Noble Court - June of 622

As the Tuathan Baron enters the meeting hall, Selena makes a point to give him a slight bow and move out of the way. "Baron."

As the sounds of the carriage and soldiers make their way into the meeting hall, Selena stiffens up. "It was nice to meet you Miquella, good luck on your path, and Jade, good to see you again. You must come by soon." Once she excuses herself from them, she makes her way over to the door and stands at attention as the king enters the meeting hall. Giving him a salute and falling in behind him as he passes, joining the escorts as he makes his way to his seat. Once he's seated, she gives another salute, then returns to her seat next to Dorian. The smile that was present moments ago, gone without a trace.

Baroness Eclipse stands when the king enters, and patiently waits for him to find his seat before she sits back down.

As the king's carriage arrives Jade quickly leaves her group of friends and makes her way over to baroness Eclipse. She stands behind the seated woman and crosses her arms in wait for the trail to start.

Rachelle gasps when the king enters the meeting hall and stands from her seat, looking around and swapping between a salute and a bow as she tries to figure out the proper way to greet the king. She finally completely bows at the waist as he passes and then takes her seat again once he is seated.

Dorian and the knights with him all simultaneously throw a closed fist over their hearts in salute as the King enters the meeting hall. They remain standing and saluting until King Vlastimir takes his seat.

Miquella look around at the people rushing about. He then moves to a seat an empty seat near his guild mates. He sees the display around him and takes note of what others do. He looks at the man with the elegant crown walk towards his place, and Miquella bow as he walks by. He then waits for the man to be seated to sit as well. Pulling from his pocket a small trinket moving around in his hand.

The King makes his way across the Meeting Hall to the platform and stands behind the chair in the center. He looks around the room, meeting the eyes of each of the Nobles present and several of the other guests. He pulls out his own chair, blocking the black leather clad man from doing so, earning a brief twitch of the escort's eye. Vlastimir looks around once more and then takes his seat.

Around the room, the sound of scraping chairs resonates off the stone walls as everyone else reclaims their seats. No other sounds pervade the vast room and a deep eerie silence washes over the space, even the air itself seems to still in anticipation of the King's word.

"Welcome, friends." He begins, "Thank you for taking time from your busy lives to weigh in and witness these procedures. It is not lightly that one tosses about terms such as conspiracy and treason, and it is not lightly that one interprets those accusations. It is our wish that prior to distributing any sanctions against the accused, that the wise leaders of this Kingdom grace us with logic and reason, so that a fair and just resolution can be attained."

The King pauses to take a sip from the glass in front of him before continuing, "Baron Knightmaster Dorien Greyshield will be officiating these proceedings, garnering the honest truth from the accused as well as those who witnessed her actions. The Noble Court of Ariad will then convene to determine to appropriate course of action based upon the information obtained."

He folds his hands in front of him as he continues, "As Sovereign, I shall oversee the procedure as moderator and judge. While I will not intervene during the proceedings, I reserve the right to overrule any ruling that would violate the peace and rule of this land. I shall also withhold the right to cast a vote except in need of tiebreaker, as these crimes were against the Kingdom and Her people, it is my wish that those people determine the outcome of this session."

He nods to Baron Greyshield, "Baron, the room is yours. Please call forth the accused and let's begin."

King Vlastimir sits back in his chair, his stony face no longer betraying any emotion that lies behind it. Behind him, the black leather-clad man crosses his arms and leans against the back wall.

"Thank you, your Majesty." Dorian rises from his seat, his face a stony mask. "Please bring out the accused, Miss Claire Baker."

At his command, several kingdom guards enter the meeting hall. At their center is a small, cowering woman with her hands and ankles shackled. She shuffles her way to the center podium and looks fearfully around the room while the guards attach her shackles to the four posts in the floor. The guards step away leaving her to face the ring of nobles alone.

Dorian approaches the podium, his eyes locked only on Claire. "Miss Baker, you stand here today accused of treason." He places a hand on the pommel of his sword. "So long as I hold the sword Truthseeker, I will know whether you speak true or false." For just a moment his gaze softens before being replaced by the blank mask once more. "I offer you this opportunity to tell your story."

Claire's body shivers with fear and her eyes are watery from held back tears. "S-sir, B-baron Sir, I- I_" She stammers and chokes back a sob.

"Miss Baker, during this trial you are not at risk of any harm. This is your chance to tell us what really happened that night. I suggest you start from the beginning."

Claire nods and sniffles. "Y-yes, s-sir. My h-husband and a few of his friends decided that they- that they were tired of waiting for something to be done about the... the undead. W-we gathered that night to enter the graveyard." She pauses and takes a deep breath. "When we entered the graveyard-" Claire does her best to wipe at the tears beginning to fall down her face. "We were attacked and there were so many of them. My husband- he- he was one of the f-first to die. I-I was scared and I hid." She breaks down into sobs and buries her face in her hands, forced to bend to do so.

Dorian watches her silently for several moments, letting her cry and then gather herself. "Miss Baker, you say you were attacked upon entering the graveyard. That was not entirely true, was it?"

Claire looks at him wide eyed. "We- we entered the graveyard and we-" She swallows. "Some of the others began attacking first, y-yes."

Dorian nods. "You were found with a dagger. Though it appeared clean, I must ask, did you use it?"

Claire shakes her head. "When I w-was running, I swiped blindly a few times but I never hurt any of those- those things."

"Do you know how to use magic, Miss Baker?"

Again, she shakes her head. "N-no, sir."

"Why did you enter the graveyard that night, Miss Baker?"

"I-I went because my hu-husband was going. I only wanted to protect my children. Please, S-sir, I just wanted to protect my babies." She cries.

"Yet you left your twelve year old daughter in charge of your four year old son? Alone?"

Claire nods her head fervently. "She's a good girl. She's capable of watching over her little brother."

Dorian's lip twitches. "You and your friends attacked the Graveyard, Miss Baker, which effectively broke a peace treaty established between this Kingdom and the Faceless One. Because of your actions, Undead entered the town and attacked innocents. Your children were alone at this time and you consider your daughter capable of protecting your son from Undead?"

Claire stammers. "I-I- They- They were fine! They were safe!"

Dorian clears his throat. "Have you anything else to add in your defense Miss Baker?"

Claire drops to her knees and clasps her hands in front of her, begging. "I was just trying to protect my children, s-sir! I did it for my children!"

Dorian turns towards the gathered nobles and others. "There were witnesses to Miss Claire Baker's escape from the graveyard. Would any of you like to speak on her behalf?"