, and she was not one that could be dismissed or forgotten! She was on the arm of a Crisillyiri man, in the company of my cousin. General Alsanor took them on a tour of the mines where the archaelogists had uncovered some wonderful objects from the Ancients and…and they left a few days later if I recall. But she was here m’lord! In fact I thought I heard it mentioned she was the one who crafted the final wards for Axis town’s portal ring, which greatly sped up the timetable for archaeological study of…”
”Enough, you cursed cur!”
From across the room the injured-sounding Ethelyn calls out to Asrabey in support of Nathan’s words, adding, ”Asrabey, I’m trying to tell you, Nathan is an ally. He’s seen developments that defy the old lines, and we are trying to find out what it all means. I think…I believe Danor means to destroy both our worlds. There is a conspiracy hidden in all of this. My brother would not listen. Even the Court ignored me. It is why I have acted. You have to believe me.”
"What...what is this?"
Emerson moves as quickly as he can on the landing so that he can converse with the eladrin before he strikes down Ethelyn. He also makes a mental note of the tactical elements of the room including exits and whether there are any other combatants present. ”Lord Varal! I beg you to stay your hand as there has been much needless bloodshed today. I am Constable Hill with the Royal Homeland Constabulary, and my friends and I have been tasked, by King Aodhan himself, with seeing these two safely returned for questioning in the recent unpleasantness.’
Emerson realizes he has his carbine held in a ready position and forces himself to relax his stance and put his firearm in a non-threatening state, butt stock to the floor. ”If you truly have the King’s best interests in mind, please agree to put down arms and let us investigate their claims to the fullest extent, for many of us here have fought in the last war, and I for one, would not wish the great Nation of Risur to be plunged into another one.” He stares at the visibly exhausted eladrin for a few heartbeats wondering if he is in range of Asrabey's flaming blade before adding ”If you decide to strike down our charge, we will be forced to retaliate, which would be unfortunate for all. What say you sir?”
Jesselle whispers, "Here we go..." As she shuts the fear that she feels out. With one deep breath and exhale she steps forward beside Emerson.
Jesselle has her shortbow in hand but pointed to the ground in a non-threatening way as she starts, "Good morning to you all. Asrabey Varal, Duchess Ethelyn, and Nathan Jierre I presume. Like my colleague here, I am Constable Wesmere of the Royal Homeland Constabulary. We are here to arrest Duchess Elthelyn and to return to Risur to stand trial for her crimes."
She pauses and looks down on the three surrounded by the many bodies, "What was done here, out there, it is over. I ask you to let us do what we must. Escort the Duchess, send a representative, do whatever The Unssen Court deems necessary, but we are returning her."
Hoping that Jesselle and Emerson are providing enough of a distraction for him to push a sense of sleepiness over the targets.
Gemma makes no motion to move but continues to have her crossbow at the ready and aimed at Asrabey's back. She hears Emerson and Jesselle start to speak and whispers to the others. "Well, I guess someone had to go first and it's probably best that it wasn't me."
She then whispers to Tobias. "Constable Utegg...is whatever it is that you're doing having any effect?"
With a slightly confused and sluggish look, Asrabey Varal blinks twice as he peers at Tobias, then back at Emerson and Jesselle's words upon the telescope platform. "You are kingswatch," he answers finally, looking back again to Tobias. "I recognize your insignias and your colors or lack thereof. That is the only reason I stay my hand now and do not slay you, that you are servants to the chosen King of Risur."
Flexing his arm with the flaming Vekeshi sword and hefting his feysteel leopard shield, he addresses both Emerson and Jesselle even as he keeps an eye upon Tobias and those behind him just down the stairwell. "This will be my only warning to you. Do as I bid and you will live. Firstly, you will deliver my words directly to your King Aodhan - tell him the Unseen Court did not endorse his sister's actions, and that they desire her execution as a traitor, which I have been tasked to do directly. That others have perished who stood in my way is inconsequential to the purpose, which I am bound to by the orders of the Court. I will consider the wishes of your King however."
Asrabey points to Nathan and then says, "This cowardly cursed-born shall return with me to the Dreaming, whereupon I shall extract all secrets that he knows about these events. Kingswatch, I demand you fetch me a ship and man it only with the smallest of mortal crews to convey myself, this one and Ethelyn to the Risuri mainland, whereupon I shall decide if she should be turned over to Aodhan for judgment. No harm shall come to her before we reach the mainland."
Asrabey Varal finishes his terms as if to be instantly obeyed by the lessers that stand both before and behind him...
Once Emmerson reveals himself Fethryth moves down the stairs after him; there’s no point in trying to remain hidden. She eyes the scene in front of her while the other constables speak to Varal. The Eladrin reminds her of the enclave, and not in a good way. He’s the picture of arrogance, an overinflated egotistical maniac who has no appreciation for the lives of those he deems ‘lesser’.
