I do not normally approve of holding one in chains and forcing them to work against their will. However, you held many in that condition, so your sentence is 10 years living as your slaves did. Don't worry, you won't be killed, or be allowed to die. You can't learn if you're dead. -- Anon Guest
There were some crimes so enormous that the perpetrator simply must suffer as an example to others. Especially the others who think they can get away with it longer. Such as this lord who sincerely believed that ze could get away with not being noticed by hiding all hir slave houses and sweatshops literally underground.
There was plenty more underground than ze imagined. Such as randomly tunneling Kobolds, Gnomes, Deep D'varuv, Dark Elves, and, of course, the Order of Couriers. Who have close ties to the Lutemen. Who arrange very carefully for wrongs to be righted by plucking the correct strings.
Of fucking course hir crimes found him being weighed in the balance and wanting.
The slaves were freed, of course, and were undergoing rehabilitation as the trial went on. Those who could speak were asked to testify. That testimony had been going on for weeks before this final sentencing.
Pax Infernus had many laws and bylaws, but the plainest of them was: No intelligent creatures kept in bondage.
People, including the Council of Crowns in judgement, turned to the founding nation of Pax Infernus. Which meant that they were looking to Dex to give the ultimate judgement and the ultimate sentence.
Pour encourager les autres.
"We do not hold people in chains," said Dex. Officially known as King Kormwind Arachis Felbourne Whitekeep X. "This Lord among us has deceived hir allies and disobeyed the simplest of our shared laws. Ze must pay for hir crimes. To that end, you shall be stripped of title and wealth, you shall be stripped of your noble name, and you shall be cursed to remain alive until you have repaid the debt owed to each and every individual you have held in chains. That debt being the cost of their wages according to the laws of the alliance. A geas shall be laid upon you to ensure that this occurs. Further, an additional curse shall be laid upon you to relive the suffering and terror of each of your former captives each night when you attempt to sleep. In this way, you shall know no peace until such time as justice is truly served."
One by one, the fellows in the Council of Crowns agreed to the sentence.
There were no chains. Not physical ones. Nevertheless, the ex-noble would be paying the price of hir folly.
And Dex felt like he needed to bathe to scrub the ill feeling off him.
[Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash]
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