The outfit – if you could call it that – of the first mortal that walked in was tattered rags, with heavy shackles around his wrists and ankles as accent pieces. Aperio already wanted to do nothing more than take her weapon and remove a few heads from the nobles that were present.
When she had arrived at the meeting, she took a moment to look at everyone's Soul, using [Identify] with a little more mana than she usually would. That the System would show her a summary of a person's life was not what she had expected, but it had been a most welcome surprise. But I cannot be sure if the information is accurate.
The System was still far from repaired, and when going through the summaries it had given her, Aperio had already noticed a few things that did not quite add up. Like the one where it had said that the [Grandmaster] was a bunch of meaningless squiggles. Almost like those that were on my [Status] when I first viewed it after returning. It would seem that there was a reason the System usually limited the amount of mana it took for skills, as too much led to weird replies.
Not that it mattered now. Aperio had gotten the gist of what she wanted to know. Mostly that nobody here has a marred Soul and everyone has a Class. The fact that the mortals just… accepted that Classes were a thing now was still not something that made a whole lot of sense to Aperio, but even if she were feeling up to complaining about the matter, now was certainly not the time.
The All-Mother raised her hand, stopping one of the council members from introducing the mortal who had just been brought in. She did not need them to talk — or do anything at all, really. The list that Lady Vinmaier had compiled was remarkably extensive, and while Aperio had not taken the time to give the mortals the illusion that she had read it, she instead simply opted to let her aura inform her of everything the papers contained. Her goal here was not to appear friendly but to make a point. To set an example.
"Mortal," Aperio began as soon as the accused had come to a stop in front of her. The Human flinched at her words, the mana that washed over them tearing through the disgusting mess of runes that had been etched into their back. "You have been condemned to a life of servitude by those who would want to see the world bend to their will." A thought, and little more care for the fabric of reality than usual, caused many more mortals to appear standing beside the first accused. "Their time is over."
The All-Mother ignored the whispers that ran through the chamber, instead adding a touch more mana to her magic that had expanded the inside of the room. She had brought in all the mortals that had been enslaved for 'crimes' that should, at most, have been punished with a night in prison. The ones she would have to make a harsher judgment for would have to wait a little, but Aperio did not plan on sitting here all day. She had examples to make.
Aperio glanced at Lady Vinmaier for a moment before she waved and let her mana scrub the mortals before her clean of the last vestiges of slavery. The idea that there had been a time in which she could not do this, or had questioned herself that she could, seemed ridiculous now. It only required a thought to erase the runes that had been etched into their clothing, jewelry, or even skin. A close inspection of some of them revealed something further. A trick the mortals in charge seemed to have learned, and one that only furthered Aperio's anger.
Some creatively twisted individual had decided to place the runes required for the slavery enchantment on the inside of a person — on the inverse side of their skin. So maybe that Beastkin was a slave after all? She had not found anything that would indicate that when she had observed Jester Vinmaier and the Beastkin woman, but considering what kind of family he came from, this new method she found made a lot more sense for them. Disgusting.
Her aura flared a little at the thought, causing the murmurs that had been spreading through the chamber to quiet in an instant. The All-Mother seized the opportunity to address the collection of mortals in front of her. "You are free to go," she said, lifting her hand and gesturing to an empty bit of space. A moment later, reality peeled itself back, forming a door-sized portal that led to her temple. "Those of you who do not know where to go are welcome to stay at my temple while I proceed with this… 'trial'.”
There were some more murmurs at her choice of words, but Aperio ignored them. Instead, she offered the few mortals that stared at her the barest of smiles and slightly inclined her head towards the portal she had made. In the span of time it took for the newly-freed mortals to leave, the All-Mother examined a few of the more complex cases that had been brought before her.
The ones she had just set free were easy to judge, as were the ones that would lose their life today. It was the ones that she was now looking at that caused Aperio to wrack her brain. She had their names and knew what crimes they committed, but she did not know why they had done it. Her excessive squinting and use of far too much mana resulted in a bit more information, but most of that was sadly still unusable for her. Random squiggles simply did not tell her enough.
An old acquaintance made itself known at the back of her mind as Aperio mulled over possible ways to proceed. The tiny voice called for her to simply reach into their minds and take out their desires, their wishes — and with that, their truth.
She did not listen to that voice.
It did, however, give her another idea as to how she could proceed. One that was much more reasonable and did not require her to break her own rules.
A thought was all she needed to ask the Judges if they would offer their help in the matter; something they agreed to a little too fast for Aperio's liking. Still, their nature was exactly what she needed right now, and the fact they were willing to help her was good. Just maybe contemplate the request for a moment longer.
Sharing what she knew about the harder cases with them — and Caethya, for good measure — only took a moment. The same was true for the matter of bringing both of the Judges into the room Aperio currently occupied. The fact that the mortals here had never seen a Celestial before did not interest her. Knowledge of the [Court of Heaven] should not be a secret.