Fethryth stares at Duchess Ethelyn, traitor to the throne of Risur, and realizes that the Duchess isn’t the person in the room she hates the most. A wry smile spreads across her face. As Varal makes his little speech she pushes past Emerson to move closer to the Eladrin.
Fethryth’s voice drips with contempt ”What a crock of s+@$. You didn’t care much about people being servants of the King when you fried those poor sailors earlier. And you certainly wouldn’t care about frying us either, only you’re badly hurt and there’s cracks in your fancy enchanted armor.”
”Now, our King, he wants her alive” Fethryth gestures to the Duchess. ”And you have no intention of keeping any of those promises you just made. You might think us inferior, but give us a little credit; we’d be poor Constables if we couldn’t spot lies. Unless you’d like to go back and swear on Kasvarina’s life? No?”
"As my fellow Constables said, we don't want to fight. If the Unseen Court wants to show Risur that we're friends then acknowledge the wishes of our King. Let us take Ethelyn in for questioning."
"Asrabey Varal, we must decline all but the first of your terms. We will return with the Duchess and inform the King of the Unseen Courts wishes and that they did not condone this attack." Jesselle says with respect and sincerity.
"Your other terms, we cannot abide. Counteroffer. Depart now, and we will consider not claiming reparations from the Unseen Court for what you did earlier. Especially considering that many that you killed today did not bar your access to the Duchess, I can only speculate at your motives, which are best left unsaid. Departing now would also guarantee that no harm will come to you." The woman says the last part with a fierce and deadly but not yet threatening tone, as she empowers her bow with magical energies.
Overhearing the Lady Constables, Willem whispers, ::"Tobias, you need to move so we can get into position, we are too close together. Constable Wesmere and Teldanona already called Asrabey's bluff.::"
"So move passed me Muhnee, can't you see I'm working on something?" Tobias whispers through gritted teeth as he works on his spell. "Just try not to draw him away from the Duchess."
Gemma quietly moves just past Tobias, hoping her movement won't interrupt what he's doing. She has her crossbow up and aimed at Asrabey but she does not move in to engage him.
"The Duchess isn't going anywhere unless it's in our custody."
Gemma tries hard to not spit the words out at him and to remain professional. All she can think of, though, is to try and drop the warrior where he stands. She feels years of anger at the fey boiling up into her throat and has to swallow hard to choke it down.
"Duchess, we have strict orders to bring you back to the king for trial. If you make any...and I do mean ANY attempt to move from where you are, there will be no quarter given in order to prevent you leaving."
" And you, Jierre, whatever secrets you have, I would highly recommend that you spill them now. The only order we have for you is to bring you back alive if we can. Is all of that clear to everyone?"
No one in the group knows Gemma well enough to know exactly what she'll do. Under normal circumstances, she's been fairly detached and very methodical. But despite the fact that she's still very measured in her actions, something's been off since the groups' encounter with Ghillie Dhu.
Asrabey Varal’s eyes blaze with an eerie azure fire that seems to mirror his anger, his Vekeshi warblade likewise flaring with a surge of fire to match it.
”You…YOU DARE DEFY ME?”
His anger is only matched by his arrogance as he sneers at Gemma and her puny crossbow next to Tobias, then turns to look on contemptuously at Jesselle and Emerson. ”So be it that you choose death. I care not for your reasons, only your obedience. Hear now my “counter” - flee from my gaze, now, and I shall not hunt you down and burn your hearts to ash.”
”But you,” exclaims Asrabey as he stares up at Fethryth upon the platform with a stare that exudes a boiling rage, ”Ba chóir duit a fhios d'áit , sheirbhíseach íseal de na máistrí a rugadh fíor ! Beidh mé saoire go leor marcanna ar tú, agus a dhéanamh cinnte go maireann do fulaingt do do theanga ar neamhchead!”
At that moment, Tobias finishes his magic and casts it in the space between Asrabey Varal and the wounded Ethelyn Lesterman. The eladrin enforcer whips his head back to the antechamber then, locking his gaze to the eyes of the man who has dared cast an enchantment against him. It seems for the briefest of moments that it might work – the lullaby cantrip did affect him somewhat after all, showing the juggernaut is not immune to magic. Yet it becomes clear to Tobias that his enchantment has no chance of taking down the mighty eladrin warrior – it is akin to a single breath blowing out a candle’s flame, only the flame of Asrabey Varal is that of a large bonfire. The enchantment has no effect on either Asrabey or Ethelyn, and Nathan Jierre is too far away to know if his lesser stature would be affected by it.
”That feeble conjuring was your last, man of the Waking,” says Asrabey to Tobias. ”To the Bleaking with all of you…”
Emerson fights the tightness and anxiety building in his chest and steps closer to the edge of the platform. His eyes focus on the sword and he is about to raise his musket and fire. He wishes the eladrin didn't have the sword in his hand and then remembers he could possibly make that happen. In desperation he points his finger at the elf and yells "Drop your sword and shield!" at the same time channeling his gifted power as best as he is able.
