The Darkest Twilight

Subject: The Darkest Twilight Thu Oct 17, 2013 9:02 pm

The execution had unnerved a large majority of the city, and I was stuck on damage control. The entire city was convinced the Emperor had gone completely mad, and most of the Senate was inclined to agree with them. Not to mention that the Magistrates of the Court were furious with him, and a few had moved for his immediate removal from office, which was quickly silenced with a bit of political pressure. It seemed that in a single year, the entire country had gone completely insane. It took one invasion from the south, we lose a single city to it, one, and that was enough for the entire government to follow Sikiro into Martial Law like frightened ducklings following the mother? I shook my head, coming back to reality. It didn't matter now, the Emperor had regained his absolute rule like in the early centuries of the Empire, and that was not changing. I looked out into the crowd as the soldiers present tried to restore order after the last answer. I sighed, pulling a hand through silver hair, and pulled my deep blue cloak around my shoulders.

"Are the courts in suspense then? We get no trials any longer?"

I snapped back to reality and glared at the Crier that had proposed the question. He was a scribe for the Announcements of the Court, a Calling Scroll that had an annoying habit of blowing things our of proportion. Unfortunately, this was not an exaggeration.

"As far as cases of treason are concerned, the Emperor is currently judge and jury, even in the case of nobility." I said, regretting the backlash that was sure to follow. There were a variety of people there, some scribes, some common people, you name it, they were present.

Subject: Re: The Darkest Twilight Wed Oct 23, 2013 8:28 pm

{{Longest post I'll ever make coming up then!}}

It was one dreary night in a dreary human-only bar, located near the edge of bustling docks of Musari, and Leon was downing another mug of watered-down alcohol; or that was at least the way he imagined it in his head. Everything in his supposed description was surprisingly true though, except the sun outside was shining at it's best, as if to defy the death of the Archbishop.

An escalating brawl at the edge of the long oak table sent a fork flying towards his mug. His reflexes kicked in and, before he knew it, he had implanted a short knife into the soft silver projectile, his hood had flown back, and his slightly pointed ears were revealed to the rest of the bar.

"'E'S AN ELF, BOYS! GET 'IM!"

Suddenly, there was a mob at his throat and Leon's leather-booted feet were itching to carry him away, preferably to the water, where there wouldn't be any of this chaos.

"Um... I'm sorry. And I'm half human?" Leon said meekly as he put one hand in the air, his knife making it's way into a small holder at his side. The fork protested the motion, and he found himself frantically jabbing his knife down to bend the feeble tin of the fork into a curved shape, and pacifying the mob with the other.

"'E'S A C'OSS B'EED, BOYS! GET 'IM!"

"Well, that worked out well..." Leon glanced about to find a direction that the mob did not restrict him from escaping by, and his gaze landed on the ever-convent, open window. He abandoned his knife, which clattered to the ground, and felt along the wall. He inched along, hoping that small motions would make his escape less obvious.

"'E'S GETTING AWAY, BOYS! GET 'IM!"

Why, wasn't his luck just perfect?

"But Dave," one of the mobbies slurred, turning towards the leader of the makeshift racial mob. "Isn't he just trying to drink?"

"W'Y YOU!"

Leon took Dave's momentary distraction to cross the remaining four feet of wall and jump outside, his hood flying back overtop of his head in some sort of heroic fashion. Behind him, the bar had devolved into the site for the screaming match of all times. Leon paid next to no attention, and beelined it for the nearest dock. As he got closer, he found himself thwarted by masses of people pushing about. His destination disappeared behind an exceptionally tall human, and then a Crier who had taken it upon himself to sit on top of a pile of barrels, right in the way of the disappearing flags of ships.

Wasn't that great. He was new to the city, having just finished a job, and lost. The only area he had memorized the layout of was the docks...

With a small huff, Leon gave up on finding peace (a convenient synonym for water), and focused his attention on finding something at least half useful to help clarify where exactly the heck he was in Musari. It was one of the few skills that didn't revolve around killing that Eion, his teacher, had taught him before he had died.

"As far as cases of treason are concerned, the Emperor is currently judge and jury, even in the case of nobility."

His head whipped around, his gaze landing on a figure in a dark blue cloak. Tentatively, to not scare the person, he wormed his way through the crowd and stood by their side.

Subject: Re: The Darkest Twilight Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:19 pm

The Darkest Twilight Fb2c2023-b48e-4553-bbbd-c41539685b8a_zps3337b101

“Your services won’t be needed for the day, Lady Duket. I’m sorry.”

A primrose smile offset the guard, wondering why the lady was not unnerved by his statement. It took him ages to muster the courage to break her little heart, as the High Court ordered him to, but he was not prepared to have a soft smile meet him in return. Lady Jennafi Duket tipped her head down to him.

“I do understand, dear sir. Please send my regards for the Emperor, as I’m sure he will need it for things to come.” Her voice was silk, clear and untainted by any entity the guard believed existed. The courts called her “priestess-like” and he suddenly understood why. Feeling smaller to her in comparison, he mumbled another apology and headed down the hallways to complete further tasks. Jennafi watched for a moment as the guard marched off. The court was in such high bustle that day, and it bothered her to a small extent that her services were announced unneeded. Worry for the court and its emperor tapped against the side of her gold head. Why send her away if he was so frazzled. Was it because he was not frazzled about Musai at all?

