>Previous threads,
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14979882/
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14987008/
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14992476/
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15003212/

You've already recalled your bitter rivalry with Gugurash, Lord of Despair, a demon whose might dwarfed your own. You sided against him in a great war in Hell some time ago, and during the war you formed a Compact with four other demons. The Compact was first founded between you and another demon...Was it Alaculuf? Vual? Someone else? Your memory is hazy...There were several Compacts quickly started which fell apart almost immediately during that war...Which one was the one which endured 'till the end of the conflict? Who was that first demon?

>What was his name?
>What was his sin?
>Why did he help you in your vendetta with Gugurash during the war?

Although its relevance is a bit diminished at the moment, the map of Artall has been included for reference.

Hm. Perhaps jockeying for audience with Binder Quest was not wise. Does Binder Quest have a schedule I could plan around? Or the other quests, for that matter? Dragon Quest, Totemist Quest, Dark Lord Quest...The market's choked for quests, but there's plenty of hours in the day.

>>15013979
a bit off-topic but, could you give me the source of your picture? it inspires me for some reason.
thanks in advance and good luck with your Quest, tg is so slow right now.

>>15014144
Well, thanks for the bump. I just googled "fantasy city" and looked until I found one I liked. Apologies I can't be more helpful than that.

I'm catching up on the previous threads now.

>>15014172
thank you, I found it
I would play with you (I love threads like this) but I have work to do. and I'm terrible at it anyway. hopefully I'll catch your thread next time.

>>15014248
Oh, good, you found it! I typically run Koyani Quest every day at 14:00 server time. Though in practice it usually starts around 14:20.

Hm. I was hoping to avoid bump posts. Oh, well. Here's one.

Attempting one more bump before giving up for the day.

So long as I'm bumping, a list of all magical schools currently in the game (more may be added if I learn of a magical ability not easily covered by one of them already):

Binding
Domination
Enchantment
Evocation
Illusions
Transmutation

rolled 45 = 45

Hell yeah

It is Fumbles, The Dark Derp, Quest!

wait a bit OP

rolled 88 = 88

>>15014003
Name: Vual
Sin: Greed
Reason for support: "We made a great team, Tron!"
Essentially, working together the two of us made a great team and rose up through the ranks of demon society. We didn't particularly like each other, but our powers worked well together.

Also, Guraguash had screwed him over too, but we never got the story of what it was.

rolled 79 = 79

>>15014128
>Implying Binder Quest ever has many players.

I had to come out of my usual lurking and reading of quests to actively participate so that the story goes on.

>>15014517

My audience is small enough that stealing three players from me basically means you've shut my whole game down.

rolled 5 = 5

>>15014538
Haha.

Come on. Lets continue. More will join in later (I hope)

I am bad at character creation but I left this >>15014493

>>15014493

Vual. You remember Vual. He was a fast talker, the type of demon who could get a mortal to sell their souls to him in exchange for a pile of dirt, no illusions necessary. And he had a nickname for everyone. Occasionally he'd change the nickname to reflect recent events. Hopefully he isn't going to redub you anything unbecoming after the latest course of events. Regardless, he, like most of the Compact, ended up becoming a fairly important demon after the war. He went into legal, probably the most lucrative business you can be in without leaving Hell. You parted on good terms. You'd gotten your revenge, he'd gotten fabulous wealth, and apparently he'd had some vendetta with Gugurash of his own, but he always refused to discuss it.

Vual made for a good face to the Compact, but the both of you were lacking in the "dumb muscle" category. For that, you'd brought on another demon. Vual had easily been able to manipulate him into the Compact, but when the dust finally settled and it became clear that you and Vual weren't going to give him his share of the spoils and he wasn't in a position to stop you...Well, there was a falling out, to say the least.

>What was his name?
>What was his sin?
>Why did he join your fight in the first place?

rolled 41 = 41

>>15014573
Brun-Tersop
Gluttony

Simple, you said he was a dumb muscle. It was easy to persuade him with the promises of riches.