Oh s%&* Tobias thinks when Asrabey shrugs off his spell and immediately singles him out.
"Well it was worth a shot I guess." He stands firm where he is, hoping that with the ancient eladrin focused on him, the others might get a shot at his back. He fortifies his meager defenses with his psychic ability and waits nervously, sword drawn, for whatever is coming next.
"Dammit!" Gemma drops her crossbow, knowing it will just be in the way now. Not a second later she draws her pistol, aiming it square at the eladrin, hoping it will have the ability to pierce through the warrior's armor where the bolt would not.
She knows this battle will not be easy and will bring death no matter what happens...on what side remains to be seen.
Only Tobias hears her next words as they are quiet and under her breath. "I hope your blood covers the fey that sent you." With that she grits her teeth and fires.
The shot hits true and the eladrin warrior's fey armor is pierced. A small rivulet of blood seeps out from the hole underneath Arasbey's right breastplate and the quick smile on Gemma's face is undeniable satisfaction.
She quikcly moves beside Emmerson once again and from the vantage the bard looks to the powerful Fey and shakes her head. She than calls out in a strange tongue warrior, "Du fikk muligheten til å reise og holde ansiktet. Like sterk som du er, Asrabey, du også bør kjenne din plass!"
Jesselle than calls upon a gift that she seldom uses but seems necessary here and now, "I call upon a powerful spirit to rise! Rise and strike at he who has felled you!"
For a moment, especially those close to her, see a purple-black aura about the woman. That aura rushes towards one of the fallen war wizards that the fabled warrior cut down and pull upon its spirit to manifest.
While the Spirit has a dislike for the woman calling upon it, it stares at the Fey warrior with utter hatred.
"Strike with your magics as you will... knowing that he who has cut you down is Fey." the woman calls.
The dark figure raises a hand and in a simple but practiced phrase calls upon one of its remaining, but powerful spells. Three bolts of pure and darkened force manifest before its outstretched hand and with a flick of its wrist, the bolts fly at Asrabey leaving the same darkened streaks briefly behind them, striking from three different directions.
With the spell case, the wizards' spirit begins to materialize from whence it called from but stares up at Jesselle and calls out to her in a deep haunting whisper that all can hear, "Beware little one... beware... she will find you..."
Jesselle shudders for a moment before she can regain her composure and the aura that was about her also fades.
Asrabey Varal, the mighty eladrin juggernaut and Royal Enforcer of the Unseen Court of the Dreaming, cannot quite understand what has happened. A smoking bullet hole in his otherwise unmarred feysteel plate-and-scale armor spurts bright blood down his right side, and he stares at it in something that can only be described as disbelief. The malevolent magics from the rebel war mage officer have crushed in his intricate armored scales near his neck, left arm and left side, clearly having an effect at the eladrin's muscle and bone underneath the armor. He begins to quiver and shake - at first it seems as if he is about to go beserk with rage and slay them all with a dreadful cleaving sweep of his terrible Vekeshi flaming warblade - but soon the shaking becomes violent as if he is unable to control himself. With a gasp of bloody spittle he is compelled to drop both his blade and his shield to the observatory floor, the mighty weapons hitting the bloody tiles with a harsh clanging sound that reverberates across the chamber.
"You...y-you will all suf..." is all Asrabey manages to spit out before his eyes seem to roll back and he falls to the floor in a pitiful heap next to his dropped weapons. The unstoppable juggernaut is vanquished at last, and not a moment too soon. Blood drips out of his open mouth, his breathing raspy and ragged, and for a moment it seems that one of the greatest eladrin warriors in existence could die right there on the spot. Then something happens.
Asrabey wears what can only be described as a necklace of what seems like a wreath of ivy with shimmering leaves; as they fought him it was not discernible from the feysteel scale armor that protected his neck, but now it is clearer to see as he lies upon the floor. There is a flash of shimmering golden light and the silver necklace changes to what seems to be living green ivy, growing and stretching its vines and leaves around him as if suddenly alive. The verdant ivy grows down around his armor and the places of his most terrible wounds, and then it shimmers once more in a pleasing soft golden light, staunching the worst of his bleeding at the bullet hole and lessening the terrible crushing bruise that was apparent near his neck. The ivy plant then disappears altogether, its magic expended.
Asrabey is still unconscious, but it appears to the constables that his life has been saved by the magic of his fey necklace.
"NO!" The exclamation from Ethelyn is laced with her authoritative tone that has come from years of being obeyed, yet her voice is weak and carries with it a tinge of panic as well. She lies propped up against the far wall, holding a hand over her stomach, which is blackened and bloody.
