~ The Council of the Knights of Rinder: [Archive] [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Emma frowns at Lady Hannah's eagerness. 'It's just like in the Scrolls of Anhur,' she thinks, 'That story, what was it? The parable of the Ambush, the one where the smaller army kept goading the bigger one into attacking. Yes, that's the one. The smaller force should have been afraid. But they were spoiling for a fight, and that confused the general of the larger army. He thought he had superior numbers, so he attacked anyway...and then the smaller force sprung their trap and ambushed the larger group by bringing in carefully hidden reinforcements.'

The priestess of Anhur toys with the holy symbol around her neck as she reflects on the lesson of that parable. The moral was that when you're faced with a situation where you think you have the upper hand, and your opponent acts as though you don't...you must be missing something, and if you don't find it soon, you may very well be defeated by their surprise.

'So what's Hannah's surprise?' Emma asks herself, 'Why doesn't she fear these accusations? Is it because she's left no evidence behind? Or is it because she knows she can refute all such evidence anyway? Or is she simply too conceited to believe that the charges can be proven against her?'

"Sir Samuel!" Hannah shouts, "Let us dispose with these slanderous charges made against me one by one so as to be sure they are all lies. And when they are proven thus, I will formally request that this Council administer the appropriate punishment upon Rinder's Six!"

Samuel nods to Hannah, "The charges will be appropriately examined. Should they all prove to be untrue and, indeed, slanderous, you may claim your royal right and make such a request."

Emma is shaken a bit by Sir Samuel's proclamation. Her knees feel weak as she realizes just how badly things could go. But then, her resolve hardens and her faith that Anhur's justice will be served is raised back up as if it were a physical shield held before her. She does her best to focus her thoughts on the moment, confident that she has a higher power than simply a noble title backing up her actions this day. Lady Hannah obviously had no respect for the law or Anhur, else she wouldn't be so supremely confident in the face of her accusers. And after all, the woman was evil. There could be no doubt of that. Anhur's sight had certainly revealed that much. So Emma's god would see to it that justice was done. She only had to allow him to use her as his voice in the physical world and all would be well.

Canter's eyes widen as he, too, realizes how the stakes have been raised. He looks to Naeron, trying to get the half-elf's attention, but is unsuccessful. Naeron is focussed on Samuel, Hannah, and Emma, watching the situation very carefully.

Sir Samuel nods as Lady Hannah finishes her speech. He then turns to Emma, looking also to Crayne and Naeron. "As per the Royal Lady's request, and at the insistence of this Council, you are hereby ordered to produce the evidence necessary to substantiate the charges you have pronounced here today. Let us begin with the poison."

Emma curtsies once to the elder knight and then motions toward Crayne. "I cede the prosecution of the charges of poison to Crayne, who has investigated this matter more fully than the rest of us." She then steps back to allow the mage to address the council, while mentally preparing her own statements in defense of the other charges.

Crayne clears his throat before speaking, allowing everyone in the room to focus their attention on him. He holds his staff in his hand, it's star-tip reflecting the sunshine through the broken glass panels above. His eyes scan the room, taking in the scene before he begins to speak.

"Yes, the charge of poison," he begins after a momentary pause. "To prove that the royal Lady Hannah is involved in the poisoning of the food, we must first establish that the food is, indeed, poisoned. For this matter, I will have Emma here invoke the power of Anhur, which I am sure all present will respect!"

Sir Samuel nods slightly. Lady Hannah continues to smile. Emma looks to Crayne as she passes by the mage on her way to the carts of food. Crayne smiles calmly to her as she walks by, trying to calm her--and himself.

Emma approaches the carts, being sure to stand behind them such that the Knights can see exactly what she is doing. She clasps the holy symbol on her neck and closes her eyes, beginning to chant and pray. "Anhur, guardian of Strength and Justice, I beseech you today to share your infinite wisdom. Should the foods here be tainted with poison, be it your divine will to cause this cloth to darken." She holds a small patch of cloth over the food, keeping her eyes closed and clenching the holy symbol with the other hand.

