No Justice for the Wicked

Lucas Hild · Post by **Lucas Hild** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:30 am

The Justice Hall was quite appropriately named. Inside it consisted mainly of empty space, floored with some kind of black stone and walled with bright white marble. White, doric columns supported a barren white ceiling two dozen feet overhead. It was like someone took the antechamber from the headquarters, tripled it in size, scrubbed off the murals, ripped down the tapestries and sterilized everything with bleach. In its center was a granite altar large enough to hold a man with his limbs splayed apart. What they used it for when the doors were sealed was a poorly kept secret. Open torture, by the judges.

Lucas felt decidedly more at ease once he'd stepped beyond the threshold of the Justice Hall. He had lifted the accused assassin from the horse and carried him the rest of the way inside, setting him down on the cool black tile floor inside. Everything seemed as it should be until the blasted porter made an appearance.

Pleasant, perky, smiling as always. The porter approached them as it had before. Lucas fixed it with a flat expression. He hated the thing, whatever it was, and yet he had to work with it.

"Excellent work Battlemage Hild." The Porter chimed in his thoughts. Lucas knew the thing liked to speak in his head, almost out of spite as if to say "Nyah I can talk in your head and there's nothing NOTHING you can do about it."

"Greetings again Captain Camulous." The Porter addressed the captain. "A healer has been sent for. Don't worry about the trail of blood you've left on the floor, someone will be in to clean it shortly."

Lucas winced at the Porter's remarks. It wasn't as if you could even see blood on the black floor, but beyond that he had not realized that the captain was so badly injured. Was he?

"Enough of that." Lucas snapped at the porter, his previously benign attitude disintegrating in the mere presence of the hateful construct. "Where is the judge?" In fact he sounded almost impatient now.

The Porter looked at him with his vacuous eyes. He looked reasonably real to most people who came into the Justice Hall, but Lucas knew better and it was so very apparent in his shallow gaze. "Battlemage Hild, have patience. These things can take time you know. I believe you have some forms to fill out."

Lucas scowled. Anyone else, anyone human would have earned pain or death for such a remark. But this was the Porter. He began to wonder now if any of the other Battlemages ever had forms to fill out or if the Porter was just screwing with him. Sometimes it felt that way.

Moryldar · Post by **Moryldar** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 3:49 am

As they entered Chrishton was being carried away from the alter in the center of the hall by a pair of orderlies. Semi-conscious and naked save for his underwear that were left on only because Moryldar didn't have a taste for looking at, let alone touching, other men's genitals, Chrishton was covered in his own blood. His feet dragged across the marble floor like twin brushes dipped in red paint. The orderlies were pinching some of the fresh wounds in his hands and arms while they carried him, and it made him groan a weak and painful sounding groan... The sound of a man dying alone.

The altar itself was likewise covered in blood which was presumably his. It splattered here and there on the floor, forming puddles on and around the places where he had lain.

The porter was dispatched mainly to delay Lucas and the new arrivals so that Chrishton could be removed. Moryldar was standing between them and the altar wiping his hands clean with a rag that was quickly turning from white to dark brown.

On hearing Lucas' request to see a judge, and recognizing the battlemages' voice, he approached the entrance until he was clearly within view behind the porter.

"Another one so soon Lucas?" By the sound in the old man's voice, it was unclear what he was trying to convey. Either he was glad to have more criminals off the street to work with, or annoyed with the implication of more work. "I have just finished interrogating Chrishton."

He looked at Camulous when he mentioned the name. Though everyone working for the city had by now heard of the most wanted man in Marn, the captain was the most concerned of them all. Chrishton's escape from his prison cell, the subsequent release of several other criminals, and the humiliation of the Marn City Guard meant that Camulous's reputation suffered many blows on account of this Chrishton fellow.

"Yes, Ryxa caught him. He won't trouble us any longer."

With a forced smile he turned his eyes to look over Kamar and the wolfhound, then back to Lucas.

