RP:True To Her Character
Summary: It's the second day of the trial in the case of The Woodland Witch versus The Realm, and emotions are running high. Aira, Khitti, Meri, Zahrani, and a few others, give their views as character witnesses. The rose quartz crystal skull is offered to the courts to study, and if allowed, Lanara will use its power to show what really happened when she was without control of her body. A tearful statement from the accused herself is given, and the jury is left undecided.
Part of the Magic, Madness, and Mayhem Arc
The next day is a somber one, as both attorneys and Judge Julie seem to have already grown weary from hearing the back and forth banter regarding Lanara Banks. Was the witch innocent or guilty? Had she intentionally committed the crimes? Which reason was to blame; misuse of astral projection, insanity, or a murderous rampage? Today was the day for the character witnesses to give their accurate accounts on what sort of elf Lanara was, before and after all the crimes had taken place. It would be a long day, but hopefully provide some clarity for the jurors, as well as for the realm.
Judge Julie smacks her gavel against her desk and addresses the entire room, “Thank you all for attending today, as you all know, today the character witnesses will be adding their views to this case… After lunch we will break and Lanara Banks will be taking the stand to address the jury… Bailiff Petyr, if you will please proceed with swearing in the character witnesses so that each of them can speak before the court?”
The bailiff smiles warmly and nods, a different man from yesterday’s bailiff, but qualified all the same. The middle aged human, slightly balding, and with a beer belly that’s hardly contained by his somewhat wrinkled suit, stands before the podium and repeats the same mantra to each one that appears to speak on behalf of Lanara.
“In the case of The Woodland Witch versus The Realm, we now call Khitti von Schreier to the stand. Please, place your hand over your heart, and think of your chosen Deity. Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God or Goddess?”
Khitti approached and took her place at the stand. Her hand soon went over her heart as directed, though her thoughts were not entirely on Cyris. They also lingered on Aramoth and Vakmatharas as well… but who were these fae to know? Unless they had a psion like Meri that could actually read minds. It wasn’t going to matter; she swore regardless. A god was a god and she was still following directions.
“Please state your full name for the record.”
“Khatja Elysse von Schreier.”
“Thank you my Lady, now if you would, please tell us how you came to know Lanara, the length of time you’ve known her, and give an accurate description of Lanara’s personality type and if you believe in your heart that she’s innocent or guilty. Can you provide an example of a time when you’ve witnessed firsthand that she was truly good or evil?”
“I have known Lanara for about a year and a half. In that time, I have found her to be exceedingly kind and trustworthy--which is honestly a rare thing in Lithrydel. Time and time again I’ve been able to lay down my burdens in front of her, and even if it wasn’t something she could physically help me with, she assisted in the mental and emotional side of things. Before she was sent to the asylum, her comforting--as well as that from a couple others--was enough to help me see things more clearly or, at the very least, feel less worried or angry about a situation,” Khitti said, taking a moment to gather her thoughts to answer the next question.
“I’d like to start by saying that not everything is as black and white as the court is making it seem. We are all “good” and “evil” of varying degrees. This is what I’ve been trying to impress upon those not only in my guild, but everyone around me. There is no light without darkness and vice versa, and even those in the light are guilty of “evil” doings, whether they think so or not. That being said, the only things that might be considered “evil” by some, that Lanara’s done, are perhaps things like vanity or gluttony. Things that anyone is prone to do on a daily basis of even the smallest degree. But when it comes to malicious acts? I’ve never witnessed anything like it. And at the risk of self-incrimination, I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life. I’ve seen malicious people. I’ve killed those people, to save others. I’ve -been- that person. But, Lanara… She is not that person. She has been nothing but supportive. She organized the entire rescue mission to help people on an island near Rynvale that was plagued by a madman. She ran a non-profit animal sanctuary. She took in any and all animals that were unwanted or could not be cared for. She may talk about her animal empathy often, but she never talks about the empathy she has for other people. Lanara takes in unwanted people too. People who can’t quite find their way in the world, whether literally or figuratively. She cares more about people that I ever possibly could, even after her and the other witches were shunned and cast out of Larket--or worse. Lanara has never been a bad person on that sort of level and she isn’t right now, nor do I think she will be in the future.
“Thank you, Miss von Shreier. No further questions.”
