(2004) Consilium - Venus in Converse

[Pixel]

Pixel was ready to scrutinize Winter and peak his emotional aura before Abacus said something that made him snap his neck looking over to him. Literally. It wasn't very loud, but Pixel was rubbing at the back of his neck and his face twisted into one of agony. He managed not to cuss, but as he returned his attention to Abacus the look of pain was still washed over his face.

"What's the point of a Council that just passes the buck to the orders every time something happens?" His voice is cracking as he speaks. He shifts a bit to try to look at the elder Acanthus more comfortably, but winces and returns to his position. "Whatever was decided as a result of the duel should be voided, and the Council needs to decide a suitable punishment for deceiving the council, whatever it was at the time."

The Free Councilor slowly leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers behind his neck as he stares at the ground.

"Failure to comply with a severe reprimand leads to incarceration. I vote the same for cheating a duel and hiding the results from the council. Three months. No visitors and no furlough."

Harsh? Probably, but perjury is never something to take lightly. What Winter did subverted the entirety of what the Council is being formed to do. To find a just resolution to an issue. All the bickering and conflict means nothing if the sentence isn't just. It's just some entitled assholes forcing their will on someone and Pixel would be a corpse in a ditch before that happened on his watch.

[Star]

It's a Wheel, yo.

We understood the crucible. It's a beginning and an end. Color the angel surprised with an eyebrow ticking upward. Things hadn't, as Tyche alluded to, ended well on that note. Flash in a pan, food for thought later? Better late than never. A glance is spared at Tyche, and a nod. It's not thanks. She'd just cited the Truth. More of... commiseration.

Angel gonna sit now. Show's over. At least the emcee's portion. On to the main event.

Did Winter understand? They were the only Order proven by Gold. Their duty was sacred. It required trust. Sins for Just Ends required just ends. Whatever bauble he'd kept out of Shodan's hands? It hadn't been an even wager. He'd been too close.

Because the closer you look... the less you See.

[Campanella]

Campanella is looking the other way now.

Still coughing. A hand rises to his throat and it carries on, moving to run through his hair.

Well. This was the Council that they all voted for, yes?

That he had let come to pass.

Poor choice of thought. He had been surviving for so long he had forgotten what a Council actually looked like.

[Naga]

You should stay quiet, Naga. You are new here, don't go showing off trying to impress everyone.

Then the Libertine started talking.

Shit.

The young Théarch couldn't just sit there and not interject. The Lex Magica had to be upheld. Custom respected.

A small clearing of her throat, and Naga stood up. "If I may be of assistance? Councilor Pixel, I feel I must point out that the traditional method of dealing with an cheating issue like this would be the following: Magus Shodan wins by default. On top of whatever win conditions were set for the duel - and I apologize for being ignorant of the details - he also has Right of Nemesis on Councilor Winter."

"Assuming the proper oaths were sworn, this also makes Councilor Winter an oathbreaker. Given that, it is Magus Shodan's right to ask the Council for assistance in dealing with this breach." Oathbreaking was serious business, and Ladders were going to Ladder. "In which case, the punishment you cite is not unwarranted." There had been harsher ones in history.

She bowed her head to everyone, "If the precedents of this Consilium are different, then I apologize for overstepping my place here." And thus she resumed her seat.

Another inward sigh, Excellent job, Naga. Make an enemy out of the local Guardians on your first day.

[Anima]

Anima feels the weight of responsibility sit heavily upon him. His fellows entrusted him to make wise decisions, and Aurora's presence fills the space outside of his vision. By all accounts, the Master should be sitting here, but she gave Anima the rope, with which to hang himself, or pull himself up to greater enlightenment. The doctor shakes off the feeling with a pinch to the bridge of his nose. His eyes remain on Winter as the Acanthus drones foolishly.

Abacus's thinks in a way that would push the matter out of his territory entirely, but that is a weak act. When you forfeit your territory everytime another predator is an issue, your feeding ground grows smaller and smaller.

The Predator's eyes narrow as Pixel speaks, harsh indeed, but there is blood in the water now. And what happened to Shodan? Anima wouldn't put it past Winter to have murdered the mage if Winter truly felt Shodan was a threat to the veil; he'd admitted to killing before for the same reason, wasn't that the Obrimos' argument while they argued determined Kaze's sentence.

Cold, calculating eyes look to Campenella as he coughs, observing him even as the Ladder drolls. He does pick out one useful sentence, "the punishment you cite is not unwarranted." He'll need a little more time to think. The hierarch man provides a useful moment to process all the information. He pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and rises, he walks towards the coughing fit. A trained mind flips through a rolodex of diseases while his eyes look for other symptoms. He offers the handkerchief to Campenella, remaining standing as he speaks by the man's side.

Checking on Campanella

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2020-04-09 10:38:37		Anima rolls 6 to Perception (10 Again)		4, 2, 5, 8, 7, 5		1 success
2020-04-09 10:37:21		Anima rolls 6 to Intelligence+Medicine (10 Again)		8, 10, 6, 1, 8, 8, 1		4 successes

"Councilor Abacus, Councilor Pixel is correct. This is not an issue that we push off onto an order, just as we did not push Shodan's transgression off onto the Libertines. There is more to consider here than Winter cheating in a Duel Arcane. He is on the Council, and he has been entrusted to protect the Consilium. He violated that trust and abused that power. He could be accused of Violating the Right of Emiritus, I'm no lawyer, but I'm smart enough to know that one skilled with words could weave a wonderful wall of prose as to how Councilor Winter's action violated this law, or upheld that law. I'm a Shaman, and the Primal Wyld demands blood for blood. An injury requires retribution. Then the wound can heal and we can all become stronger for the experience. I vote, three months incarceration, no furlough no visitors."

