Oren's Trial, by Oren the Otter and Chris O'Kane and Chris Hoekstra

Story name: Oren's Trial
Author: Chris O'Kane & Oren the Otter & Chris Hoekstra

Date: Late summer, 706 CR
Location: Metamor Keep

Overview

Oren and Vitra and their friends go to trial. Not all goes as planned, when Vitra's brother attacks, and Malisa receives a surprise request from her father.

+ Story info - Spoilers!

Summary

The day of Vitra's, Oren's, Gornul's, Jesse's and his mother's, Felice's, and Christina's trial has come. It is a high-profile trial, and the audience chamber is packed. Some, like Misha, believe all Lutins are enemies who don't deserve trials; others, like Hough, believe even Lutins deserve a fair trial. The seven prisoners are all led into the chamber. Some, like Christina and Gornul, are very nervous; Oren, however, is very calm and relaxed. Malisa, the presiding judge, reads the charges: Vitra of being an enemy to the Keep, consorting with Nasoj, intending to allow lutins to kill or enslave the Keepers; the other 6 of aiding the enemy. Oren speaks for all of them, pleading not guilty.

As his own defense attorney, Oren's opening statement is that he intends to show that Vitra is not an enemy, nor does she endanger the Keep; thus, all 7 of them are innocent. Rickkter, the prosecutor, intends to prove Oren cannot make that judgment, and thus guilty by negligence. Oren does not know him, and asks who he is; Vitra recognizes the name Rickkter, as he's wanted by Nasoj. Rickkter continues that, as Vitra is a Lutin, that she be executed, playing against Metamor's attitude towards Lutins. Malisa quiets Rickkter down so that Oren can begin his defense.

Vitra's Trial

Oren first tries to call Vitra to the stand, but when someone jeers against her, Oren decides to instead call Pascal to the stand. As an expert on the curse of Metamor, she testifies that the curses work more slowly the less human the subject is. Oren, who was transformed into a half-otter, took months to transform; Grunch, a quarter-lutin, took a couple weeks. He calls on Jesse to testify that Vitra changed in only a couple days. He concludes that Vitra is no ordinary lutin. Rickkter argues that her biology is less important than the fact she was raised by lutins.

Oren thus calls Vitra to the stand. She testifies that while her father was a lutin, her mother was a powerful human mage. They were forced together to produce the most powerful mage of any human or lutin. Her brother Nekril was this mage; Vitra, however, was rejected, and the Lutins tried to kill her, hence her escape with her father southward. Oren stops to point out that, by volunteering this incriminating information freely, she is demonstrating her trust in the Keep. Vitra continues by telling about her childhood with her father, her failed marriage to Amak, and her love for Ushka. The crowd murmurs when she describes Ushka's conversion to good by a man with holes in his hands. She continues that Nasoj conscripted Ushka, leading to his death and her rape. She breaks down in tears but insists on finishing; after her rape, she came to the Keep, expecting them to kill her, because she was told they were evil. Oren asks that, unlike the Lutins, that the court not judge her by appearances, but by her heart.

When Rickkter and Misha take the floor, they want Vitra's knowledge on everything about Lutins. Though she is happy to oblige, Oren is concerned that they are threatening her, and Malisa has to take Rickkter and Misha into the hallway to confirm that this is purely for intelligence purposes.

Based on the usefulness of Vitra's knowledge, Malisa rules that Vitra may stay at Metamor Keep. Though Oren's group celebrates, Malisa reminds them that they are still on trial for sheltering and bringing an unknown threat into the Keep without telling the authorities. Rickkter tells a story about a kingdom that once showed pity on an injured man from an enemy kingdom, and raised him amongst his household. The man turned out to be a spy who escaped to his homeland, whose soldiers then killed most of the kingdom. Rickkter himself was part of this invading army.

Jesse Roo panics, believing they will all be executed, and whispers to Christina to read Rickkter's mind to find something against him. Rickkter's mind is well-shielded, however, and Rickkter rounds on them for this invasive attempt, that this suspicious act further proves their guilt. Malisa calls them to order, and refuses to continue until several mages have shielded the entire room from mind magic.