"No, constables! You must not kill Asrabey Varal! Else you will shatter the Pact and bring the wrath of the Unseen Court and the fey titans down upon all of Risur in our world of the Waking. There has already been enough eladrin blood spilled this day." Ethelyn says the last with a bitter tone to her voice, filled with sadness.
Fethryth stares at the unconscious eladrin. A grin slowly spreads across her face. ”That was glorious. Excellent work” She’s fairly bouncing down the stairs, obviously in a good mood, although her voice turns serious.
”Of course we’re not going to kill him. He murdered loyal Risuri sailors. It is our duty as Constables to arrest him and bring him in to stand trial. I don’t care if he represents the Unseen Court. Nobody is above the law, especially not pompous jackasses like him.” Fethryth neatly sidesteps the unconscious eladrin and makes a beeline for the Duchess.
”Varal’s fine for now, but you need that wound taken care of. I’ll heal it, only I have a fancy pair of mage-cuffs you’ll need to put on first”
"We will not kill him," she looks at some of the other more anit-fey companions to make the point that they are not to kill the Unseen Court's Enforcer. "We were defending ourselves from someone who obviously did not grasp the position he was in."
With that she walks down the stairs to join the others and stands next to Asrabey. She looks from Nathan Jierre to the Duchess and says, "I suppose we should get this out of the way."
"Duchess Ethelyn, we are placing you under arrest for crimes against Risur. Please surrender yourself to our custody. We would kindly ask that you order the remainder of your forces to stand down and surrender." Jesselle says in an official tone.
Anneca rushes in with the others, holding her pistol out to scan the room for additional threats. Considering the reputation of the eladrin fighter, she is surprised that they were able to defeat him so easily. She grits her teeth that the other constables, the ones who hadn't had anything to do with the infiltration of the island or the capture of the lighthouse, managed to strike the winning blow against such a powerful enemy. She sweeps into the room, trying to reclaim the victory for the real team of constables. "Remember me, Ethelyn? You didn't know last time we spoke, but I was friends with Makala Fileccia - and I didn't know that you murdered her. Since then, I've been killing my way through your friends, one at a time. Elf girl? Halfling psychopath? Little flying dragonling? All dead. Oh, and you have me to thank for not letting the Brand blow up the entire ship. Time for you to surrender and face the consequences of your treachery." By the time she has finished speaking, Anneca is nearly spitting with rage through her clenched teeth. She would like nothing more than for Ethelyn to resist so that they can end her once and for all - but she stays her hand on account of the orders that she was given.
Gemma puts her pistol away and slings her crossbow. She draws her sabre before responding to Jesselle's comment and moving forward towards Nathan Jierre, who should be still cowering in the corner.
"Don't have to. My shot and your...whatever it is that you did...was enough to kill him the first time. No need to do it again. The first death was satisfying enough. However, I would highly recommend that someone put manacles on him about now. Had he had more strength in him he could have easily killed us all. That scenario went about as good as it possibly could have given the circumstances."
" And you,"she points to Nathan Jierre with a scowl,"what's your role in all of this. We thought you were going to be holed up in the prison with the others and instead you're here with our king's sister. As I mentioned before...if you have any secrets, you may want to speak them now."
The constable then turns a quick eye towards the Duchess. "Or maybe you? Care to share anything that might give us the slightest clue as to why you went against your own brother and brought about all this death to your fellow Risuri?"
Willem rushes up the rest of the stairs with his rifle at the enemy would be but seems to be displeased for the enemy had already been defeated but the law is the law. Willem keeps his rifle aimed at Asrabey until someone places manacles on him, "I agree, we should bind Asrabey? Any of you new team members have magical manacles? This isn't a suspect we place normal manacles on unless that is all that is available." Willem also keeps his eyes on Nathan Jierre and the Duchess ready to respond to a greater threat.
Ethelyn Lesterman says nothing to Fethryth as she places the powerfully enchanted mage-cuffs upon her, though the offering out of her wrists to make it easier to clasp them perhaps reveals a respectful assent to the request. She nods once to Jesselle at the reading of the charges but maintains a steely glare upon Anneca and her words to her. ”Oh yes. Yes I do remember you, Constable Anneca Summers of Flint Branch. I seem to recall we were talking about the blind loyalty of dogs in fact, of which your blind obedience to a foolish master has only helped to condemn Risur – and perhaps all of Lanjyr – to oblivion. As to your misguided sense of vengeance for the slaying of Makala Fileccia, I only say to you that there are many casualties in war. Regrettable and a shameful waste of promise and talent, true, but that is what it means to fight in war, young Summers. Steel yourself for the death of all else you may hold dear with the false-choices you have made.”
