"I know this failed to catch your notice, much as your mother clearly failed to recognize the difference between her newborn, and the afterbirth, but I did not have control of the Efreet, and had no way to do so. I did not 'summon an Efreet', I opened a gate at random, in hopes of saving the lives of the others, but whatever came thru was going to be right next to me. If the soldiers had not appeared at the gate so suddenly, and saved you all, it is possible that only the distraction of the Fire Lord would have saved your life. Do you think it was wiser for me to let you die, then risk my life to save you?"

Alyna stood up when Pjotr fell over and grabbed the arm of Sir Jean subconsciously. Unable to hold herself back at the pityful sight, she rushed to the boy's side and knelt down beside him. "Stop it. You'll hurt yourself.", she said, then she glared at the man holding the sword to Pjotr's throat. "If you hurt him before a verdict has been found, I'll make sure you share his fate.", she said to the man through her teeth. It was very clear she meant it.

Turning back to Pjotr, she took the flask of water and fed the drink to him. Speaking softly, she said: "If you want my advice, I would suggest to hold off on the insults. Not the wisest way to act in your own defense."

Still kneeling beside the boy and holding the flask for him to drink, Alyna then raised her voice: "My Lord Dobrynya, if I may, look at the results of Pjotr's actions, too. Noone was killed or even hurt. And because Sir Jean was thinking so well on his feet, the people in this city even have been healed. If we had not arrived in time, the ghastly Pechenegs might very well have overrun the brave men and women at the gate. I for one believe that Pjotr's intention was to help, however misplaced his claim of ownership of the cube might be."

She paused for a beat, then she added: "And Gultunga, I would appreciate if you refrain from calling my kin 'stygian'. Elves are no more stygian than norseman."

Fearing that her actions would draw the wrath of Dobrynya Jean steps forward to where Alyna is.

"Alyna you are being manipulated by an evil person."

"Pyotr is a liar and dramaticist. He twists facts and exagerates to make his actions seem more than the self serving dross that they were."

"He was bound for only a few hours not for the days it would take to reach the condition he pretends to be in."

"He missed only one meal. He is not starving and he has had more to drink in the last five hours than I have. I know this because I gave it to him myself."

"He is clearly disseminating about the cube. Such a request from the captain of a vessel IS an order. A politely worded order but still intended to be obeyed and he has left out completely the fact that he was told to stay nearby."

"He fled from us before ever we entered the city."

"As to his boldest lie of all...the claim that he randomly opened portals to other worlds that are home to dangerously powerful entities only to save those who were hard pressed at the gate?"

"The battle at the gate was over for nearly an hour before the Efreet Basrakan appeared!"

"Lord Dobrynya's forces had arrives and relieved that group at the gate long before. Healers from the forces of the Knyaz, You yourself foremost amongst them, had had time to attend to ALL of our wounds!"

"The healing that you personally applied to me took several minutes by itself."

"He is a liar Alyna and he is counting on your merciful nature to allow him to do more evil in the future."

Turning to Dobrynya he says, "I apologize milord. I had no intention of speaking out of turn but the testimony of this foul little man has sickened me. Listening to him twisting the actions of men who had no intent but to help him, myself included, has set me wroth and I felt need to speak and set thing right."

"I do not presume to suggest a verdict or demand of you a certain punishment but that Pyotr is guilty, of the original crime and of bearing false witness in this court, there can be no doubt."

"Further I swear in the name of God who owns my life that what I have said is true. E'en those amongst you who do not believe in God know full well that I do and that I would not swear such an oath lightly."

         Gultunga cannot abide the interuptions of a stranger, above all one
whom tis not a shipmate, and one that hath no right to participate in such
weighty proceedings as a Martial Court of Law.  The Stridesman steps briefly
forward to make several important points of note in a deep confident voice . . .

         "Alyna thy voice should naught carry any weight here wotsoever, ye
are na a member o' this army r'e a member o' r'e crew, nor hath thee sworn n'
oath to r'e Lordship.  Mind thy tongue, n' threaten naught those that carry
out the orders O' r'e Lordship here as ye go much too far n' so doing!  I find
that I must remind thee that ye r'e a dancer, n' hath no place here; ye should
keep to things that ye know best, n' naugt n'volve thineself any further n'
these proceedings.

         Besides ye hath failed to take note O' one important fact that weighs
heavily against Pyotr morso than any of the other weighty charges against him;
the foolhearty lad hath brought the emnity O' a most poserful Efreet upon
us all!

         The foul tounged snake continues to use polemics in his defense, mayst
his stygian soul rot for it n' his own dungheap!  The Law of the Sea hath been
broken, n' wot it demands n' compensation for Pyotrs illbegotten deeds should be
indeed most severe to say the least!


         The Stridesman steps back to the side of Barmack not wishing to involve
himself any further.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:54, Sat 13 Mar 2010.

"Milord," nods Dyanna to Dobrynya, remembering her manners this time before speaking.  "Perhaps it is time for your decision.  We have all had a say, at least those of us who think our testimony has weight."

"The only final thought I would add is that we were not sworn members of the ship's crew, thus the Captain's orders would not hold sway in the division of spoils, despite the fact Pyotr and myself fought at the side of your sailors.  We are, both of us, free people who showed good faith at that initial meeting, and of certain I showed my worth during the battle at the gate.  I would submit that perhaps my words have a certain credibility based upon my own actions, even if Pyotr's intent is incrutable, and his actions are blurred by the array of testimony against him."

She shrugs then, and with a glance at Pyotr turns back and finishes, "What is your will, Milord?"

Alyna just sent a look over to Gultunga that could make blood freeze. She did not reply to his statement about who has or has not a voice here, because she dismissed it instantly as ridiculous.