A gasp is heard from the other side of the room as one of the squires reacts to the result: The cloth is slowly darkening, eventually becoming a dark black. Emma opens her eyes, satisfied. But she keeps herself from smiling, knowing that this is just one small step on the long road they still must travel.

Crayne nods to Emma, returning to the Knights. "Thus, we have proven the food to be tainted. Now, I provide you with the administer of the poison: the Master Chef."

"I did no such thing!" the Master Chef objects, shouting across the room to Crayne. "I would never!"

"But you did," Crayne says calmly, taking a step down into the center of the room and approaching the Master Chef, standing on the other side. "Did you not add the poison to the food just before placing it on these carts, disguising the act to appear as if you were merely adding the necessary spices?"

"But I was adding the spices!" the Chef protests, turning to Hannah as if to ask for her help.

"Mage Crayne," Hannah says condescendingly, "it appears as if the Chef is unaware the food was poisoned. How do you explain that?"

Crayne can feel the bead of sweat dripping down his temple. He spins around, looking to Naeron and Cy. It is Naeron who speaks.

"We must prove the poison was administered in the kitchen. Therefore, I will accompany a Knight of Rinder to the kitchen and return with the contents of the spice cabinet."

"Very well," Samuel says approvingly. "Sir Kamlet will accompany you." Kamlet picks up his cloak and walks towards Naeron. Soon the two are out the door. "Emmayla," Samuel continues, "perhaps you will answer the charge of conspiracy while we await the spices?"

Emma once again steps to the forefront. "To answer the charge of arranging this assassination, Lady Hannah has demanded that witnesses be brought forth. In that case, I would ask that her sister, Lady Katherine be summoned to speak with us. For it is she that will unknowingly speak the name of the man that hired these assassins, whom Lady Hannah directed her sister to bring to her room last night so they might discuss their plans."

Emma regards Lady Hannah again, staring her straight in the eye as if to suggest that the woman has no leg to stand upon in this case. Rinder's Six knows everything...every secret...even her most private conversations. She searches the noblewoman's face for any sign of emotion...any crack in her outward demeanor. 'Once the heat is turned up, her cool has to disappear,' Emma thinks.

"Fine, then. Send for my sister! She knows nothing!" Hannah barks back, becoming agitated.

"Sir Judd, will you see to it Lady Katherine is summoned to this chamber? And perhaps you had better notify the Duke himself of what is afoot," Samuel says, reminding all present that the Council was still in charge here.

At this point, Naeron and Sir Kamlet return, slightly out of breath, and carrying a large sack filled with the vials and containers from the spice cabinet.

"Good!" Crayne says as they enter the Round Room. "Emma, if you will..."

Emma smiles to Crayne, meeting Naeron in the doorway and taking the bag from him. She then empties its contents onto the large table in the center of the room, setting all of the jars and vials on the table's surface in an array of spices. She pulls out a second small patch of white cloth and announces, "I will once again call upon Anhur's power to identify the presence of a poisonous agent among these spices." She begins the prayer again as all in the room focus on the cloth.

Sure enough, as she shakes a few particles from one of the vials, the cloth instantly turns black. Holding it up for all to see, she looks to Crayne.

"There we have established the poison was located in the kitchen," Crayne says triumphantly. "Master Chef, did you or did you not apply this spice to the food this morning?"

The Chef appears nervous, shaking slightly. "Of course, I thought it was filled with spice! I had no idea! I didn't mean to taint the food! What a waste of good meat!" The man is quite upset, probably fearing he will be punished.

"Did Lady Hannah address you in the kitchen this morning?" Crayne asks the Chef, ignoring the man's condition.

"Well...yes..."

"What did she say?"

"She told me to make sure the food was 'tasty...'" the Chef looks sheepishly to Hannah, fearing for his life.

"Circumstantial!" Hannah shouts, her fury filling the room, "Such evidence fails to prove that I placed the poison at the scene!"

"But," Naeron's voice interrupts, "We have evidence that does directly implicate you." He looks to the doorway, where Sir Judd stands with Lady Katherine and Duke Elgar.

