I. Forord
Kanto of Kala:
The name, indubitably, sends ripples across the legal landscape. He may not, however, be spoken of by the layman community; those that speak of rumors and myth, without so much as as a copper's consideration for how these ideas came to be. Some may wish to strive further, following the portly paper trail of legal bureaucracy, as bleeds back to cities such as Kala, and the Augur's End of old. While one may not wish to speak poorly about Augur's End and the influential ideas it represented (as its duke at the time, Ongar Stonegrower, had instated), no one can deny that their radical ideas of regulation and resolution slowed the legal process, often burying those of the court with more work that a day could hold. And it is, in fact, in Augur's End that this case study begins, though not without the context of how our lawyer in question came to be in the city at all.
Kanto of Kala, as the name insinuates, was a lawyer of Kala, a city which utilizes a legal system with uncanny resemblance to that of Augur's End. No doubt this observation draws upon that fact that Stonegrower was inspired by the city of shimmering waters itself when building his new city from the rubble of Jerborg. It should come as no surprise that Kanto and came to visit Augur's End after direct correspondence with the city, perhaps seeking new horizons in a muddled career, plausibly made more difficult by the oligarchy of Kala. However, it was not merely by coincidence that Kanto had decided to visit Augur's End, nor was it by "happenstance" of hearing about the case from across the Caripreet Sea, as so many hyperbolic plays and poems like to conspire. Rather, it was by connections to an individual by the name of "Caius Warrick," the head of guard in Augur's End at the time of Kanto's arrival. The head of guard's name, unlike Kanto, is one surely spread by the layman. Everpresent in the tales of heroes, corruption, and prevailing over the hardships which one is presented with. Whether truly facing the harsh hand of a torturer and a madman, or facing symbolically similar (yet less extreme) hardships, the story of Caius Warrick lays warm within the hearts of the common man today. Ignoring even my own infatuation though, the tale must continue... It was by the word of Caius Warrick that the well-learned Kanto was summoned to the city in order to defend a "peculiar party." Why Caius so selflessly provided the lawyer on his own gold piece is unknown, but one can only imagine that he had seen the inner heroism of the prosecuted.
It was then that Kanto met his clients in the dungeons of Augur's End. This was the birthplace of "Gideon v. the Company of Fools," largely considered the "trial of the century." While days of reading evidence and gathering jurors may not seem to stand up against the fury and glory of the more common trials by combat or rites of proving across Trinen, one cannot deny that this odd court session garnered the attention of the entire city. Never before had pen so easily out-entertained audiences compared to the sword, but it was this trial that broke ground for courts across the land.
Before continuing, I would be remiss to ignore a disjunction between story and reality. The court case mentions "the Company of Fools," and lacks the "Heroes" that the (surely) obsequious poets of today seem to misremember. The court documents, in fact, are the only formal and legally authenticating inscription of the company's name that has survived today. Whether the "heroes" was simply left off of every document, or their name was later altered for any litany of reasons, this analysis will refer to them as the "Company of Fools," as they were (in all likelihood) originally named.
II. Påstand 1- The Law
To observe the lawyer, we must observe his claim to recognition. No doubt a knowledgeable guild member before his time in Augur's End, he would not be "known" by legal history until his case with the Company of Fools. The case, of course, cannot be observed either. Not until the allegation, or formal legal term "påstand"
1, is clear. For it is with the extremity of the accusations that made the case so famous on its local scale, before it grew to world fame when the results would reach the ears of courts all the way to Fjordstrond. Before the reader's continuation of this passage, let it be known that I will let no brevity get in the way of the seriousness of the accusations, and the crimes will be enumerated in great detail. This not is not only to warn readers of the graphic imagery, but a fair warning that heroes can quite easily fall to villainhood, depending upon what the observer allows themselves to believe. The accusations at hand, insofar as were relevant to the case, are as follows.
- I. One account of bribery of an imperial officer
- II. One account of commandeering an Imperial prison vessel
- III. One account of harboring a fugitive of the empire
- IV. One account of conspiracy to undermine the authority of the Ohfjuren
- V. No less than three accounts of murder upon the aforementioned prison vessel
- VI. One account of manslaughter upon the aforementioned prison vessel
- VII. One account of dismemberment, torture, or other unnecessary uses of force
- VIII. One account of unlawful release of an imperial servant
- IX. One account of trespass into restricted territory
- X. One account of unlawful docking in Imperial territory
These, as listed, provide shades of black and white about the events that occurred over the course of the company's 2 week escapade between the Caripreet docks to the dungeons of Augur's End. There is, of course, a more colorful recounting by several prison guards that survived the alleged takeover. When these two insufficient sources are brought together in matrimony, we have a more informed, if not cautious, perspective as to what occurred in the two weeks on that ship. In order to understand the story though, we must know our defendants deeper than the accusations present them.
III. Forsvar 1- The Team
The defense for the case we are observing included the following:
- I. Kanto of Kala, the defending lawyer
- II. Sazhar, "the Spurned"
- III. Efan Turases, of Shellbay
- IV. Drekonus, "the Beast"
- V. Solnu-Lei, "Walks-in-Sunlight," of D'kanna
- VI. Lelouch Lamprough, of Fjordstrond
- VII. Celius Vessir, of the Snow Rock Isles
These exceptionally diverse (and odd) individuals each have their own storied futures ahead of them. At the time though, they were largely a group of malcontent misfits that had just entered Augur's End under false pretenses (with the exceptions being Kanto and Solnu-Lei). Some have no traceable history prior their arrival (leaving many to believe the characters as urban legends, but rest assured, there is sufficient evidence of each of their existence). We will be observing each of these individuals by their own merits and writing the best approximation as to how they arrived in Augur's End. Hearsay will be avoided as best as can be by observing a litany of legal documents and quotes as found in museums and libraries across Trinen. Our first observation (and of prime importance for this case study), we must observe the conditions by which Kanto came to Augur's End.