Bailiff Petyr greets the psion next, with a warm smile, as well as a wink. He always had a thing for blondes. Perhaps, if this trial hurried up, he’d ask Meri out for a drink or a night on the town.
“In the case of The Woodland Witch versus The Realm, we now call Meri Boyce to the stand. Please, place your hand over your heart, and think of your chosen Deity. Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God or Goddess?"
Meri places her hand over her heart and swears, though to no deity in particular because she's no believer.
"Please state your full name for the record."
"Meri Boyce."
"Thank you my Lady, now if you would, please tell us how you came to know Lanara, the length of time you’ve known her, and give an accurate description of Lanara’s personality type and if you believe in your heart that she’s innocent or guilty. Can you provide an example of a time when you’ve witnessed firsthand that she was truly good or evil?"
"I have known of Lanara for years, but I came to know her best when she was the leader of the Adventurer's Guild. I am not sure that I can hone in on one single memory that demonstrates that Lanara is innocent or guilty. But in my heart of hearts, I do believe she is innocent. In the time that I have known her she has demonstrated to me that she is a caring and good person who would go out of her way to help those in need, and not just friends and loved ones. She has shown me that she is one of the most genuine and honest people that I have come to know. Despite any accusations that are being wrongly lodged against her, I trust her implicitly and would even ask her to help with things like...babysitting my own daughter."
"Thank you, Ms. Boyce. No further questions.”
Although the next blonde is equally as fair as Meri, the scowl that the foxkin wears has the bailiff breaking out in a sweat. A sip of water is taken, as he dabs at his forehead with a handkerchief.
“In the case of The Woodland Witch versus The Realm, we now call Aira to the stand.”
Sporting her usual scowl, the vixen makes her way towards the chair and throws herself into the seat unceremoniously. Unlike the others, she isn’t dressed in any type of finery, just her usual leather and cotton clothes, although she at least siphoned all the blood off her skin and garments.
“Please, place your hand over your heart, and think of your chosen Deity.”
She glares at the person giving her orders but grudgingly places her hand over her heart when she’s instructed to do so.
“Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God or Goddess?”
Aira is not the religious sort so she supposed they meant the three horned spirits who sometimes plagued her dreams. “I swear,” she repeats and immediately drops her hand back into her lap.
“Please state your full name for the record.”
The huntress’s tail gives an agitated twitch before she repeats her name. “Aira.”
The gentleman raises his brow at the vixen before prodding her a bit more sternly. “Your -full- name please.”
She glares at him and crosses her arms over her chest defiantly. “That -is- my full name.” The pair glares at each other for a few minutes in silence as they size each other before the man opts to continue.
“Thank you my Lady, now if you would, please tell us how you came to know Lanara, the length of time you’ve known her, and give an accurate description of Lanara’s personality type and if you believe in your heart that she’s innocent or guilty. Can you provide an example of a time when you’ve witnessed firsthand that she was truly good or evil?”
Aira continues to scowl, although her copper eyes squint as if she were trying to recall a distant memory. So much had happened since she had escaped her life in Rynvale that specifics were hard to remember exactly. “I believe I met Lanara when I first es--moved to Frostmaw several years ago. I don’t remember the specifics of our meeting but I know we didn’t necessarily get along. She was too cheery and playful for my taste,” she bites back in disgust before shifting uneasily in her chair. An incident to prove the witch’s innocence? “She used to lead the Adventurer’s Guild. I was a member and the navigator. One time she received correspondence that a rogue mage was holding an island of people captive and they needed help. Lanara gathered everyone in the guild together and organized us so we could do a rescue mission of sorts. We were to travel to the island and defeat the mage and save the people which we did. I would think if she was a terrible person who wanted to hurt people she would have just ignored the call. Not risk her own life and those of her guild to save them,” Aira says matter-of-factly with a shrug of her shoulders.
The man studies Aira for another moment as if waiting to see if she’ll continue speaking, but when no further words are forthcoming, he nods his head. “Thank you, Miss Aira. No further questions.”
Without giving them a chance to change their minds and recall her, Aira is on her feet and gone.
A few murmurs are audible from the rear of the room, once Aira has vacated the premises. No one is quite sure what was said or done to upset the vixen, but the case continues, as the bailiff greets the feline with a curt nod.
