"Interesting, this only shows that there is far more for me to see in Hyboria. Aside from finding the Princess that is. I am not quite ready to leave this realm. Your point is made, Jek," Lelith acquiesced. "I am Fey, of royal lineage at that. I was young once, yes, and I have grown and will continue to grow old. My age, however, will eventually just be a number I keep track of should nothing find a way to permanently end me. One notable advantage of our kind, I suppose. That does not mean my life is endless, only Archfey can make such a claim for true immortality."
Lelith looked hurt, truly, for his words. She did know them to be true. "I have trusted them far more than I can count! I did! Far more than I intended to... But that may not have been enough. I cannot truly bond with someone of a finite lifespan and with mortality. Hyboria had grown on me, its nature and landscape, that was why I had answered the Child Empress' call to help fight for this realm while purposefully hiding my identity. And while most of the people I have met were ungrateful for that help, you can't be all bad if the Princess and Hylia favours you and the Hero fights for you to the point of death every time. I have yet to see that with my own eyes, however."
"But I am willing to give them another chance. And if it will get you all off my back and into more important matters. I suppose I can... urgh... accept your... your... /help/ against the Lord of Darkness," Although it looked like Lelith had to physically push the words out, she did finally admit to weakness and the willingness to receive others' help. "Of course, that's only viable if your colleagues acting as judges rescind their earlier verdict. We are all benefitting here in the end, hostilities with the Feywild are averted and I receive the promised... aid."
Stasolya smiles at Jek. "Thank you, Jek. You are truly close to the heart of the Childlike Empress, who loves good and evil alike. I am grateful that you have been given this task with us. You of a strange sort perhaps understand her struggles better than we."
The centaur turns to Lelith. "I still judge you guilty of your actions. Admitting your mistakes and accepting help to protect yourself in the future is the way to move forward, and I am happy for your willingness to accept Jek's offer, but it will not be served by coddling your pride or downplaying the seriousness of your actions. This verdict must be remembered by you if the future is to be any different... without humility, your acceptance of any intervention will be short-lived at best."
She looks at Jek and Shavaris. "I am only one of three, however. What is your judgment now?"
Shavaris's hands spread on the table in front of her, and she starts digging her nails into the table, doing what she can to control her anger. Her eyes turn black as she stares at Lelith. "A comedic masquerade? That's what you call this? You stand there and threaten us with the wrath of some Queen in another plane. When ours is disappearing in front of our eyes? Do you really think we give a shit about your ridiculous threats? Grow up."
Shavaris takes a moment to collect herself, and her eyes return to normal. "You mention the princess, Lelith, Princess Zelda. I mean, that was the first thing you talked about when you were teleported here with the rest of us. Not a single care for the rest of your band, but hey, the Princess. Now if finding her is your goal, receiving a guilty verdict from us, would severely hinder your plans, would it not? As you mentioned, she should be able to seal away the darkness and evil. And you, you want to be with her when she saves the world, do you not? So I would think you would be spending your time here trying to convince us of your innocence instead of lashing out at what a circus this whole thing is."
She turns to Jek, "You mentioned you might be able to tell if she is still under the influence of the Lord of Darkness, are you able to?"
"Yes, I stand by my words. You getting offended by them does not change you trying to judge me for an indeterminate future rather than my past actions," Lelith scoffed. "I would not be lashing out at how much you are making a fools out of yourselves if you did your job properly. I may be selflish, but I at least know how trials go. Whether you give a 'shit' or not about my threats doesn't matter to me, they serve more as warnings of consequences. If you care so little about Hyboria's fate, do continue. I do not lie, after all."
Lelith's hair rose as if it was lifted by a slight breeze and flashed red for a few moments. That was the only indication of her anger, her features otherwise remained expressionless, her eyes were as cold as ice. If looks could kill, Shavaris would have a thousand ice pikes turning her into a pin cushion right now. "If you want me to take you and this trial seriously, perhaps you should communicate better with your peers and the Elder attending this trial? This is not only a blatant disrespect toward me, toward the sanctity of this process, but most importantly toward Elder Qlille. This is the fifth time. The fifth ******* time. I do not swear easily, Shavaris. Elder Qlille, by her own hands and through her own powers, has already guaranteed that I am free of any and all influences during this trial. If you don't want to be taken for a fool then stop acting like one."
"Ugh, whatever," Lelith massaged her temples in frustration. "At least refer to the Princess respectfully and do not speak her name so casually. We're talking about a goddess' divine incarnation here, not the girl next door."
Lelith's look does not appear to bother Shavaris as she cooly responds, "I am currently talking about your past actions at the moment, your indeterminate future is well... worrisome to say the least."
"Guarantee? That is what you have garnered from what has been said so far here? That Elder Quille has guaranteed you of any and all influences during the trial? I think not. All the Elder has done, which we thank her," Shavaris turns and nods towards the owl then turns her glare back to Lelith, "has guaranteed that you are not lying. You may think you are not under the influence and therefore would say that. Does not guarantee that you are or are not." She looks like she is about to say more, but swallows then turns to Jek, waiting for his response.
"Elder Qlille, for the love of Hylia, and for my sanity. Please. Speak up," Lelith looked like she might go insane from anger . "Or I might just do something I may or may not regret."
