The Internal Affairs

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Slayer of Love
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Posted by Slayer of Love »


Nimroth's aristocratic habits could barely tolerate this horrendous meeting any longer. The dissian burgrave is no stranger to bureacracy stretching to maddening lengths, yet still the litany of hatred drags on and on and he sees no end to this elaborate torture.

Normally the burgrave would have been busy spending all his effort into analysing each tiniest word, subtlest gesture or faintest variation in tone of the remaining eight dignitaries, that with him constituted the jury in this court martial. However, he had already known everything there was to be of the other players in this centuries long stalemate of power - three for, three against, three undecided. And after three tendays worth of hearings, the accuser was just exclaiming ferociously the 27,302nd charge against the prisoner.

He's not really listening to the particulars. The Dissians are businessmen. There are only three things he really cares about: his own interest, his Lord's fraction's and Baator's as a whole - in this exact order of importance. But cycles pass and he does not see yet how he is going to benefit here.

Alecto's agents made him an offer, yes, but if he is going to take a stance, he is not going to sell himself short. His next move now ought to be to hear the other side's counteroffer. Trouble is, with the court martial indictment procedures in place, he has no clear way of contacting her.



* * *

"...and as though this pathetic display of sheer incompetance, after all the shame her failure has costed us, as though the disgrace of it was not enough, she was saved in a lucky circumstance by mere mortals, allowing them to witness the loathsome ignominy that she had brought onto her own people. "

Alecto looks at each of the jury members, making sure to catch their attention before thundering disdainfully.

"Hear me, miladies and milords! I REFUSE for our good name to be TARNISHED by this pitiful MISTAKE of a commander!"

She returns to her desk and continues in a constratingly disattached, bureacratical, dull tone.

"Now we recall the case of Sarin'Nzith the Twice Exiled. A deserter who has entered the accused's jurisdiction and was failed to be evicted or reported within the required time regime of sixty six days. Charge 27,303: negligent breach of duty."

The red-skinned fiendess makes sure the amnizu scribe has logged it before she continues.

"It has been later estabilished that the exile has been helped on numerous occasions by the accused. Rather than be turned in as protocol dictates, she was offered an office in the diplomatic mission, a letter of safe passage through Minauros, and finally granted a free exit out of the accused's territory. DESPITE the knowledge of the exile's intention on abandoning Baator and joining the celestials. Charges 27,304 through 27,305: malfeasance and treason, exhibits Alef-Dalet-Ayin-Lamed-Hei through Alef-Dalet-Pei-Bet for evidence".

"Her newly ‘free’ mind was exposed too nothing but influences of the heavens, and even then the accused ignored the warnings of going into the abyss being borderline suicidal. And after that belittling defeat, she was in no position to refuse the Exile's demand. Even though she had foreseen the Seven Heavens would have acted as they always do, she did nothing to stop the Exile. She grew too old, too disconnected, too self obsessed. She fell from the purpose of a Brachina, and forgotten the way."

"Miladies, milords. These are not MY words, but HER associate's! I am not making this up, this is Sarin's testimony as evidenced in exhibit Alef-Dalet-Pei-Bet. The LAST words of the Twice Exiled before she ceased, as one of our glorious sisters, to exist. THIS is what her OWN close associates describe her as, and indeed what SHE has BROUGHT on them!!"


Alecto's wrathful accusation roars across the hall, but she calms down as smoothly as it never happened, and carries on with bureacratic indifference.

"Now as evidenced in exhibit Alef-Dalet-Pei-Dalet, which was submitted only recently, the Exile's second testimony completely undermines the previous statements. Since we know the previous statement has been extracted by a certified court tormentor, it is clearly the more reliable statement. Since the second statement was gathered when the hearings were already taking place, it is a clear basis for the 27,306th charge: obstruction of justice through witness tampering."

"Miladies, milords. DO NOT let that lying, manipulative, undeserving stranger to cloud your judgement. She is NOT one of us, never will be. It is CLEAR from her actions already her loyalty is but shallow facade. Her VERY PRESENCE is an OFFENSE to this court, and indeed the whole of Nine Pits!"



