Novice Law(Adelyn, pls.)

[Ariston]

Brightening 12 of Pontius
Winter of Era I
Era XV P. F.

Ariston swore as he hurried down the hallway toward room 103. He was going to be late for his first law class, and that irritated him. He hated being late for anything. But, it was unavoidable. Lala, at the Spring and Summer Pet Paradise where Ariston worked, had decided to acquire a couple of monkeys to sell. Which turned into more trouble than they were worth. They managed to get out of their cage and made a huge mess of the store, even releasing several of the other animals, which only compounded the troubles.

And so, Ariston was late because he had been cleaning up and catching the stray animals. It had been chaotic, and now, he was running so as not to be too late. Finally reaching his destination, he paused outside to take a deep breath and stepped through the doorway, scanning the room for his teacher, and steeling himself for a scolding, if one was forthcoming.

[Whisper]

 

Peer Moderation. This Thread has been approved for Peer Moderation, assigned to Peermod Adelyn Weiss under the authority of Game Master Whisper, as per the accepted Modplan. Participants are advised that conditions and circumstances may be adjusted to ensure fairness and balance.

OOC: Because the link isn't working, here is another link to the modplan.

[Adelyn Weiss]

Class had begun 5 minutes ago in which Professor Hattie Mcgee had introduced himself and given a brief overview of the lesson. He warned the students that he would be doing a lot of talking and they had better prepare themselves to listen. None of it was of the utmost importance to the lesson at all, but Mcgee considered his every word important anyway.

As he passed around parchment to the 15 other students in the room an abrupt entrance made him stop dead in his tracks. In came Ariston looking around no doubt for either Professor Mcgee or an empty seat. One empty seat remained in the first row, dead center. The stout professor stared in shock through his spectacles at the half-elf.

Clearing his throat annoyingly Mcgee asked, "And who might you be? Do you realize you are late and you almost just missed the most important part? Why learn law at all if you will be late to my lesson as though you didn't care?" He waited for the half-elf to answer the question and then after Ariston sat down, Professor Mcgee rudely handed him the same parchment everyone had previously received.

"It seems I may have to go over this again, thanks to this fellow. As I said before, not all of you are worthy of taking my class. For no reason will I stand for incompetence. This is only basic law and I expect all of you to pass. Though it must be duly noted that in Kalendryas one particular fellow named Saka completely failed my lesson. Surely it won't be your turn to fail?" his eyes seemed to fall straight on the half-elf.

Professor Mcgee stroked his long brown beard and continued, "What that there parchment says is this:

Basic Law Professor Hattie Mcgee Name ____________ Write a paragraph explaining to me what you think law is and what the importance of it is to society.

"Answer this now. You have 15 minutes."

[Ariston]

Ariston made his way quickly to the empty seat, not minding its location. In fact, it is the seat he would have chosen had he gotten there on time. He sat, then turned to answer Mcgee. "I'm Arison Cestra,Professor. And yes, I realize I'm late, and I apologize for that. There was a near crisis at my work." He chose not to answer why he should learn law at all. He felt no need to answer the question. Mcgee reminded him of his commander in Medonia, when he was a guard. It was nothing the half-elf couldn't handle.

He gratefully accepted the parchment, ignoring the rudeness in which it had been given. The professor seemed the type to be in an ever foul mood, and so Ariston immediately resigned himself to accept that. He perused the parchment as Mcgee began his speech, apparently for the second time, listening to the mans words as he did so. Saka was a familiar name, and as Ariston recalled, he had worked for Viskyia. He had never formally met the boy, that he could remember, but, he had seen him about a few times. He caught Mcgee's eyes as they seemingly fell on him, and smiled his typical boyish smile.

He returned his attention to the parchment before him, and at Mcgee's instruction, began writing. He felt fairly confident in taking this class, having been a Medonian Guard before moving to Demios. There, he had learned some about the law, but, not to the extent this class would delve. He hoped.

Basic Law Professor Hattie Mcgee Name Ariston Cestra Law is the guidelines of society, the building blocks of civilization. Without laws, there would be no society, only chaos and anarchy. Laws proved comfort and safety to citizens, by defining what is considered right and wrong in the represented society, and providing punishments to those who would defy those definitions. Laws also proved a sense of community by instilling commonalities among it's citizens.