"Lock them up for now. You may forego the paperwork and explain things to me. Come."

He turned and started walking through the Hall towards his side office, long black robes hiding his slow pace.

Kamar Deythal · Post by **Kamar Deythal** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:18 am

Dumped unceremoniously on the hard marble floor of the Justice Hall, Kamar let out a low moan and a grunt. The jarring of his formerly dislocated shoulder was enough to give the grunt the sound of real pain, but he remained limp and loose as he hit the floor.

He listened carefully, keeping his eyes lightly closed in order to remain looking unconscious. He would have chanced opening them slightly to inspect either newcomer had he not been dumped with his back towards them both.

The first he assumed was the "Face of the Justice Hall", a person who always appeared suddenly whenever anyone crossed the Justice Hall threshold. Rumors circulated about this person, many wild beyond imagining, and many put to rest as complete fiction as he spoke. It was said he could speak into the minds of battlemages and, perhaps, even the judges, but no one had bothered asking either of these professionals.

The second could only be a judge, Kamar quickly concluded. From the casual authority in his voice, and the way he spoke to the Captain, he could conclude nothing less.

His ears perked up at the mentioned name. Chrishton. Kamar had heard that name on many lips, most often from the those that sought him, for whatever reason. Interesting that he was now somewhere in Justice Hall. Someone named Ryxa, presumably another battlemage, had brought him in.

Kamar hoped that the cell they were about to drag him to would be near the infamous Chrishton. Things might get interesting here, quickly! he thought to himself.

Post by **Blood Ravenous** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:42 pm

(From Returning to the Scene)

The porter approached them at the Altar and informed Moryldar that there were guests coming. Three hours of talking, prodding, and breaking things was enough for one day. Nothing came of it, and by tomorrow the man would be dead anyway.

Moryldar used a cloth to wipe off his hands, and had the orderlies unshackle the barely conscious prisoner to be dragged off to his cell. He looked at the blood, and then to Ryxa.

"You will need to take care of the next ones. I have no more time today."

Ryxa attempted to find a cleaner spot on the rag she held and failed. She dropped the blood-drenched cloth and sighed, resigning her gloves and clothing to be messy until she could wash up. During the torture she had been allowed to give pain to Chrishton with her magic and had been required to touch him. She had put on her gloves again so she wouldn't get it on her hands; the stuff was insidious and sometimes took hours of scrubbing to get out of one's nails. The poor rag had been rubbing the blood from her hands for hours now and was hopelessly soaked. The bowl of water the orderly had brought for her had become a bowl of blood instead. Messy business, Moryldar's method of torture.

It was impractical, too. Moryldar's way they would have to wait for Chrishton to recover in order to continue. Her way, with magic, her victim would suffer for days, as long as her stamina kept up. But it was best to have His Honor do the work if he wished... Even if he hadn't gotten any answers. Her way would have gotten answers. But there was time for that later.

Ryxa followed a measured few paces behind Judge Moryldar as he walked with slow purpose to greet the guests. She saw people near the entrance and as they approached her surprise grew. She stopped to Moryldar's other side, away from the Porter, and studied the situation with a raptor's gaze, sweeping everything. Lucas was there, and she avoided meeting his gaze. She didn't like him. She didn't like any of the other battlemages, after all.

The woman battlemage looked at the Captain of the Guard right when Moryldar admitted what had been happening not moments before. He told them she had captured the famed Chrishton and brought him here. A malicious smirk grew on her face. Her kohl-rimmed, icy black eyes stared at Camulous as she smirked, obviously gloating over him. But, of course, she could do what someone who relied on muscle could not, especially someone of the guard. The dried blood in her strawberry-blonde hair, accidentally brushed there when she had pushed strands out of her face, and the gory rivulets on her battlemage armor and cloak lent to her aura of intimidation.