"Welcome," Aperio said, a wave of her hand creating two high-backed chairs for the Judges to use. "We can continue, then."
Another unneeded motion of her hand caused the door to open and the next Accused to be guided in by an invisible hand made from her mana. The guards that held them reached for their weapons but a look from Aperio and a slight draw on her well to strengthen her aura was enough for them to understand. If only it was this easy to blend in…
"Ihalin Jakura," the All-Mother began, her eyes fixed on the mortal before her. "You stand before me to be properly judged and punished for the crimes you have committed."
The Elven woman gave a shallow nod but did not speak, her eyes never leaving Lady Vinmaier who was sitting off to the side with the rest of the other council members.
"You do not need to fear her," Aperio said with a slightly raised brow. "She will be judged as well." The All-Mother paused briefly, letting her attention rest on everyone who had tensed at her words. "As will all those that think they have the right to make others their own.
"Did you think I would free the ones you have enslaved and be content with that?" Aperio asked and stood up from her chair. "Did you think this is some kind of show for you to attend? A slap on the wrist because you have been naughty?" Her wings twitched slightly as she drew more heavily on her well, causing the magical lights that lit the room to dim as a bit of the mana powering them rushed towards the All-Mother. "This is not something you can just brush away. You will face judgement, just like your Gods have, and you will be punished for your transgressions."
Aperio sat herself back down and briefly closed her eyes as her wings phased through the throne she had appropriated from her temple. The usual measure of calm the influx of mana from her well brought was not present today. Even Caethya's mana slowly flowing around her did not manage to bring order to her thoughts.
"Miss Jakura," Aperio said, her voice echoing through the chamber and quieting the whispers that had begun to fill it. "Do you think you should go free?"
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While the Elf opened and closed her mouth as she tried and failed to speak, Aperio mulled over what she knew about her in her mind. Ihalin Jakura deserved death in Aperio's mind. She had sold her child to a noble house of a foreign nature, which was enough for her to write the woman off, but there had been a reason for her action. She had needed the money to buy medication for her husband and herself.
To some people, this might even seem like a good deal. The child would not get to grow up with their actual parents, but it wouldn't remember. The child would now simply live in a house that had the means to give proper care, perhaps even having better prospects for the future that way. For Aperio, however, this was not something she could see as good in any way. Perhaps it was because her own mother had sold her into slavery, but the mere idea of giving your child to somebody else did not sit right with her. Even if it says that the child was taken as heir to the family.
The courts of Ebenlowe had decided that the act was punishable by a life as an indentured servant. The reason for that, however, was not that she had sold her child but the fact that she had done so to a family in a foreign nation; one that Ebenlowe did not have good relations with. Something I will address afterwards. Aperio had already decided that a few people who were currently on the council would not live past this day.
"No," the Elven woman eventually replied. She lowered her head and grabbed the hem of her dress. "But not because I broke the law. Because I gave my son away." She locked eyes with the All-Mother, her breath only quickening slightly. "He should be the one to judge me."
Aperio raised a brow and held up her hand to stop anyone from speaking on her behalf. A few of the mortals on the council had already moved to do so and she had no desire for them to start shouting that she deserved more respect. That is earned, not given. Just as she would not respect anyone simply because of their status, she would not expect others to do the same with her. Even if it feels wrong.
"Your son is not here to judge you, and neither would he be able to," Aperio said, tilting her head slightly as the Light Judge flooded her with information about the mortal in question. How the Celestial had managed to gather all this information so quickly was not something she knew, but it was helpful nonetheless. "He has never been told who you were. As far as he knows, he is an orphan who was adopted because his parents could not have a child on their own.
"Neither does it matter," she continued, placing her hand on her chest. "I will judge you. Not anyone else."
The only problem in this entire process was that she did not know what other options Ebenlowe had to punish crimes. They surely had a prison of some kind, but Aperio doubted putting all who did not deserve to die in there was a proper solution. And forcing them to work for someone else is basically what they already do. Just without the whole slavery rune thing.
"The only question is what punishment is just." Aperio ignored the slight crawling of her skin and instead narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked past the mortal shell of the Elven woman. Her first instinct had been to kill her for giving away her child, but now that she knew more about the son in question, she was no longer so sure. "Enslavement is not the answer — it never is — but death is too harsh a punishment. And serving your time in a prison seems unfitting as well." She let out a sigh, causing the lights in the room to briefly brighten. "That leaves public service." Which is just slavery to multiple masters instead of one.
"We have plenty of things that need doing," O'lymni said as she stood up from her chair. "And I think serving the public is a better punishment than the family that paid the court the most that day. Or to whose family that judge belongs." She smoothed out a few imperceptible creases in her robe. "Ebenlowe is always in need of a helping hand, and who better to help fix it than the people who broke its laws?"
