thirteenth rune; frost; video

[deadelfwalking]

[Hello, friends. A cold-eyed elf with a fairly significant skin condition stares at the camera, his jaw set, his mouth a thin, inscrutable line.]

Talk of a council is all well and good, but we have another matter in front of us.

As many of you have pointed out, there is no formal system of law in place. At present, those of you who acted as peace officers have simply continued as you were in your own worlds. If you brought others to justice, if you spoke about justice -- you have continued to see this as your right.

[His eyes narrow, drawing his long eyebrows together.]

But it is not your right. Your laws are not universal. Your morality is not sacrosanct.

We must decide on appropriate conduct as a whole, with consideration given to perspectives outside of our own.

I propose that any code we settle on be simple and direct. For example:

1. Murder shall be abolished. In the case of murder, execution.

2. Theft shall be abolished. In the case of theft, the hand shall be cut off at the wrist. Repeat offenders shall lose both hands.

3. Conspiring with the United Earth shall be considered treason. In the case of treason, suspected or actual, execution.

4. Bodily autonomy shall be respected. Knowing efforts to mind control, telepathically invade, steal, or otherwise forcibly take spiritual or physical authority over another sentient being will constitute assault. In the case of this assault, execution.

And so forth.  These are merely ideas, of course.

[His lower lip twitches, suggesting that he's perfectly aware of the extremes he's recommended. Suggesting that he's just trying to get your attention, to get you to think about how you would define your own terms. What constitutes murder? Theft? Conspiracy? Justice? He's only asking.

Maybe.]

[After several hours, the post is edited with a very carefully recorded text attachment.]

Proposed countermeasures to theft:
public humiliation 
fines
time locked away

Proposed countermeasures to murder:
temporary exile
(where?  to a safe place?  to a random location in time?

General countermeasures
better jail system (?)
compassion (???)
mercy (???)
trials (how?  who receives authority?  who takes what position?  what verdicts should result?)
jail time (general solution?)
punishment via the VR room (?) 

Comments

[stonefaith]

[ Bariyan leans forwards. He practically specializes in making people uncomfortable. Also in holy crusader stuff, but really, that's secondary. ]<.small>

We shared a face, yes? But surely I'm the more ruggedly handsome one.

[ He's grinning, but in the back of his mind he's still wrestling with what Koltira's told him. Trying to decide what to do about it; trying to decide if there was anything to be done about it. After all, it sounds like this other him is long gone. And what's past is past.

Still... still, it didn't seem to be the sort of thing that he could just abandon. ]

[deadelfwalking]

[Of course, Bariyan is handsome to Koltira, and has been in every incarnation he's met -- living or dead. Koltira looks away.]

You both have a fine face. More color to yours, though.

AW FRICK THE HTML

[stonefaith]

[ Koltira's response throws Bariyan off. It's more serious than what Bariyan expected. Serious, and positive. Especially coming from a death knight.

Hm. Fairly positive coming from anyone, really.

Bariyan draws back, tapping his fingers against the axe-handle thoughtfully. He keeps smiling. ]

Were you friends, you and this... other me?

shhh :*

[deadelfwalking]

[Koltira shifts uncomfortably.]

... we were.

[sort of. maybe? it wasn't always easy to say.]

shrieks

[stonefaith]

[ Bariyan narrows his eyes, and completely misinterprets the body language. ]

More than that?

[deadelfwalking]

[Koltira WISHES. But.

He mutters.]

No.

[stonefaith]

[ Bariyan bursts out laughing; when he's gotten that under control, he rolls his shoulders and clicks his tongue. ]

How unfortunate for you. You missed out on something good, death knight.

[ He swings his axe back up over his shoulder, rests it there, casually. ]

But that's all right. You have the better version of him, now.

[deadelfwalking]

[There's little question, now: this is not Bariyan. Not even his living self was so cavalier. Koltira takes a step back, feeling a little insulted on the previous Bariyan's behalf.]

I cared for him. He was as good a version as any. You, I know nothing of.

[He squints.] Except that you are bleeding Light.

[stonefaith]

[ Come on, Koltira. That guy sucked.

Bariyan sighs dramatically. ]

I was being flippant. I'm sure he was a good man, whoever he was. He must have been. If he was me.

I don't have any Light on me now, do I? [ Bariyan looks down at himself. He's usually very good about keeping all holiness to a bare minimum when around the Ebon Blade. They don't tend to take nicely to that sort of thing, and Bariyan would like them to take nicely to him. ] My apologies if I do. It just leaks out, sometimes.

[deadelfwalking]

[Koltira grumbles.]

I can just -- sense it.

[He feels it as powerfully in Bariyan as the man's pulse. It's producing some cognitive dissonance, too -- Bariyan e Kodhi was not a religious man.

But, in a way, that helps. In a way, it underscores the difference between them, and makes this Bariyan easier to accept on his own terms.]

[stonefaith]

Ooh. My sincere apologies about that. [ Really; Bariyan's suspects that it's unpleasant. He rolls his shoulders to shift the weight of the axe, somewhat, and frowns in concern. ] Does it hurt you?

[ For the time being, he's chosen not to think about Bariyan e Kodhi at all. He'll save that for later, once he's had time to digest the knowledge. ]

[deadelfwalking]

It's fine. Do not concern yourself. [hell yeah it hurts, though. like little stinging bees. of Light.]

[stonefaith]

[ Bariyan relaxes. That's good to hear, because he doesn't know how he could further suppress the Light that dwells within him, at this point. He'd had to learn, in Northrend. Prior to that, he'd grown up with a habit of flourishing his faith without conscious thought, as an accessory to his physical body language, to his emotions; he essentially wears the Light on his sleeve. ]

I'm sorry, again. Preemptively, too. [ His lips quirk towards a smile. ] I'll try to keep all holiness to a minimum, if you're in range.