Interestingly, it seemed that she wasn't the only one who had caught someone. A man's crumpled form was lying on the floor, very still. Her eyes flicked up from whoever it was to Lucas, then Camulous. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Moryldar walked off. "I see you had to rely on Lucas, too, to capture someone you could not, Captain," she replied into the silence, her voice frigid with a hint of apathy.

Camulous Smithson · Post by **Camulous Smithson** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 5:15 am

When they arrived, Camulous ignored the porter completely. He didn't like the man at all. He didn't think he had ever seen anything but fake smiles and covered up intentions from the him. Such a vacuous little weasel of a man. Why was he in such a lowly position? He belonged in politics.

Surprisingly, Lucas spoke back to the porter in a way that Camulous might have mistaken as a move in his own defense if he didn't know better. He was glad to hear it done. If he wasn't already near passing out from the pain, he might have had a desire to sock the porter in the jaw. Fortunately he was too distracted to care.

Moryldar came to the door and Camulous stood straight as best he could, one hand still desperately trying to find a good position to grip his side. His surroundings and the gaze of those who worked in justice hall woke him up, snapped him out of his daze and gave him the energy to defend his honor by having at least the dignity to look strong.

Then Chrishton's name was spoken, and he looked directly at Moryldar. The old man met his gaze. He didn't even have to ask how and he got an answer. Ryxa? The name was familiar. Beside Moryldar was standing an attractive female battlemage done up in makeup and spattered with blood. She returned the look with a proud display of superiority. The news of Chrishton's capture was a relief and the first good thing to happen in days. He didn't care who had done it, so long as it got done.

He felt like collapsing on the steps and waiting for the healer.

But Moryldar told Lucas to follow, and Camulous was uncertain if he was supposed to come too. He knew Moryldar almost as well as he knew Oslun, and the old man wielded his power with cunning and ruthlessness that made Camulous fear him as much as hate him. The battlemages obeyed his orders, and, indirectly, so did the guard. He started to follow, when Ryxa spoke up.

"I see you had to rely on Lucas, too, to capture someone you could not, Captain."

His blood boiled. He wanted to throttle her right there. His eyes fell on her like a pair of fireballs pitted with rage. He came up with no words to spit back at her. There was nothing to say, and no way to say it without regretting it later. She knew it, he knew it, and it only made him madder.

Moryldar was no fool. He heard what Ryxa said and took it upon himself to diffuse the situation. Conflict within city ranks was problematic, and unbeknownst to Camulous he knew that the captain of the guard held power too.

"That's enough Ryxa." Said Moryldar, and then to Camulous: "I'm sure you fought hard, good captain. Come, lets look at your wounds in my office."

Camulous was too messed up by this point to think much about what Moryldar was saying and just concentrated on getting to the office so he could get out of his armor.

Post by **Laz** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:19 am

Wolfhound walked into the hall with cuffs on his wrists. He had the looks of an unmoving growl upon his face and his eyes boiled with rage. Nonetheless, he did go willingly with the guards. he turned his head to face Camulous and a malicious grin appeared on his face. "I will come for you Guard. Remember that".

He fell silent again after that. He tried to reach out to the wolves, but he found nothing. Either they were too far away, or they wouldn't talk to them. It was all he could do was hope they found Lanya and protected her.

He looked at Kamar, not moving. Wolfhound knew he needed to rest. He had been in his wolf form for too long. It began, His ears returned to a human shape and the hair on said ears recceded. His nose changed form and his eyes became less slitted. He reduced in stature and his claws recceded. The transformation complete, he fell to the floor, unconcious.

Moryldar · Post by **Moryldar** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:00 am

(( Moryldar, Camulous and Lucas continue here: http://www.tharshaddin.com/rp/viewtopic.php?t=541 ))

Chrishton Radu · Post by **Chrishton Radu** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 6:18 am

(( I will npc guards and such as Chrishton for now ))

The pair of city guards who were escorting Kamar and Laz didn't take too kindly to the wolfman's brazen death threats against one of their own. It was also a common enough occurrence that it didn't worry them much, so they just shoved the shackled Laz into the Justice Hall roughly.

