Oh no! Lady Cygna, what have you gotten yourself into?
Hiems stands up, unable to bear cygna's grief
I believe you, for what it's worth.
Sodales, I have never been able to perceive the shade by myself. But if it is a demon of some sort, which, given Adorjan's acts, seems entirely possible, it shouldn't surprise anyone that our magic, or the Sight, is unable to perceive it.
I will add that I have known Lady Cygna for some years now, and can testify, through her reactions, both subtle and not, that it did indeed torment her on a regular basis.
Despite this, I have never seen her behave in anything but the most exemplar fashion, does he say, while looking cygna in the eye.
Hiems feels slaped, and find this both very insulting to Cygna, and very, very dumb. Turning to focus, with a voice as cold as any he has ever had
Then, sir, the man was a fool
(You guys write way too much way too fast!!!)
Forgeting convenances, when focus seizes cygna, Hiems begins to quickly descends towards Focus and Cygna, uncertain of what he'll do, only to stop when Focus releases cygna: The urgency that overcame him passed, this would mean getting close to cygna again, and he feels ill at ease.
Yet, his hesitation only last an instant, and, when he hears Focus comment, he rejoins the two.
What game are you playing, sir? This is no way to treat either a lady or a sodales, especially in this place. You should be ashamed of your behaviour.
Praeco Talion whispers with Guglielmo, and then calls out, "The Tribunal finds Hiems Ex Miscellanea in contempt of court, and fines him five pawns of vis. Perhaps they do things differently in Iberia, but in Stonehenge, magi do not give testimony unless called upon by the Presiding Quaesitor." He bangs his gavel.
Focus just gives his vague half-smile. "This girl made a physical attack against a fellow member of the Order, with the Praeco and Presiding Quaesitor as witnesses; I would have been within my rights to respond to force with force. The ludicrous chastisement of some pretentious, lovesick hedgie does not concern me overmuch. Good day."
[color=red]"What?!? Wait a minute!" Cygna shouts before taking a moment to calm herself.
[color=red]"Begging your pardon, Praeco. But did you not agree, mere moments ago, that Hermetic Crimes are to be resolved after all policy proposals have been voted on? Should not the trial of Hiems for contempt be held at that time, and not resolved in such an ex officio manner?"
[color=red]"Not without provocation. I trust you do not make it a habit to treat your sodales with such obvious contempt." Cygna is still fuming, her hands balled at her side. After glaring at Focus for a minute or so, she finally turns and walks away. ((I so wanna challenge this joker to certamen, except (1) that would likely break her vow of humility, and (2) he would probably totally own her.))
Cygna tracks down Grus. [color=red]"I'm sorry that my weakness and sinful nature is causing you so much trouble, mater. But...I thought that you had already been fined for my misdeeds."
"Cygna Bjornaeris, you are in contempt of court, and this Tribunal fines you five pawns of vis. I suggest you familiarize yourself with the Hermetic Code prior to falsely "correcting" a Tribunal Praeco on the responsibilities of his office."
She smiles sadly. "It is not your fault, my girl. There is no excuse for my having been so woefully ignorant of what was going on beneath my own nose. I saw all the signs, and-- I guess I just couldn't let myself believe it. I could have asked more questions, I could have been more trusting of my own suspicions, I should have-- Iudicium is right. I am as much to blame for what happened to you as Adorjan was. You were my responsibility, and I was too distracted by my own concerns to realize what was going on in front of my own eyes." Tears spill down her cheeks. "Do you think you can ever forgive me?"
Cygna glares at Talion for a moment before she turns and stiffly walks away, muttering under her breath. [color=red]"Responsibilities, abuses, po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe." As she walks away, and she starts to calm down, she starts to realize that it was incredibly arrogant of her to correct the Praeco the way she did, especially in public...even if her intent was to come to the aide of one of her oldest and dearest friends. After a few minutes, she resolves to speak with the Praeco to offer her apologies, and seeks him out.
[color=red]"What I did to you was inexcusable, and I had no right to put you in this situation. Of course I forgive you, mater...I love you, and I promise to atone for my sins against you somehow. If they don't reconsider your fine, I will pay it for you...it was my own crimes that brought that about." She cries as she hugs her mater tight.
After the confrontation between Cygna and Hiems and Focus ends, Cygna asks for a moment of Hiems's time. If he agrees, she will speak with him off to one side, in private...not alone, but away from everyone else where (hopefully) their words won't be overheard.
[color=red]"Thank you for the kind words in my defence, Hiems. I'm sorry that they wound up costing you so." She pauses for a moment to look at her hands, then looks up at him again.
[color=red]"And I'm truly sorry that you hand to find out the truth about me like this. I wanted to tell you before...had hoped that I would have by now, but it was not to be. I pray that you think no less of me than you did before, and that you do not now see me as the monster, the demon that I know I am."