Oren's Trial

Jesse Roo is called to the stand and questioned about the hole in his cell wall. Jesse first claims it was there when he arrived, then brushes it off that he just wanted some fresh air. The courtroom laughs and Rickkter silences by screaming in his native tongue. He continues by asking Jesse why he allowed a lutin in his home. Jesse says he trusted Oren, and Vitra seemed nice. Rickkter asks how he intended to explain a lutin's presence. Jesse says the plan was to hide her for a week, and then claim she was Jesse's sister who'd been kidnapped by lutins as a child, and cursed into one. Rickkter mocks his plan and dismisses him.

Rickkter calls on Felice to describe both Hipocc and their enemy Devil's Strand, then calls on Oren to verify that he, a soldier of Hipocc, has killed many people from Devil's Strand. Rick asks how he would treat a Strander who wished to die. Oren cannot answer. Rick points out the alliance between Devil's Strand and Nasoj, and that if he, as a soldier of Metamor, is unable to kill a Lutin, perhaps he is in league with them both. Felice objects that Rickkter is badgering the witness, leading to an obvious joke.

Rickkter backtracks, that the only things at Metamor he's killed were darkmen, and openly speculates that sparing Vitra was a way to assist Nekril in tracking her. Oren says that that he hates Stranders, but admits that he didn't suffer a loved one dying from a Lutin. Rickkter points out a good number in the crowd has, and would have proven their loyalty to the Keep. Oren protests he is loyal to his friends, and Rick points out he made an oath to the Keep and its laws over its enemies. He asks why Oren didn't tell the patrol master. Oren replies that he only trusted Thomas, and would have told him if not for fear of Nekril. Rick accuses Oren of having had no intention of telling anyone, given Jesse's story of pretending Vitra was his sister. Oren composes himself, and explains that he knew in his heart that Vitra was not an enemy. Rick dismisses him, then suddenly asks him to define a Keeper. Oren is puzzled, and explains that yesterday he thought a Keeper was someone who'd been cursed, but now he also thinks a Keeper shows self-sacrifice.

Rick makes his closing arguments. he knows how important it is for a kingdom to trust its warriors. Oren has violated that sacred trust by failing to defend the Keep from an enemy, by instead sheltering her and concealing her from the authorities and lying to his superiors. In doing so, he endangered the Keep and his home. He asks that Oren be punished to the fullest, and put to death. The courtroom goes wild, and Malisa calls for a recess.

The Battle

Misha calls Rickkter vicious. He personally believes Vitra and Oren should be shown mercy. Rick, however, has seen too many of his friends killed from acts of mercy, and the Keep does not have the luxury to show mercy. Misha asks what he thinks of Oren's story; both agree that Vitra's story is improbable, but Misha knows Lutins vary widely, and he has heard of Nasoj's cross-breeding attempts, though none so powerful. Rickkter asks if he's ever heard of a half-Lutin keeper. Misha notes that there are none officially, but there are rumors. Sometimes, after Lutin raids, pregnancies are not aborted in time. He mentions Finbar, one of his Long Scouts, was born a little over eight months after a Lutin raid. Rickkter asks why Misha let him become a Long Scout. Misha says he didn't know for certain; besides, Finbar was hard-working and hated Lutins. In the end, he trusted his instincts and chose to believe Finbar was human.

Minutes before the trial reconvenes, an explosion rocks the walls and opens the cell doors. Misha and Rickkter run in to find Nekril floating above the court room. He is not here to rescue his sister, however; he has come to kill her, so that nobody can copy the techniques used to create her. Oren rushes to defend her, but Nekril's magic is even more powerful than Oren's antimagic, blasting him with a transformation spell. Felice steps in to add her own anti-magic, distracting him so that Gornul can blind him with a ball of light. Together, Rickkter, Jesse Roo and Kim Roo, and the archers fire at him, but it isn't until Misha throws his axe Whisper that Nekril is overwhelmed and vanishes in a black cloud before the axe hits him.