The Duke addresses the room. "I demand to know what is going on here!"

Sir Samuel bows slightly to the Duke. "Your grace," he explains calmly, not at all intimidated by the Duke, "this morning saw an attempted assassination of the Council of the Knights of Rinder. Rinder's Six has identified your daughter, Lady Hannah, in the conspiracy. Our goal here and now is to determine if there is any truth to those charges." Samuel then looks to Katherine. "My dear, we have a few questions to ask you in this matter." Samuel then looks to Emma, yielding the floor to the priestess.

Emma treats Lady Katherine with the utmost respect, especially considering the previously unplanned presence of her father, the Duke. "Just answer our questions truthfully, Katherine, and all will be well," she tells the girl. "Last night, following the reception at your father's court, your sister Hannah asked that you bring a man to her bedchamber so she could meet with him. It was a stranger. Someone you had never met before. Is this not true?"

As Katherine seems reluctant to speak, Emma urges her, "Come now, speak freely. You are before a priestess of Anhur, the God of Justice, and you must confirm this here and now, if you are able."

"I, yes..." Katherine stutters.

"I demand to know how you have come upon this information!" Hannah objects.

"All will be revealed in due time," Naeron says calmly, looking quickly to Crayne. Hannah folds her arms in front of her chest, setting her jaw strongly.

"Can you tell us this man's name?" Emma follows quickly, "This is important. Speak his name to us, so that all may hear. And describe him, if you can..."

"His name?" Katherine asks, looking to Hannah, then to her father. "I recall his name was Rayton..."

"Rayton?" Emma asks aloud. She turns and looks about the room. "Does anyone here know that name?" She waits patiently for anyone to speak up, then turns to look at the captured assassin.

"You know that name...do you not?" she asks quietly, approaching the man, "Tell us the name of who hired you and your friends. Describe his appearance to us."

"I ain't sayin' nothin'!" the sidekick says defiantly.

Emma looks around the room so that all may appreciate the man's lack of cooperation. "Storm, if you will..." Emma says with the wave of a hand. Storm chuckles to himself, stepping over to the sidekick. He cracks his knuckles and then lands a strong punch in the man's chest. The sidekick lets out an "oomf!" with the impact, doubling over.

"Now," Emma says, setting herself to cast the Zone of Truth upon the man, "I am going to invoke the power of Anhur to see Justice and bring it to the light. You will answer my question truthfully or be damned by your silence. Tell us the name of the man who hired your and your friends."

The sidekick's eyes widen. For a moment he is silent. Long enough for Emma to question whether the man is affected by her spell, but then his mouth opens.

"Rayton. That's his name. Rayton. Scruffy lookin', about as tall as him," he points to Canter. "I didn't see much of him. We met at some tavern...uh...Dull Blade's. But I mostly worked for Morden...him," he motions to Morden's splattered remains, dripping off the side of the center table. "But I seen Rayton."

"Ah-ha!" Emma shouts, "So a man named Rayton hired these ruffians to assassinate the Council Knights and just last night Lady Katherine confirms that her sister, Lady Hannah, met with the same man. Coincidence? How many people in Seden can be named Rayton? And how many can fit the very same description? Not very many, I would think."

She turns back to look at the assassin, "And where were you to meet with this Rayton in order to receive payment for your deed? Do you know that as well?" The priestess hopes an answer to that question might lead them to arrest Rayton, himself. Inwardly, she knows that he is the key to undoing all of Hannah's plans. To question that man would spell her instant doom, since he was obviously her closest confidant.

"Uh...I...uh...don't remember," the sidekick looks to his feet, then to Storm, hoping the dwarf wouldn't hit him again. Storm casts a glance to Emma, hoping she'll let him strike the assassin again, but Emma holds off, knowing that whatever he said was the truth.

'We must eventually produce Rayton,' Cy thinks to himself, 'for without that man, our charges may unravel like a shoddy rope!'

