In the ArchMage's Chamber S7

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mythic

mythic

Baron
“Still?” The ArchMage asks with a sigh of exhaustion. “It’s been a month since the portal to the Lux stopped working.” He states. “At least we think it has.” replies Magi Kurak, the Magi of Portals of the Arcane Sanctum. “Some have went into the portal, whether they have exited the one at the Lux, of that we are not sure.” The ArchMage looks to his bed, its canopy bulging in a certain spot, revealing to those who know, the little Imp that resides in the Penta. “Ziblis, are you sure you have not been able to penetrate this bubble that has surrounded the Lux and that damn Fey Forest?” A small chuckle escapes the Imp’s mouth.. “penetrate” he muses. After a very brief moment, the Imp comes to remember that the ArchMage has been in a foul mood since he lost the ability to rift into the Lux. “Yes, Lord Az’Caine, I am most certain that I cannot enter the Lux, nor the forest. Which really sucks, I had a date with the grove of Nymphs..” he trails off.

Magi Rhialto, the head of the Penta of Calanhelm clears his throat and shifts nervously in his chair. “My Lord, have you had a chance to speak with Lady Aithusa?” Rhialto almost instinctively knows the answer, but it must be asked. The ArchMage shakes his head. “No. I have not been able to contact her. I have travelled to her residence, I have spoke with a few others who normally know her general location, and she is not in any of those known locals. I have tried every ritual that I know of to contact her, Visions, Lore, Whispering Winds, Seek the Whole and more. None have proven fruitful.”

The ArchMage trails off. A look of concern etched upon his face. Magi Kurak leans forward. “ I do not understand what could be the problem. I have never seen a portal open to a location, accept a traveller and not give some indication that the portal has completed the travel. In all of my time as Magi of Portals, which is nearly a Century, has something like this happened.”

“Time..” the ArchMage murmurs under his breath. “Could it be?” he asks himself. He breaks from his inner thoughts. “Gentlemen, you will have to excuse me. I have to prepare a ritual that I have not had to perform in some time. Cordon off the floor. Ensure that the Wards and Circles are in place and have been bolstered. No one should be on this level in the next day. The ritual is complex and the backlash could be, detrimental, to those in the vicinity.” He calls over to the canopy “that means you as well Imp. You don’t want to be here when the ritual begins.”

With that, the Magi of the Sanctum take their leave, examining the Circles and recasting the Wards in the upper chambers of the Sanctum.
 
9/19/18

The ArchMage sits at his desk, reading over several reports, notices and other papers that need his attention. One, penned recently catches his attention. A request for trial of some noted individuals. Among the names are Lady Morrigan and Marshal Arlyne. 'That explains the message from Magi Evo." the ArchMage mutters to himself. He scans the document, reads the names upon it and shakes his head. "Ziblis!" the ArchMage calls to his imp. "I require you to seek out the Fatespinner and Colonel Colson of the Home Guard. It appears I require an audience with both of them." Ziblis yawns and rolls over on the canopy of the ArchMage's massive bed, looking down upon him at his desk. He stretches, scratches several places and then shakes the sleep from his head. "Yeah, I got it. Zanthia and Malcolm. Done and done." with a puff of smoke and the faint smell of sulfur, the little Imp heads off to summon the guild-masters.

The ArchMage reads over the request for trial again. "Murder? Conspiracy? Assault? Property Damage?" What in Fortanis did these folks get up to this time?
 
As he awaits the arrival of the Fatespinner and Col. Colson, a messenger arrives and knocks at the door. "The Circle recognizes you in." he states. The messenger drops off a missive and hurries back to the door, several more letters in hand. "The Circle recognizes you out."

He looks at the letter, penned by Marshal Arlyne Caran and sighs. Az'Caine knows what this is about, and likely its contents. He opens it, reads it and then sets it down upon the never ending stack of papers at his desk. He turns his head to gaze out the window of the Penta, looking south towards the expanse of Calanhelm. "This is going to be a long few days." he mutters to himself before turning back to the pile of paperwork.
 
The day passes without further incident. Early in the morning Lady Zanthia and Colonel Colson arrive in the ArchMage's chambers.

"Greeting Malcolm, Lady Zanthia. I presume you have been briefed as to why I had to call you here?" waiting for both to acknowledge what has transpired the ArchMage continues. "As this pertains to all of our respective guilds, I believe you should be allowed to witness the trial that will be set for tomorrow at the Countess Thornwood's estate within the city. It is where the accused are being currently held under guard and Wards." The others nod in their understanding.