The Verdict

Malisa visits with Rickkter and Misha after the battle, and she agrees to a lighter sentence for Oren given Nekril's appearance, but is still mulling over the decision in her quarters when Duke Thomas summons her. She visits him, noticing Zhypar in the room. Thomas is noticeably distraught, and tells her that she must give a light sentence only to Oren and his friends, and that above all Oren must continue training as a Long Scout, and all seven of them must survive, giving several meaningful glances at Zhypar as he does. Malisa is upset at this intrustion on her authority, but she also wants to trust him.

She returns to the hastily repaired assembly hall, Rickkter and Misha fully armed and with many more soldiers. Malisa gives her sentences. Christine is to be examined and trained by the Keep mages; Jesse Roo is found guilty of destroying public property, and will repair his dungeon cell; Felice, Gornul, and Kim are found innocent; Oren is commended for his bravery and sincerity and found not guilty, but is given double guard duty for one month.

Misha stops Rickkter from protesting the verdict, and they retreat to the Mule to bemoan Malisa's decision. Rick is comforted that they have at least confirmed Nekril is a threat, one they can handle. They disagree with whether Nekril's attempt will disappoint Nasoj or not; Misha thinks his failure will prove that the breeding program is flawed, and over time more flaws will appear, but Rickkter argues the fact he appeared at all proves it a success, and over time will continue to get better. They move on to discussing Oren and Vitra. Though they agree that Vitra is a valuable resource, they dislike the fact that Oren lied. For Misha, lying is something no Long Scout should do, especially to another. Rickkter personally decides he can never trust Oren again.

Meanwhile, at Oren's tower, Oren and Gornul and Jesse celebrate with food and drink with Grunch, Achin, Blake, and Shamgar. Achin gives Grunch a gold coin, for losing the bet he made about Vitra, and to pay Grunch for his service. Just then, Samantha arrives with Gornul's entire family.

Thomas stops Malisa outside his office to comment on the verdict. Malisa says that Oren's punishment will keep him out of trouble, which is the important part. Thomas asks how she would have judged, had he not said anything. Malisa admits, for the good of the keep, she probably would have found them guilty.

Late at night, Misha is thinking about the trial and its verdict when Oren stops by. He is wondering what his punishment will be, and what they will do about Nekril. Misha says Oren will do dredge work and extra hard training. As for Nekril, they will increase the number of guards and amount of magical protection around the Keep. They won't act too quickly; in the end, Nekril is just another enemy of the Keep, and they will act accordingly.

At the top of his tower, Oren finds Vitra looking out over the valley. She is worried she doesn't fit in, but Oren tells her the Keep loves her. Vitra asks if Oren does, and after a slight hesitation, Oren says yes. They sit together and watch the sunrise.

Characters

Main characters:

• Oren: An otter morph from Hipocc, on trial for sheltering an enemy of the Keep. He defends himself and his friends, but is outmatched by Rickkter's rhetoric. He is ultimately shown mercy by Malisa and sentenced to double guard duty. He admits his love to Vitra.
  • He is also affected by the female and child curses, but his antimagic nature is able to suppress them to a significant degree.
  • For several years, Oren was in the Hipoccian army. He believes all Stranders are evil, because they killed his parents, but does not feel the same way about Lutins, even for his friends' sake.
• Vitra: A half-lutin on trial for being an enemy of the Keep. She hates most Lutins for being evil and abusive towards her. After giving her story, Malisa rules that she be under guard for a week, or until her loyalty to Metamor Keep is proven.
  • She is partly covered in black and white fur, slowly changing into a zorilla (striped polecat) morph.
  • She tries to use proper English, but she slips when she is frustrated or angry.
  • Before the trial, she was given a cursory scan by Wessex, but not a thorough scan for enchantments.
• Rickkter: A mercenary and raccoon morph. He is the prosecutor, or "Devil's Advocate", at Oren's trial. He takes Oren's act very personally, and calls for death on him and Vitra. Aside from Jesse's destruction of the cell, and Christine's probing of his mind, he does not show interest in the other three.
  • A surface scan by Christina gives her only a prickly sensation. Her attempt to go deeper is pushed back with equal force. A more powerful attempt by a mental mage would have killed them, or so Rickkter claims.
  • Besides acting as prosecutor, Rickkter notes that he tends to be the one to criticize Thomas's decisions in the interests of Metamor.
  • According to Vitra, he is well-known by the lutins of the north. Nasoj offers wealth, promotion, and a personal commendation towards anyone who brings him Rickkter's head.
  • Rickkter dismisses the idea of executing an innocent by saying that nobody is really innocent. This is a provocative statement, but whether this is an actual part of Rickkter's philosophy, or just an off-hand remark to end Misha's probing, is unknown.

