expiationnet | voice;

What do you mean, 'world?'

Edited 2023-03-02 04:04 (UTC)

This world.

[He answers with a frustrated snarl. One might get the impression he does a lot of frustrated snarling.]

Or did you think you had simply woken up in a new city when you found that parchment accusing you of a crime?

[what do you mean, all geography comes in units of continents??]

No, I understand that I have been taken from my own lands, but why would I think that there was teleportation magic powerful enough to bring me off of the world?

Because such power exists, this is not the first time I've been pulled from the world where I was born.

And this is neither my birth world nor the one I was later taken to. I cannot see either planet in the sky.

[there is a lengthy pause as ethlyn digests this information.

is he joking?

he doesn't sound like a man who has much of a sense of humor.]

Oh. [...] I see.

That is a disquieting amount of power.

I agree.

[The pacing stops.]

Which is why we need to learn more.

[Ethlyn is quiet for a moment as she contemplates possibilities.]

I don't know that the locals know much about how we got here. I remember a white empty space and some voices discussing what to do with... me... and suggesting that they do with me what they did with the 'others.' I suppose that would be you and our fellow newcomers.

Was your experience anything like that?

[More rustling and it's Vholran's turn to fall silent. Then...]

I recall the light but beyond that...nothing.

[He'd been very sure he was dead.]

What is it that they intend to "do" with us?

The paper says we need to prepare a defense--so I expect there's going to be something that looks like a trial. I can't feel very sure that it will be a just one.

...A trial?

[He's heard the term but never in this context. Are the locals going to set them against a battery of obstacles? Force them to fight? What could they be planning?]

Yes... I'm curious to know what form it will take. If we're meant to prepare a defense, we may find ourselves contending with lawyers. [There's a smile in her voice, despite how grave the subject is.] That might be worse than ordeal.

Edited 2023-03-10 23:05 (UTC)

A lawyer is no match for me!

[He might be grossly misreading the situation.]

[UHHHHH.]

In what way? [...] Are you a charismatic speaker?

[she's pretty sure he's thinking of fighting a lawyer but she's still gonna try and inject sense here....]

I'm a powerful swordsman, what would charisma have to do with it?

[Yuuup, that's what he was thinking... Ethlyn isn't sure whether to laugh or sigh. It's probably not to laugh. The prospect is a little too serious for that.]

Because lawyers don't use swords. They're extremely well-read people who have a command of the law and use their knowledge to argue for or against you.

...And before you say that you'd simply leap across the courtroom to cut one down, remember that we've been teleported here by unknown persons. I'm sure they can keep their lawyers out of your reach.

They argue?

That's it? How would that be helpful to us?

[Explaining lawyers and the law from scratch... Ethlyn has a lot of questions about what his home is like, but she'll put them aside for a moment to try and put together a cogent explanation.]

Well, in my home how it works is this. As an alternative to settling every conflict by the sword, we have a set of laws that everyone follows. If someone is accused of a crime, like we have been, the state appoints a judge. Then, someone tries to use logic to prove that we committed the crime. However, we could have our own lawyer who points out anything that could show we didn't.

Once both lawyers have made their arguments, the judge decides who was right, and either declares us guilty--in which case we're punished--or innocent, so we could go free.

[She won't get into things like treaties or property law or inheritances--just sticking with the most applicable basics right now.]

I am familiar with laws. Where I am from those found guilty of breaking a lord's rules are put to death or violently punished.

It seems...much more straightforward than what you're describing.

Those who deal out summary justice can certainly be found in my homeland. Unfortunately, they are often less concerned with actual justice than they are with making an example--or eliminating an enemy. Straightforward it may be, but getting to the actual truth sometimes takes complication.

In your system what happens to those who are found guilty? How are they punished?

That depends upon the crime they were accused of. For smaller things like petty theft, a spell of days--or months--in jail. For grave offenses like murder, treason--death.

It sounds like the only difference between our worlds is that mine is more honest.

Oh? So all of your rulers act with clear vision and good intentions all of the time? They never call honest advice "treason" and behead the giver? No one ever spins up evidence of a crime to plant on a rival so the king will do the work of eliminating them? No one ever makes a mistake that can never be undone? What a lucky people you must be.

Oh, that all happens. But we do not delude ourselves into thinking someone will decide our crimes aren't worth a severe punishment.

And at what point does a crime count as worthy of death, for you?

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