Court: War of the Haunts

[Jayant Nagaraj]

Jayant listened to his friend and fellow warrior's words with shock as he accused Arnold of several perceived slights of laziness and looked towards the Reeve awaiting his response.

Deep, deep down however, Jayant wondered why he was so shocked. This type of game is what makes the requiem so exciting. When one's existence has the ptotential to last forever, war can occur on more than one battlefield.

And Jayant must learn fast.

[West]

It was typical, by now classical, Hatori.

An impulsive strike, swift and unexpected enough to mortally wound, but in the end only marginally effective because of poor technique and lack of follow-through.

So many things that could have been said, or shown as proof, and there was only one item of substance. There was passion, and perhaps a pretty phrase or two, but it was insufficient to assault an official of the Domain with.

Then again, you should have just let him remain Priscus, Arnold.

Asa leaned forward, summarizing his opinion of O-Yama's speech: "Rhetoric."

Turning, he looked at Arnold. "Mr. Culler, we would hear your reasons for your lack of involvement with Horizon."

[Premsyl]

Arnold stands at his podium, back straight, body facing the prince, but head turned to stoically regard O-Yama while he spoke out against him. The Reeve was somewhat amazed that, despite the Prince's reply to O-Yama's initial letter, that he still addressed the assembly and not the Prince himself.

Most of what O-Yama said was exactly what Arnold had imagined. He had him expected to paint a picture of the Reeve as a lazy do-nothing and that was exactly what had happened. One thing struck him, however, and he had to wonder who's 'good authority' O-Yama had in store.

When the Prince summed up his thoughts of O-Yama's tirade Arnold has a little difficulty suppressing a smile as he turns his head to face Asa.

"Yes, your Majesty. I was able to be present for the primary meetings leading to the assault on Horizon Pharmatech, where I found myself to be quite pleased with the work done by Priscus Von Schusten, who was rightly appointed by then-Harpy Naetesh, and whom I believe deserves commendation for his work planning the assault." Arnold takes a second to nod to Wilhelm. The two Kindred had never met personally, but there was respect there. "Prior to that meeting, and between those meetings, however, I was given little intel as to the plans and mechanizations made toward the execution of that assault. I will admit to being surprised to learn of the development of Mr. Paulson's defection."

"So, assuming that I had been delegated by acting General Von Schusten to the role of, one might say, Sergeant or Captain, I went about my business policing the domain. That was when I encountered the insane Kindred Mairsil Petrov where, as his Majesty knows, I was luckily able to render myself torpid after having been taken control of by a bloodthirsty spirit living in a cursed sword. Thankfully I was revived by the clever actions and quick thinking of Deputy Heinz, and just in time to participate in the assault."

"Perhaps I should have taken a heavier hand in planning the assault, but, in my defense, I believe that my personal efforts toward investigating the disappearance of Mr. Hatori, and the discovery of physical evidence that would, in-part, lead to the discovery of Horizon as our mortal enemy, speaks much of my dedication to that cause."

He finishes, calmly regarding the Prince, waiting for his reply. The two of them had already talked about Arnold's dedication and qualification for the job, the last time Arnold had come to see him at Court. Now to see if the Samurai and the Harpy had changed his mind.

[Michael Hall]

Michael is unsure of how to feel about Mr. Hatori's statements toward the Reeve. The internal strive within his family in the setting of Court unsettles him a little as it seems to make his clan seem weak in the eyes of others but it's too late for that now.

That homeless situation is tricky. Perhaps he missed out on the family meeting when the Reeve proposed it to all of us. It's not a situation that can simply be resolved via brute force, and after watching him along with Von Schusten flee I'd think he'd understand that. Not that I disagree with him, I haven't heard of the Horizon thing. But sitting behind while letting the others report to you is how the First Estate work, and unfortunately I think that's what the Prince agrees with. I wonder if either of them are to require witnesses for this.

He turns his attention to The Reeve as he speaks his rebuttal and for him it's starting to become more clear as to the outcome. Shit...that incident with this Mairsil might be his saving grace. It's proof that he wasn't just sitting back on his ass in his hotel, at least in the public's eyes. Interesting he didn't mention the homeless problem or the Brood..I wonder if he's saving those guns for later? He's certainly got enough ammo. They always do.

