[@EliteCommander] [@Cath]


[i] [color=00aeef] [h1] [center]Kolvar Stilmyst [/center][/h1][/color][/i]

[color=f7941d][b][h1] [center]Kareet [/center][/h1][/b][/color]

[color=0072bc][b] [h1] [center]Captain Zey[/center][/h1][/b][/color]


Kolvar shook his head before walking over towards Sh'Vetza. [color=00aeef][i]“Even though your people had enslaved and killed many of my people a long time ago, I cannot stand to see anyone being enslaved. Not even the sworn enemy of the Kriliteran. What was your crime?[/i][/color]” He asked while having his bladed arm at his side.

Sh’Vetza stopped studying the undergrowth around them and peered down at Kolvar.

“I used Thought magic unaided for a long time. In doing so I betrayed Mythadia, and so seek to atone by serving the gracious Warden of the Northern Passage.” The scrawny S’tor glanced over each shoulder at the Inquisitors watching him closely. They may as well have been statues.

“[color=00aeef][i]But have you committed any crimes with your thought magic? If you have not I do not understand why you would voluntarily enslave yourself to these people.[/i][/color]” Kolvar also looked over the inquisitors behind Sh’Vetza.  

The mage made a dry clicking and gurgling sound in his throat, like an imitation of his master.

“Unsupervised Thought magic is treachery. Many before me have been hung for this transgression.”

“[color=00aeef][i]That does not sound like a serious enough crime to be executed for. There probably is no way for me to free you from your enslavement. Of course not without meeting the ire of these Inquisitors.[/i][/color]” He looked behind them with a slight glare. “[color=00aeef][i]I am uncertain my people’s government will be able to protect you and others like you without repercussions. But like I said before I do not want anyone to be enslaved.[/i][/color]” He added now looking back at the thought mage. This situation seemed to be quite a conundrum he had found himself in. 

In all of this, Kareet had been taking a few notes on Kolvar’s curious behaviors. His reaction to the Thought mage prisoner was particularly unusual. The Inquisitors’ Guild had a strong presence in every nation, even the Myriad, for good reason. If Kolvar was unaware of those reasons, then either the Kriliterans did not have Thought mages, or their people were under the thrall of Thought magic. Without Inquisitor protection, such a fate would be inevitable over enough time. If she were to explain this to him, then his reaction could well provide some insight into where he came from.
 
“[color=f7941d]Imagine…for a moment, Kolvar, your home. Your people, the Kriliterans. It is easy to see how much you care for them, given that you are willing to give your life for them. Imagine going back there, to these people you’ve known so well all your life. Friends, family, these people who have all come to trust and care for you. Imagine going back to their smiling faces and handshakes, maybe hugs from family who haven’t seen you in months or years. Then, as night falls, you go to their beds, take a knife, and slit each of their throats. You personally drain the life out of all of these people who loved you, and you feel happy while you do it…all because a Thought mage got their hooks into your mind, twisted your thoughts and cares and memories, until you were nothing but a thrall to their whims.[/color]”
 
Kareet let the words hang in the air for just a moment, feeling them to be just shocking and [i]personal[/i] enough to bring up the correct feelings for her final point to have the right sort of impact. “[color=f7941d]That is why we have the Inquisitors, and why Mythadia is perhaps [i]exceedingly[/i] merciful to have allowed a criminal Thought mage to keep his life. He would be dead anywhere else.[/color]”

Kolvar turned to face Kareet and seemed to be staring her directly in the eyes. “[color=00aeef][i]But is there a way to filter out the criminals who use thought magic and those who do not?[/i][/color]” He thought for a moment before looking over towards Sh’Vetza. For a brief moment, he pondered if the S’torian had somehow messed with his mind. But that seemed impossible since the Inquestiors would have killed him if he tried. “[color=00aeef][i]I can see why you would be afraid of them. But I want to give you a hypothetical situation. How would you feel being enslaved because you are a practitioner of another school of magic, or because you are of another race. As I said before my people were enslaved for four hundred years, I would exercise putting yourself in the shoes of others and considering if your actions are morally correct.[/i][/color]” His bladed arm turned back into a normal arm. 

There was not any particular emotion to Kareet’s words, nor any hesitation in her response. In her mind, though, she was definitely taking note of [i]how[/i] Kolvar was answering her. “[color=f7941d]No one is forced to be a Thought mage. It is a practice like any other domain that must be trained and developed through years of effort. A freshly-awakened novice might pick up a few trivial abilities in Thought magic, but Inquisitors do not kill or imprison for that. They will take the novice, instruct them on the law, and have them make the choice of pursuing the Thought domain, or forsaking it for another. If someone has trained and developed themselves as a Thought mage, then they did so on purpose, knowing the kind of life it would give them.[/color]”

Kolvar thought for a moment thinking of what he could say next. There seemed to be no way to convince her to change her mind and break the status quo. “[color=00aeef][i]You make a fair point, and there are more pressing matters at hand. I apologize for being so dramatic. It seems the alcohol had negatively affected my behaviour. Perhaps we should go back to the human’s ship so they may be in a safer area.[/i][/color]” Kolvar bowed as a sign of apology. Standing back up and looking over at Zey and the other humans. 

Zey listened carefully to this bizarre and awkward exchange. She’d learned a lot of useful information that somehow made her even more worried about this new world they’d landed in. It felt like the right time to try and take back control of this situation.

“[color=0072bc]Yes, great plan. Let's go, everyone.[/color]” Zey turned and shooed her crew back through the gap they’d made in the undergrowth towards the Jotunheim. She stared intently at the ground for a minute as they moved, processing.

Once they arrived back in the clearing, she went back to her place at the head of the table and clapped her hands together.

“[color=0072bc]Thank you all for making this a nice, informative lunch. Now, shall we understand where we go next?[/color]” Her voice was clear and authoritative.

Kolvar during the walk was behind the group. Eyeing the inquisitors in the group with caution. He was worried that his revealing himself would make the humans trust him less. So his plan would be to keep the trust with the humans to help them escape. He knew some of the Kriliteran engineers would be able to help fix their ship. But it was quite advanced so they would be no help in fixing the ship.