A. Kanto of Kala
Kanto of Kala was an exceptional lawyer from the City of Shimmering Waters. Lawyer for 15 years at the time of the case, as well as 9 year member of the "Defense for Downtrodden" guild in his city of origin, Kanto was well seasoned in the foreign method of court that came to inspire Ongar Stonegrower when designing his own. While his years made him a respectable member of the guild and profession, he was perhaps better known for "cutting past the slugs," as it were. While his profession would require rigorous time and effort with regard to the pursuit of knowledge, he had little patience for individuals wasting his time more than he felt equitable. Eventually growing to local fame for cutting past bureaucracy and having the courts work on "his time," Kanto was seen as a perfect aspiring member of the Defense for Downtrodden organization. One preserved paper, saved by the still active guild, swooned regarding the way "Kanto the Black Cat clawed the 2 year waitlist for defense cases in two." While this is surely an exaggeration, it speaks about how the community had revered him at the time as a crude yet effective lawyer. Contrary to popular opinion, Kanto lacked popularity among other guilds of Kala at the time as well.
Artistic depictions of larger cases always depicted the J'barri as a harsh, crude, rugged black house cat that appeared as if it had come from the streets. In J'barri culture, it is not uncommon for one to insult another by calling them "housecat," but this representation even carried its way down south to Augur's End. Being hundreds of miles away and having virtually no link to Renadi culture, one can only imagine that the later representations of him resulted from the urban legend of black cats and their mystic aura of bad luck. Bad luck knew not the name Kanto, however, as he pulled one of the most unlikely cases into a victory behind the walls of Augur's End. One interpretation we find more likely when observing artistic depictions of Kanto is simply that his representation of a black cat is to indicate him as an outsider, and as an insult to the overall J'barri people, often considered savages at the time.
His interpretation, while certainly inaccurate, paints a picture of the man that the masses saw Kanto to be. Two divided halves of the dubious cut throat and the revered defender of the people. While his skills are without question, it cannot be left out that Kanto was knowingly involved in several cases which may be seen as unsavory. One case discusses the defense of the Kalan government, as they staved off the divine right of "dominant land"
2 that all citizens of Kala have come to know. It was during one of these cases that our lawyer in question was summoned to Augur's End by its Head of Guard. Owing Warrick a favor, the reason for which is unknown, Kanto would come presently to Augur's End without question. Let it not be said that Kanto was selfless in this deed, as he received a lavish payment from Warrick, as well as an entrance to a life of luxury (though it seems fate provided Kanto with this). On the same token, however, one can not call Kanto "selfish," either. Given the horrific event surrounding the date in question (one which likely needn't be called by name) that struck the Augury, cross-nation travel was not an easy feat to accomplish. Outgoing ships were stalled and incoming ships were quarantined all across the Augury. Likely doubling the travel time required, Kanto knew that the conditions of travel would exist in such a state, as he was a widely informed individual.
His travel was well documented, both by a preserved journal from one of his assistants (an event of note, worth further discussion in this portion of the summary) and Augury records, as they wrote the comings and goings of all ships they could find in that year. The method of travel and the time it took are not subject to question, given he arrived in the city of the trial under the proper legal procedures.
The last note of Kanto's character is regrading the aforementioned "assistants." While he had a plethora of apprentices in his day, it is a number that clouds the skies compared to his peers. Only using one at a time, it appears that Kanto had the lawyers-to-be scribe all of his notes. Many theories have arisen regarding
why he required this of his students. Some say that Kanto himself was unable to read, but this is entirely unlikely. Few records of his handwriting exist, and they prove to be indecipherable. This gave rise to the theory that he harbored a condition of the nerves, requiring an assistant to transcribe events for him. This, under a lack of scrutiny, does not appear to be problematic. To the diamond lens of a sharp mind, the presence of a third party in these trials is not but disastrous. The words of Kanto are through the lens of several other writers. They may add words, affectations, ideas, or tones that are otherwise not present. This leaves Kanto of Kala with a crass and belligerent voice in the writings that are not his own. Words such as "bastard" and hurricanes of insults are not uncommon in these transcriptions.
B. Sazhar, "the Spurned"
Sazhar, the haplessly titled J'barri, has a poorly defined origin and as vague a future. Sazhar was not one to speak with the press, nor to release works into the world. This leaves us with few options for defining his life. We must meagerly piece together what we understand about him and his people if we desire any answers at all. His name alone tells tales of his personal history. He has but one name, "Sazhar." This is not unlike Kanto. In the documents of the case, we find that he is titled "Sazhar, of Eldurgrund." While a more specific territory would be valuable, we can learn from the lack therein, as well. Lacking a binomial name, we can understand that he either had an older sibling, or was disconnected from his culture entirely. The lack of submission to a smaller territory allows us to presume that he did not align with the rulership he was subject to. Interviews with Celius Vessir clarify that he met the J'barri in an undisclosed mountain range. Given the lack of force done to "civilize" Sazhar within the land he lived, we must assume that he lived in the mountains shared by the Eldursteries.
Comments