"My Lord ArchMage" Colson begins "I believe we have an opportunity here. I received a missive from Sgt. Johm in which he states that the death of the noble was his doing. I believe which such a confession, we should be able to skip the formality of a trail and just pronounce a sentence." he concludes.

The ArchMage looks to the Fatespinner, she takes in the information, and nods her approval. "Unfortunately, Marshal Caran has also sent me a letter, in which she states that because she was leading the investigation, she should be given the punishment. With Magi Corstar's death, it falls to me to conduct the trial of any nobility's death. And I for one, would like to hear from each of the accused. There is more than just the death of the Baron. There are accusations of necromancy, assault on his staff and more that needs to be addressed. Lady Fatespinner, I did note that Thistle was among the accused. Has she reached out to you?"

"No my Lord. She has not." the Fatespinner states with more of a tone of annoyance in that fact than she would normally let on. "I see" replies Az'Caine. "Then, if you so choose, meet me tomorrow at the Countess' estate in the morning. We shall begin the trial. I do not see it taking too long. We have to establish who did what. Some may be guilty of nothing, others of multiple crimes. We will have to determine what extent each of their involvement is to ensure that justice is served."

With that, the Lady Fatespinner and Colonel Colson rise and head to the door. "After you my Lady" Colson motions to the door with a grand sweep of his arm. Zanthia rolls her eyes at Malcolm, smirking and takes her leave of the chamber. Malcomn steps to the door and hesitates. He turns slightly to the ArchMage. "My Lord, one final thing if I may?" he half asks, half states. "Go ahead" the ArchMage replies back. "It is something of a private matter." Colson begins. "I see." notes the ArchMage. "Close the door Malcolm and continue." with that the Colonel swings the heavy oak door closed with ease....
 
With a nod, Evo leaves his chamber and makes a beeline for the Archmage's. He keeps the pleasantries to the politest minimum and enters the chamber, closing the door behind him. "My lord Archmage. Let's find a resolution forthwith. I have familiarized myself with the evidence provided, and have a few questions and discussion points. If I may start with the obvious: has a ritual of Spirit Farewell been cast on the spirits of Lord Lancaster and the previous Lady Lancaster? If not, I believe I can acquire at least one on short notice if the Weavers' library doesn't provide one or two."
 
The ArchMage sits back in his chair, behind his desk that seems to constantly growing more and more paperwork. "Magi Evo, it is good to see you, albeit for not the most pleasant of reasons." he ponders the questions of the Magus. "Yes, the Earth Weavers did try a Spirit Farewell upon Lord Lancaster. It appears that whatever killed him ripped his spirit to tatters. They were unsuccessful in casting the ritual. As far as I am aware, they were not able to cast one for the Lady." the ArchMage sits forward, his hands clasped together with his index fingers across his lips in silent contemplation. "What other questions do you have?" he asks.
 
"I admit to disappointment that the spirits of neither of the deceased are available to us; but we must continue with what information we have. I believe it might be crucial to interview Lady Emilia; I'm sure she has much more information, some of which was hinted at in the letter to Countess Thorne, including the fact that she was aware of the haunting. She may be able to incriminate or exonerate Baron Lancaster, or at the very least provide a reliable witness to his character."

Evo pauses, and becomes more animated.

"There are several issues which might best be considered separately, however. First, what is the extent of liability and responsibility borne by Countess Thorne when she engaged and commanded the group to investigate? Second, were the actions of the accused justified given the circumstances and options available to them? And finally, is there sufficient evidence against Lord Lancaster to posthumously indict him for murder, necromancy, assault, or for abuse of either of the Ladies Lancaster?"

"I believe the issue of Countess Thorne's liability must be decided first, as the remaining responsibility passes onto the heads of the accused. While she was not interviewed under charm I do believe her testimony was largely corroborated by those under your magical influence; with the vital exception of whether she explicitly commanded them to skirt the law in pursuit of evidence. In any case, she did not command them to murder. We do have the letter from Lady Emilia which prompted this investigation."

"To the second point: I argue that there was no intention of any bodily or spirit harm to Lord Lancaster-- you have seen that all you interviewed acted without malice, and the consequences of removing the necromantic charm were unintended and unexpected. The notes discovered simply said “I can’t lose the necklace. She’ll come for me then.” Certainly that's no clear indication that the ghost would shatter his spirit. If we must assign a crime, surely it cannot be more severe than involuntary manslaughter. You have entrusted our group with much responsibility, and I do not believe they have acted irresponsibly."