"Huh," you can hear someone's voice from just outside your cage. It takes a moment to register, however, lost as you are in concentration and memory. "And you did that...And went there...And just three days? Wow. And your plan was...Wow. And then when she...I just...Huh. So now they know there's new demons in Artall, the sacrifice was wasted, and your advancing of Ashtoreth's interests was limited to...Killing a total of eight Kef and some Gerdo in change. I'm impressed, Shady. This has got to be the fastest and most damaging clusterfuck of a possession as ever I've had to defend in court."

Some days, you really hate Vual.

rolled 88 = 88

>>15014665
It is true.
I am at a loss what we even can say to defend ourself.

That we were sent to protect Koyani who were at the bring of extinction, that our enemies had captured someone who had all the Intel they needed to exterminate the last pockets of whoever was of the race, that we couldn't waste even an hour, that every moment brought them closer to breaking Bishop. We acted as ordered, we needed to defend Koyani people, we identified the critical danger and acted on it, heck, we almost succeeded. True, we should have sat around a day or two gathering torment but we could not waste any time!
Anyway, we made poor judgement.

>>15014604

Brun-Tersop. Possibly one of the dimmest demons ever to last a week past their spawning. Joining your Compact was just the latest in a series of lucky breaks that kept him alive in an entire plane the size of a hundred lesser worlds, filled to the brim with vicious, scheming, backstabbing demons, each trying to get ahead in any way they can, preferably one that involves violence, property damage, treachery, or all three. Honestly, just being kept alive through a war that killed off two thirds of Hell's population and left the whole place depopulated over a century later should've been thanks enough. But intelligence was never Brun-Tersop's forte, and he ended up swearing revenge on you. Publicly. In front of dozens of demons who were each trying to suck up to the guys who'd just finished off the last of the other side's generals in the final stages of the war. Naturally, he'd ended up nailed to a cross and left to suffer for eternity or until someone got him down in hopes of making a new Compact, as happened to just about every demon in one of Hell's wars that was deemed not important enough to go through the trouble of actually killing. You're not really sure whether he's still there or not, but a glance around the courtroom tells you he isn't here. You'd know that morbidly obese figure anywhere. It's not like they'd let someone as low-ranking as him into a trial overseen by Ashteroth herself anyway.

>>15014760

"The facts are against you," Vual says, looking over the tome before him, opened to the page which contains your file. "Like, ALL of the facts. Fortunately, this is an Ashtoreth trial. Which means the facts do not matter." He tosses the book over his shoulder. "Look, neither Pride nor Lust is your thing, and it isn't mine either, but we both watched the latest golden age and I'm sure you've seen the kind of girl who dresses sluttier than most actual prostitutes and then gets offended when a guy she doesn't like takes interest. The kind of girl who literally thinks the entire world is there to flatter and adore her, and woe be unto any of those who dare defy her. So here's the great secret every lawyer learns when his mentor teaches him how to handle an Ashtoreth case: Ashtoreth is just like all of them, except that she can erase demons like you and me from existence with a thought. Your ability to win this trial has nothing to do with the facts and everything to do with flattering Ashtoreth better than the other guy."

rolled 77 = 77

>>15014868
Well, damn
flattery is not my strong point but I guess I'll have to try.

Any more tips?

So, priorities. Survival.

Think about it. Ashtoreth herself sent you on this mission, and destroying you for failure is admitting that she was wrong to do so. Blazen it out. Compliment he on her wisdom for sending you, say that it has all gone to plan - the Kef have been lulled into a false sense of security, and the Koriani can be reaped for vast amounts more torment you have indirectly destroyed by having their hopes destroyed. Win win!

Now, when you return, they will be even more desperate and willing to serve the great queen.

Just finished reading the archives and god damn did we screw up. Anyways, time to get our flattering face on.