Jek, quite happy with himself moves back to the table. As Stasolya speaks, he's a little saddened, but can't fault her logic. Then, Shavaris and Lelith start going at it. Hey Shavaris can change her eye color. And Lelith can change her hair color. Neat. Oh but... alright, things are getting heated again. He looks back and forth between everyone.
"Alright, alright, alright. Let's just all calm down here for a second. I can still check to see if there are any enchantments. Even if there is one that is lingering but not effecting you currently, I should be able to see it. However, Elder Qlille, there seems to be some confusion. You told us you were just checking to see if she is telling the truth. However, Lelith is under the impression that you are doing more. Can you tell us, are you doing anything else that is guaranteeing that Lelith isn't be controlled right now?"
The Owlin Elder looks at Lelith as she is prompted to speak, and then gazes across at Jek.
"My apologies. My assignment was to support the judges by determining truth from fiction in your statements. Thus far I have avowed that your statements are true, including the one that is inaccurate, though I pointed out that, inaccurate or not, it's not a lie, because you believe it is the truth and, more so, have been led to believe that it is the truth. It seems there is a question about the Lord of Darkness's continued contact with Lelith? My understanding is that the Lord of Darkness no longer exists, and has merged with Ganondorf to form Ganon. As for Ganon, it seems there is an open line of communication where Ganon could still reach out to Lelith, though she cannot communicate back to him. I imagine this is more of an effect of Ganon having once successfully invaded her mind, as opposed to some nefarious attempt to maintain control of her. I would caution, however, that this line of communication I can sense, if left unbroken, could allow Ganon an avenue of approach to attack Lelith's mind again, if we cannot remove it. As for being controlled right now? No. I thought my silence in that regard and my avow that she was telling the truth would have been answer enough for that question."
The room watches as Jek gets close to Lelith...and his body slowly starts to dissipate, breaking apart. Some of the shadow floats away and evaporates...
Qlille stepped forward, waving the Lightless back away from Lelith, before laying her hand on Lelith's shoulder.
"A tiger, however fearsome, can be hunted into a corner. It fights alone, so it dies alone." Qlille whispers. "But to hunt a wolf is to constantly look over your shoulder, wondering if others are behind you in the dark. Stop trying to be a tiger, Lelith. You clearly made a fine wolf."
Jek moves forward and starts to get tired. Sleepy... He notices the room growing a bit darker as Qlille waves him back.That's weird.He takes a few steps back and suddenly the room snaps back into focus.
With a shake of his head, Jek looks about the room. "Ummmm? What just happened? The room started to...? Umm well, thank you Qlille, I think? So... You said... Ahhh.... Sorry, just getting my bearings.... She told the truth as she saw it. And... she's not being controlled... because... you did something?... I think I need to sit down. " Jek will go and sit in his seat again.
Shavaris looks on in alarm as Jek starts to break apart as he gets close to Lelith. Just as she is about to say something, the Elder intervenes and Shavaris watches him as he heads to his seat. She leans over to him, concern in her eyes, "Are you ok? Do you need a break?"
Shavaris sits down in a heap, the toll of the trial getting to her. Now knowing that Lelith is actually not under the influence and knowing that she is telling the truth, does put the situation in a new light for her. Pride, attitude, threats aside, she tries to focus on the situation at hand, not the appalling elf in front of her. Shavaris knows all. too. well. what it feels like to lose control to something evil. Something abhorrent. Something you wish with all your might was not part of you. She looks down and sees that her nails are biting into her palms, making red semi-circles, on the edge of bleeding.
She forces herself to breath deep and calm down. Then she looks up into the cold eyes of Lelith. Shavaris's eyes are softer now, with a more understanding behind them. "Threats and your poisonous words aside, I no longer find you guilty. I am going to recommend that you are returned back to the feywild and asked not to return, and that this line of communication that Elder Qlille speaks of is broken so that hopefully your mind isn't as easy to be taken again."
To Shavaris question. "I think I'm fine. I... What happened?"
Jek grabs his water skin as Shavaris speaks. He takes a long draught as he thinks things through and calms himself down. And then he thinks of Lelith. He looks up at the Eladrin, and realizes she's staring at him. He looks around the room, and realizes all eyes are on him. Oh... It's on him now.
"Sorry, give me a moment. I need to think." He takes a moment. He stares at Lelith and thinks. "Okay. I think it needs to be understood, I do not find you innocent. I think there were several points that things could have been avoided if you talked to your friends. Trusted others. I think you choose to act unilaterally, assuming that your opinions and plans are more important, more just than others, even your friends. In some cases to the detriment of your own objectives. How many times have you attacked and threatened us during this trial? Does that improve your chance of helping Hyboria, help Princess Zelda? You threatened all of Hyboria with attack if you don't get your way? Come now, who does that really help? But... these things make you not innocent, but they do not make you guilty. You were a victim. Your will was taken from you, and you were forced off your path. My vote is not guilty. But, my recommendation is different from Shavaris. First, we need to break this connection the Ganon. That is a must, no matter where you go. How do we know it won't be able to take control of you in the Feywild? I think it's a risk to your realm as well as ours. Second, I think you must make reparation's to Hyboria. I think you must stay and help save this world. However, not by blindly running towards a princess without thought to the greater objectives. You will go where your talents and skills are most needed, per Atreyu and Gandalf's guidance. But, these are just recommendations. I passed my judgment, but your fate is not up to me."