((Irony: Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart popped up on my playlist just as I started the section with Hiems.))
During the recess, he is conferring with Iudicium, Draag and Goliard; they do appear to be discussing business in hushed voices.
Gruis grabs Cygna by the shoulder and shakes her. "Don't you say that! It was my DUTY. Your welfare was my responsibility, and I was completely oblivious to what was going on. I saw many of the destructive things you were doing, and I passed it off as typical teenage girl rebellion... but the truth is, if it had been my daughter doing half of the things you were, I would have put a stop to it immediately. I failed you." She breaks down, sobbing.
When Tribunal reconvenes, the vote is called, and it is almost unanimous in favour of ratifying the Wizard's March. Only one old man in the Nigrasaxa box voted against it. (And any among the PCs who choose to vote against it.)
"We will reconvene an hour past sunrise tomorrow, and hear all matters of policy. Tribunal adjourned."
Cygna waits quietly to one side for a lull in the conversation. Then she approaches Talion. [color=red]"Praeco? May I have a moment of your time?"
Assuming he agrees: [color=red]"I would like to apologize for my outburst earlier. It was entirely out of line of me to question your judgment after finding Hiems in contempt. I let my temper get the better of me, again, and for that I am truly sorry.
"I would also ask that you show Hiems leniency. He is new to Stonehenge. Iberia is in quite a bit of disarray, and has been for some time; the Tribunals there are nowhere nearly as smoothly-run as this one is. I beg that you show him leniency, and give him a warning this time, please."
((Just out of curiosity, who's the geezer who voted against it?))
Cygna will spend the rest of the day in the chapel, in prayerful meditation to prepare herself for the ritual that Trutina will be casting. ((I'm assuming the covenant has a chapel or church of some kind. If not, she will simply be in her room, or somewhere out of the way)) She will make sure that someone knows where she is, so they can get her when they're ready for her.
Goliard (Cygna recognizes her by reputation) turns and says, "I think it fairly apparent that the Praeco is conducting business right now."
She doesn't recognize him by face or reputation, but after a bit of asking she'll find out that it was Maximianus of Bonisagus.
No chapel of any sort here-- they have a Magic 8 Aura and they nurture it closely.
The guest rooms here are all small, but quiet, as the covenant is underground and all the guest rooms are dug into solid stone.
"Don't you want to know what they do, before you let them destroy the magic?" Adorjan muses. "You know they're going to charge you for the casting anyway. You could probably find someone else to do it cheaper if you really want them gone, but they are quite powerful."
Tempting, but... [color=red]"Not particularly, no," she says as she looks up at Adorjan, her fingers marking her place on the rosary that she's finally gotten the hang of. [color=red]"If they have any power at all, it would be Infernal, and I have put all that behind me.
"But, while you're here, I do have a couple of questions for you. When you drew me to the woods to help you kill Bethany, you said that she had to die for what she had done. What did you mean by that?
"And what are you? I had assumed that you were a ghost...but you're not, are you?" Part of her still thinks that he's a mere shade, but vastly more powerful than he has any right to be...but she's starting to have her doubts, and fears that Hiems may have been right all along.
Cygna looks at Adorjan, stunned, and suddenly feels sick to her stomach. [color=red]"Are...are you saying...?" She can barely bring herself to formulate the thought, let alone say the words.
[color=red]"Adorjan," she finally says, [color=red]"Even if such a thing were possible...and even if I believed that I felt...that way toward you. You know that I've taken a Vow of Chastity, and I will not forsake my sacred vows, not even for you. Now...please, leave me."
Hiems is quite surprised by this turn of event.
Not only is this a harsh penalty for a minor offense, but it was given without any warning whatsoever, to someone who, according to the praeco's own words, is a stranger to this tribunal's customs. Given the fact that the previous ruckus attracted no attention at all, it sees quite strange.
Could there be more than meets the eye here? Inter-covenant politics at play? Or is it simply an abusive Praeco?
And shouldn't things like this be voted anyway???
He almost says something, but yields and reasons, which allows cygna to speak. The Praeco's harsh reaction to her, and the fact that no magus objects, warns him. There's something very wrong going on here. As cygna says, this should have been voted, yet everyone accepts it like if he was a mundane king. He must bow until he learns more.
(Note: These are questions Hiems is asking himself, but the last one is also OOC, and I'd like an answer, since my Code of Hermes is quite rusty, but I doubt very much he should be able to hand down penalties like this for something like that, especially without the tribunal's approval, especially in a tribunal as unruly as Stonehenge.)
Hiems looks at Focus like he would a curious beast
Ah.
I understand.
