[RPG] [FEI] A busy day for the headsman

[Eiyrn]

Samuel Knowlton wrote:
> Galiard Scarlett was seated in a small audience chamber just off the great 
> hall of Ossaet Keep, where a handful of buidlers and architects were already 
> surveying the castle for the repairs that would be necessary once the city 
> was safely back under the Lasanar banner. Although a relatively young man, 
> there were dark bags under Galiard's eyes, and he was out of sorts. Even the 
> arrival of his long-time man-at-arms and Seneschal, Ser Ulwitt Dodd, did 
> little to cheer him up.
>
> "Morning, guv'nah," chirruped Dodd on his way in.
>
> Galiard grunted. "Is it done?"
>
> "Right to business, eh?" Dodd frowned for a moment, but shrugged. "Aye. 
> Rekoi was sent to the headsmen just after dawn. No crowds, no spectacle, 
> just like you asked."
>
> "Thank you," replied the Grand Justiciar quietly. "I know this is not 
> exactly the duty you signed up for back in Semon."
>
> Dodd started to agree, but thought better of it, and simply nodded.
>
> "And what of Dyre?" Galiard webbed his fingers on his desk and tilted his 
> head. "Any luck finding a captain to take him to the Colonies?"
>
> Dodd's half-smile disappeared and he shook his head. "Er, um. About that."
>
> Galiard arched an eyebrow. "This is a port city," he observed. "You know," 
> he added, "full of boats."
>
> "Ships, sir," Dodd corrected.
>
> "Yes," growled Galiard, "Ships. Thank you."
>
> "Well, aye," continued Dodd, "There's no shortage of ships. There's a 
> shortage of ship's captains crazy enough to take Dyre on as a passenger for 
> a long trip like that. Apparently he has a bit of a reputation."
>
> "I'm shocked." Galiard deadpanned. "Shocked."
>
> "And what with Ardh Osai being so new," Dodd explained, "even if I found one 
> willing -- and there was one I might've been able to work one -- there's 
> some business with the paperwork and flags."
>
> Galiard ground his teeth. "...flags?"
>
> "Flags, sir," agreed Dodd. "What with Ardh Osai being so new, a lot of the 
> ships are in port having their sails re-sewn, what with a few of them having 
> had to adopt Ardh Osai banners so as not to be sunk as Lasanar ships, and 
> now, well, they don't want to be sunk as Ardh Osai ships, and -- well really 
> they just don't want to be sunk. Which leads me back to my previous point 
> about not wanting Dyre aboard."
>
> "Remind me," muttered Galiard, "never to be a ship captain."
>
> "Due respect, sir, there's not much danger of that happening," Dodd cleared 
> his throat.
>
> "So did you explain this to Dyre?" Galiard pressed on. "What did he say?"
>
> "Mmm," Dodd tap-tapped the desk with his knuckles. "Nothing."
>
> Galiard stared. "Nothing?" His eyes widened. "All this time, and only now 
> have we figured out how to get Dyre to say nothing at all?"
>
> "That's one way of looking at it, guv'nah," Dodd mused. "Problem is, this 
> being a legal issue and all, he's not speaking in his own defense. It's like 
> I'm not even there. I'm talking to myself. We can't carry out the sentence 
> you passed and ship him off. And we could only let him go..."
>
> "...if he gave us his word of honor, his right arm, and his grandmother as 
> collateral," finished Galiard, "in an agreement to voluntarily leave the Far 
> East. Do you think he'd even agree to it? You know, if he was actualy 
> speaking?"
>
> "Dunno." Dodd shrugged. "I never was any good at gleaning what the poor sod 
> was after, either when he was here in Lasanar or afterwards -- other than 
> making as many enemies as possible in as short a time as possible. I lost 
> track of the number of times a messenger from his camp passed us by with 
> another missive full of explanations of how Lasanar was full of barbarians."
>
> "Well," Galiard pointed out, "he was passing -you- by."
>
> Dodd scowled.
>
> "So we can't ship him off," Galiard returned to the subject. "And we can 
> only let him go if he agrees to a long and complicated agreement which he 
> isn't even considering on account of he's not speaking to us. That's pretty 
> much it?"
>
> "That's it," replied Dodd.
>
> Galiard was silent for a moment. Dodd didn't move, didn't speak. Abruptly, 
> the Grand Justiciar slammed his fist on the table and lept to his feet.
>
> "Damnit, Ser Dodd!" Galiard bellowed. "I didn't come to Lasanar to oversee 
> executions. I've signed more death warrants in the last month than two of my 
> predecessors put together."
>
> "Aye, m'lord," Dodd answered quietly.
>
> "The people who want Dyre put to death," Galiard carried on, "they're not 
> the ones who are going to face the consequences."
>
> "No, m'lord," agreed Dodd, "but that doesn't make them wrong."
>
> "And we already told the Prime Minister that we'd sentenced him to 
> deportation," grumbled the Justiciar.
>
> "Due respect, m'lord, we need to do one or the other - either send him to 
> the headsman, or else set him free, without a word from him," Dodd explained 
> solemnly.
>
> Galiard glanced up at his old friend. "Prepare two missives. Send one to the 
> headsman; have him prepare the block. Send the other to the council. Inform 
> them that, as I am apparently incapable of summoning a single ship to carry 
> one man away and cannot in good conscience release Dyre if he will not even 
> speak to us, I had no choice but to have him executed. As this is contrary 
> to the intended sentence of this Office, offer the council my resignation. 
> This is not what Lasanar needs."
>
> Dodd regarded Galiard for a long moment, but said nothing. Finally: "Aye, 
> m'lord Scarlett," he answered, bowing curtly. "I will see it done." 
>
>
>   
You spam me and then use that as an excuse to execute?  Lame.  You could 
have interacted right here.  Instead you had a conversation with 
yourself.  Brillant.  Lasanar interaction.  Nonexistent.