[Matt]

Wyatt's smile suddenly drops, his face taking on a more serious expression.

He was not sure what was going on, he had after all only been in the city a short time. Why was this even needed in a public arena by someone other than the prince? Surely the prince would sort out such matters. After all it related to his staff. Why did this other guy feel the need to call court and air this? How did the prince feel about this.... In fact the whole situation raised questions. Questions that he hoped would be answered through the course of the night... Perhaps this is how things are done?

[West]

"Does anyone else have anything to add?" Asa asks, looking around the circular area.

It would be interesting to see if anyone would be bold enough to grasp at an opportunity, with such high stakes.

[skarecrow36]

Well shit now he's opening the floor to us all. Grrreat. So the Reeve knows I was at the meeting he called and if I don't speak it'll probably bite me in the ass later. Coincidentally if I do speak Hatori will be at my ass as well. Fuck I love being me sometimes but then again.....the Reeve's attitude towards me has been more positive than it could have been considering he's Invictus. Best to keep it that way. Especially now that the Carthains are reinstated.

Rising from his seat he clears his throat and looks to Prince Clarke. "Your Majesty. One thing should be mentioned. I believe it was early in March when the Reeve called a meeting for all Nosferatu to attend. Mr. Hatori was not at that meeting, as I believe he was still in captivity at that time. It was at this meeting that the Reeve brought to our attention the homeless problem. He asked us all our opinions on the matter and we discussed how to investigate further as it seemed that they were more than just an average pack of troublesome mortals. Since then we've been trying to learn more about them. But I only say this to make note for the record that the Reeve did not entirely neglect this incident."

He then stands frozen on pins and needles, feeling the heat from the eyes of all on him.

[Roxie Hart]

"Mister Hatori raises a point that you failed to adress." Roxie begins as she stands. "Why exactly, Reeve Culler, have you allowed this threat to the First Tradition to fester for so long?" She smiles as she says it, his new neighbor and peer in the domain. "They are only Kine, no matter how armed they may be. You have access to the Vincuclum, not to mention the fabled mastery over fear your clan is possessed of, not to mention more mundane methods of persuasion. There are those among us who can speak with and command their beasts, so why haven't you co-opted their pets? No one cares about them, otherwise they would not be homeless, so what is it that stays your hand?" She waits on his response, wondering if he had an explanation or an excuse to offer.

[Premsyl]

Arnold smiles a bit when Michael speaks up, it was good to see that some people were paying attention and even willing to speak up in his support.

Then Roxie begins her line of questioning, and the small smile fades as he regards her

"With all due respect, Regent Hart..."

Which is literally none at all

"...I did not fail to address this matter in my exposition, I merely responded to the Prince's request that I explain the matter involving my perceived lack of involvement with the issue of Horizon Pharmatech."

"To answer your question, however, we are not dealing with simple Kine with pitchforks. I, along with Lady Knight Pia - who has since then left the Domain - met some of these men in combat and they practice tactics and wield weaponry that counteracts our own nature and abilities. We were able to defeat them, but gained little from our endeavor. Our enemy has learned much of us, probably through their interactions with Belial's Brood. The homeless have become an organized force to be reckoned with. Indeed, some of their number are reported to control supernatural abilities not unlike our own. I do not know how familiar you are with mortal users of magic, but they do exist and are formidable opponents - not to be taken lightly."

"I believe Mister Hatori encountered the Homeless as well, though from what I hear his encounter did not go so well as mine. I'm sure he can corroborate my report that these are not simple vagrants."

"There is a plan for them, however, let me assure the assembly of that. First, though, they are going to be used as a weapon against the Brood which is a greater threat to this Domain, in my opinion, than the Homeless problem - especially if the Homeless can be controlled at this time with methods other than violence. I am in the process of initiating an attack on the Circle of the Crone Farmland, which has been overrun by the Brood, and I hope to time our attack to coincide with a Homeless attack on the sewers. Once one enemy has helped defeat the other then it is simple work to clean up the remainder."

"I wonder if Miss Dirge of the Circle of the Crone might like to report to the Court some of what it is that she learned of our enemy through her tireless efforts into investigating their camp. She was able to gain the trust of a key member of their group and gleaned much as to their loadout and intentions."

If Dirge did decide to speak, Arnold hoped that she was wise enough not to include the bit about the Homeless leader being her father.