>>15014890

"Yeah, don't compliment her looks or her power or anything like that. She actually has those, so everyone tells her how great she is for having them all the time. Compliment her smarts. Try to play this whole thing like this is just one step in a huge, inscrutable master plan that no one, including you, could possibly fathom. And hope it's not actually true. There's a theory floating around the firm that the whole 'flighty, self-absorbed bitch' thing is just an elaborate cover behind which lurks an evil genius, but I don't even want to think about how much trouble Hell in general and you in particular are in if that's true. Good luck!"

rolled 25 = 25

>>15014954
Yeah
good luck ... me

rolled 74 = 74

>>15014935
Hey

that is a good suggestion.

maybe we will be able to spin it that way

As Vual pick up his tome and go over some other pages, presumably for cases that actually require presenting a coherent and logical defense before some high-ranking demon who actually had to do something besides be a god to get where they are, you begin scanning the crowd of nobles. There's no way a demon like you or Vual would be allowed into this trial if you weren't an integral part of it, but even the demonic barons are allowed in now. Which means the trial is probably going to start in just a few minutes. Unless Ashtoreth is late, which she might be. By several hours. Or years. It's a good thing demons can't actually die of starvation, but you're completely dry for Torment and have been for close to an hour, and it's really beginning to get to you, clouding your thoughts. Plus, there's a bit of panic, which isn't helping.

The more you think about the trial, the more certain you are that the side you fought against in the war was trying to overthrow Ashtoreth. You can't imagine why. Regardless, you personally finished off the last remnant of the only threat to Ashtoreth's power in a millenium, and that's got to be worth something. The memory of the fourth member of your Compact is stinging at the edge of your mind, now...You'd known her for centuries, since you were both very young, but never very well, and as with all demons you'd known for a while, you'd traded off being trusted allies and bitter enemies every decade or two. You'd run into her again after Ashtoreth's armies had defeated the leader of the demonic uprising against her, a battle in which you'd played your part hoping that Gugurash might make an appearance on the battlefield. Unfortunately, he'd long ago fled to some hidden fortress, hoping to rebuild the rebellion, as the demoness informed you. She refused to disclose details as to how she'd found out and where exactly Gugurash had gone until you brought her into the Compact. Actually, she never did tell you how she got them.

>What was her name?
>What was her sin (surprise me and say something other than Lust)?
>Why did she want to join your Compact?

rolled 56 = 56

Eferaves
Envy

After she realized that the rebellion is doomed, she foolishly thought that she could be spared of Ashtoreth wrath by joining the Compact and somehow using that as her defense.

Rinaves
Pride

She had her own score to settle with Gugurash,

>>15015172
>>15015264

I've always been a fan of compromise.

Rinaves. She'd spied on Ashtoreth's forces from within, but there's argument to this day as to whether she was a double agent. You know the truth, though: She was a triple agent who swung back and forth between one side and the other as regularly as the pendulum on a grandfather clock. Vual slipped an anonymous tip as to her wartime treachery to the Inquisition during their cleanup immediately after the war, when your Compact's actions against Gugurash were still mostly shrouded in rumor and hearsay. By the time the high-ranking demons had sorted things out enough to get to handing out awards and rewards for noteworthy actions in the war, she was already on trial for treason. Vual pulled a few strings to get himself as her defendant. Unsurprisingly, that case ended up as one of the few losses on his record, though most demons who know absolutely anything about high-level politics count it as another of his victories. She's locked in one of the Torment Engines of King Asmodeus himself, now. Asmodeus keeps the details sketchy, so as to make them all the more frightening, but it's generally agreed that his are the most diabolically cruel Torment Engines known to Hell.

You and Vual are really not very kind people at all.

rolled 14 = 14

>>15015297
>that you, op?

Hah, pretty cool.

But how do we use these bits of knowledge of Compact for our defense here?

>>15015318

Yes, it's me. I apologize for the confusion.