Perhaps out of some sense of defiance need to justify her actions, she looks away from the fiery stare of Anneca and addresses all of them with a cold, imperious air. ”It is true I executed Constable Fileccia at her discovery of my plans in Flint. It is also true that I attempted fratricide and regicide against my brother, the King of Risur. You can ultimately lay the death of hundreds, perhaps thousands, at my feet. Yet it is an act to save millions. I shall take what comes, and regret none of it. All I regret now is that I did not prove the treachery of Danor and House Jierre - that they have beguiled my foolish, tired brother with promises of peace when they scheme to send the world to its doom, that this place of Axis holds terrible secrets that they are desperate to uncover and learn how to use against all of us. I do what I have done for neither power nor petty emotion, but to save my people. History would prove my actions justified, except that I fear there will be nothing left of Risur to document it.”
Turning back to glare at Anneca, Ethelyn says finally, ”And now you have murdered and killed to get to me, staining your own hands with blood. Tell me, which one of your so-called comrades extinguished the fair light of my lovely Sorkana, one of less than a hundred now of the trueblood that still call the Waking their home? I know she could not have succumbed to your lesser magics. A flower more valuable than the blood and treasure spent to build that monstrosity the Coaltongue, and yet one of you slashed her throat even when she must have surrendered or been recoverable in the struggle last night.” Ethelyn looks around the room at all of them. ”Who? Who killed my lovely Sorkana? Oh, I saw through the eyes of dear Mellora after she felled that dreadful constable who struck Sorkana with his hammer, felt Mellora’s pain and terror as she plummeted to her death from the bullets of one of your infernal weapons.” She looks at Willem then, pointing a finger from a manacled wrist at him. ”Was it you that killed my lovely sprite? Where is your infamous friend with the hammer? Dead? Where is the mindblade constable of the House of Lanvaldan? Also dead? Hopefully Ilton slit both their throats before the end, or Sorkana burned them to ash.” She looks at Gemma and her sabre with both revulsion and hatred. ”A cold iron sabre made by Danorans during one of the wars…yes I wonder if it is your blade that murdered her with it, fancying yourself a blademaster of the ages on a helpless, fallen foe.” To all of them she adds, ”No need for secrets now, mighty constables, so why not confess your own sins as well as proclaim mine?”
Throughout all of this Nathan Jierre remains silent, quaking with fear at the horrible violence he has witnessed and clearly wanting to have no part of it. He only ceases to cower by the corner of the observatory after it is clear that the mighty Asrabey Varal is not going to instantly rise and torture or slay him as he recently promised.
To Gemma, who is distracted by Ethelyn's accusations to them, Nathan says with a pleading air, "I...I request asylum...sanctuary...from the Risuri people! It is true that I communicated the portal ring's wards and secret phrases to Duchess Ethelyn, for I feared what my own people were looking to both find and create here on Axis." Nathan points a shaky hand towards Ethelyn. "She said she would send emissaries that could help to discover the truth...b-but I didn't know she was going to use my information to invade the island with a thousand Risuri soldiers and start a war! Truly I didn't! I t-thought she would t-tell the King of Risur and force a meeting to stop General Alsanor's excavations! But now I am a traitor to my own House, my own people! I'm a scholar and a philosopher, an observer of the Heavens and their influence on our world! That's all I am!"
"I request sanctuary from the Kingdom of Risur..." is all he says in finality, louder so that all in the chamber can hear him.
Of the mighty eladrin warrior Asrabey Varal, Royal Enforcer of the fey Unseen Court of the Dreaming, there are no words as he still lies unconscious but stable upon the floor of the observatory. The feared Vekeshi warblade still flickers with what seems like hungry, living fire. The leopard shield lies inert and unmoving. Even his cloak of living smoke has diminished to a trickle, as if tied to his own life-essence. Willem stands nearest to him with his double-barreled musket aimed at Asrabey's chest, ready to finish him off should the need arise somehow, though at this point it appears his terrible rampage starting from the bowels of the Falcon through the harbor, town and inner keep of Axis has truly come to an end.
Willem mutters something quite unintelligible to get something out of his system but does not want to receive any glares from his team mates or instigate a situation in which the constables need to kill the prisoners. If Willem is muttering something, then the constables know it is politically incorrect. Then he continues, "Ignore what's her name for a second, is anyone going to handcuff and disarm this Asrabey fello'?" Willem knows who Ethelyn is but he feels she no longer deserves to be called much of anything for she has lost that privilege.
With the unregretful words and accusations of Ethelyn Lesterman, something inside Gemma becomes completely unhinged. All her repressed anger comes boiling to the surface, unbridled and unleashed. "It was me. I was the one that killed your precious ally."
But before she starts to move towards the Duchess, she looks to the cowering Nathan Jierre, almost sick by looking at how pitiful he is through all this. "Whether is it my place or not, as far as I'm concerned, you will be granted asylum. You will be cuffed by one of the other constables and taken into protective custody. Provided you cooperate fully, you will not be harmed. I will see to it personally to the best of my ability. You have my word."