Supporting characters:

• Christina: A mental mage from Lorland, a wolf morph, on trial for sheltering an enemy of the Keep. After Jesse panics in the middle of the proceedings, she tries to read Rickkter's mind. She is sentenced to an examination and mandatory training by the Keep mages.
  • She is tall, and wears bagger clothes.
  • Christina is well-aware of the rules for mental mages, not to scan someone without permission.
• Jesse Roo: A boy from Lorland, a kangaroo morph, on trial for sheltering an enemy of the Keep. He panics and tells Christine into reading Rickkter's mind, which hurts his credibility on trial. He then pretends to know nothing about the hole in his cell. He is sentenced to community service, repairing the cell wall.
  • He is a Follower, like Oren.
• Malisa: Prime minister of Metamor Keep, a female gendermorph. As the judge presiding over Oren's trial, this is her first major role as Prime Minister. She is upset that Thomas tells her to give them a light punishment, but ultimately gives them a punishment to satisfy both of them.
• Misha: Leader of the Long Scouts, a fox morph. He agrees with Rickkter that Oren and Vitra deserve punishment, but he disagrees with the severity.
  • He claims to want all lutins to die, for what they did to Caroline. However, he is also willing to show mercy to Vitra and her friends in exchange for information on darkmen.
    • Vitra, like many Lutins, is terrified of him and calls him a killer.
  • Misha has heard rumors of darkmen for some time; it is implied the only evidence he's seen is the head Oren cut off. He cites this as his key reason for allowing Vitra to stay.
• Nekril: Vitra's brother, one of the most powerful Lutin mages in the north. He wants to kill Vitra for being a flaw. He placed a spell on Grunch to see her. He is powerful enough to withstand the Keep's mages and warriors; only Misha's axe startles him into retreating.

Minor characters:

• Felice: Oren's sister, on trial for sheltering an enemy of the Keep. She is cleared of all charges.
  • She has strawberry blonde hair and freckles. She wears dirty traveling clothes (presumably without having changed since imprisonment).
• Kim Roo: Jesse Roo's mother, a female gendermorph, on trial for sheltering an enemy of the Keep. She is cleared of all charges.
• Gornul: A blue dragonette, on trial for sheltering an enemy of the Keep. He is cleared of all charges, and has a happy reunion with his family from the Dragonette Isles.
• Duke Thomas: Ruler of Metamor Keep, a horse morph. Malisa is his ward. He tells Malisa to give Oren a light punishment, and avoid execution for anyone.
  • It pains him to intervene in Malisa's case; he deeply wants to respect Malisa's authority.
• Zhypar Habakkuk: A Headmaster of the Writer's Guild, a kangaroo morph. He has an interest in prophecies, though rarely explains them. It is strongly implied that Zhypar told Thomas one such prophecy, that Oren must remain in the Long Scouts and will be critical to Metamor's future, and that his friends must not be harmed either.
• Grunch/Bluenight: A lizard morph and writer in the Writer's Guild. He is 1/4 human and 3/4 lutin. Unknownst to him or the Keep, Nekril had a double-sight enchantment on him, which nobody bothered to check him for.
  • He took a couple weeks to change when he arrived.
• Achin: A dog morph, a gambler. He fulfills his bet with Grunch, that Grunch doesn't remember making.