Ashtoreth is already a few minutes late. All the doors to the courthouse save the one reserved only for her have been closed and locked. A few of the barons are still finding their seats, but otherwise, the courthouse is silent but for the soft murmuring of the assembled nobles. You wonder if perhaps the evil genius theory is correct, and Ashtoreth does this intentionally to draw out the sense of dread in the accused. Or maybe the shallow bitch theory is accurate, and she delays trials just to show that she can. Or maybe she's just an easily distracted flake.

One of the last barons in is a face you recognize, the fifth member of your Compact! He'd been a baron then, as well. Early on, you, Vual, and Brun-Tersop had mostly ignored the war, instead scouring Hell for the ingredients necessary for a ritual that would actually kill a demon as powerful as Gugurash. Most of them were easy enough to come by, but angel's blood is both extremely rare and useful for no other thing but demon slaying. However, being that the "hit him REALLY hard" option was completely beyond your grasp, you had to find some. This baron happened to have a vial of it. He'd given it to you in exchange for a series of favors to him. You must of sabotaged the estates of half the nobles on the continent before he finally handed it over to you. Apparently he'd been keeping tabs on you, as well, as he was able to find you as you prepared for your final battle with Gugurash. He offered his help as a demon easily twice as old and several times more powerful in defeating Gugurash and keeping him down long enough for the ritual to be performed. And, of course, this came with the implicit threat that he'd turn his considerable resources against you if you hadn't let him into the Compact.

>What was his name?
>What was his sin?
>Why did he want to join the Compact?

>>15015318
>But how do we use these bits of knowledge of Compact for our defense here?

It's enough of your recent history to help you build a defense as a valuable servant of Ashtoreth.

rolled 33 = 33

Rstaerl
Sloth (apparently, if done correctly, one can get so much more out of sloth than anyone could think. But only Rstaerl knows of the secret and he is not sharing it with anyone)

Eliminating a powerful demon was a reward on itself for Rstaerl. The less of them around, the less competition. That is the reason why he joined.... besides, he hardly had to do anything, all the hard work was done by us and Vaul.

>>15015398
Talin, Baron of... (I'm coming up blank here.)

Greed

He wanted to be let into the compact because being known as one of the killers of Gugurash would give him leverage in his dealings with other noble houses.

rolled 93 = 93

>>15015438
Well

I hope someone can come up with something good. I am not really great at these mindgames and stuff

Baron Talin is the only reason you and Vual are on good terms. With him throwing his weight around in the Compact, neither of you could afford to try and stab the other in the back without opening yourselves wide to being stabbed in the back by Talin. Talin had made a few attempts to have you discredited or assassinated, but working together, you and Vual were able to maintain an uneasy peace with him, and ultimately the three of you were credited as having defeated Gugurash and the treacherous Rinaves together, though the official records treat it as though the Compact were his creation and you and Vual simply valued henchmen. Talin's currently in something of a Schrodinger's alliance with you, both your ally and your enemy until observed.

The doors crack open. Ashtoreth is typically depicted in the nude, but she's seen fit to throw a few strips of cloth on for the trial. And her detractors say she has no respect for ceremony. "Silence!" she commands, though the courtroom had fallen deathly still at her entrance, "I, Ashteroth, Demon Goddess of passion, love, and war, hereby call this courthouse to order. The accused is charged with failure to carry out their duties as my Chosen on earth. How do you plead?"

Not guilty!

rolled 65 = 65

Umm, not guilty?

[aww fuck, I'm going to screw this up. I am certain of it]

>>15015724

Really, when the minimum sentence is an eternity in a Torment Engine, what was anyone expecting? But there's protocol to be followed, and the nobility's big on that sort of thing.

"Very well," Ashtoreth says, sounding bored and lounging in her throne, one leg resting on the armrest, "The prosecution will proceed."

"My empress and my goddess," the prosecutor begins, "Every demon permitted to possess a mortal is sent for a reason. Because of the power of a mortal body in comparison to that of a normal demon, having too many possessed in Hell will cause untold civil unrest and the disintegration of the nobility and structure upon which your all-knowing rule is founded. The accused, Malapraxis, was granted the privelige of possessing a mortal, and charged with saving your people, the Koyani, from extinction. And he has utterly failed, being returned to Hell in less than a week and doing absolutely nothing to safeguard the Koyani. Because of him, your presence on the Material Plane is about to vanish."