She then starts to stride towards Ethelyn with a look in her eyes the likes no one here has ever seen from her. "I will be clear in saying that, out of propriety, I will not raise a hand or weapon to strike you, but I absolutely have all purpose of making my words sting. You and I will both answer for the deaths we've caused, in one way or another. In regards to Sorkana, let me quote your own words back to you. 'There are many casualties in war. A regrettable and shameful waste of promise and talent, but that is what it means to fight in war.' You killed Constable Fileccia, we killed Sokana. The board is squared."
Gemma's words are measured and dealt ice cold. "I well understand that there will be repercussions for taking the life of an eladrin but it's kill or be killed in war, right Duchess? That's the game we're playing, isn't it? Both sides playing for keeps. Or did I misunderstand the rules? She came not once, but twice to kill us. She knew what she was getting into. You knew what she was getting into. If her life is more precious than any of the rest of ours then SHE SHOULD HAVE STAYED THE FETH HOME!" The words are thick with venom and yelled into the duchess' face. Hot tears start to spill over and onto Gemma's cheeks, wiped away quickly with the back of her own sleeve. She moves in to get almost within inches of Ethelyn's face, staring hatred into her eyes before backing away. "And let me tell you something about your precious fey. Let me tell you what they took from me and what they gave back in return and why I'm proud to carry this cold iron. They took FIVE YEARS OF MY LIFE!!! They took me from my crib like thieves in the night. Because why?!? Because the king forgot to give them enough apples or pieces of gold or whatever they find value in that second of the day?!? They got to hear my first words. They got to watch my first steps. They took away my very TIME! And what did they give me in return for that??? They gave me unending nightmares. They gave me a lifetime of fear and insecurity. They even BRANDED ME AS A FETHING THRALL!!!" Gemma steps away for only a moment before turning back and sticking a finger in the woman's face. "So don't you ever question me again about my secrets or my choices. I hope you get to the Bleaking Gates and just stand there."
Gemma is too angry to even notice the reactions, or lack thereof, that may come from the other constables. She only knows that she has to walk away or indeed risk striking the Duchess or bursting into tears to help get the last of the hatred out, neither one of which is an acceptable outcome. So she takes one last hard look at Ethelyn Lesterman and then proceeds to remove herself from the room.
Jesselle looks to Willem and explains to the everyone, "Under the Risuri Treaty with the Unseen Court Asrabey Varal has diplomatic immunity for pretty much everything he has done here today. Esepcially considering that we are foreign soil."
She considers the situation and than continues, "It would be unwise to do any further harm to Varal. While I would like to set him free, in his present state of mind, we would be within our rights to briefly detain the Royal Enforcer of the Unseen Court"
She nods to Tobias, "I believe you also have a pair of Mage Cuffs?"
She than turns to the yelling match of Gemma and the former Duchess and watches as the fellow constable departs the room. She turns to Nathan Jierre, "I am sure that it will cause issues when your family returns later today for the hand over of Axis Island, but we are not the ones that can refuse you your request either. At present, your request is under consideration and I am sure that we can provide you with protections, should it be required."
With that out of the way she turns to the former Duchess not taking to be baited into a circular argument of blame and asks, "Duchess, I am curious, you claim to know that the Danor is doing 'something' that will bring about the end of our world, could you elaborate on that all? And would you happen to have proof?"
"How about we don't indulge the crazy lady? She is clearly floundering for justification of her attempted coup. You whine about the treachery of the Danorans, but you have the blood of Risuri on your hands, through your treachery. I'm glad we killed that traitorous b$~%%, just like I'm glad I melted the flesh off of Ilton's bones. I would gladly kill every single one of the remaining 'Truebloods' if it meant bringing you to justice." Anneca spits out her rage, barely able to restrain herself from dousing her in flame. Her anger blinds her to the possibility that there may be more to the situation than a failed rebellion.
Willem nods as he keeps fixated on Asrabey while listening for anything precarious around him, "Constable Wesmere, you do not have to tell me 'bout Risurian Treaties nor the King's Law to me. If I was not followin' them, I would have already shot this murderer with Risurian blood on his hands in the back of the melon with both barrels. And that goes for the crazy lady over there yonder. He should be placed in magical cuffs until he can be handed over to the Unseen Court by us or our chain of command. And you might as cuff lip service over there too." Willem nods his head towards the Duchess. Being around Constable Lanvaldan has resurfaced Willem's military past since he is currently using military terms like lip service and melon.
"I believe you also have a pair of Mage Cuffs?"
"Um, yeah. Saving yours for later?" Tobias shrugs as he takes his own mage cuffs and slips them over Asrabay's wrists, marveling at how simple the act was now that the man was down.