"I nearly laid down my life for Hyboria several times. Here I am standing in a trial regardless. Many times, Hyborians have scorned my help. I was nearly judged a criminal for actions I did not do while in control. If you wouldn't be rightfully pissed off, you must be a saint. I won't say my intentions are selfless in helping Hyboria, as I've mentioned before, but I'm pretty close. Despite the ugly personalities of many of its inhabitants, it's a pretty beautiful realm. Believe me, I would hate to see it destroyed," Lelith told them in a straightfoward manner.
"Finally, I'm going to say this again. I didn't threaten you all, I warned you of possible consequences if I were to sentenced as a criminal in Hyboria," Lelith rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I am of a royal lineage, a Princess of the Fey Winter Court. You can't expect to judge such a person a criminal in a foreign realm by hastily gathered judges with no consequences and you all go about your day. The best case scenario would be merely a demand for my release back to the Feywild, rescinding of the judgement, and some reparations. The worst case scenario would be war with the Feywild. The most likely scenario would be something in between, if I were to predict. I can't account for how strongly the Archfeys of the Winter Court would react, they are already unpredictable, let alone those of the other Courts. You made a good choice today, Jek. You as well, Shavaris."
Lelith turned toward the Centaur, "I'm sure you had the best of intentions with your judgement. I won't hold a grudge or make your life difficult. So let's leave it at that. Although for judges who were only called to give a verdict, you are quite eager to come up with a sentence either way. In any case, now that I am declared innocent, I want to ask something of those gathered here. I would like for my status to be kept a secret unless I wish to divulge it. I am not here in an official capacity nor do I want the attention, so there's no need for any formality."
Stasolya nods in thanks to Shavaris and Jek for their input. Then, turning again to face Lelith, she takes out her lute, and strumming it, softly begins to sing. The first part of the song is haunting, the tune solemn and sorrowful, but, although the melody doesn't change, by the end the singer raises her accompaniment, volume and timbre to a joyful conclusion.
"Two sides to fight Of Dark and Light: Inside the battle has grown. The Shadow it hates, But the Light it waits, In patience and self-control.
Those who grasp Their pride and wrath Build in their hearts a throne. A seat for Chaos, The Dark Lord’s dross: Their sin invites him home.
I call your guilt, For you’ve willingly built Through pusillanimous guise A secret door To Darkness galore: Wrath, envy, vainglory, pride!
But your judgment and fate Is not ours to make. Instead mercy and grace will atone! The Childlike Empress Will deliver your sentence By the heart of Atreyu alone."
As if on queue, Atreyu appears, walking into the room and looking around. He looks like he's aged ten years since that morning. A hulking warrior is behind him, his green and gold armor adorned with the sigils of the Army of Eternia.
"We have things to do, and I need answers. Jek Uttini, if you would be so kind as to remain behind and explain to me the verdict. Stasolya, Shavaris, please. Find Dageron, and report to Gandalf. There is trouble in Atlantis and the three of you are needed immediately. Jek, I'm sorry. You're not going to Atlantis because that thing there is hunting the Order of the Phoenix specifically. I wouldn't even send Dageron, but his skill set is specifically needed, and I have a plan for you elsewhere."
He looks expectantly at Jek as everyone gets moving.
"Two sides to fight Of Dark and Light: Inside the battle has grown. The Shadow it hates, But the Light it waits, In patience and self-control.
Jek listens to Stasolya, his head snapping towards her at after the first verse.
After she finishes her song, Jek will give a few beats, then stand. He moves to the side of the room, reaches into a shadow and pulls out a chalkboard. (Utilizing silent image)
Looking to the others, he says "Okay, I think we need to clear some things up. So, lets begin the lesson!" He flips over the chalkboard. On that side, in large block letters is 'Darkness ≠ Shadows' . He begins "It is common misconception that Shadows and Darkness are the same thing. That couldn't be further from the truth. Let's start with the basics, shall we. What is Darkness?" He flips over the chalkboard again, and it now says 'What is Darkness?' "Darkness is.... nothing. Darkness is an absence of anything. An all consuming bunch of nothing. Now to the second part. What is Shadow." He flips the chalkboard back over. Now it says at the top 'What is shadow'. Underneath that is an image of a sun.
He repeats. "What is a Shadow? A Shadow is a projection, it is made when light interacts with an object. If you take the light from the sun, and put a person in front of it, you will get a shadow of said person." As he speaks, a person is drawn onto the chalkboard with light being projected from the sun onto the person.
Jek continues "That interaction of the light and the object makes the shadow, a projection of the object. This projection is tied to the object. It cannot exist without light. Now, I know what you are going to say, but the shadow is just an absence of light, it's darkness. And that's wrong, stop thinking that way, it's dumb. But... Kinda..... You see, shadows need both to exist, light and darkness. They are a balance of the two." He flips the chalkboard again, and it now has an image of a yin and yang symbol.
Jek looks around the room. Seeing if this is sinking in. He than says "Screw this 101 stuff, lets get to the advanced stuff!" He spins the chalkboard very hard, as he casts minor illusion to make a whizzing sound. He grabs it to stop the spinning, and it is now filled with complex mathematical equations. "Okay, so that was talking about projecting from 3 dimensions to 2 dimensions. But what if you aren't? What if you are projecting from 4 dimension, or 5, 6, 7? I assume you are all familiar with...." He stops as Atreyu and the warrior step into the room.