* * *

There is a mix of indifference, cheering and booing among the jury. Burgrave Nimroth does not do so much so as to even raise his glance up to the Accuser's fiery speech, it's not his first time on the jury. He knew who'd cheer and who wouldn't long before this hearing was even planned. At long last though he is relieved, for the looming echo he hears heralds the end to the first part of this tormentingly prolonged formality.


* * *

Across the dark hall rattles an echo of a rusty mechanism. A heavy chain goes at least two miles up in the iron dust cloud covered sky, where sight of it disappears. Ring by ring it is pulled up laboriously dragging someone along. Bloodied hooks, spikes and anchors rip out of the golden skinned winged creature's flesh violently. The accused is allowed to speak now, as signified by the gruesome restraints being removed from her mouth.
Last edited by Slayer of Love on Mon Sep 28, 2020 4:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Serena
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Posted by Serena »


Saying that the half-drow wasn't happy about the recent turns of events was a bit of an understatement, but then again, when had he been happy to begin with, as of late?
Returning to the cage after the months spent at the war camp had only helped making him grouchier toward things he would have otherwise just ignored in the past, the thick armour of indifference he had worked so hard to build almost completely eroded to leave room only for a bitter tiredness.
And now, before they even had the time to recover, something else to worry about.

He hadn't tried to contact the fiendess after knowing what had happened: not only it seemed useless, but it also felt like a good way to attract unwanted attentions... still, he knew there was something he -needed- to do regardless, especially if the rumours he heard about a rival of hers being at play in that game were true.
Of course, it was too late to regret turning down the custody of the artefact at that point, but sure as Hell he wasn't expecting that between the two of them she was going to be the one caught in troubles. It felt safer, at the time, to let the devils take care of it, he didn't need the responsibility, nor the consequences that came with -accidentally- losing it, but now making sure it was still in its place while hoping that by some miraculous chance words of it hadn't spread already to the ones who were after the fiendess was the main thought in his mind.

He walked toward the familiar tower like he had done many times prior, determined in acting as if absolutely nothing was amiss. Just him, checking in, resuming his studies after the entire mess of the Alternate Sigil had finally quieted down. Sure, what came after was going to be a bit trickier, but he was certain he could figure out something... He had to, the artefact couldn't stay there, especially if he had no way to know where the loyalty of the devils inside stood, at this time: if they felt the Brachina had been weakened enough, they might find advantageous to switch sides, afterall. And they couldn't have that.

He rolled his shoulders, and opened the door leading inside, heading immediately where the laboratory was.
He was soon going to know exactly what kind of mess he had just put himself into.
Last edited by Serena on Sat Nov 21, 2020 10:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Hand me my shovel, I'm going in!"

Plays: Aidan Rhistel - Factor and Law Representative of the Fated
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Slayer of Love
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Posted by Slayer of Love »


The once incantifier's tower is unusually silent. Even the immediate feeling of being watched that used to welcome anyone entering, is gone now.

The floor of the entrance hall is strewn with overturned book regals and chairs, torn sofas, all manners of papers, alchemical ingredients, trinkets mundane and magical. They lie scattered around as though someone was searching the place violently. Many of them appear valuable, but they were left like that.

The study room is too razed in this fashion. There's something else. A strange debris, of finely shattered, dark crystal. Clouds of its dust, sharp in contact, fills the labolatory, and larger heaps of it lie still on the ground, amidst the litter. Underneath those heaps Rhistel notices something familiar - the clothes and some personal objects that the research crew used to have on them. No sign of who could have done this, nor the object Rhistel came for. The containment case is gone along with the artifact.

What remains is the conjuration room. Once ported up there, Rhistel sees the same crystal dust as before, only clouds of it are much thicker here. Gravity pulls them towards the portal to Hell, but they are not able to pass the border of the summoning ring, so they just swirl around it.

Even though there is nothing beyond the border of the summoning circle, something in Rhistel's gut tells him otherwise. It's this familiar feeling of being watched that's been missing, of some presence breathing down his neck. Though no sound is made, at the back of his head, between the thoughts, he can hear a faint, feminine whisper calling his name.


"::: Rhistel ... :::"



* * *


"............."

