“A dank, pervasive miasma filled the
air, threatening to quench the dying flames of resolve left within the
unfortunate lot who resided in the courtroom. Three hours had passed, yet the volley
of thinly veiled insults and half disguised threats between the accusatory
Illusionaries and the defending Magi of fate continued with no end in sight. “Enough!”
cried Thom, “Those glorified cultists, broke the agreed upon pact!” the source
of this outburst, the most senior of the silver robed Illusionaries’ half
dozen, was a bespectacled man of advanced years, with a terrible fondness for
frequently caressing his wispy waist length beard, “Decider, is it not plain to
all that this farce has continued for far too long? Use your judgement and
punish these heathens!” a murmur of disquiet emanated from the Magi opposite
but before it ignited the flames of a further three our discussion, I intervened.
Apostle of Judgement, at least that’s
what I am meant to be. Mine is a revered position, thrust upon me by the governors
of hope, tasked with deciding the fates of men brought before the small courts.
My faith is no different to any other, my prayers to the three primes and six lesser
for guidance and protection from the three evils is completely normal. Yet here
I sit. A wooden throne of aged timber to elevate me, my mediocrity acts as a
lacklustre beacon for the ignorant, I find myself encircled by the throng of
the bored, bemused and otherwise bothersome onlookers below and encased within
this windowless coffin of this dilapidated courtroom. The very anti-magic runes
engraved upon the walls to supposedly protect my hallowed position had long
since lost their illuminations and were slowly fading, much like my interest in
this case.
“Silence!”, I announced, the sudden
lack of clamour seemed odd considering the order emanated from my small frame,
the slightly thinning tuft of brown hair, wholly unbefitting someone in their
mid twenties, did not help improve my timid aura, nonetheless, all eyes were
now on me. “I’ve heard more than enough of you all today and I’ve made my
decision after careful examination of the facts”, another expertly crafted lie
of mine, were it not for the punishment I’d face for desertion of my ‘holy duty’,
I’d have called this kangaroo court to an end long ago, “I’ve heard charges
against the Magi of fate, and have found the evidence lacking to state they
have broken the pact of the Gods”, with this statement, a burst of light
crackled through the air, splintering the mid-section of my seat, sending a sudden
surge of energy outwards that sprung the seemingly dormant crowd into a
frenzied panic. “No! Aeya, goddess of illusion will not stand for this!”,
shouted Thom indignantly, his five younger followers clamouring to their feet
around him, “Your judgment defiles the very name...”, “Oh will you please shut
up”, called a red-robed man of the Magi, emboldened by the wall of hapless
onlookers between Thom and himself and with a flail of his arms, an eerie red
goo leapt forth, arcing from his palms towards the silver group.”
A magical joke to top things off
Q: What did the prince say after the
witch turned him into a frog?
A: Ribbet! Ribbet!