You are not a simple brute, but rather a bully that tries to provoke opponents into a fault through lame insults. I won't entertain you. If you want certamen, you'll ask it like a man, and later. Come, lady cygna, this is not worth your time.
He'll exit with cygna
Of course he'll agree! This is cygna!!!
This was nothing, really. You deserved a lot more. Although there is something very wrong about what happened back there.
(he shares with cygna his above reflexions)
It doesn't surprise me coming from you, but, although you were as just and righteous as ever, you shouldn't have put yourself on the line for this. Yes it was unfair, and probably illegal. But the lack of reaction only meant he'd react in a similar vein to you, with a similar lack of reaction. Unless we find out how he came to dominate the tribunal like this, and how to counter it, we should take great care in what we do or say
Looks at his feet a moment, then cygna. And then, on an impulsion, he places his hands on her shoulders and looks right in her eyes.
Lady cygna, hear me out. This is important.
You are not a monster.
You are someone who was manipulated by a powerful and clever infernalist.
Yet managed to do the right thing, and, since then, you've become the most wise and fair person I've ever met.
There is one thing I feel today. And it is compassion. For you went through all this, and lived alone with this burden for years, regretting it all the way.
You are right. You should have told me before.
Because then, we would not have wasted so many years. I would have told you you were speaking nonsense, and hammered it unto you until it clang.
You are not a monster. You are a victim.
With that, he releases her and steps back, dead serious.
(note: instead of nonsense, I almost typed nonsex, which means no sex )
[/quote]
Hiems will gladly vote for the March, and be relieved by the result. He never doubted it, but so large a vote is important for cygna's well being, he reasons.
A tribunal's operations have very specific rules on how and why interjections may occur. A Point of Order is used to ensure proper procedure is being followed; a Point of Information is used to clarify any factual errors or oversights. Speaking out of turn, without observing protocol, is grounds for censure, and contempt of court is not voted upon, but is at judicial discretion.
(I have modeled Tribunal proceedings upon a combination of English parliamentary procedure and the American judicial system... I was on the debate team in university.)
On an Int+CoH of 9-11, you'd know that there are specific ways you can interrupt legally, but you wouldn't know what they are.
On an Int+CoH check of 6-8, you'd know the general rule of Tribunal is to speak only when called upon to speak.
5 or less and you're probably not even sure why you're here
((Some participants in a tribunal won't have this knowledge, and I wouldn't find it unreasonable for everyone to be reminded of proper decorum when in session. Some people will forget themselves, and deserve due chastisement/punishment. But not every magus has Code of Hermes scores, and if you don't have it, you can't use it, as it is a Lore skill which requires some experience.))
In the words of Praeco Talion: "Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it." This is a big part of why new magi's first Tribunal, they are traditionally accompanied by their parentes.
((And when the Tribunals have inquorate the last few times? Honestly, those fines should be given out like candy, and not just to PCs. I'm sure there are some unaccompanied minors about. Out of curiosity, what happens with the fines? Code of Hermes check of 16 Some retcons based on die rolling this out might be reasonable.))
Fines currently go straight to "the Tribunal" == Blackthorn. It's one of the things Fredegisa and Iulia are trying to overturn.
CoH 16 is enough to know that the typical fine for contempt of court is generally 1 or 2 pawns, depending on the Tribunal.
The fines are handed out like candy. But because there was a Wizard's March this time, which always takes precedence as the first order of business, the only people to speak out of order were those with a personal interest in the matter-- which happens to be mostly Cygna and those close to her.
Cygna is torn when Hiems places his hands on her shoulders. Part of her, in spite of her vows, longs to step into his embrace, but she quashes the notion as quickly as it appears. And part of her wants to literally flee from temptation. She decides to take the middle course, and stay, to resist temptation through the grace of God and accept the gesture in the spirit it was intended (although she does stiffen, ever so slightly).
[color=red]"Hiems...you do not think me mad, do you?"
[color=red]"You heard Trutina say that...that I have not come into contact with any ghosts for the past year."
She looks down. [color=red]"I fear that you were right about him all along...and that my pride, my certainty about what I thought I knew, blinded me to you words.* It now seems that Adorjan is, indeed, a demon of some kind. I'm sorry that I doubted you."
Cygna hears Adorjan's disembodied voice in her ear. "Oh, I'm a demon now, am I, Katya? he laughs. "Then tell me, my love-- what was the name God called me by, before he cast me out of Heaven? And how did I come to be an extremely talented magus when I was a fallen angel all this time? I mean, I know you lust for me, but this is rather silly." He appears in front of her, between her and Hiems, and he physically pushes her away from the other man. "Here's a thought for you to mull over, little one. I'm not dead." He brushes his lips against the soft skin of Cygna's neck, and then vanishes.
)