“In the case of The Woodland Witch versus The Realm, we now call Zahrani to the stand. Please, place your hand over your heart, and think of your chosen Deity. Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God or Goddess?"
Zahrani places her hand over her heart and proceeds to give her name and sworn testimony, “Zahrani, Paladin of Cyris… I do.”
"Thank you my Lady, now if you would, please tell us how you came to know Lanara, the length of time you’ve known her, and give an accurate description of Lanara’s personality type and if you believe in your heart that she’s innocent or guilty. Can you provide an example of a time when you’ve witnessed firsthand that she was truly good or evil?"
"As someone who has seen many supernatural things in my service to Cyris, I believe that Lanara is innocent of the charges against her. I have witnessed her compassion for her follow citizens of Lithrydel, and that compassion extends to the animals she has cared for in her Sanctuary. I have seen her love and kindness towards others, whether they reciprocate or not. I saw it with Talyara, with Scandal, with others in my guild and my colony."
"Thank you, Miss Zahrani. No further questions.”
Once the feline returns to her seat, a few others give their views on Lanara, all of which are positive! Gordyn Whamsey, a few members of the Backstreet Bards, Justyn from N’Tempo, and even Rude-Off, the reindeer familiar of the witch. After everyone has said their piece, the bailiff gives a nod to Judge Julie, and she addresses the room, “Excellent. The character witness portion of this trial has concluded. We will take a forty-five minute break for lunch and resume the trial when we return.” The gavel is struck and everyone disperses the courtroom.
About an hour later, after both attorneys and Lanara are sworn in again, Judge Julie exits her chambers and seems to have changed her robes. This time, her attire has a bit of lace around the neckline, to add a shred of femininity to the very masculine look. Lowering her spectacles, she casts an icy glare at Attorney Corleone, “Your request to remove the rose quartz crystal skull is denied, as a letter from Mayor Uma Abelin of Cenril has sent me a letter this morning, stating that the skull was in her property up until Attorney DeMott has asked to use it in this trial.”
Naturally, mention of the powerful skull that had been used in the resurrection of Valrae Ivy Baines raises quite a few eyebrows, and a few of the almighty fearing people in the back begin to protest, “Lanara is EVIL and that skull is the work of the Devil! You cannot allow use of that sacrilegious item in this courtroom! Enchantment will be destroyed!” Chaos ensues and Judge Julie angrily smacks her gavel at least half a dozen times before silence resumes.
“As I’ve said… We will now call Lanara Banks to the stand, so that she may address the jury and say what she needs to say… Before the skull is used, it will be evaluated by a team of professionals, so that we know nothing was tampered with and that it is, in fact, safe to use indoors. If it’s discovered that Lanara isn’t influencing the skull, or vice versa, we will schedule a day to witness its power and the truth that Lana claims the skull possesses. Miss Lanara Banks… Please, give us your statement.”
Swallowing hard, the petite witch rises and approaches the stand, with the assistance of two burly guards. Walking is difficult with the shackles around her ankles, and she continuously missteps and has to bite her tongue to keep from crying out. The chains roughly grind against her silken skin, and the magical monitor that silences her powers pinches her ankle, which she recently had surgery on after sustaining a severed achilles tendon. The handcuffs around her wrists are loose enough to slip, but she doesn’t dare, as so many eyes are upon her, and there’s a guard holding each of her elbows. Lana knows this is beyond humiliating, as well as uncomfortable, but if it helps to prove her innocence, she will endure whatever the court wishes to throw her way. Wearing a fitted navy skirt, a white blouse, and a navy blazer, she looks like a businesswoman, but she feels more like the homeless, as the jurors throw heated glances her way. She doesn’t blame them, considering all the evidence that was mounting against her case.
Sitting down behind the enchanted vocal box, Lanara looks fearful of the crowd, but she holds it together. A rogue hair escapes her braid and falls onto her cheek, but being cuffed, there’s little she can do to rectify the situation. Exhaling sharply, she aims to blow the strand out of her visage, but it’s no use. Judge Julie clears her throat, and the witch begins, “Thank you to the village of Enchantment and to everyone that’s gathered here today to witness what I’m about to say… I also want to give special thanks to my friends and family that have stood by my side, through thick and thin, and have believed in my innocence from the very beginning. Your support is the most precious thing to me, and I love you all, dearly.” A single tear splashes onto Lana’s cheek, and the strand of hair sticks to it as the witch takes a moment to compose herself.