>It is now time to make your own opening statement. Following this, each side will call up and cross-examine one witness, followed by a closing statement, whereupon Ashtoreth will make her ruling. Ashtoreth is busy and doesn't have time for more.

"I plead guilty to these crimes, Mistress. Deceiving you would be a futile effort, and any falsehoods I speak will be cast down."

"I am pleased to report the status of the Koltani people, incompetent as they are..."

Go on to state the affairs of the Koltani, if it's not already common knowledge. Let them know that your failure is "part of the Mistress's plan" and the intelligence you've gained make a subsequent possession ultimately more fruitful.

>>15015859
>>15015865

Use this line of reasoning, but in the light of not guilty plea.

State that while you have failed in your initial task, you now have the knowledge and awareness to make victory all but certain, should you be sent again.

Flatter Ashtoresh sparingly, coming on to heavy will likely be seen as sucking up.

rolled 25 = 25

>>15015865
>>15015895
Make up shit if needed

Empress! There can be no denying the disaster that took place. However, let this trial bring to light the failure of the Koyani! These wretches who have spurned your glory and renegged on their promises. Through their wavering resolve to your most righteous of causes, and the shameful delay of the ritual to summon the Chosen of Ashtoreth they now teeter on the brink of extinction, and rightfully so!

Your Imperial majesty was wise in punishing these upstart mortals by sending them a mockery of the champion they asked for. No doubt, when the weak and the undeserving are culled the Koyani will be worthy of a true champion.

>>15015895

"My queen and my goddess," Vual says, "The accused has indeed failed in his initial task, and to attempt to deceive you into believing otherwise would be futile, particularly in your own court of law. The Koyani people, incompetent as they are, are on their very last legs," Vual glances up at Ashtoreth, who certainly doesn't seem to have liked the reference to her people as being incompetent, "Driven near to extinction by the lowly and worm-like Kef, before whom even the Koyani, though they pale in significance to demons such as I and do not even merit notice by one of your stature, excepting that it please you to do so, are a shining paragon of power and grace." Hmm. Stumbled a bit over that recovery, but it seems to have gone over well enough. "Now though you are quite deserving of it, if I might do away with the flattery for the sake of expediency, the Koyani have been pushed near to extinction, and this by their own stubbornness before your will, their own reluctance to pay tribute to you who is deserving of all that you ask of them and, indeed, all that they have to give. Perhaps now that the weak and faithless have been culled, they are worthy of a true champion, of the true might of Malapraxis, Lord of Shadow, Ashtoreth's Chosen.

"Malapraxis, though having failed his primary mission, has gained knowledge of the Kef and their forces that cannot be measured in casualty lists. Further, he has lulled the Kef into a false sense of security, believing that they have, in just a few days, removed Ashtoreth's Chosen as a threat to their empire for another century or more. And though it should at this stage be obvious, I shall say for the record that it is clear to me that this was your intention from the start, for the prosecution's case, that a demon handpicked by yourself to save the Koyani and drive the Kef to extinction, could possibly have failed so completely as it first appears, is blasphemy."

Well. That seems to have gone alright.

The prosecution looks a bit ruffled at the accusation of blasphemy, but nonetheless calls up their first and only witness which, unsurprisingly, is yourself, Malapraxis. Vual won't be able to help you now, so try to make sure you get the phrasing right on your own...And remember that lawyers are very good at twisting words.

"Malapraxis, may I ask what the nature of your relationship with the demoness Ravanes was as of the end of the Abyssal War?"

rolled 8 = 8

[okay, Since a couple more guys have joined, I am just going to shut up now. This is too delicate for me and I am shit at making speeches, dialogues and especially wordsmithing
I hope you
>>15016005
>>15015895
>>15015865
guys are still here and can write something decent again.