Cameo:

• Hough: The Keep priest. He tells Misha even Lutins deserve a fair trial.
• Yonson: The ambassador from Marzac, a lemur morph.
• A mountain lion morph whom Misha sits next to, vaguely recognized as a cook.
• Desuka: One of the ambassadors from Os-Var-Khai, a red panda morph. He changed slowly, due to having arrived at Metamor in non-human form.
• Wessex: One of the mages of the Keep, a child morph.
• Donny: The barkeep of the Deaf Mule, a bull morph.
• Blake Tizzo: Shamgar's girlfriend, a female gendermorph.
• Shamgar: A rhino morph, one of Oren's friends.
• Samantha: A knight, a female gendermorph.
• Mitok: Gornul's father, a dragonette. He, and his family, all arrive in Metamor just as Oren's trial ends.
  • Several other relatives of Gornul as well, likely including Squalling Sea.

Important mention:

• Ushka: Vitra's deceased husband. He was a fire mage who killed many people, until he was filled with remorse and met a man described like Yahshua who taught him another way. He fell in love with Vitra and killed Amak for her, and became a healer. Nasoj then forced him into his army for his fire magic.
• Norchk: Vitra's father. He had powerful magic ancestry. He is one of the few Lutins Vitra loves.
  • He is related to Lutins capable of changing into animals.
• Vitra's mother, who was killed fleeing from Lutins who wanted Vitra dead.
• Amak: Vitra's first husband. He did not want a loving wife; he wanted a hard worker to feed him and his children, beating her for laziness. When Ushka fell in love and threatened to take her away, Amak attacked him with his sword. Ushka killed him and burned down his house.
  • He and Vitra had no children together.
  • He kept a cache of wine by the river to keep it cool.
• Nasoj: The evil sorceror of the North, who forced Lutins to work for him.
  • He did use Ushka as a healer. It is not explained why, though; does he have plenty of healers already, or no use for Lutin healers?
• King Gregor: The last ruler of the kingdom of Innes. He nursed a stranger back to health and employed him as a clerk, who turned out to be a spy who escaped and led to the downfall of his kingdom.
• Duke Kegan the Strong: A historical duke of Metamor. He was very muscular, and was six and a half feet tall. At least one portrait of him is very ugly; there are rumors that he was half-ogre.
• Finbar: A Long Scout, a ferret morph.
  • He was from a small village in the Valley. His mother gave birth to him 8 months and 10 days after a Lutin raid on her village. Finbar's family and friends, however, have always said that his father died 9 months before his birth in a Lutin raid.
  • He was already a great warrior when he was recruited as a Long Scout, but when he was, the whole village celebrated.
  • He is a hard-working scout who strongly hates Lutins.

Referenced:

• Caroline: Misha's girlfriend. Misha wants to kill all Lutins, because of what they did to her.
• Raven: The emotionally-reserved Lightbringer priestess.
• George: The Keep's patrol master.
• Sawana: Oren's childhood friend. She loves him, and though Oren knows it, he does not reciprocate.
• Alena: Finbar's mother. She called Finbar "the worst and best thing that ever happened to her".
• Charles: A rat morph, Rickkter's enemy. Rickkter prefers him over a traitor, as Charles is at least predictable and can be trusted to do his duty.
• Kyia: The spirit of Metamor Keep.
• Magus: A powerful mage of Metamor.

Locations

• Innes was a kingdom on the southern shores of the north continent. They had at least two rivals, a kingdom to the east and a country to the north. A few years ago, Innes was invaded by their northern neighbor, after a spy managed to win the king's trust and steal valuable military information.
  • In the ensuing battle, Gregor's forces suffered an 80% casualty rate, while the northern kingdom's forces suffered a 30% casualty rate.
• Jesse Roo was in cell 5 of the Keep dungeons; Kim Roo was in cell 6. The brick walls are 3 feet thick. Jesse made an 8 foot wide hole, which he is ordered to repair himself.
• Felice describes Hipocc as a beautiful and fertile land. She describes the people as creative and hard-working, and very devout Followers. Their neighbors of Devil's Strand are their ancient enemy; to counteract their magic, Hipocc had cultivated anti-magic potions, runes, wards, and creatures called thirdaks. Hipoccians have became resistant to magic, and the only magic they can cast are counter-spells. The town was surrounded by devices that repel magic. It seems that their rivalry spurs their piety, believing that spurning the protection of God will mean death from Devil's Strand.
  • Hipocc was recently destroyed when a Hipoccian betrayed the village and casted a counter-spell on the magic-repulsion devices.
• Felice describes Devil's Strand as "walking evil", a society of evil magic, often with the torture and death of innocents. Hipocc has prevented its expansion outwards since time immemorial.