Jek listens and gulps. He says, quietly, as he spins the chalkboard again. "Oh no, it's the Gmork, isn't it." The picture on the chalkboard is that of a horendous creature that looks something like a wolf, but much much worse.
Jek watches the others leave, then looks to Atreyu.
"We have all three come to a verdict. Shavaris and I found Lelith not guilty, Stasolya found her guilty. Through Elder Qlille, we also learned that there is still a connection between Lelith and I guess Ganon now. No matter the verdict, that needs to be broken, otherwise she is still susceptible to being controlled."
"I'll start with Stasolya. I don't think I'm as eloquent with words as Stasolya, definitely not as eloquent with a bagpipe, but I'll try to relay her rational for her judgment. I can sing you her song later, too, but probably don't have time (and there is some problematic implications in some of the lyrics that I was lecturing her about)....Anyways. She felt that due to Lelith's actions, she left herself open to the manipulations and control of the Lord of Darkness. She felt that Lelith is responsible for her actions that led to her being controlled, thus why she found her Guilty."
"Shavaris initially found her guilt, but changed her judgment to Not Guilty when we had confirmation from Elder Qlille that Lelith was not under any influence during our trial and telling the truth. While I believe Shavaris did not like some of Lelith's responses or her personality all that much, I don't think she holds her at fault for the actions while she was under the control of a darker influence. She recommended that Lelith be returned to the Feywild and ask not to be returned."
"As for myself, I think Lelith's biggest failure or sin or whatever you want to call it, is that she continually acted alone and did not trust her band enough. That left her open to being isolated and attacked by the Lord of Darkness. While her actions and failures are unfortunate, I do not believe they make her responsible for her actions while under the control of the Lord of Darkness. I was also able to get her to admit to needing and accept our help to get rid of the control of the Lord of Darkness, which I think is showing some growth on her part. That is why I found her Not Guilty. Unlike Shavaris, though, I would recommend that she serves the people of Hyboria and help us save it as reparations for her failures. But, that will be up to you."
He takes a quick pause. "So there you have it, one Guilty, two Not Guilty. She needs to have the connection with Ganon severed. I don't know how, though. What will you do with her?" He continues, in a more serious note. "Is it the Gmork in Atlantis? The one Atoh dreamed about? Why is it after the Order of the Phoenix? Should I go to help? They shouldn't have to fight our battles for us. But you said you have a task for me? I... What do you need me to do. I will go to where ever I'll be of most use."
Shavaris smiles as Jek goes into full teacher mode to describe the difference between shadows and darkness. She finds it quite interesting as she has never looked at shadows in this, um... light before. It was a welcome distraction from the trial at hand.
Once Atreyu finishes and calls her and the centaur to Atlantis, she turns as she hears Jek, "What... is that a Gmork? What is that, and why was it hunting your band?"
Before heading out, she looks to Lelith. "I hope your time with the Twilight Embers has helped warm your cold demeanor a bit. Especially if you do stay in Hyboria. I do have one question for you if you don't mind, nothing to do with the trial. The fairy you spoke of that died at the hands of the Queen of the Gohma... do you know it's name?"
She then heads out with Stasolya to find Dageron and report to Gandolf as requested.
Once Atreyu finishes and calls her and the centaur to Atlantis, she turns as she hears Jek, "What... is that a Gmork? What is that, and why was it hunting your band?"
Jek looks down. "I don't know much. Atoh had visions of it, nightmares. The sorceress at Castle Grayskull told is it's a servant of the Nothing, or it heralds it. I have no idea why it's hunting us, but it is. I don't know why it serves the Nothing, I don't know why anything serves the Nothing. Be careful, if the Gmork is there, the Nothing might be close as well."
Before heading out, she looks to Lelith. "I hope your time with the Twilight Embers has helped warm your cold demeanor a bit. Especially if you do stay in Hyboria. I do have one question for you if you don't mind, nothing to do with the trial. The fairy you spoke of that died at the hands of the Queen of the Gohma... do you know it's name?"
"If you must know. Her name was Kora," Lelith nodded and gave her an answer.
Atreyu listens to Jek's appraisal as Shavaris and Stasolya leave for the next leg of their journey. He glances from Lelith, to Jek, back to Lelith as he thinks, thoughtfully soaking up all the information that Jek is imparting on him.
"It is the Gmork." Atreyu says, and his arms prickle with gooseflesh. "Thank you for your dilligence, Jek. I wish things had been a little easier for you and your peers, but I thought it was important for Lelith's peers to weigh her guilt. It seems like the majority vote is that she is not guilty, though it appears some recourse is due for her actions. Shavaris, if I am to understand this correctly, thinks she should be banished? And you think she should be kept here to right her wrongs. It sounds like Stasolya didn't input what she thought should happen..."
Atreyu rubs his chin, looking at the floor while he seems to be working on what to do next.
"I wasn't really looking for recommendations of what to do with her...but...since there's a divided opinion...I have to side with Jek. Lelith, you are found not guilty, though I believe it is only fair that you remain here for now to pay penance for the harm you have caused by saving this world. Elder Qlille, if you could facilitate a cleansing, that would be greatly appreciated."
The Owlin Elder nods, reaching out with a feathered hand to beckon Lelith to follow her as she steps out of the room and toward the corridor beyond.