Besides, I will be going soon.
Great quest, OP, even with all the Derp]

>>15016130

Scroll mouse to renegade dialogue option. Left click.

"She was my enemy in the war."

If we threw her under the bus, let's make sure it damn well ran her over.

"I see, and the last place you saw her was in the keep of once-Duke Gugurash, one of the rebelling generals, correct?"

>>15016318

"That is correct. I have not seen her since."

>>15016318

"I can not recall."

>>15016325
She WAS put on trial. Wouldn't we have seen her there?

.>>15016353
Were we even at the trial?

>>15016353

Talin could serve as witness for everything you could, and is much more important. So, no, you wouldn't have had anything to do with her trial.

Also, I've just now realized the problem of conflicting answers when an exact answer is needed. Thus, since I'm stupid for d6 in this quest, please restate your answer and roll 3d6 with it. Highest answer goes.

rolled 5, 6, 5 = 16

>>15016394
"That is correct."

>>15016421

"And I understand that you maintain that you and Ravanes were enemies for the entire duration of the war?"

rolled 6, 6, 5 = 17

"I cannot recall."

Fuck guys. We don't have our full memories and we're on trial. Make the prosecution earn his pay. Be dodgy as fuck where and we you can.

Look at modern financial crime cases and commitee inquiries. It's just executives and bureaucrats being dodgy as fuck and saying "I don't remember."

And in this case it's the prosecutor trying to pull "OH-HO FRIENDS WITH A SPY ARE WE? FUFUFUFUFU"

>>15016459

Hm. I apologize, it seems I was just a few seconds too impatient. In the interest of fairness, I will state in advance that I will give fifteen minutes between each response. Next response at 19:35 server time.

>>15016459
Not to mention that I'm pretty sure we can't actually recall most of the finer details anyways.

>>15016459
Alright, so how do we answer
>And I understand that you maintain that you and Ravanes were enemies for the entire duration of the war?
with just a "I don't recall"?
That would paint us as incompetent, unable to recall who our allies and enemies are.

>>15016531

The memory loss you've experienced is very common to demons who've recently possessed a new host.

rolled 2, 6, 6 = 14

>>15016531

"I don't recall and I don't see the relevance of this line of questioning other then wasting our Majesty valuable time."

And when he does ask us "well, when is the last you do remember seeing her?" Pull out something like "When I finally tricked her into revealing the rebels' plans which lead to their crushing defeat."

Sorry. didn't mean to roll dice on >>15016573

>>15016573
change valuable time to invaluable, and crushing defeat to inevitable crushing defeat. remember, we're trying to kiss some serious ass here, every little bit helps.

>>15016573
You should be rolling dice, as highest roll still goes for answers to all these questions. Although this time you've no competition.

"Perhaps you can recall, then, how you were able to locate the fortress of Gugurash, a feat that hundreds of millions if not billions of demons, including many far more powerful than you, were not able to accomplish? Because if not, I believe, in light of your subversive actions on the Material Plane, your intent may be sabotage."

rolled 4, 1, 5 = 10

>>15016659
"I cannot recall at this time, as my memory has not yet been restored."

>>15016823
"You can recall Ravanes herself, but not any detail of the nature of your relationship with her, nor how you were able to find the hideout of Gugurash? Can I ask you, then, what your plan was when you entered Veridia while possessing Ophelia?"

>>15016856

Apologes, that should be "Rinaves."

rolled 2, 6, 3 = 11

>>15016856
"To ascertain the defenses and military readiness of the Kef population, the viability of any enslaved Koyani as local support, and to effect the acquisition or elimination of a mortal Koyani, a Bishop in Her Majesty's faith, who held vital military information, before it could be divulged to the Kef military.
"I see now that Our Lady had already prepared a contingency in the case of my failure to penetrate the Kef defenses, and indeed, had counted upon the death of my host.
"It would lull the Kef into a false sense of security, that their current defenses would be more than adequate to fend off demonic incursions, and so they would be unprepared when the true attack came."