“I never meant to hurt –anyone- by using astral projection, and had I known that my abilities would put innocent children and animals at risk, then I never would have practiced. I’m not asking anyone to forgive me of my sins, or to forget those that suffered by my hands, but I am asking for a second chance. A chance to make amends for what happened… By continuing to volunteer my services in areas where I may be needed. Making donations to the orphanage in Gualon and the sanctuary in Sage Forest. Teaching others with magical abilities how to safely use their powers, so that this sort of thing never happens again… I may look guilty, or like I survived when others did not, but I feel as though I’m just as much a victim as the children and animals that perished. Every night I have terrible dreams that interrupt my sleep. Every day I am forced to think nonstop about how helpless I felt having my body be used by another, and how I was unable to regain control. I hear the screams of the children, I smell the stench of the animals burning, and I feel the pain until it consumes my mind, heart, and soul. I weep every night before bed, and I pray to the Goddess to mend my broken heart, and to take the pain away from anyone that was involved in this terrible ordeal.”
Lana sniffles and everyone is literally witnessing the witch’s heart breaking before their very eyes. This isn’t an act, but it’s a plea for her life, and an apology for those that paid with their lives. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I won’t sit here and feed you all promises that I cannot fulfill, but I never would harm a child or an animal, unless it was an act of mercy or a means of self-defense. I can’t say that I’ll never pull a prank or give up my mischievous side, but I –can- say that I will never practice a new form of magic without studying it for several months and learning the pros and cons. I-I… I can’t bring those twelve children back to life, nor can I revive the barnyard animals that died… But… I can donate to their causes, volunteer my time and life, host charity events, and do things that will honor the lives they have lost. I beg of you… Please, spare my life! Please… Let me remain in the lands… And please, don’t cast blame on other witches for my actions, because they are faultless in this… I chose to practice astral projection… And I also chose to come clean for my actions, as soon as I was able to reclaim my body, because I didn’t want my friends or family ridiculed for this, or for other magic users to be feared or accused in the future.” The brunette bursts into tears, sobbing heavily into her handcuffs, as she loses the ability to continue her statement. Her crying is echoing through the courtroom and Judge Julie nods to the guards to help Lanara back to her seat.
The jurors are all looking at each other, wondering how the heck they were supposed to choose a fitting verdict, when the ‘mind’ of the person was innocent, but the ‘body’ was clearly guilty. One of the women is sobbing right along with Lanara, while one of the men is shaking his head and muttering about ‘witchcraft’ beneath his breath. The bailiff keeps lifting his hand to shush those that continue to gossip, and the two attorneys are running a gambling ring behind the scenes, each side placing a bet of innocent, guilty, or innocent with reasonable doubt. Judge Julie looks beside herself as she studies Lanara. If the woodland witch was found guilty… What would be the most fitting sentence?
Attorney DeMott pours Lanara a glass of water and pats her affectionately on the shoulder, in an effort to make her stop crying. The courtroom seems to have evolved to a state of chaos, and it’s obvious that the judge isn’t happen about that, as she slams the gavel against the desk.
“We will resume in a few days, once the rose quartz crystal skull has been properly investigated. Lanara will remain under the protection of Enchantment and fully comply with any requests of the courts. The ankle monitor is to be removed as its obvious the witch isn’t a flight risk, since she turned herself in, as soon as she was physically able. Court is adjourned.”
It’s a small victory for Lana, as Lunalesca approaches to remove the monitor, the two women sharing a weak smile. The guards remove the shackles and handcuffs, silently, as Lana is left to her thoughts. She’d be able to use her magic for a few days, uninhibited, which was a blessing in itself. Knowing that she had a few days to herself, as the skull was being studied by experts, Lana rises from her seat and stretches. Maybe she’d plan a party? Host a dumb supper? Travel a bit on horseback? The possibilities were endless! At least now she didn’t need to wear disguises, and she could properly defend herself, if a situation arose. The faintest smile is on her lips as she exits the castle and for the first time in a long while, welcomes an unplanned day and whatever that may bring.