"Keep begging for a death sentence asshole." One of them quipped.

The other grabbed the unconscious looking assassin by the back of the shirt and hauled him into the antechamber after Laz. The bulky guardsman appeared to have no trouble carrying the weight, with a good grip on Kamar's shirt. He didn't care if his feet were dragging.

Once inside the guardsmen were not allowed deeper inside Justice Hall without being escorted by someone with authority, such as Ryxa. So they waited for her to lead, and brought the new prisoners with them.

Finding the jails was easy. They simply followed the trail of blood that was still fresh on the floor. It took them around a corner to the right of the altar and down a long hallway lined with rooms, one of which was Moryldar's office. All of the doors were closed, and there was nobody else around. Everything was marble or stone, and there was little by way of furnishings other than the occasional symbol on a shield or tapestry representing various aspects of the Marn justice system.

The cells were down a flight of stairs at the end of the hall. Just as barren as the rest of the place, they were, surprisingly, quite clean by most dungeon standards. Eight large cells, each separated by stone walls, surrounded a large room. All of the cells were empty, save for one in which Chrishton lay bleeding and groaning quietly to himself. They put Kamar and Laz in the cells adjacent to his.

Kamar Deythal · Post by **Kamar Deythal** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:26 pm

Kamar was manhandled through the Hall, carried bodily by the back of his cloak and shirt, groaning on occasion in appropriate places. Remaining limp, he was nevertheless able to peek through his eyelashes and get a decent look at the main hall. His eyes darted about for exits and entrances, which began to form a mental map of the place. He was dragged through a hallway with several doors, behind which he heard a voice he thought might belong to the judge that had been speaking to the Captain and battlemage not moments before.

At the end of the hallway, he was dragged roughly down a flight of stairs that ended at the jail. In keeping with the rest of the Justice Hall, the jail was pristinely clean and immaculate, though unadorned. No windows were in any of the cells, and each cell was separated by a stone wall. The fronts of the cells were thick iron bars between which was barely enough room to fit a wrist through.

Kamar was dumped unceremoniously into a cell; Wolfhound was put into a separate one next to him. Kamar groaned, shifting slightly into a more comfortable position. His eyes were again closed, and he would wait until the three guards had left before he began to move around. He didn't at all realize that the third guard was actually a battlemage.

Kamar took a few seconds while he waited for the guards to leave in order to take stock of his situation. He hadn't caught a glimpse of any other prisoners as he had been dragged in, but he could hear someone groaning in what sounded like the cell across from him. He hadn't yet been searched, which surprised him, but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had lost his Shadow Dagger on the street when he had fallen after the battlemage's command, but he still had both his Shadow Siangham and Short sword. Unless they had a great deal of luck and not a little bit of magical help, any guard searching him would not find those weapons. He also still had the handheld crossbow at his hip, along with several bolts. All of his pouches were attached to his belt. Nothing seemed to be missing.

It almost seemed like they wanted him to escape. Kamar barely resisted the urge to chuckle out loud. He would play their game if that's what they wanted from him.

Post by **Laz** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:46 am

Wolfhound's unconcious body was taken roughly and thrown in the cells. Unfortunatly Wolfhound did not have the pleasure of seeing the path from cells to the hall, meaning when the time for escape came he would have to rely on luck.

When Wolfhoudn awoke it was not a slow, groggy one like when you wake up after a nights sleep. His eyes snapped open and he sat up, instantly feeling refreshed and full of energy again, except for the rememnants of his headache brought on by his earlier ;ack of oxygen problem, kindly given to him by Camulous.

He turned his head to the sound of the groaning man, hoping it was the assassin. He did a quick pat down od hgis body, surpised to discover his knives were still on his person, except for the two thrown at the assassin earlier on. Waking up to the bars he tried pulling, too strong, even in his wolf state he doubted they would prise.