Pronouncement made his face softens as he whispers to Campanella, "are you unwell?"

[Tyche]

That was that.

Taking a page from Star's book, Tyche stays silent as Abacus suggests the matter be tabled and left to the Guardians. He seemed to favor the Guardians, but whether that was a connection to the order or to Winter himself, Tyche didn't know. Judging by the other voices sounding off and the faces twisting in shock though? Probably the latter.

As the Councilors begin to sound off following Winter's admission, as well as the newcomer, it seems pretty clear to Tyche that her part in this little shindig is done.

Smelling blood in the water, little Warlock?

Thus, as things cycle back to Anima and Tyche is not directly addressed again, the Enchanter seats herself and stares off into the middle distance. She was listening though. Two votes incarceration, one for tabling it and giving it to her and Star.

Campanella seemed upset about the proceedings, as did Aurora, Pheonyx, and damn near everyone else. Poor Kaze though. Probably felt it was gonna be in and out. Easy peasy. Sometimes things just ain't that simple and seemed like the Council still had to trudge through some shit to get to his verdict. That's how it goes. Kaze had already admitted wrongdoing, so this new, shiny problem seemed to be taking precedence over his judgement.

[Briar Rose]

Briar Rose, taps a foot. Her leg moves. Fingers do a tippy-taps.

If it's shoved off onto the Order in question, what would happen if it was her? what's the point of a Council? Just to sit around and look pretty? Well, maybe not. But they were entertaining.

Slumping into a lean, head in hand. She'd hear all about who lawless and wild Sacramento was, the wild west of magedom but, it's been like. Legal proceedings since, well. She stepped foot, and that's.

She doesn't sigh, but she wants to.

[Winter]

The Laws are always Just, but a law can be unjustly used. To be able to understand this, one first must distinguish between the lower case and upper case words – laws vs. Laws, respectively.
The latter represents something much grander than the collective ideas of men or the wisdom of a lawmaker. The Law is WISDOM. Is an ideal form, an entity – grounded in Truth and therefore perfect.
This is why one can be Just by following what is reprehensible, and one can do "evil" while being rightful in appereance.
But wrong can always be turned into right.

Love for hemlock - spiritual or otherwise - and distrust for the written word weren't the only thing the Guardians had in common with Socrates.

Abacus and Pixel's words echo in his mind like dead silence.

9. Qd8+!!Kxd8

"The Libertine speaks the Truth. This Council should pursue crimes even if committed under the tenure of a Council that is no more. But it is not this Council that was disgraced. Let it be known", he says looking to Pixel. He still has to learn so much.

Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

10.Bg5++

"nevertheless, the challenge was formalized by the former Hierarch himself. It was a duel to prove the Wisdom of my deeds in relation to the charges I brought forward against Magus Shodan. I acted unwisely, therefore he has a right to demand reparations, and - if he so wishes - invoke the Right of Nemesis against me", his eyes move from the Ladder to Campanella.

"For if we can't bring enforcement to the man made laws of a Duel. If we set - now - a precedent of complacency, what of the Gold Laws?", and the only one that was truly rooted in the Truth?

His gaze moves over to Star and Tyche. He owes them his thanks for reminding him of the Way.
"I propose harsher measures. Four months of house arrest minimum. That I shouldn't leave my confinement, no furlough, no visitors other than the ones the Council deems appropriate. If it should be convened that wards must be erected to monitor my position. So be it".

11.Rd8#

Sins for a Just End Grant Wisdom to the Awakened.

Checkmate

[Phoenyx]

The Arrow isn't amazing at reading people, but it's written all over Tyche's face that she didn't want to be called up here. Abacus seemed to need telling there should to be Concillium justice for breaking the sanctity of the Duel Arcanum. Not reassuring.

It is a rite that we put faith in. How can he be trusted in such circumstances again?
Naga's point was also true. A Rite of Nemesis? As if things weren't splintered enough. Put all these mages together and there seemed to be too much chaos. Without a common enemy, they turned on themselves, like animals. Some resorted to lying and cheating through the most honoured institutions.

We serve positions, not individuals. That reminder was being hit home. People were fallible, and just like that, Winter was showing his weakness.

And now he was pushing for a longer sentence for himself? Why? What was he doing?

The only thought that made sense was to stretch the punishment if someone did likewise. It was a precedent. But that only made sense if he cared more about the end goal, punishment, than his own demise. But why resort to lies and trickery to do it? Unless....

He thinks his ends justify the means.

There it was. The Arrow could not agree. Matching word and deed showed honour, and thus purity of soul. Winter tarnished not only himself, but his order as well. Maybe he didn't care, and that was sadder still.

It seemed that Each Concillium seemed to want to show new things to learn. Not fun things, but important observations. Still, Phoenyx had learned one important lesson from her observations last time. Slowly he reached inside her coat and pulled out a small packet of mixed fruit and nuts. She opened them quietly and began eating a few raisins.

Concilliums needed snacks.

[Aurora]

She wasn’t a Ladder anymore. But the proposed sentence seemed fair.

Though it still bothered her, this was Winter. She admired him and his wise words. Knowing he cheated, and admitted it was a lot to take in.

Looking to Campy, with concern clear on her face, was he ok? The temptation was there, turn on the Life and find out what was going on. But she’d rather ask him about it.

With Winter owning the punishment, four months, she looks down, studying her hands for a moment.

Then watches those gathered. And where was Shodan?