Instead, she turned to the Frankish Knight and said: "I am sorry, but you are mistaken. The booming voice appeared right as his Lordship and the reinforcements, including myself, arrived at the gate. It announced itself as Basrakan. I clearly remember hearing it while seeing the fleeing Pechenegs hit you with arrows. This actually supports Pyotr's claim."

"I have made my decision...Regardless of whether it was an hour a minute or a day from when he summoned the Efreeti and when we entered the gates there is no doubt that he stole the cube and ran off with it and used it recklessly.

Byzantine law amy prefer that we remove the hands of the prisoner and I would be inclined to do just that but there is the matter of the spoken word being dangerous from one of his profession. I am not cruel enow to let a man live with no hands and no tongue so therefore his punishment shall be death. Let others learn from his mistakes."

He looks to Oleg the Varangian and says..."Take his head."

Expecting a perhaps unwise response (or at least hoping to shield her from the sight about to occur) Jean steps in front of Alyna.

        The Stridesman looks upon the unremorseful Pyotr, and shakes his head
in disgust at his futile displays of stygian hatred.

"NO!"

Alyna jumped up and put herself in front of Pyotr. Then, slightly annoyed, she stepped to the side of Sir Jean to be able to see Dobrynya and Oleg. "I will not stand by while you slaughter a child. Stop at once!", she said, pointing at Oleg.

She was standing in the wind, a beautiful sight, her dress being blown around her and her eyes sparkling with anger. She looked around, and her gaze seemed to touch the hearts of the men present. She appeared like a mother defending her child, and only the coldest heart could not be touched by this.

"If you need me to, I will take responsibility for Pyotr. Release him to my custody. If I am wrong and he truely is as evil as you people make him out to be, then take my head!"

Alyna finds herself caught by the overly strong hands of the Frankish knight before she can get in front of Pyotr. She does get to say her piece but Dobrynya pays no mind and waves his hand to Oleg to continue.

"Let go of me!", Alyna yells in the knight's face. Struggling to get free, she screams: "DO NOT KILL THE CHILD!"

Jean lifts the dancer as if she were made of down. His hands are gentle but as inexorable as iron.

"Please Alyna...I tried to take responsibility for him already. He did not want it."

With a pained expression on his face he continues to hold her back.

Dramatic pause is going to only last so much longer....

PM

Dyanna approaches Alyna and the knight.

"Alyna...unless you wish to incur the same wrath as that shown Pyotr, I would refrain from hysterics.  Unless he has a sudden and unexpected change of heart, judgement has been cast, and not likely overturned by feminine charms or tempers.  As for your newfound beau here, well, now you know his stripes...tread carefully in such company lest you be next."

Looking down sadly at Pyotr Dyanna approaches Dobrynya and says, "You mentioned reward for those who captured the gates?  I would claim also my share of any loot found by the barbarian lest I too be executed for theft...and before he runs off with it.  I would say I've earned it..."

The youth struggles  to approximate a bow of his head in the direction of the judge.

"Your wisdom is sound my'lord. Clearly I am felon of the most heinous stripe. Let it never be said that in the lands of the Rus, a good deed has gone unpunished. Please make it swift."

Clearly impatient with the pace of Justice, Pyotr rises to his feet, and throws himself, throat first on the blade...but his aim is off and he falls flat on his face in the dusty city street.

Oleg's single edge blade finds purchase in the back of his head just after Pyotr's failed attempt at slitting his own throat on the Varangians blade.

The first blow kills the small man but he follows up with three more, severing the head just above the bottom jaw.

Blood spouts out in great spurts as the heart continues to pump for a few more seconds. Gultunga finds himself covered in the half elfs blood.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:29, Sat 13 Mar 2010.

"Now that...was interesting," muses A'kos.  "Wonder what other tricks that cube can spawn..."

Barmak forces himself to watch the beheading, though he flinches at every cut of Oleg's blade.  He is surprised by the gout of blood that drenches Gultunga, and reflexively steps back from his northlander shipmate to avoid being splashed.

"Antagonistic to the last," he mutters darkly to Gultunga, feeling a shiver run up his spine.  He tries not to see an omen in the Stridesman's misfortune.

Loukas started to respond to A'kos's quip, but he stopped himself. Rather he waited to see what else could occur and whether it would be as strange as what had already taken place.

Dobrynya frowns at the mess in front of him and motions to a few of his soldiers to clean it up. He nods his head toward Oleg for service rendered then turns to Dyanna..."Miroslav will  distribute loot when he sees fit. I have also kicked in a reward for those who took the gate as well...so it will be larger than expected provided someone does not run of with it." He says the last bit with no small amount of sarcasm in his voice.

Nodding as she leaned against A'kos, Jaleh was fairly much speechless at first. "That was just... well,,, It didn't make a lot of sense. I just don't get it. It's like the kid was insane and his insanity infected everybody else. Maybe I should have followed my impulses straight from the start and put an arrow in his head after the shit with the efreet. Hell, I didn't trust him when I noticed him using magic. I'll bet it was one of those women though, the ones that brought him, they were likely behind it all. I don't care though, they didn't seem to be after me, so to hell with them."

"Just make sure we're first in line for the loot," grins A'kos, moving back toward where they had set up their camp.  "Might be time to think about better armor if we're going to be heading into pitched battles."

         Gultunga looks at the corpse, the blood that showered his body, and
then raises his head and outstretched hands towards the ether whilst he dec-
lares . . .
         "Tis a sign from the gods that they r'e pleased with Dobrynyas
judgement, n' that the wrong hath now been righted!"

         Without any further thought upon the matter or for that matter his
blood soaked countenance, Gultunga turns to Barmack to speak rather casually,
Gultunga tis famished n' thirsty, lets go eat r'e fill now that the
entertainment tis o'er."