"You would really let him go after the swaths of people he killed just to get here? If Ethelyn had been stationed in a Risuri city we'd likely be wading through the bodies of dead civilians right now. He has as much to answer for as anyone else in this damned war. Not to mention he's even more likely to want to kill us now than he was two minutes ago."
He looks around at everyone and nods back the way they came. "We can spend all day arguing about who is right, who is wrong, and why, but the longer we sit here, the more likely we are to run into reinforcements. We've got our orders, we've completed our objectives, let's go back home and argue over a light lunch or something. Too many corpses here for my taste."
As soon as Tobias is through handcuffing Asrabay, he then looks up at the Duchess with his rifled lowered in the direction of the Duchess, "So who is handcuffing her?" Willem nods to the Duchess to point her out, "Nothin' funny ... Ma'am ... don't think I will not shoot you if try any shenanigans. You must answer for treason against your King, your brother. You know ma'am, my family has had their ups and downs but we have NEVER turned on each other like you have, you should be ashamed with yourself. And don't tell me to call you anythin' else than Ma'am, you do not rate it for being a traitor to your own!." Willem turns red but still remains calm, respectful, and carefully watching her.
Willem notices that the Duchess is already mage cuff, "Oh, she is already mage-cuffed. I was too focused on Asrabay, I didn't notice. I would have handcuffed him first. Just because he is out, doesn't mean he would stay that way long or maybe was faking it. No matter, they are both cuffed now. Let's go, she can yak on the way."
Gemma calls out from the hallway, just beyond the doors. "I'd be happy to knock him out again if he wakes up."
She sounds choked up but more together than just a few minutes ago. "But Constables Muhnee and Utegg are right. We need to get going."
Making her way back into the room, Gemma sheaths her sabre and straightens her gear, closing her eyes for a moment and gathering herself. She looks to Nathan Jierre and pulls a pair of regular cuffs from a side pocket as she makes her way over to him. "Since no one has cuffed you yet, despite the fact that you have requested asylum, I must ask you to give me your wrists."
Assuming the scholar submits himself to arrest, Gemma puts the cuffs on him and helps him to steady himself. "Because you were complicitous with Ethelyn Lesterman, you will have to be formally questioned. I would hope that you would readily tell us what you know. Per your own words, you're already a traitor to Danor. Your compliance may find you safety and keep you alive in Risur." Her tone is easier with Jierre now as she leans in to whisper to him. "Do not take my current protection of you for granted. I was one of the ones charged with finding you and bringing you back safely to your cousin. She was most concerned about you. But that may not be the way things turn out now, based of current events. If you are lying about any of this, things will not go well for you." Gemma's last statement is in no way a threat, simply a statement of fact. For whatever reason, and not one that even Gemma understands herself, she has genuine concern for the little philosopher. Whether by his own hand or not, he is in quite a mess and one that he probably had no anticipation of.
She looks around the room to the other constables. "Is everyone ready to go? Getting out of here may be a bit of a mess. We all need to be ready." Gemma grabs Jierre's arm firmly so she can lead him wherever they're going while her other hand is on her pistol.
Willem responds, "Should we look for any evidence before we depart? If not, I will leads us out."
Fethryth stays quiet as she deals with Ethelyn’s wounds, although she does wince when Gemma starts using ‘Feth’ in her rant against the former Duchess.
Gemma might have had the first outburst, but Anneca’s angry words resonate with her the most. The constable reminds Fethryth of a younger version of herself. Maybe she can offer Anneca advice or help, though she’ll have to pick her words and approach very carefully or the mage will likely set her hair on fire; Anneca hasn’t been subtle enough Fethryth to miss her dislike of the relief team. It’s a conversation for another week.
Finishing with Ethelyn she stands up, stretches, and looks at Varal’s unconscious form. ”He killed Risuri sailors, threatened us, tried to kill us and nearly cost us our mission. Screw diplomatic immunity, he’s coming back with us in chains.” No matter what happens with Varal she knows she’s made herself a powerful enemy today, so there’s no incentive for her to make him comfortable or try to get on his good side. Maybe she’ll shave his eyebrows off on the ride back.
In the meantime there’s more pressing concerns. ”I think taking a quick look around is a good idea. Heavens know what they’ve got lying around here.”
Emerson keeps quiet, watching for other threats atop his perch on the observation deck. He takes an opportunity to look at the telescope next to him, wondering what Nathan could have seen in the heavens that would have prompted him to betray his nation. 'Pretty serious stuff.'
The vehemence of Gemma and Anneca's verbal attacks brings his attention back down to the floor below. "I agree with Fethryth. we should take a quick look around for evidence before heading back."
Ethelyn murmurs an actual statement of thanks to Fethryth after the elvish constable heals closed the final vicious wound that nearly threatened to disembowel her. With help she stands up, proud as one could be under the circumstances. To both Anneca and Gemma in particular, she glares at them and says, ”You’ll receive no further satisfaction from my lips for your petty, egregious acts against me.”