“The storm before the calm,” she said lowly to herself. It brought another sincere smile to her lips as she finally moved from her stationary position in the middle of the hallway and onto the outer courts below. Dressed in a pearlesent green summer dressed with gold embroidery around her mid-waist, the sun tangoed with each and every little trinket in her hair. The pale emerald jewelry swam under the rays of sunlight each and every time she turned her head. The air was wonderful, despite the unrest everywhere else. Sounds of the town bellowed out from beyond the court walls. Since she wasn’t needed, there would be no reason for her to venture out and be warmed with the sights of Musai.

Casting a wary look down to her attire, Jenaffi mildly wondered if she would receive questioning looks from the people outside of the court. They would clearly consider her as some form of nobility. She was nothing of the sort, just a songstress for the Emperor. Confidence fueled her steps out of the castle walls, bidding a small farewell to the guards on either side of the large doors. Another blast of sounds ripped across the air as she walked by marketplace after marketplace. Lady Jennafi smiled to as many as she could, completely unaware that soon, she would be walking straight into wayward cart and its startled horse.

Subject: Re: The Darkest Twilight Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:58 pm

E'lara Taenilla-Nimaelyste stood in the large square, a thoughtful look on her face as she glanced at the man who was now speaking. A lot had happened in a short amount of time. She had been present to witness the thrill of the public execution, and had marveled at the confidence the man in the ornate robes had exuded. Surely that was the man she had come here to offer her services to. Her father had told her that he was a great man, and E'lara no longer had any doubts. Justice needed to be dealt and it was. For some reason, many people seemed upset. They did not think an emperor had the right to make such judgments. She shook her head slightly at their idiocy. People were to bow to their ruler. It was the only way. If they were unhappy, they would leave, she reasoned. Everybody needed an authoritative figure in their lives to tell them which way to go and how to live.

Her father would be proud of her, she knew. Not only had she found her way to Musari alone, but she had made friends in the city already. There were nice people here, she decided. Not many had the power that she expected, but that suited her just fine. She didn't feel the need to compete. One thing that she was finding rather quickly was that she was fond of the local fashions - and that was mostly because there was a lot to choose from. She had gone to several shops upon arriving, finally settling on a pair of brown leather boots that laced up the front up to her knees. They hid the black leggings beneath, which were also hidden under a deep purple dress that went to the ground. It was embroidered in gold along the edges and waist with a swirling leaf design, the neckline cut high enough to be modest but sweeping just below her shoulders to keep interest. She wore no jewelry except for a silver and gold circlet atop her short blonde curls that framed her Elvish face.

Her hazel eyes flicked to the side as somebody asked about trails. Hm. She tilted her head, looking back to the one who had spoken first. No trials for treason. Well, that made sense. Treason was a serious offense. Death was the only way to squash the rebellion. She smiled a little and adjusted her bag on her shoulder, keeping it comfortable under her light brown cloak. People were getting more upset around her, and she decided to stick around, to listen. Anybody could say anything, and she did not want to miss anything potential helpful to her cause.

Subject: Re: The Darkest Twilight Sun Feb 02, 2014 3:46 am

After the sight of the decapitation, Kah had nothing but a frown on his face. "A shame. A way to part from this world, by the lost of a head." Even though there was indeed talk of the archbishop. The grip tightened on his tall oaken staff; indented with strange markings with pieces of fur hanging by strings off the very top of it forms into a tri-bark hold, which contains a green orb within. Kah grunted slightly as he rose from the bench he was sitting on while the entire square roared at the actions.

His tall, slender body stood over most people. His armor consisted of fur and some aspects of the trees and leaves. He symbolized nature itself. His barefeet slowly began to move through the crowd until he heard the familiar voice of his friend, Rokku. "Hrm?" As his eyes diverted over to see the sight of the crier addressing Rokku. Likely he was going to need help. Kah casually walked up to Rokku's side to add his sense in. "And, as such. The Emperor is in charge."

Subject: Re: The Darkest Twilight Tue Feb 04, 2014 5:43 pm

Thank God Kah had arrived. The crowd was growing more restless, but the sight of the aged Druid seemed to calm them, if only a bit. His words were simple, but final. More importantly, they were true. "Yes, the Emperor has been given a great deal of authority to deal with the recent rebellion sprouting in the East." Rokku added, his head already throbbing, promising a headache to come later. "The archbishop was accused of being part of the Black Market, and the evidence showed that he was indeed guilty of orchestrating the rebels in Arben Rama. The public execution was to show that no one, not even members of the church, are exempt from the law!" Rokku added, annoyed as more furious shouts echoed from the crowd.

"Where's this evidence then?! Where was the trial to determine his guilt?!" Another crier shouted.

"All evidence and trial notes are available in the public archives in the Imperial Library! The trial was conducted in private and swiftly to prevent further action on the part of the rebels." Rokku shouted back.

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