The Seventh Trial: Group C

[hot_mess_express]

[Upon entering the tent, you find yourself in a resplendent throne room. It's empty, aside from a huge throne made of some kind of material that shimmers and sparkles like the night sky, but the floor is mostly covered in a plush raspberry pink rug, and banners of the same colour hang from the walls.

The banners appear to have been dipped in blood, so heavy that the crest once on them is no longer visible. They drip, slowly.

Upon the throne is a simple, unadorned golden crown.]

Where is Justice?

Who wears the crown...?

Comments

INSTRUCTIONS/QUESTIONS

[fairwind]

O pitiful pawns of the Light, I ask you this:

What are the limits of loyalty? What is the consequence of dissent? Which bond is more valuable: that between a knight and their king, or that between a hero and their cause?

Answer my questions and show me the truth. Those with evil in their hearts will be punished.

But remember: you are all part of the same mission.

[you can ask questions here, but the Angel may or may not answer.]

ROUND ONE

[hot_mess_express]

[Upon the throne, the crown begins to softly glow.]

First, you must crown your king. A ruler is both powerful and powerless -- a person raised above their humanity, from whom comes only love or despair. The life of the ruler is the life of the kingdom. Who among you is strong enough to bear the responsibility? Whose knights will you be?

[For this round, your group must choose one person to be King. All other characters become Knights. Characters are given the automatic knowledge that placing the crown upon your head and sitting in the throne will serve as coronation.]

DISCUSSION

[hot_mess_express]

[ewestmarch]

This asshole again.

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow takes a moment to absorb their surroundings and the words the Angel is saying. ]

...Riiiiiiiight.

Re: DISCUSSION

[nihilmancy]

[She laughs bitterly.]

And I wonder what sort of "justice" we can expect from this individual.

Re: DISCUSSION

[howlsitgoin]

Maybe I should keep my mouth shut this time.

DECISION

[hot_mess_express]

[Post this ICly! A response will be given when the round ends.]

DECISION

[ewestmarch]

[Emilia goes up to take the crown, holding it like it's a dead fish or something. She sits on the throne, sighs, and puts it on.]

ROUND TWO

[hot_mess_express]

[Appearing on the wall are a row of swords and a row of shields. All are faintly bloodspattered.]

And now a dilemma: A terrible force has come to take your king. As knights, you must choose. Will you protect your king at the cost of yourselves, or will you sacrifice your king for your own safety?

Remember, knights are a unit.

[For this round, the group must choose between the knights and the king. Each individual character must vote! The king need only speak their vote, but the knights must choose either a shield (to protect the king) or a sword (to sacrifice them). Characters immediately understand the significance of each item.]

DISCUSSION

[hot_mess_express]

[ewestmarch]

[Sigh.]

Dark Lady.

[This carries the same tone as: ah, Jesus fucking Christ, this shit.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ ]

That's really non-specific, huh!

[ewestmarch]

If you guys miss the spine, you can't actually kill me with a sword.

I mean, don't stab me, but if you have to just try to go to the left.

VOTE

[hot_mess_express]

[Remember to submit an answer per character! Whether your vote is unanimous is a factor (but this is not known ICly)!]

Re: VOTE

[nihilmancy]

[Hlasoh picks up a shield.]

I will protect my King.

whoops wrong place

[ewestmarch]

I'll vote to not be stabbed. In a turn of events that I'm sure we all find shocking.

Re: VOTE

[howlsitgoin]

[taking a shield!]

This is stupid.

Re: VOTE

[bad_crowmance]

[ He waits for everyone else's votes before he picks up the shield without saying anything. ]

Re: VOTE

[hot_mess_express]

[As the last vote comes in, a dark fog rises up from the floor. As it washes over the knights, they will feel the skin of their backs splitting open. One at a time, over and over, it feels as if something is striking them hard enough to leave bloody welts.

One...

Two...

Three...

...

...Twenty.

After twenty lashes each, the mist lightens to a calm white glow, then dissipates.

Emilia is untouched.]

ROUND THREE

[hot_mess_express]

[Once the punishment is over, the remaining swords/shields fall into a pile. They’re accessible but no longer constitute a vote.

Because there is no longer a vote.]

And now your final choice:

Your kingdom is on the brink of an inevitable disaster. Should you fail to act, the populace will, to a man, fall into ruin. All will be lost to the flames.

The only defense is a ritual -- the blood of a king for the blood of the people. As knights -- is your duty to your king or to your kingdom? There is no time for deliberation. A hero must act.

[A magic circle appears below the throne, glowing dark and malevolent. Characters have the immediate knowledge: to save their kingdom, they must execute their king with their own hands.]

DISCUSSION

[hot_mess_express]

[ewestmarch]

[Disoriented when the lights come back]

The fuck just happened.

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow is breathing through his teeth, down on one knee. ]

Fuck!

DECISION

[hot_mess_express]

[This can be put in OOCly for the sake of thread flow.

Please have a submission in by 8:30pm PST!]