Loud laughter breaks the gravely silence of the dark hall the jury is gathered in. Cold, vain, mocking chortle of the feminine supernatural voice.

"Mmmmahahahaha. Aaaahahahahahahahahhahah. Hohahahhohohahhahhahahhh. HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA. HOHOHO, HA, HA, hm. That's good Alecto, why don't you tell us another one?"

"How dare-"

The accused does not allow Alecto to finish, and goes on turning towards the jury addressing them wrathfully

"And YOU?! I've seen dawns and dusks of a dozen great civilizations since the last of you was in a field mission. I've seen few pantheons rise and die since you've left the safe confines of your pits to see what the 'verse is really like out there. You, who have denied my every major request for resources, preferring them to man the walls of your mossed fortresses. You, who would squander our might for your petty personal goals.

YOU are going to judge ME?

PREPOSTROUS!!!!!!
"



* * *


Some of the jury are baffled by this performance. In most courts, especially the military ones, opening the defense with a display of disrespect and even an open verbal attack on the judges, is hardly a good idea. But this was a baatorian court. Approaching such accusations from a weak stance of a servant would be a sign of a broken will, an admission of defeat. Practically begging for a sentence.

Nimroth knew the accused would not be so easy to break, and expected that kind of a response to the charges. Those baatezu that are born of lemures, are shaped into subservience. They bend easily under the will of their superiors. But the old, pure ones are different. They have a zeal like no other, a true dedication of a natural leader. Because of that many courtiers view them as a threat, the dissian burgrave though admires that kind of strength.

Nonetheless, he came here to do business, not listen to an empty debate on whose lies are more convincing than the other's. Even though the rest of the jury, lawyers and guards are present, now is his only chance to communicate with the accused. He expects her to anticipate the nature of his interest. If that is so, he just need to keep her talking. Maybe she'll be able to say something between the lines.


"Maraphiel, these are serious charges. How do you answer to them?"
Last edited by Slayer of Love on Mon Sep 28, 2020 4:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Serena
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Posted by Serena »


Teeth clicked in growing frustration as the half-drow navigated the now quiet rooms, dust creaking under his boots and dark crystal shards clattering on the stone floor at his every step.
As his eyes rested on the medallion he had seen on the amnizu so many times, and upon noticing the erinyes weapon discarded in a corner, he idly wondered if that somehow proved where the loyalty of the team rested: had they cooperated with the attackers, the place wouldn't have been trashed to such extent, after all, would it?
Not that it mattered at this time.

His main concern now was that, as he feared, the containment case with the artefact was not there.
A few muttered words and a brief gesture of his hand, and as he crossed the study the crystal shards started gathering in his wake, quietly collecting themselves in a holding bag he kept open on his side. Something was preventing the devils from reforming in Baator, but he didn't have time for that now, not before checking the last room, at least.

He walked past the portal that led him on the top floor and went to head in front of the circle, raising his scarf as to cover his nose and mouth as he approached the shifting clouds of sharp dust that now delimited the containment barrier like moths on a lantern screen.
It was when the familiar, intrusive thought he liked to find so annoying returned that he sighed lightly and went to stand right outside of the seal, eyes narrowing in the midst of the swirling crystals as he focused on the faint presence.



"...what the Hell happened?"
"What did they do to you?"
"Hand me my shovel, I'm going in!"

Plays: Aidan Rhistel - Factor and Law Representative of the Fated
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Slayer of Love
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Posted by Slayer of Love »


When the late incantifier demonologist drew the binding circle, he made no mistake. Each and every intricate engraving he laid exactly as the ancient ritual book dictated. This was of tremendous importance, a single deviation from how the precise markings should have been arranged could free the summoned fiends of their binds. Yet even with that knowledge the ritual turned out imperfect. A flaw in the seal, one subtle line erased, deviously, long ago from the book's pages depictions of the immensely complex structure, rendered the Hells able to pervade the containment from inside.

Rhistel knows all that, he's seen this design here, before.


"::: The circle :::"

At the hearing of the distorted, feminine whisper his eye trails around the fine details of the ceremonial runes of the ring, as if drawn towards one, particular spot

"::: It is mended :::"

The faint voice echoes exact same moment when Rhistel realises it also, it's hard to say whether it was a mental suggestion or some synchronous awareness.