Chrishton Radu · Post by **Chrishton Radu** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 3:27 am

When Chrishton heard the guards bringing new company into the prison it woke him up from his pain induced daze. The world bled back into his consciousness while fuzzy memories of the torture session returned, broken up but vivid none the less. The pains shooting up and down his bloodied body told him it wasn't over. Each and every wound carried with it the faces of his tormentors, Ryxa and Moryldar, and he could feel the session all over again.

He rolled onto his side so he could see who was on the other side of the bars. It was no surprise to see Ryxa and two guardsmen, and he caught only a glimpse of his new inmates before they were tossed from view.

He locked his eyes on Ryxa for some time while she was there. It was not a glare, there was no anger or hatred to be seen from him. It was a look of questioning. He was trying to read her... And at the same time making sure that she remembered seeing him the way he was; a bloody helpless mess on the floor.

When he was satisfied with what he saw, he rolled onto his back again and stared up at the white ceiling. The floor was cold on his back and it felt good. He waited patiently for the guards to leave.

***

The two guards let Ryxa lock the cells and stood watch while she did. The keys hung on a hook on the other side of the room and, unlike the jails at the city guard headquarters which always kept a battlemage on duty to keep tabs on prisoners, there was no battlemage on watch duty outside these cells. Once they left, the place would be empty.

Being down here was always an interesting treat for guardsmen. Rarely did they get to escort anyone inside, and they prayed that escorting someone else was the only reason they would ever have to see the glossy white walls of the Hall. They kept looking around at everything, though there was nothing much to see. How was the place constructed, and how was it kept so clean, they wondered. An entire building of white marble built like no other. It had something to do with magic.

They did know that the place was magically sealed and protected from all kinds of attacks. Penetrating the front doors was supposedly impossible for anyone who was not allowed in or out by the porter. It was said that mages from the far east were used to construct it, and took years to complete the project. It was also said to use some of the forbidden magics found in the ruins of the old fort Marn, but those were just rumors.

"Oy" Said one of the guardsmen, looking at kamar. "He's got weapons on him." He could see the small crossbow on his hip. So distracted were they by their surroundings that they forgot to search the prisoners.

They looked at eachother, realizing the mistake, and then looked at Ryxa. They would have left things as they were in the hands of the battlemages, a group of stuck up, magically corrupted, dishonorable powerhouses who deserved to have to deal with a prisoner and his crossbow... Except that Ryxa was there, and they were afraid of her.

Post by **Blood Ravenous** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 2:52 am

Once the cells were locked Ryxa stepped back, appraising the two new captives while fingering the keys. She felt eyes on her and turned to look at Chrishton, who was awake and watching her. She met his neutral gaze with an equally neutral one. The criminal had gotten what he deserved, but, truth be told, she respected him, in a way. Not many men could hold their torture like he could. Once he had rolled back over and lay limp, gazing at the ceiling, she absently touched the purple bruises on her neck. The memory of being choked by his strong fingers still enraged her. Yes, he had gotten what he deserved.

"Oy, he's got weapons on him," said one of the guards. Ryxa glanced to where he was looking then regarded their nervous faces. "Of course they do," she muttered with contempt. It was obvious seeing the condition Camulous was in; anyway, they were criminals. Louder, fixing the two men with a raised eyebrow, Ryxa said, "I can't believe you imbeciles didn't notice before. I don't know how you managed to become a guard, but from your example the requirements must be inadequate. Perhaps I should go tell that to the Captain?" Her expression remained quizzical, but it was obvious that she was being condescending. "If you want, before I go do that you can go in there and confiscate any dangerous items they might have. Or you could be merciful and leave something for them to kill themselves with."