Moving on to the charges of treason, Emma speaks once again, "Sir Knights, we have defended the charge of poisoning and assassination...and now we come to treason. Lady Hannah is directly involved with this plot. How do we know? I myself was witness to her arrival in the Caerloon general's camp across the border. That's quite a trip, isn't it?" She looks at Lady Hannah. "Has anyone noticed the eldest daughter of Duke Elgar being gone for an extended period of time. Did she not take a ride far to the south? I believe she did. And, if you can recollect, she has only recently returned here. But that is only circumstantial, I would agree. Perhaps you need something more concrete."

The priestess pauses for a moment to gather herself, "Up until this day, I have never seen Lady Hannah face-to-face. Is this not true?" She looks to Hannah for confirmation, then continues, "My family, although a part of the nobility in this duchy is somewhat removed from the center of affairs here in Seden. As such, our paths do not cross. Given that, there is no way that I could know such personal information about you, which I am about to reveal, unless I had seen you in that Caerloon camp."

Emma then goes on to describe everything she recalls about Lady Hannah's appearance in Caerloon. Her clothing, her horse, the people that escorted her...everything she can do to convince the knights there is no way it could have been anyone other than Lady Hannah in that camp.

Following all of these dramatics, Emma ultimately relies upon her Zone of Truth enchantment to bear out her accusations. Having cast it in the chamber, she then defers to the Knights of Rinder to ask questions of everyone present, including Rinder's Six. "Let us all speak the truth in this matter," Emma says, "Direct your questions to anyone present here and they will be forced to speak the truth...or they will keep silent instead, refusing to answer because they know to do so will only damn themselves."

Sir Samuel nods as Emma concludes her arguments. "Fine then. I will ask a question." He approaches Lady Hannah, standing below from the center of the room, relative to her position in front of the western doorway. "Lady Hannah of the Great House of Seden, have you anything to say in your defense of these charges?"

"My daughter is innocent of these charges! And I am outraged at the advantage taken by these scoundrels after having been bestowed the favor of free passage!" Duke Elgar bellows from the oppose side of the Round Room before Hannah can speak.

'That proves it,' Emma thinks to herself, 'Elgar must not know of his daughter's treachery, he must be telling the truth, as he knows it...'

"I demand," Hannah says slowly, carefully choosing her words, "that Rinder's Six produce this Rayton. For until this man is made to testify, I cannot be proven guilty on all accounts. The poison charge is weak and circumstantial; it has not been proven that I placed the poison at the scene. Yes, I met with a man yesterday, and yes, his name was Rayton. But that does not prove I hired him to arrange an assassination. Give me Rayton."

Emma grinds her teeth, knowing that Lady Hannah has chosen her words so as to speak truthfully but avoid saying anything self-incriminating.

The attention of the room then appears to settle on Sir Samuel, who stands at its center. He seems deep in thought, clenching his staff. Slowly, his aged, scarred and wrinkled face rises, looking around the room.

"The royal Lady Hannah is right. The evidence provided is not enough to convince me of her guilt..." Hannah, Katherine, and the Duke breathe a sigh of relief, smiling. Emma can feel her heart sink.

"...but neither has it convinced me of her innocence. We must apprehend this Rayton. This assassin's testimony is enough to warrant his arrest. Once in custody, the truth can be...extracted."

"But Sir Samuel," Sir Klare says with a calm tone, "This ruffian says he worked mostly with Morden, whose broken body is all that remains. And it appears as if they saw Rayton only at this pub, Dull Blade's. Is there anyone who would know where we might find this Rayton so as to apprehend him?"

"I do." The voice is Hannibal's. All eyes turn to the thief, who is still hanging upside down above the table. "If, um...could you?" he looks to Sir Masten. The Knight exhales loudly with frustration, but then sheathes his sword. After a few moments, Hannibal has been extricated from the rope and stands in the center of the room, the blood finally flowing out of his hot and red face.

"When we got ourselves into this group of thieves, we were shown into their lair beneath the streets of the city--"

"There is no such place! Not in my city!" the Duke shouts at Hannibal.

Hannibal turns around, an apologetic look on his face. Inwardly, however, he was loving this moment: he could correct the nobleman, knowing that he was right and the aristocrat was wrong! "I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, your grace," Hannibal says plainly, "but it does exist. I have seen it with my very eyes, as have my friends Storm and Canter..."