"::: I cannot pass :::"

Of course she cannot. The flaw is patched, a single line connecting runical arcs fixes the ages old lie. The binding circle is functional again, which is also why the shattered remains of the research crew cannot pass through the lines of the summoning ring, and return to Hell.

"::: Can you open it? :::"



* * *



"Where do we start? Charge 27,306 - and how do you suppose I have commited that from here? Or do YOU admit your arrest measures are faulty? Ridiculous."

Maraphiel shrugs and scoffs theatrically, ridiculing the idea.

"Charges 27,304 through 27,305 - another clear lack of preparation by the accuser. Or have you ALL not made yourself familiar with Special Espionage Ordinance Cheth-Kaph-Teth-Beth-Nun?"

"Special Espionage Ordinance class orders are classified even to most members of this Jury and you know that Maraphiel."

"You come to judge a secret agent WITHOUT studying the secret documentation?"

Another burst of cold, vain laughter.



* * *



Burgrave Nimroth counts. Four, seventeen, nine, one, laughter. Twenty-two, seventeen, eleven, laughter. It's been a while since he's seen the old, dissian diplomatic cipher, where number of words in the sentences is used to code in a secret message. Yes... keep her talking.

"The jury will vote later on adequacy of disclosing this document. Explain, what is to be found there?"
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Serena
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Posted by Serena »


His gaze moved idly on the now fully functioning circle as the voice kept pulling at the back of his head.
Fixed, indeed. Not how he would have done it, but still... no, not the point of course. The point...
He sighed again through the cloth of his scarf and eventually paced away from the seal before turning toward it again, uncovering his face once more.


"Quite the wrong question to ask, I'd say," he idly formulated in his mind.
"Of course I can open it..."

"I'll need a proper identification first, you are certainly aware of the drill. And answers to my questions. Possibly, convincing ones."
"...but the day I'll be doing everything the voices in my head tell me without question, I'll be in the Gatehouse."
"Hand me my shovel, I'm going in!"

Plays: Aidan Rhistel - Factor and Law Representative of the Fated
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Slayer of Love
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Posted by Slayer of Love »


A pained, quiet moan, impatient, is heard in response

"::: What, you're going to abandon me here just like you abandoned them? :::"

A series of flashes bring about memories of people Rhistel used to be close to: friends, family, lovers. Especially those whose paths diverged with most emotional weight.
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Serena
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Posted by Serena »


Irritation stirred in the half-drow's mind at the suggestion that the answer offered, only amplified by the images forced on him.
When he replied back it was almost as if he had snapped, the thought lashing out like a whip in cold and measured anger.


"And what makes you think that after supposedly abandoning all those people I cared about..."
"Is this how you want to play your cards? Like a pathetic amateur?"
"...I'd have issues abandoning one more?"


It lasted but a moment, and then he breathed in again, forcing himself into calmness as he pressed his fingers over his eyes.
The next thought he formulated was again devoid of almost any emotion, beside the seething frustration and a hint of teasing challenge.


"You clearly have no idea how to go about this with me, so I suggest you quit trying. Identify yourself and answer my questions."
"Hand me my shovel, I'm going in!"

Plays: Aidan Rhistel - Factor and Law Representative of the Fated
Feel free to reach to me IC for enlisting or general faction rp
Slayer of Love
Posts: 65
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Posted by Slayer of Love »


There is a quiet giggle. The disembodied whisper of a female at the back of Rhistel's head shifts smoothly to a lowly, fiendish growl coming right out of the portal.

"... and in return?"
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Serena
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Posted by Serena »


Another click of teeth as the acting was finally dropped, and he once more made to step a bit closer to the circle, just a couple feet, his gaze fixed on the rift in the middle of the seal.

"You are the one who approached me with a request, do not turn the tables," he replied flatly. "What do you have to offer, for me to consider this conversation to begin with?"
"Hand me my shovel, I'm going in!"

Plays: Aidan Rhistel - Factor and Law Representative of the Fated
Feel free to reach to me IC for enlisting or general faction rp
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