>>15016924
"So your defense is that failing was your plan all along? The prosecution rests."

rolled 86 = 86

>>15017025
["Joke's on you, I was only PRETENDING to be an idiot"]

>>15017025
Well, this might give Vual the opening he needs.
We only said that Ashtoreth had a contingency in place for our failure. We never said that failure was our objective. Also, is he implying that Ashtoreth's contingency was not well-placed?

rolled 3 = 3

>>15017025
"Yes, truly our mistress is genius manipulator"
or something like that, which would give the credit of our "magnificent" plan to her

Apologies for my delay. Technical difficulties.

Regardless, Vual can cross-examine now, which, in effect, means you can now talk at yourself. And then call a witness of your own.

>>15017431
I think we're waiting for Vual to take advantage of the opening we tried to present to him.
That of course our initial intent wasn't to fail; why fail when success would be more than acceptable. No, the failure of the capture attempt on the bishop is mitigated by "Ashtoreth's Grand Plan".

>>15017639

It's probably just because thirty minutes of struggling to get my internet back has undone my thought process, but I can't think of any questions Vual could ask you to help out right here. So, we're skipping a bit.

You may call any being currently in Hell as a witness. In effect, any demon besides Gugurash, who is well and truly dead.

>>15017732
So we need a character witness?
Perhaps Baron Talin. If we are discredited now, it could potentially harm him, who used us to gain more glory.

"The defense calls Baron Talin," Vual says. Ashtoreth seems to be getting a bit impatient. Better make this quick.

>What shall you ask him?

rolled 4, 4, 1 = 9

>>15017924
"Baron Talin, given that you knew my capabilities during the uprising, would you say in your measured opinion that I failed to achieve any militarily useful objectives in my time in the mortal realm?"

I got nothing else. Maybe someone else can come up with a better question.

>>15017985

Talin is summoned into the witness' stand, and smooths out his shirt slightly as he is, looking a bit put out by the sudden transition. A calculating look crosses his features as he considers the question. "No," he says finally, "I would not say Malapraxis has failed to achieve ANY military objectives. He's harassed enemy forces, and come close enough to securing a major victory that the Kef may draw a significant amount of their forces from the front lines, buying the Koyani valuable time."

>>15018132
Well shit. I don't know if that helped us or damned us.

>>15018183

You can still ask other questions if you'd like. Alternatively, you can halt the examination and move on to closing statements and the final judgment.

>>15018202
I don't think we should push it, unless someone else can think of a good witness or question to ask.
Talin seems to be working as our ally for now; we'll doubtlessly owe him, a lot, if we survive this.

I move we go to closing arguments.

>>15018269

"My empress and my goddess, the defense has argued that Malapraxis' unmitigated failure was according to some plan of theirs, which they have not seen fit to share with you, but which they are certain reflects your own designs perfectly. They imagine that they can know the limitless and unknowable depths of your intelligence, and that they can thus act on your wishes without your explicit or even implicit commands. Malapraxis is at best incompetent and at worst, a traitor. I move that he be given his due for his failure to enact your will, empress, and that, his having served as an example, another be chosen in his place."

A milky whiteness spreads across the obsidian floor, seemingly from within it. Evidently, whether it's for you or not, the floor is going to be used to scry the next vessel for Ashteroth's Chosen. There aren't many left.

>Make a closing statement.

rolled 6, 6, 1 = 13

>>15018461
"The prosecution has failed to prove that Malapraxis' actions are as disastrous as they make them seem.
"Also they imply by their accusation that Our Lady would have chosen someone completely unsuited to the task, calling into question Her own abilities."

Hopefully shifting blame towards the prosecutor will help.

>>15018615

Ending just before reaching a verdict is a bit of a dick move. But we've lost so much momentum from that hourlong interlude my failing internet connection forced on me that I'm afraid that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Thread archived here: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15013979/

As usual, Koyani Quest will resume at 14:00 servertime tomorrow.