Litigation (Part 2)

The female counter-council eyes Khepri warily. "Were you asked by my client to do anything that would have been against the nature of your service to Vardama?" Her voice is very careful and the male Al veritably vibrates with anticipation... At least until the goblin speaks up and then he pales.

Al leans down and whispers to the nameless goblin. "It takes years to memorize the rules of the court. I can get you the first book if you like, but I'm doing my best here!"

Khepri's voice is flat and hard. "Irrelevant. The fey in question had murdered at least one man, by his own admission, and stolen the identity of another. His theft of my name could be construed as a ruse to further his scheme against Thoth as well as to evade justice for his crimes."

Tlanexhuani looks from Khepri (who seems to have a stronger(?) case with the Death-Singing Dragon on its side) to their Al, and around to the other Al and the judge. He doesn't have much to add at the moment directly relating to himself, but he can confirm Khepri's claims of the Namestealer's acts. "Ssa. Name-stealer fey admit to this one of slaying another, taking name." The old lizard has no idea of relevancy, but better all this heard than not. Right?

"And he tried to kill me and three others when we looked into his lies. Succeeded at killing one. I saw that with my own eyes. Are you really suggesting we let a known murderer and liar out of his just imprisonment so he can tell everyone more lies and kill more people?" The goblin adds, her eyes glancing over at the judge, who she is pointedly not speaking to, and she's not exactly sure how much they're allowed to talk, but everyone else is doing it, so screw it she's joining in.

The Al that is their lawyer looks a little nervous, but he's not the one that talks first.

"Evidence - of any kind - must be presented at the proper time. We are not here to determine if this individual committed a crime on another plane. Only to determine the case before us today." The judge looks at your Al. "Control your clients."

"Yes sir." Your Al looks a little meek now and then the other feminine Al speaks up.

"Is your client refusing to answer my question?" She almost purrs the question and your Al looks at Khepri a little urgently.

"I would highly encourage the war golem to answer the question." He lowers his voice to be heard only by you three. "Please answer the question. It's in your best interests."

Khepri turns to stare coldly at the judge, then at the other 'Al'. The blank, beaked mask has no way to present expression, but there's a tangible sense of -contempt- radiating from the golem. Clearly its opinion of the court has dropped significantly.

"The false creature calling itself 'Ilenzi' requested: our obedience, and assistance with protecting Thoth." Khepri's voice is chilly. "Ilenzi had stolen the flesh of another man, and slain him cruelly. It is against the strictures of Vardama to tolerate wanton murder or to suffer the depredations of those who toy with mortal remains -- whether they be necromancers, or fey."

GAME: Khepri rolls diplomacy: (8)+1: 9

There's a grumble from the crowd and after a moment the judge clacks his little mallet on his desk behind the gold chain on it. "Judgement finds in favor of the defense. Reparations will be made to the wargolem Khepri at once. We will continue on the matter of the other two defendants. Khepri is dismissed."

Al turns to you all excited and takes Khepri's hand. "Excellent working with you! Reparations! Excellent! Fare-well!" A magic circle burns to life under Khepri's feet. "Have a nice return trip!"

GAME: Khepri rolls spellcraft: (11)+9: 20
GAME: Nameless rolls spellcraft+4: (3)+21+4: 28

Well, it won't be the first time Khepri's stubbornness has gotten it into and out of a jam. The sheathed (and peace-bonded) khopesh at its side rattles happily, almost sounding like bells jingling. Firmly, the golem shakes 'Al's' hand, before nodding politely to the judge.

Then Khepri looks at Tlanexhuani and... the nameless goblin. "I will inform the temple and the Adventurer's Guild of your whereabouts upon my return." A pause. "You may require additional representation."

Tlanexhuani blinks once, slowly, at the (partial) verdict and appearance of magic beneath Khepri. That was... good? unexpected? quick? all of the above. "This one wishes you well," he offers to the golem of the Deathsinger. Because he's not sure what else to say. He looks to Al, after, and then back to the judge.

"Thanks, Khepri, have a fun trip!" and after a brief pause, "Well, that was fast." The nameless one remarks as Khepri is whisked away quite abruptly, and she looks to Al, "Any chance of the both of us being that easy?" she says hopefully to Al, while leaning forward in her seat to scowl at other-Al.

Khepri vanishes in a moment, and Al smiles at the nameless goblin a bit sourly. "Unlikely. Unless you have other evidence to support your claims?" He looks a bit hopeful here. "The court doesn't really care what kind of *individual* this Zelgu was. Only whether you've a right to your names or not. If you were politely asked for your name and you gave it..." He trails off. "Well perhaps there were extenuating circumstances, like with the wargolem?"

Tlanexhuani looks back to Al, exhaling a breath. "This one did not -give- name. Name stolen. This one holds claim, name-stealer does not." He can't believe that theft isn't an extenuating circumstance.