"Jek, I need you to find Kerwyn...err...Adam, Travin, and Thea. You're heading to Aughra's Observatory. The observatory will be destroyed by the tsunami and we have to know where the Shard of Division is. If we lose Aughra, we may never find it."
"Interesting, this only shows that there is far more for me to see in Hyboria. Aside from finding the Princess that is. I am not quite ready to leave this realm. Your point is made, Jek," Lelith acquiesced. "I am Fey, of royal lineage at that. I was young once, yes, and I have grown and will continue to grow old. My age, however, will eventually just be a number I keep track of should nothing find a way to permanently end me. One notable advantage of our kind, I suppose. That does not mean my life is endless, only Archfey can make such a claim for true immortality."
Lelith looked hurt, truly, for his words. She did know them to be true. "I have trusted them far more than I can count! I did! Far more than I intended to... But that may not have been enough. I cannot truly bond with someone of a finite lifespan and with mortality. Hyboria had grown on me, its nature and landscape, that was why I had answered the Child Empress' call to help fight for this realm while purposefully hiding my identity. And while most of the people I have met were ungrateful for that help, you can't be all bad if the Princess and Hylia favours you and the Hero fights for you to the point of death every time. I have yet to see that with my own eyes, however."
"But I am willing to give them another chance. And if it will get you all off my back and into more important matters. I suppose I can... urgh... accept your... your... /help/ against the Lord of Darkness," Although it looked like Lelith had to physically push the words out, she did finally admit to weakness and the willingness to receive others' help. "Of course, that's only viable if your colleagues acting as judges rescind their earlier verdict. We are all benefitting here in the end, hostilities with the Feywild are averted and I receive the promised... aid."
Stasolya smiles at Jek. "Thank you, Jek. You are truly close to the heart of the Childlike Empress, who loves good and evil alike. I am grateful that you have been given this task with us. You of a strange sort perhaps understand her struggles better than we."
The centaur turns to Lelith. "I still judge you guilty of your actions. Admitting your mistakes and accepting help to protect yourself in the future is the way to move forward, and I am happy for your willingness to accept Jek's offer, but it will not be served by coddling your pride or downplaying the seriousness of your actions. This verdict must be remembered by you if the future is to be any different... without humility, your acceptance of any intervention will be short-lived at best."
She looks at Jek and Shavaris. "I am only one of three, however. What is your judgment now?"
Shavaris's hands spread on the table in front of her, and she starts digging her nails into the table, doing what she can to control her anger. Her eyes turn black as she stares at Lelith. "A comedic masquerade? That's what you call this? You stand there and threaten us with the wrath of some Queen in another plane. When ours is disappearing in front of our eyes? Do you really think we give a shit about your ridiculous threats? Grow up."
Shavaris takes a moment to collect herself, and her eyes return to normal. "You mention the princess, Lelith, Princess Zelda. I mean, that was the first thing you talked about when you were teleported here with the rest of us. Not a single care for the rest of your band, but hey, the Princess. Now if finding her is your goal, receiving a guilty verdict from us, would severely hinder your plans, would it not? As you mentioned, she should be able to seal away the darkness and evil. And you, you want to be with her when she saves the world, do you not? So I would think you would be spending your time here trying to convince us of your innocence instead of lashing out at what a circus this whole thing is."
She turns to Jek, "You mentioned you might be able to tell if she is still under the influence of the Lord of Darkness, are you able to?"
"Yes, I stand by my words. You getting offended by them does not change you trying to judge me for an indeterminate future rather than my past actions," Lelith scoffed. "I would not be lashing out at how much you are making a fools out of yourselves if you did your job properly. I may be selflish, but I at least know how trials go. Whether you give a 'shit' or not about my threats doesn't matter to me, they serve more as warnings of consequences. If you care so little about Hyboria's fate, do continue. I do not lie, after all."
Lelith's hair rose as if it was lifted by a slight breeze and flashed red for a few moments. That was the only indication of her anger, her features otherwise remained expressionless, her eyes were as cold as ice. If looks could kill, Shavaris would have a thousand ice pikes turning her into a pin cushion right now. "If you want me to take you and this trial seriously, perhaps you should communicate better with your peers and the Elder attending this trial? This is not only a blatant disrespect toward me, toward the sanctity of this process, but most importantly toward Elder Qlille. This is the fifth time. The fifth ******* time. I do not swear easily, Shavaris. Elder Qlille, by her own hands and through her own powers, has already guaranteed that I am free of any and all influences during this trial. If you don't want to be taken for a fool then stop acting like one."
"Ugh, whatever," Lelith massaged her temples in frustration. "At least refer to the Princess respectfully and do not speak her name so casually. We're talking about a goddess' divine incarnation here, not the girl next door."
Lelith's look does not appear to bother Shavaris as she cooly responds, "I am currently talking about your past actions at the moment, your indeterminate future is well... worrisome to say the least."
"Guarantee? That is what you have garnered from what has been said so far here? That Elder Quille has guaranteed you of any and all influences during the trial? I think not. All the Elder has done, which we thank her," Shavaris turns and nods towards the owl then turns her glare back to Lelith, "has guaranteed that you are not lying. You may think you are not under the influence and therefore would say that. Does not guarantee that you are or are not." She looks like she is about to say more, but swallows then turns to Jek, waiting for his response.
