Unheard by the rest of the audience, save perhaps the closest neighbours, Ecelo whispers angrily at Marcus ex Guernicus:
"And you'd give up our chance to have a binding tribunal ruling bottle up the bombastic boasts of that boring blabberer? I care not whether the source is Faerie, Hell, or the spirit of Criamon himself forcibly dragged from the gates of the Enigma by Henricius's flood of foolishness, but this is a godsend we should not waste!"
whispering And so are men tempted! Heh. I'll back you on an amendment to procedure limiting speaking times but outside council you'll just have to learn to sleep eyes open and standing like the rest of us.
If it worries you I can have a quiet look at Henricius's hunting activities. There's no evidence for a charge at this Tribunal and even if there were we don't air our dirty laundry in front of the demon because it is not our friend. And before you start with maybe it's not really a demon, if it isn't then someone is arseing us about so fuck 'em.
"Good grief. This is still being debated? I went and consuled the precedent on blasting demons with demon-blasting spells, and the poor magus in question's punishment for blasting demons was to make more demon-blasting items so everyone could get in on the fun."
"Anyone here a Perdo Vim expert and want to show off their best demon-slaying spell? Five pawns of vim vis to the best one!"
Henricius begins to explain, at incredible length, that when it comes to demon slaying "there can be only one", and he is that one. He goes on to say he could destroy this demon with only his bare hands, and one arm tied behind his back, while gagged, even if distracted by the thunderous applause of his sodales!
cj x
Thanks to a sponted Re(Mu)Im the shout of "JUST KILL IT ALREADY" comes from over near the Praeco and doesn't sound like Marcus at all.
Alyssa of House Jerbiton considers the matter. "hearing the charges at all is a case of dealing with devils and we should put end to this case immediately. That said, Anyone that wishes to temporarily depart from the tribunal proceedings to send the lady home in an appropriate matter should select a proxy to vote their sigil and be welcome to do so."
"I do believe the preaco in invoking hell to silence the magus has made several errors in judgement that cause me concern. First, her request could indeed be ruled as dealing with devils to imperil her soul and those of this tribunal. Second it shows a disturbing lack of knowledge of hermetic law as a Preaco is empowered to silence someone from speaking during tribunal that she shouldn't have needed to call upon outside forces."
"Finally, I do agree with the call to see if the activities of the mage in question does count for meddling with mundanes and bringing their wrath upon the order."
OK, to wrap this one up -- the problem with demons is they can never tell the direct truth. "Buttercup" as she claimed to be when someone asked if she was a faerie was indeed a demon - and dealing with her was as Lady Phoenix and other pointed out, completely against the Code. Nonetheless I think everybody handled it well, though charges could be brought for listening to her at all, and for giving her a glass of wine. At least you did not invite her in the Aegis of the Hearth so she could cause further mischief.
Henricius is a brave hunter of infernal powers, and the "harmless old biddies and midwives" he killed turn out on investigation to have been a terrible coven of witches fo the darkest sort, clearly aligned with infernal powers. He is unfortunately also a crushing bore, and massively egotistical. "Buttercup" did not mind losing her pawns in her long term game, but when Henricius however claimed their sins were diabolical her Immense satanic pride was stung - after all, they were guilty of just petty, tawdry, nasty human sins - only Buttercup's actions were diabolical. So driven by pride she came along to Tribunal to complain!
Her arrivals coinciding with the Praeco's curse was quite coincidental, or an infernal jest - but he did not summon her. The case was largely as it appeared, in as far as dealing with such an entity can ever be straightforward.
CASE CLOSED -- but further comments very welcome. RULING: CASE DISMISSED.
cj x