"There's that." the colourful gobbo points out, gesturing at Tlanexhuani, "Plus, he did give me a task to do, lied about almost everything about it, and then tried to kill me for doing it. That feels like he's got no right to claim my name back." She shrugs and adds, "Unless the fae are allowed to break their word in these contracts? Seems like there'd be no reason to ever agree to one if so."

Al tilts his head. "Then please, tell the court how your names were *stolen*. If they weren't rightfully given then there's no reason for us to be here." He says this more grandly, swinging his arm out toward the audience and his counter-council.

"Ssa." The blue-scale gives agreement at Al's suggestion... as an interim sound while he tries to figure out how best to do that. His head turn to the judge and court is almost as slow as his thoughts. "This one speak name. Is ... " claws slowly reach up to pluck at a word in the air. " ... polite. This one not give away, release claim. Red-eyed one use magic on this one, others. Take name. Make false claim of it."

"On the stealing thing, before we get to the broken contract... I don't know about Tlan, but I just answered a question about what my name is. I know Fae like to pretend it's a request to trade if they word it just right, but they and you know that's not what both parties intended in the statement. So it's not being given, it's being stolen." The goblin replies irritatedly, expecting this line of argument not to work because the stories tell her the Fae don't consider good faith or informed consent to be a requirement.

Indeed, the female Al smiles thinly. "Were you politely requested to give your name? You claim this as theft, but if you offered up your name then that is *not* theft under our law." The crowd shifts and boos quietly. Not at the woman talking, but at you. Seems that their opinion is swaying against you.

Words as weapons. Tlanexhuani knows nothing of this court and counsels, but increasingly wonders of how different they are from the Name-Stealer. If those are the tools here, he may be woefully unequipped... but he shall try. His eyes close a moment as he thinks back to that time. It is not anything akin to the memory of his blood, so it takes a moment or six.

"This one was asked, by Red-eyed one, if he could have name. This one not strong with softskin words. This one hear is wish to know name. This one speak name, identify this one. This one not share words of 'Ssa,' or 'yes.' This one not agree. Not give. Red-eyed one take."

The gobbo's patience reserves have reached red-line, and she fumes while Tlan speaks calmly. Fists clenched, she addresses the other council and the heckling crowd as soon as Tlan takes a moment, "See? You don't care if it's actually given. You care if you have an excuse to pretend it was given. You know it wasn't meant that way, the asshole who stole my name knew it wasn't meant that way, everyone listening knows it wasn't meant that way."

Her purple face flushed with red, "But to admit that would require a shred of honesty you don't seem to have. So it's no wonder that in addition to using dishonesty to steal names, he makes deals and then breaks them. Because you all participate in these lies, why would he keep an oath any more than he'd acknowledge that a name given in greeting is not given as a gift." at the end of her rant, her ears twitch and her teeth clenched in rage.

Al capitalizes on Tlanexhuani's words, quickly spinning up the words. "You see! No utterance of acceptance was given! Not in any language. According to the law you must willingly give up your name! This one of my clients never did so! He only offered his name in greeting!"

The female lawyer tries to argue this, but the nameless goblin speaks out then and the courthouse goes deadly silent. Then the booing and hissing breaks out all over again, this time with a few acorns thrown at an invisible barrier between you and the crowd. The judge bangs his gavel to bring everyone to silence. "SILENCE!" The silence then is thick enough to walk upon.

"Judgment finds in favor of the defense again. No reparations are awarded to the sith-makar known as Tlanaexhuani."

"What about the matter of-" The woman-Al says quickly but the gavel silences her and the judge continues. "We will continue on the matter of the last defendant. Tlanexhuani is dismissed."

Al doesn't get a chance to say farewell to the sith-makar this time. In fact he looks a bit pale as the judge turns his eyes on him. "As for you. One more bought of insults like that and judgment will be swiftly outside your favor. There is no need to insult this court." He bangs his gavel.

"A-and the matter of the oathbreaking?" Al asks hesitantly.

"You may proceed to offer evidence of this *supposed* oathbreaking." The judge says. "But tread carefully."

Al turns to the goblin formerly known as... something then and looks at her carefully. "You have the stage dear, but please. Don't lie. We can't afford them now. Only the truth, the full truth... or so help us."

Tlanexhuani does not like Nameless being upset, either... but for entirely different reasons than the court. Before the judgment is rendered, he crouches lower, tail curling vaguely around the gobber. "Pleasse, be calm. All will-" A blink as the hammer is banged and realization sets in a bit late.

His head whirls towards the dismissive judge. "Hold. This one would-" Stay, that is, if given the opportunity, which the court seems brusquely intent to not entertain.

The gobbo simmers while the judge goes on his own rant, and mutters under her breath "Seems like there's plenty of need, to me."