"Elder Qlille, for the love of Hylia, and for my sanity. Please. Speak up," Lelith looked like she might go insane from anger . "Or I might just do something I may or may not regret."
Jek, quite happy with himself moves back to the table. As Stasolya speaks, he's a little saddened, but can't fault her logic. Then, Shavaris and Lelith start going at it. Hey Shavaris can change her eye color. And Lelith can change her hair color. Neat. Oh but... alright, things are getting heated again. He looks back and forth between everyone.
"Alright, alright, alright. Let's just all calm down here for a second. I can still check to see if there are any enchantments. Even if there is one that is lingering but not effecting you currently, I should be able to see it. However, Elder Qlille, there seems to be some confusion. You told us you were just checking to see if she is telling the truth. However, Lelith is under the impression that you are doing more. Can you tell us, are you doing anything else that is guaranteeing that Lelith isn't be controlled right now?"
The Owlin Elder looks at Lelith as she is prompted to speak, and then gazes across at Jek.
"My apologies. My assignment was to support the judges by determining truth from fiction in your statements. Thus far I have avowed that your statements are true, including the one that is inaccurate, though I pointed out that, inaccurate or not, it's not a lie, because you believe it is the truth and, more so, have been led to believe that it is the truth. It seems there is a question about the Lord of Darkness's continued contact with Lelith? My understanding is that the Lord of Darkness no longer exists, and has merged with Ganondorf to form Ganon. As for Ganon, it seems there is an open line of communication where Ganon could still reach out to Lelith, though she cannot communicate back to him. I imagine this is more of an effect of Ganon having once successfully invaded her mind, as opposed to some nefarious attempt to maintain control of her. I would caution, however, that this line of communication I can sense, if left unbroken, could allow Ganon an avenue of approach to attack Lelith's mind again, if we cannot remove it. As for being controlled right now? No. I thought my silence in that regard and my avow that she was telling the truth would have been answer enough for that question."
The room watches as Jek gets close to Lelith...and his body slowly starts to dissipate, breaking apart. Some of the shadow floats away and evaporates...
Qlille stepped forward, waving the Lightless back away from Lelith, before laying her hand on Lelith's shoulder.
"A tiger, however fearsome, can be hunted into a corner. It fights alone, so it dies alone." Qlille whispers. "But to hunt a wolf is to constantly look over your shoulder, wondering if others are behind you in the dark. Stop trying to be a tiger, Lelith. You clearly made a fine wolf."
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Jek moves forward and starts to get tired. Sleepy... He notices the room growing a bit darker as Qlille waves him back. That's weird. He takes a few steps back and suddenly the room snaps back into focus.
With a shake of his head, Jek looks about the room. "Ummmm? What just happened? The room started to...? Umm well, thank you Qlille, I think? So... You said... Ahhh.... Sorry, just getting my bearings.... She told the truth as she saw it. And... she's not being controlled... because... you did something?... I think I need to sit down. " Jek will go and sit in his seat again.
Shavaris looks on in alarm as Jek starts to break apart as he gets close to Lelith. Just as she is about to say something, the Elder intervenes and Shavaris watches him as he heads to his seat. She leans over to him, concern in her eyes, "Are you ok? Do you need a break?"
Shavaris sits down in a heap, the toll of the trial getting to her. Now knowing that Lelith is actually not under the influence and knowing that she is telling the truth, does put the situation in a new light for her. Pride, attitude, threats aside, she tries to focus on the situation at hand, not the appalling elf in front of her. Shavaris knows all. too. well. what it feels like to lose control to something evil. Something abhorrent. Something you wish with all your might was not part of you. She looks down and sees that her nails are biting into her palms, making red semi-circles, on the edge of bleeding.
She forces herself to breath deep and calm down. Then she looks up into the cold eyes of Lelith. Shavaris's eyes are softer now, with a more understanding behind them. "Threats and your poisonous words aside, I no longer find you guilty. I am going to recommend that you are returned back to the feywild and asked not to return, and that this line of communication that Elder Qlille speaks of is broken so that hopefully your mind isn't as easy to be taken again."
To Shavaris question. "I think I'm fine. I... What happened?"
Jek grabs his water skin as Shavaris speaks. He takes a long draught as he thinks things through and calms himself down. And then he thinks of Lelith. He looks up at the Eladrin, and realizes she's staring at him. He looks around the room, and realizes all eyes are on him. Oh... It's on him now.
"Sorry, give me a moment. I need to think." He takes a moment. He stares at Lelith and thinks. "Okay. I think it needs to be understood, I do not find you innocent. I think there were several points that things could have been avoided if you talked to your friends. Trusted others. I think you choose to act unilaterally, assuming that your opinions and plans are more important, more just than others, even your friends. In some cases to the detriment of your own objectives. How many times have you attacked and threatened us during this trial? Does that improve your chance of helping Hyboria, help Princess Zelda? You threatened all of Hyboria with attack if you don't get your way? Come now, who does that really help? But... these things make you not innocent, but they do not make you guilty. You were a victim. Your will was taken from you, and you were forced off your path. My vote is not guilty. But, my recommendation is different from Shavaris. First, we need to break this connection the Ganon. That is a must, no matter where you go. How do we know it won't be able to take control of you in the Feywild? I think it's a risk to your realm as well as ours. Second, I think you must make reparation's to Hyboria. I think you must stay and help save this world. However, not by blindly running towards a princess without thought to the greater objectives. You will go where your talents and skills are most needed, per Atreyu and Gandalf's guidance. But, these are just recommendations. I passed my judgment, but your fate is not up to me."