Pointedly turning her head away from them to look towards Jesselle Wesmere, the former Duchess says to both Jesselle and Fethryth, ”Proof was what I was seeking here…the papers you can recover from this chamber and the library below will show in part what I feared. That Danor was experimenting with both magic and industry here to further their arcanoscience technology, particularly in the field of metallurgy. Plans were recovered that they were preparing within a year to build both a military shipyard and gunworks on the island, the so-called “villages” already producing new metal alloys from rich veins of high-quality iron in the various mines here. What other purpose would such actions be if not for war? Yet there is something else at work here, something the House of Jierre entrusted to General Alsanor regarding these ancient ruins on the island. The excavations were not documented as they should have been, not as the Danorans typically do, but nevertheless they had the highest priority, looking for marble columns deep within the earth that were left by a forgotten, ancient people. There is particular attention in logs of shipments to unearth an ancient temple in the southern island. Even more strange is the materials being gathered to drain the island’s central lake between the mountain ridges. This…interest in ancient archeological ruins is odd behavior for the Danorans, who otherwise dwell on the new and modern. Something is afoot, and Nathan’s revelations of these events compelled me to act.”
Ethelyn sighs with clear fatigue and loss. ”And now we shall never know, for I cannot prove now to the Risuri people that the Danorans are embroiled in a dire conspiracy…perhaps now only the Skyseers that have truesight can avert the calamity that may doom the world.”
”L-Lya? Lya was looking for me?” Nathan Jierre seems both touched and crestfallen at Gemma’s revelation about her cousin’s interest in him. ”I…I cannot face her now…she wouldn’t understand why what our uncle is doing is wrong. I…I cannot explain how I know, but Duchess Ethelyn is correct that my people are intent upon building new weapons here, using our latest advances in technology mixed with secrets unearthed from these ancient ruins.”
Nathan points to the great telescope mounted upon the observatory platform, trying to explain himself to the others. ”You see, I detest politics, opting instead to pursue science and the ways magic and astronomy are tied together – not in the way you Risuri regard the “Heavens” with such mystic backwards fanaticism espoused by your so-called skyseers! Certainly we need no more backwards religion to keep minds locked in mindless, obsolete traditions! No, I wanted to study the interaction between the planetary objects…their movements and patterns…and the relationship of those courses with various types of elemental magic.”
Nathan laughs then ruefully. ”And my uncle, the Sovereign of House Jierre, encouraged me to do so, to come here and see if I could prove my theorems correct! And so I did. He and his advisors were especially keen on understanding what magic may be influenced by more distant stars and planets – well beyond the obvious connections of Jiese, Urim, Mavisha and the like. Yet while I was here I noticed the other goings-on of Axis here upon the ground, plans and expeditions that did not make sense for routine enterprise. I notice things you see, and…well…I suppose that is why I will never now see my homeland again.” Nathan hangs his head dejectedly, his emotions getting the better of him.
Gemma looks to Nathan Jierre. "You may want to refrain from belittling our skyseers when you get to Risur, especially if you're seeking favor and asylum. Just a recommendation."
She then looks back to the duchess. "Maybe one day, long from now, we can have a nice chat about petty and egregious acts that we've both committed in the name of our country. Perhaps when emotions aren't running so high. But please don't forget, duchess, it was you who asked for our sins and secrets. I and no one else gave that to you." Gemma stops and takes a deep breath before continuing. "As for everything else, despite my intense feelings on some matters, I will perform my duty as a constable without prejudice to the facts...no matter what side the facts favor...yours or Aodan's. That is my job and my duty to the people of Risur before all else. If your facts prove true, there will be a number of things we will all have to come to terms with."
She looks to the others, who are still gathering evidence. "As soon as you're ready and have everything in hand, I do think we should get moving. I'd like to get to our extraction site to see what we're walking into before we walk into it."
Anneca pores over the collected evidence, looking to learn what she can about the accusations of the treacherous Duchess. Despite her rage, she finds it calming to check over the blueprints and tallies. She looks at them all with some skepticism, but hopes to learn what she can. The magical experimentation doesn't come naturally to her, considering her preference for more direct arcane spells, but the manner in which it is fused to technology makes plenty of sense to her. She keeps an eye on the telescope's findings and notes the similarity between the breach and the star. It will take some time to digest all of it, but she seems to be on the right track to have a rudimentary understanding before long.
Fethryth looks up from the papers she’s rifling through to give Jierre a piercing look. "You might want to refrain from belittling Skyseers now, considering you’re in the hands of the Risuri constabulary. There might be a backwards mystic fanatic present, one who will be too busy making sure you get out of here in one piece to have a proper discussion about why you’re wrong.” She keeps staring at him for a few seconds to make sure he gets the message before she turns her attention back to the documents.