"Fine, you want to know about the broken oath?" she seethes through her razor sharp goblin teeth, "That bastard bound me to perform two tasks. One, to assist Thoth in reclaiming his memories. And two, to protect Thoth while he did so." her eyes flit from the opposing council, to the judge, and to the unruly mob she has apparently instigated. Mixed in with her anger at the unfairness of this all is just a little bit of pride at that. 'I bet Simony's never started a riot' she thinks to herself.

"I suspected that the Fae was not being honest with me, or Thoth, about the nature of these memories or his reason for wanting them shared, so I looked into it. Spoke to some godly men, one of whom was themselves a god. And I was right."

She pauses for effect, then continues "The god told me that the Fae was intentionally misleading Thoth. That's from the mouth of Daeus himself. I was helping and protecting Thoth by investigating that Fae - and in return for that, he revoked our deal and stole my name from me. I fulfilled my end of the contract, and he broke his. Seems like he owes ME." she punctuates the last word by slamming her fist down on the table between them and the judge.

The crowd murmurs amongst itself quietly at this, clearly thinking about the words spoken by the goblin. It seems that they are firmly divided on the subject. The judge looks at the two lawyers. "I would point out that an oathbreaker can not hold property under the law." Al says succinctly and the woman Al frowns at him.

"This is not definitive proof of oathbreaking. The goblin agreed to obedience, and protection of a third party, not investigation of the client!"

"But she did so to protect the third party that the client demanded she protect!" Al argues, and the female Al frowns even more deeply.

"She broke the oath by being disobedient. She was told not to push things and she *did* push things. Which is when my client took her name back." The woman says clearly. "Thus the claim that he took back her name for no reason is false. She broke the oath, not my client."

The crowd boos again and Al looks at the nameless goblin a bit helplessly. "Have you anything else to say in your defense?"

"So you're saying that he gave me a task which he knew was impossible to fulfill? I can't protect Thoth or help him get his true memories back if I'm obedient to this bastard Fae, and I can't be obedient if I'm helping and protecting the bird. I guess that fits with the rest of lies that you're defending." Fidget frowns, "Wait - how the hell do you know that? That's a lot of very specific details that I barely remember - and yet you seem to be able to produce it whenever it's convenient." she snaps at Al Girl, "So you knew the whole time that Khepri and Tlan were in the right. I bet you know I'm in the right too. The Gods certainly do, that's why your client is a tiny little box in a demiplane while you try to weasel on his behalf in cases you know you're legally in the wrong on." she's not sure if the courts here care that the contract was, apparently, completely unfulfillable, or if the opposing council is making arguments they know to be flawed, but it doesn't seem like anything she says helps that much.

The female Al doesn't bother defending herself from the accusations, instead seeming to take pleasure from the fact that the nameless goblin is so irate with her. It's the judge who talks though. "Judgement is ready. The jury is decided on the matter of-"

"Wait!" Al - the male Al, cuts in quickly. "If I might, I request that Khepri be returned at once from where they are to here. I think that they can resolve this situation!"

The judge looks a bit irate. "Then why didn't you say so before?"

Al colors a bit. "I didn't know." This seems an acceptable answer and a message requesting Khepri's presence is sent to the wargolem.

After a few minutes, a magical circle appears on the floor before the two Al's, the judge, and the nameless goblin. A burst of blue-white light blazes upward, before fading to reveal the impassive Executor.

"The blessings of the Harpist upon you," Khepri says in a rather flat tone. Clearly it's not happy at being summoned back here. "Speak, and be heard."

Al turns to Khepri and lowers his voice so that only Khepri and the nameless goblin can hear his words. "The case is about to go against your friend here. I assume you're friends? Or that you know one another at least. Well! You are owed some reparations! You have enough that you could buy out her contract! Then you could *give* her the name back and you'll all be free to enjoy your time on the mortal plane. What do you say?" He looks at Khepri and then the goblin who might one day be known as Fidget.

Khepri fixes Al with a gimlet stare, the blank yellow lenses above the metal beak showing no emotion -- showing nothing at all, really. Its khopesh rattles in its sheath again, the bells tied to the pommel chiming softly.

The golem looks down at the weapon, considering, before nodding dispassionately to the advocate. "How do you wish to proceed?" he inquires in that same toneless voice.

"Really? That's what you've got?" the gobbo says, astounded, "I...uh...I guess that works. I'll owe you a favor, Khepri." she frowns, frustrated at the circus of a court she's gotten dragged into. She folds her arms and sits back, glowering at the opposing council.

The judge pronounces the goblin as a ward of the court, but Al swoops in to point out that Khepri is owed restitution, and would like to use it to claim the goblin's name. Once the lawyer explains to Khepri how to return the name to the nameless goblin... She is restored and everyone is returned to Alexandria.

Needless to say, it's one solution that no one expected. Still... It's a valuable lesson... sort of.

-End