"I nearly laid down my life for Hyboria several times. Here I am standing in a trial regardless. Many times, Hyborians have scorned my help. I was nearly judged a criminal for actions I did not do while in control. If you wouldn't be rightfully pissed off, you must be a saint. I won't say my intentions are selfless in helping Hyboria, as I've mentioned before, but I'm pretty close. Despite the ugly personalities of many of its inhabitants, it's a pretty beautiful realm. Believe me, I would hate to see it destroyed," Lelith told them in a straightfoward manner.
"Finally, I'm going to say this again. I didn't threaten you all, I warned you of possible consequences if I were to sentenced as a criminal in Hyboria," Lelith rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I am of a royal lineage, a Princess of the Fey Winter Court. You can't expect to judge such a person a criminal in a foreign realm by hastily gathered judges with no consequences and you all go about your day. The best case scenario would be merely a demand for my release back to the Feywild, rescinding of the judgement, and some reparations. The worst case scenario would be war with the Feywild. The most likely scenario would be something in between, if I were to predict. I can't account for how strongly the Archfeys of the Winter Court would react, they are already unpredictable, let alone those of the other Courts. You made a good choice today, Jek. You as well, Shavaris."
Lelith turned toward the Centaur, "I'm sure you had the best of intentions with your judgement. I won't hold a grudge or make your life difficult. So let's leave it at that. Although for judges who were only called to give a verdict, you are quite eager to come up with a sentence either way. In any case, now that I am declared innocent, I want to ask something of those gathered here. I would like for my status to be kept a secret unless I wish to divulge it. I am not here in an official capacity nor do I want the attention, so there's no need for any formality."
Stasolya nods in thanks to Shavaris and Jek for their input. Then, turning again to face Lelith, she takes out her lute, and strumming it, softly begins to sing. The first part of the song is haunting, the tune solemn and sorrowful, but, although the melody doesn't change, by the end the singer raises her accompaniment, volume and timbre to a joyful conclusion.
"Two sides to fight
Of Dark and Light:
Inside the battle has grown.
The Shadow it hates,
But the Light it waits,
In patience and self-control.
Those who grasp
Their pride and wrath
Build in their hearts a throne.
A seat for Chaos,
The Dark Lord’s dross:
Their sin invites him home.
I call your guilt,
For you’ve willingly built
Through pusillanimous guise
A secret door
To Darkness galore:
Wrath, envy, vainglory, pride!
But your judgment and fate
Is not ours to make.
Instead mercy and grace will atone!
The Childlike Empress
Will deliver your sentence
By the heart of Atreyu alone."
As if on queue, Atreyu appears, walking into the room and looking around. He looks like he's aged ten years since that morning. A hulking warrior is behind him, his green and gold armor adorned with the sigils of the Army of Eternia.
"We have things to do, and I need answers. Jek Uttini, if you would be so kind as to remain behind and explain to me the verdict. Stasolya, Shavaris, please. Find Dageron, and report to Gandalf. There is trouble in Atlantis and the three of you are needed immediately. Jek, I'm sorry. You're not going to Atlantis because that thing there is hunting the Order of the Phoenix specifically. I wouldn't even send Dageron, but his skill set is specifically needed, and I have a plan for you elsewhere."
He looks expectantly at Jek as everyone gets moving.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Jek listens to Stasolya, his head snapping towards her at after the first verse.
After she finishes her song, Jek will give a few beats, then stand. He moves to the side of the room, reaches into a shadow and pulls out a chalkboard. (Utilizing silent image)
Looking to the others, he says "Okay, I think we need to clear some things up. So, lets begin the lesson!" He flips over the chalkboard. On that side, in large block letters is 'Darkness ≠ Shadows' . He begins "It is common misconception that Shadows and Darkness are the same thing. That couldn't be further from the truth. Let's start with the basics, shall we. What is Darkness?" He flips over the chalkboard again, and it now says 'What is Darkness?' "Darkness is.... nothing. Darkness is an absence of anything. An all consuming bunch of nothing. Now to the second part. What is Shadow." He flips the chalkboard back over. Now it says at the top 'What is shadow'. Underneath that is an image of a sun.
He repeats. "What is a Shadow? A Shadow is a projection, it is made when light interacts with an object. If you take the light from the sun, and put a person in front of it, you will get a shadow of said person." As he speaks, a person is drawn onto the chalkboard with light being projected from the sun onto the person.
Jek continues "That interaction of the light and the object makes the shadow, a projection of the object. This projection is tied to the object. It cannot exist without light. Now, I know what you are going to say, but the shadow is just an absence of light, it's darkness. And that's wrong, stop thinking that way, it's dumb. But... Kinda..... You see, shadows need both to exist, light and darkness. They are a balance of the two." He flips the chalkboard again, and it now has an image of a yin and yang symbol.