The All-Mother turned her head to face the [Grandmaster]. Looking at her might not have been necessary, but Aperio preferred, in this case, to have her facial expressions be seen by the one bringing them about. O'lymni's suggestion made sense, but the mere idea of having someone serve a master or, in this case, a group of nobles, did not sit right with her. "While that is better than the current punishment, it still lets the Council trap their own people in an endless cycle of what is essentially slavery."
"Roots-Beneath-All could be the one who manages their sentences," the [Grandmaster] said. "It already manages most of the intercity planning anyway."
Aperio raised a brow at the statement as well as mentally reprimanding herself for the past few minutes. Her intent with this had been to make a point, but now she was falling back to her usual attempts to make herself appear more mortal than she actually was. The warming touch of Caethya's hand on her arm caused a small smile to spread across the All-Mother's lips. Perhaps it was for the best if she let the mortals do most of the actual problem solving? She did not want to guide the ways of the world after all, but to make sure that no person owned another.
The All-Mother returned her gaze to the mortal before her. She was not fond of any of the options, but the last one seemed like the best. Even if it's slavery-extra-light. If she applied her standard for such things to anything else, it quickly became obvious that her past might have influenced her view a little much. Technically, she could also classify every Adventurer as a slave, but it was clear that they weren't.
She heaved another sigh and shook her head. "Roots-Beneath-All will oversee any sentence of public service in Ebenlowe," she said, keeping her gaze fixed on the Elven woman. "But the Judges of the [Court of Heaven] will have the right to overrule any mortal court, as well as Roots itself."
While she had not asked either of the Judges if they were okay with his, she had little doubt that it would be a problem. To no surprise, both Judges told her they would do their best just a moment later. What did surprise her was the request for the new Judge she had briefly seen in the [Court of Heaven] to also preside over some cases. Under the careful eye of the other two, of course. After a brief moment of consideration, the All-Mother simply gave them a nod. Then, with another thought, the runes on the pieces of jewelry Ihalin wore were erased.
"Your new sentence will be to serve Ebenlowe itself to atone for what you have done," Aperio said. "Roots-Beneath-All as well as three Celestial Judges will oversee any such sentence. Trying to keep a mortal for longer will result in severe punishment." She paused for a moment, just so the mortals could properly prepare themselves for her next words. "Do not test me. If I have to come back to do something like this again, you will regret it."
If she had a gavel, Aperio would have used it. As it stood, however, she simply waved her hand which caused the Elven woman to disappear and a Beastkin to take her place. This was a thing — calling the female Beastkin anything but a thing was generous – and the only verdict for this one could be death. Even now, she stood hunched over, her head turning left to right as she took in every single person in the room. Her eyes stopped on Aperio and the All-Mother could have sworn that the Beastkin licked her lips before she tried to lunge forward.
She did not move, of course. A thought at the back of Aperio's mind was all it took to restrain her. "Oriya Karmwell," Aperio began, her eyes never leaving those of the Beastkin, "your sentence is death."
There was no need for deliberation here. Oriya had killed her family, then proceeded to go on a days-long rampage through the only land-bound part of Ebenlowe before she was finally caught. According to the report she had in front of her — and the confirmation of the Judges — the only reason she was still around was because one of the noble families wanted to have a beast they could throw their prisoners to.
"Be happy that the death I grant you is a quick one," Aperio began, raising her hand slightly. "Unlike those performed by your own hand."
She pulled her hand down in a sharp motion. There was no scream, no blood. The Beastkin stood in the middle of the room, and then reality twisted itself in a blink. The next moment the body was gone, and all that was left behind was a lightly-glowing orb.
With another, much gentler motion of the All-Mother's hand the Soul disappeared. She had tried to see if anything was different about it; if she could find something that could explain what she had read, what the Judges had managed to show her. Sadly, her Soul had been like any other.
The room remained quiet for a moment before Aperio brought in the next Accused, and then the next. She quickly came into a rhythm of bringing in a mortal, rereading the pertinent section in the council-provided papers, gleaning what she could from her own [Identify], then finally taking in the additional insights the Judges had to offer.
For the first few she did most of the talking, letting the mortals know where she stood on the matter, but as it went on, Aperio grew more reserved. She still talked to each and every one of the Accused, but after giving her initial assessment she let the mortals in the room come to a decision, one she either accepted or overruled. Initially, she had not wanted to do that, but in the end it was better if they figured things out on their own. I won't be judging them all, after all. She still had an Empire to raze.
Aperio lost track of time as the rhythmic march of justice plodded onwards, but soon the last of the Accused was tried and taken care of as the situation saw fit. Looking back, the number of executions she had had to perform was a lot fewer than she had initially expected. Many had the Judges to thank for their new lease on life, as the two Celestials managed to pull relevant details out of seemingly thin air with almost careless ease. All of these details, when Aperio double checked via querying the individual in question, turned out to be true.
With the first part of the day done, Aperio turned her gaze towards the council members themselves. "Lady Vinmaier," Aperio said, making sure to let just a little more of her mana wash over the woman. "It is your turn."