Chronology

• Some years ago, the kingdom of Innes fell.
  • King Gregor of Innes found a wounded traveller on the western border of his kingdom. The man was healed and found to be a scribe with a gift for memory and languages. The king employed him in increasingly important work.
  • A month after he was employed, he disappeared.
  • 3 days after his disappearance, a search went out for him.
  • A week after the search, vital military information was found to be missing.
  • Four days after this discovery (about 2 weeks after the man's disappearance), the kingdom to the north invaded and wiped out the kingdom of Innes.
• Misha claims to have been fighting Nasoj for 8 years (e.g., since 698 CR).
• This story takes place after Casualties of War, given Misha's outburst regarding Caroline, but there are hints in later stories that this story takes place before the battle of Stepping Rock: cameos by Oren and Vitra in Actions and Reactions, a reference to Rickkter acting as prosecutor in Dangerous Games.
• Last month, Lutins raided Mycransburg, killing at least a few people.

Story Connections

• Oren mentions that Pascal was the one to tell Thomas how the curse had mixed with the Keep's magic, which happened back in Malvoisin.
• The story that Vitra tells is essentially a recap of A Lie Conceived, That Which Should Be, and Convergence.
• Misha mentions Oren delivering a darkman's head, from Recon.
• The fall of Hipocc from Visits from Home is told again.
• The alliance between Devil's Strand and Nasoj was first mentioned in One of Each, though the Keep did not know it at the time. How Rickkter knows of this alliance is unknown, though if darkmen are creatures exclusively created by Devil's Strand, and not typically found outside Devil's Strand, it should be easy to infer a relationship between them and the lutins.
• Oren's discussion with his sister, and Achin's bet with Grunch, happened in Growth and Forgiveness.
• Oren's relationship with Sawana is continued from Visits from Home, That Which Should Be, and Growth and Forgiveness.

Society

Magic

• According to Pascal, the Curse of Metamor also affects elves; possibly affected are dwarves, brownies, grugs, and halflings. No monsters who were present at the Battle of Three Gates are affected. She also says that the less human someone is, the longer they take to change, or the less they physically change.
  • This contradicts later canon, that an elf's natural aura prevents the curse from affecting their bodies, unless at the point of death. Perhaps Pascal has encountered a dying elf in Metamor, and is basing her assumption off that?
• Rickkter distinguishes between mental mages and telepaths; mental mages are capable of other psychic feats, strongly implying telepathy is one of the weaker forms of mental magic. Christina makes no such distinction.
• A double sight enchantment is a spell that allows its caster to see through their subject's eyes via a scrying surface. Rickkter proposes that Vitra is the subject of one; in fact, it was Grunch who was the subject of one.

Southlands

• Upon reaching purple rank, all southern mages receive enchantments to prevent their minds from being read by telepathy. Before this practice, entire enclaves could fall to the theft of sensitive information.
• "Wei inzen gekunder wen degander!" is said by Yonson to be Southern slang, roughly translated as "The lunatics have taken over the asylum."

Lutins

• According to Rickkter, Lutins have been enemies of Metamor for centuries. They have never been trusted, nor is there reason to trust them.
• Many times, lutins have tried to crossbreed with other races, both by wizards and by themselves. Ogres are easy to cross lutins with; humans are rare given their different biologies, but it is possible. Several Lutin warlords were half-ogre, and some were human.
  • Generally, lutins only loot and burn villages, rather than capture and rape captives. When they do, though, sometimes pregnancies result. Usually the child is aborted early on, but on very rare occasions, Keepers who are half-lutin are born. Finbar is very likely one such half-Lutin.

Points of Interest

• Yonson is the only lemur morph Misha knows of in Metamor. Before Jesse Roo entered, Zhypar was the only kangaroo morph Misha knew of.
• When Misha throws his axe Whisper, Nekril initially uses magic to push it away. However, Whisper turns back around towards him.