With that she laughed cruelly, aware that one, if not both, was awake. The threat was real. She doubted the two could avoid Chishton's fate. They didn't stand a chance of escape should they somehow get out of their cells. Without being very informed, she got a feel for how things were; this was not an ordinary jail and the fact that it wasn't used very often just reinforced her suspicion. Regardless of all that, she was here. They weren't going to get out, weapons or not. She had seen the crossbow before and even assumed there were hidden weapons on both. She didn't care. Of course, the guards didn't know that.

Kamar Deythal · Post by **Kamar Deythal** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:38 am

Kamar lay still, groaning as he shifted, ostensibly unconcious. He listened intently to the guards, his face slack. He fought a frown at the sound of contempt coming from the woman, and recognized the sound of power in her voice. She was something more than a guard, perhaps another battlemage or a Justice Hall guard. He didn't much care, though he wondered if they would allow him to keep his weapons.

Still, even if they were to search him and take all the weapons they could find, he'd have the lock picks that separated from the edge of each of his slippers, and if not those, he was sure he could find something with which to get the manacles off. Not to mention his Shadow weapons, of which he was confident even the most talented guardsmen wouldn't be able to find.

Kamar lay still, and waited for his opportunity.

Post by **Laz** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:49 pm

Wolfhound smirked, a perfect opertunity to try out th whole 'scare the guards' tactic. He began to transform. Many people believe that he becomes a werewolf, in actual fact he still has a mostly human appearance, but with wolfliek features such as slitted yellow eyes and a wide, shallow nose. The hair covered his ears, but apart from there the only hari on his body was where you would find it on a human.

He spread his arms, through which the enlargened muscles could be seen and opened his mouth in a wide grin, revealing his pointed canines. "Step on in, feel free to search me..." he left the 'if you can' part un said, but it was likely they got the jist. He hadn't yet decided one weather attackng them now and trying to flee was the right option. After all, it may be better to bide his time and wait for a more oppertune moment.

Chrishton Radu · Post by **Chrishton Radu** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:45 pm

The guards felt like fools for their mistake, and took Ryxa's tongue lashing knowing full well they deserved it. It was nothing compared to the yelling Camulous would give them if he found out, along with the mockery of their fellow guardsmen. They looked at each other and then at the unconscious assassin again. Suddenly the wolfman spoke up and grabbed their attention. Displaying sharp teeth and some less than human features, he was daring them to go into his cage.

They were less afraid of him than the assassin. After all, Cam took him down on his own, and now there were two of them.

"Wow." Said the guardsman who first pointed out the weapons. They looked nearly identical under their helmets, but this one was more vocal. "Lets do the dumb one first. Forget the other, he's still tied up." The other guard agreed with a nod and they both approached Laz's still unlocked cell. As guardsmen they liked to fight, not just for work, but for fun... And he was a sitting duck.

"You really wanna hurt, don't ya?" He made fists and his knuckles emitted muffled cracks from behind his gloves. "Alright tough guy."

Without checking for approval from Ryxa, the silent guard pulled the cell open quickly and they both piled in together. With their thick armor and heavy builds, their confidence ran high.

Immediately the vocal guard lunged at the wolfhound's upper body and made to pull him to the ground with a headlock. His armored bicep flew at wolfhound's exposed neck, and there was little room to dodge for someone as big as wolfhound in the confines of the cell. The other guard, right on cue, found a place to the left of his partner and enough space to throw a mighty swing for wolfhound's gut. Neither of them worried about their own defense, more than willing to take a few blows.

Chrishton heard the goings on and actually managed to smirk. He pulled the same routine with the guards only weeks ago and they did nothing about it. He found that the guards liked his rough nature, and he liked them for the same reason. Whatever the fellow in the cell next door did to land in this prison must have been pretty bad, he thought.

Now was a great time to run an escape. It was total chaos; a perfect distraction. He could open his cell, take Ryxa down, and dash for the exit before anyone could stop him...

If only he could move without wanting to cry like a girl and bleeding everywhere.