"Yup!" Storm chimes in with a wide and toothy smile.

"Thank you..." Samuel says, approaching Hannibal but searching for a name.

"Mouser. Grey Mouser," the sidekick provides truthfully. Cy sends a questioning glance to Crayne, who just shrugs his shoulders.

"Mouser," Samuel says with a smile. "You will lead a contingent to this lair and we will apprehend this Rayton. Then we can settle this matter once and for all."

"I will send my best sheriffs!" Duke Elgar says.

But Sir Samuel shakes his head. "With all due respect, good Duke. I know you will understand when I insist that this will be a matter settled by the Council, so as to eliminate the possibility of any unknown meddling in the operation..."

The Duke's eyes narrow as he hears Samuel's words, knowing that the Knight is implying that Hannah might have allies in the Duke's troops. On the other hand, Emma nods, knowing that such a move is tactically justified.

"You will lead us to this place," Samuel says to Hannibal.

"Fine, but only if the rest of Rinder's Six comes along. Trust me, if a fight breaks out, you'll want them there."

Naeron flinches inwardly, hoping the Knight wouldn't take Hannibal's words to be tantamount to a no-confidence vote in the ability of the Knights to defend themselves.

Samuel swallows hard. Then he continues, "very well. Rinder's Six will go, along with Sirs Judd, Klare, and Nair. But remember this:" Samuel speaks as much to Emma as she does to Hannibal, "Rinder's Six is not yet free from the threat of Lady Hannah's right. Should there be any surprises when swords are drawn, then I will see to it that threat is carried out to the fullest."

"Sir Samuel," Naeron says, stepping forward, "I can promise you Rinder's Six is as loyal to this Council as any of the Knights present!"

"Let us hope so," Samuel says, "for your sake."

It is a few hours later, and Rinder's Six, along with Sirs Judd, Klare, and Nair, have been led to the alley where Storm, Hannibal, and Canter were first led into the lair. The late afternoon shadows are growing, and the entire scene is inundated with darkness.

"Now listen," Hannibal instructs as the Knights prepare for the journey into subterrania, "there is a long climb down the ladder, which empties into some foyer-chamber. Then there are other rooms off the tunnel. I don't know where Rayton will be, or if there will be any other thieves down there. So let's stay on our toes..."

The climb down is uneventful. Cy goes first, trying his best to position his shield to block any attacks from below. He can see the low light of torches at the bottom of the ladder. After a few moments all are in the chamber at the bottom of the ladder.

"Shh!" Hannibal says, "I think I hear something," he whispers.

"Voices," Canter provides.

"Coming from down there," Nair says, motioning to the tunnel.

Carefully, the ten-person party makes its way down the tunnel, which is simply cut from the earth and supported with wooden beams. Not a professional job, but then again, it is a thieves' lair after all. After following the sound, the party approaches a doorway along one of the sides of the tunnel.

The light from within is brighter, sending shadows dancing along the tunnel wall. There is no door, just a doorway. And there are a bunch of voices. Cy slides along the wall, giving a quick peek around the corner and into the room. He then snaps his head back, ready to report.

"There are a lot of them. Some kind of meeting. Maybe fifteen, twenty," he whispers. "I don't know which one is Rayton. You look," he motions to Hannibal.

Hannibal nods, briefly looking around the corner. He then looks back to the others. "Yeah! That's him alright. He's the one in the front, talking to the rest, who are sitting on the benches."

"Great," Canter responds. "Some kind of thieves' meeting? A lecture on the finer points of pick-pocketing?"

Emma smiles at Canter's attempt at humor, but knows that they must refocus. For this was the critical moment. Failure to capture Rayton now could spell the end of their mission...indeed, the end of their lives, if that was the punishement Sir Samuel had in mind!

"Okay," she says, steadying herself from that though and looking around the group. "What's the plan? Cy, any suggestions? Judd? Nair? Klare?"

~ The Council of the Knights of Rinder: [Archive] [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~