Jek looks around the room. Seeing if this is sinking in. He than says "Screw this 101 stuff, lets get to the advanced stuff!" He spins the chalkboard very hard, as he casts minor illusion to make a whizzing sound. He grabs it to stop the spinning, and it is now filled with complex mathematical equations. "Okay, so that was talking about projecting from 3 dimensions to 2 dimensions. But what if you aren't? What if you are projecting from 4 dimension, or 5, 6, 7? I assume you are all familiar with...." He stops as Atreyu and the warrior step into the room.
Jek listens and gulps. He says, quietly, as he spins the chalkboard again. "Oh no, it's the Gmork, isn't it." The picture on the chalkboard is that of a horendous creature that looks something like a wolf, but much much worse.
Jek watches the others leave, then looks to Atreyu.
"We have all three come to a verdict. Shavaris and I found Lelith not guilty, Stasolya found her guilty. Through Elder Qlille, we also learned that there is still a connection between Lelith and I guess Ganon now. No matter the verdict, that needs to be broken, otherwise she is still susceptible to being controlled."
"I'll start with Stasolya. I don't think I'm as eloquent with words as Stasolya, definitely not as eloquent with a bagpipe, but I'll try to relay her rational for her judgment. I can sing you her song later, too, but probably don't have time (and there is some problematic implications in some of the lyrics that I was lecturing her about)....Anyways. She felt that due to Lelith's actions, she left herself open to the manipulations and control of the Lord of Darkness. She felt that Lelith is responsible for her actions that led to her being controlled, thus why she found her Guilty."
"Shavaris initially found her guilt, but changed her judgment to Not Guilty when we had confirmation from Elder Qlille that Lelith was not under any influence during our trial and telling the truth. While I believe Shavaris did not like some of Lelith's responses or her personality all that much, I don't think she holds her at fault for the actions while she was under the control of a darker influence. She recommended that Lelith be returned to the Feywild and ask not to be returned."
"As for myself, I think Lelith's biggest failure or sin or whatever you want to call it, is that she continually acted alone and did not trust her band enough. That left her open to being isolated and attacked by the Lord of Darkness. While her actions and failures are unfortunate, I do not believe they make her responsible for her actions while under the control of the Lord of Darkness. I was also able to get her to admit to needing and accept our help to get rid of the control of the Lord of Darkness, which I think is showing some growth on her part. That is why I found her Not Guilty. Unlike Shavaris, though, I would recommend that she serves the people of Hyboria and help us save it as reparations for her failures. But, that will be up to you."
He takes a quick pause. "So there you have it, one Guilty, two Not Guilty. She needs to have the connection with Ganon severed. I don't know how, though. What will you do with her?" He continues, in a more serious note. "Is it the Gmork in Atlantis? The one Atoh dreamed about? Why is it after the Order of the Phoenix? Should I go to help? They shouldn't have to fight our battles for us. But you said you have a task for me? I... What do you need me to do. I will go to where ever I'll be of most use."
Shavaris smiles as Jek goes into full teacher mode to describe the difference between shadows and darkness. She finds it quite interesting as she has never looked at shadows in this, um... light before. It was a welcome distraction from the trial at hand.
Once Atreyu finishes and calls her and the centaur to Atlantis, she turns as she hears Jek, "What... is that a Gmork? What is that, and why was it hunting your band?"
Before heading out, she looks to Lelith. "I hope your time with the Twilight Embers has helped warm your cold demeanor a bit. Especially if you do stay in Hyboria. I do have one question for you if you don't mind, nothing to do with the trial. The fairy you spoke of that died at the hands of the Queen of the Gohma... do you know it's name?"
She then heads out with Stasolya to find Dageron and report to Gandolf as requested.
Jek looks down. "I don't know much. Atoh had visions of it, nightmares. The sorceress at Castle Grayskull told is it's a servant of the Nothing, or it heralds it. I have no idea why it's hunting us, but it is. I don't know why it serves the Nothing, I don't know why anything serves the Nothing. Be careful, if the Gmork is there, the Nothing might be close as well."
"If you must know. Her name was Kora," Lelith nodded and gave her an answer.
Atreyu listens to Jek's appraisal as Shavaris and Stasolya leave for the next leg of their journey. He glances from Lelith, to Jek, back to Lelith as he thinks, thoughtfully soaking up all the information that Jek is imparting on him.
"It is the Gmork." Atreyu says, and his arms prickle with gooseflesh. "Thank you for your dilligence, Jek. I wish things had been a little easier for you and your peers, but I thought it was important for Lelith's peers to weigh her guilt. It seems like the majority vote is that she is not guilty, though it appears some recourse is due for her actions. Shavaris, if I am to understand this correctly, thinks she should be banished? And you think she should be kept here to right her wrongs. It sounds like Stasolya didn't input what she thought should happen..."
Atreyu rubs his chin, looking at the floor while he seems to be working on what to do next.
"I wasn't really looking for recommendations of what to do with her...but...since there's a divided opinion...I have to side with Jek. Lelith, you are found not guilty, though I believe it is only fair that you remain here for now to pay penance for the harm you have caused by saving this world. Elder Qlille, if you could facilitate a cleansing, that would be greatly appreciated."
The Owlin Elder nods, reaching out with a feathered hand to beckon Lelith to follow her as she steps out of the room and toward the corridor beyond.
"Jek, I need you to find Kerwyn...err...Adam, Travin, and Thea. You're heading to Aughra's Observatory. The observatory will be destroyed by the tsunami and we have to know where the Shard of Division is. If we lose Aughra, we may never find it."
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York