"I have no immediate plea on the matter of justice with the actions of Lord Lancaster, as they took place before the arrival of the accused, and do not affect their verdict beyond providing motivation for the investigation. Certainly Countess Thorne believes justice has been served, but it is not my place to venture opinion at this time. There is, however, a body of evidence to be reviewed -- the previous Lady Lancaster was certainly wounded many times previously, and died of blunt force trauma to the head, quite possibly as she was preparing to leave the Baron; she left behind an unfinished letter and a dead unborn child."

Evo regards Az'Caine earnestly: "And I do not believe my confidence in Marshal Arlyne is misplaced, nor do I believe she should lose her rank over a matter in which she acted responsibly. If we absolutely must make a sacrifice on the altar of justice to appease the nobility, let us consider carefully and perhaps negotiate a penalty which does not tarnish the reputation of the Arcane Sanctum, which we've worked so hard to recover."

"These are not the actions of willful criminals, even if you do judge that a crime has been committed."
 
The ArchMage thinks over the questions. "The Countess' liability is her own to consider. If I were to order you to do an investigation and you then ended up killing someone, what responsibility would I have to assume? It truly depends on the circumstances and if actions could have been done to avoid the death. This is a critical issue. If the accused had an inkling of an idea that there could have been harm that befell the Baron, then they should have thought their actions through. Not realizing the outcome could be so, severe, is not a defense of the crime. Intentions aside, I do not believe they intended for the result, but it did happen. Unfortunately, without being able to recall his spirit, we do not know if the writings are his, or who it is she refers to in them. I cannot assume to know those answers. Without being able to question him, and not being able to recall the Lady's Spirit, we do not know the true cause of her death either." the ArchMage shakes his head at the mess.

"I will speak with the other Magi and seek their wisdom on these events as well. It will be decided shortly as to what the crimes are, and who will be punished for them. What happens to the Marshal, and the rest, will depend on if they are found guilty of the charges laid before them. Punishment will be determined by myself and carried out swiftly. I thank you for your due diligence in these matters Evo. I hope those you are championing for understand all that you have done for them. If you will excuse me, I have many things to discuss with the Penta." with that, the ArchMage motions for the Magus to depart as he sinks back into his chair, as if a heavy weight has been placed upon his shoulders.
 
Evo bows respectfully and departs without a word.
 
PC119
A quiet knock on the door to the ArchMage's chambers alerts Az'Caine to the Magi that steps into the room a moment later. "My Lord ArchMage" he says. "Ah, Magi Rhialto, what brings you here today?" the ArchMage asks after looking up from his endless pile of papers on his desk. "My Lord, a representative from Ral'Endas is here with a missive from Duncan Emberforge." he states. Curious, the ArchMage thinks to himself. Why would Magi Rhialto escort a courier up here? Normally, the missive would be dropped at the front desk and sent up with a runner. "Please", the ArchMage begins. "Recognize him in."

Magi Rhialto gives a slight bow and calls through the Circle. "The Circle recognizes Raelas Stonecrusher". That raises the eyebrows of the ArchMage. "Master Trader. What brings one of the Elder councilmen to Calenhelm?" the ArchMage asks. The Dwarf bows slightly then straightens up and approaches the desk, holding onto a sealed missive bearing the crest of Emberforge. "Duncan 'as some tings fer ya to look at M'Lord. It is of the most importance and 'e did'n want anyone to be doddlin' along." Az'Caine accepts the missive and cracks open the seal. He takes a moment to read over it. His gaze moves from curious, to a bit of surprise and then back to a more neutral expression. "Oh, really?" Az'Caine asks, or more states. "Very interesting Raelas, interesting indeed. I did not know you were so far along. Commendable. Has Queen Ava and her grace the High Empress been informed of this as well?" he asks. "Aye M'Lord. Th' others should 'ave made it to their homes right about now as well." the dwarf states. "Well then, we will see what they have to say about it. I would guess very promptly." Az'Caine states.

"Thank ya' M'Lord." the dwarf says and then he gives a slight bow. He heads for the door as Rhialto allows him to exit. The Magi turns to the ArchMage "And what was that all about?" he asks. The ArchMage sits back in his chair. Hands steepled under his chin. "Intrigue Magi Rhialto, much intrigue. I am very curious as to how the Queen and High Empress will react to this news." Az'Caine states as he shakes his head and lets out an exasperated breath. He leans forward and hands Rhialto the missive. The Magi reads over it. Then once again to ensure what he read was correct. "Oh my. I see." he says as he puts the paper on the desk. Magi Rhialto turns to leave. "Let's keep this between us until I have a moment to speak with both of them." the ArchMage states. "Agreed." Rhialto responds as he steps out of the chamber.
 
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