He wrote slowly and carefully, trying to make his letters clear and legible. It was a slow process learning to write again, but, he was improving. When he was finished, he sat his pen aside and leaned back from the parchment, waiting.

[Adelyn Weiss]

Once the 15 minutes had elapsed Professor Hattie Mcgee began collecting the papers from the students, reading them over rather quickly, nodding mostly to himself in approval. He made sure to collect Ariston's last. This time he took more time reading the response, and a small side smile showed through his beard. The older man was pleased with what he read, but did not say as much.

"Ariston, I'll ask you again, why do you want to learn law? No response is not a good enough response for me to instruct you. And while you're at it, read your response aloud so the rest of the class can hear you." He placed the sheet back on the desk and for a moment stared at the wooden prosthetic arm he was wearing. Mcgee's expression, however, did not change. Suddenly he was expecting a lot from the half-elf after a written response like that; in fact, it was exactly what the professor was looking for.

"In other words, what he just said is that law is the basis upon which Order and Justice are based. Everyone has to abide by the laws of the Aelyrian empire. Laws are what prevent injustice in the land and right the wrongs done onto others. Any questions so far?" he asked.

Atop his desk at the front of the class were two piles stacked with books. Sixteen exact copies entitled The Code of Law. He passed them out to everyone and sat atop his desk, tapping his ruler on his leg impatiently.

[Ariston]

He watched in anticipation as the professor read his paper, fully expecting the man to criticize him in front of the class. Instead, Mcgee seemed pleased. It also seemed that he would have to answer the man's question after all. He thoughtfully scratched his prosthetic, near the shoulder, trying to formulate an answer. Finally, he spoke. "As part of my pursuit for an Honorable Diploma, I'm required to complete a course from the School of Culture and Law. Being a former city guard, I've got an interest in the law, and so this class seemed a perfect fit. I think everyone should have a good grasp of the laws of our empire."

After answering, he picked up his parchment and stood before the class as Mcgee had requested. He hated doing things like this, reading before a group, but, he sucked it in and read his response aloud. When he was done, he returned to his seat, listening as Mcgee spoke. He shook his head when Mcgee asked if there were any questions, then accepted his copy of The Code of Law. Quietly, he scanned through the book as the professor handed out the rest of the copies, then, closed it when Mcgee took a seat upon his desk. He looked on, studiously, intent on what Mcgee would say next.

[Adelyn Weiss]

Students flipped through the books idly wondering just how much of it they would have to read. Inside the cover of the book rested The Annarian Code, The Articles of Imperium, and several other political essays of interest. By no means was the book particularly lengthy but it certainly was verbose and the language not commonly used anymore.

"The book now belongs to you. It's included with the class free of charge. Cherish it should you wish to pursue law to a greater extent and I trust you all will," the professsor eyed them curiously, running his hands through the greying hair on his head. Professor Mcgee liked to believe law was the most fascinating topic and that everyone should enjoy it just as much as he.

The ruler he placed again on the desk as he came off it pacing back and forth across the room. He made a small pensive sound as though he had lost his train of thought and unsure of where to begin, but this clearly was not the case. Professor Mcgee was simply old and liked to take his time. Suddenly he stopped and turned around to face the class again.

He spoke proudly, "Does anyone know who implements the law? No, I rather suppose you don't. This is why you are here learning from me. The law is implemented all throughout the Aelyrian empire. The laws are executed by the government and to be followed by its people of all races alike. There is no excuse for disobeying and punishment shall come forth appropriately."

The Professor realized he was getting a little carried away and cleared his throat. Going off on tangents was his specialty though he didn't really do it on purpose. It angered him knowing people could knowingly disobey the laws and think they could get away with it.

"There are government officials that take care of the enforcement of law. The Justicar is in charge of an entire province while the Prefect is the officlal in charge of a city or town. Does everyone follow?" he skimmed the room, looking again at Ariston, just in case.

[Ariston]

It didn't take Ariston long to realize that Professor Mcgee was passionate about the subject of law, as it seemed to ooze from the man whenever he began talking about it. That was a good thing, the young man decided. He'd much rather have a teacher who loved what they taught than one who merely taught a subject because it needed teaching.

He watched as the professor paced back and forth, and began to wonder if the old man had forgotten where he was and what he was doing. It wasn't uncommon for people of advanced age to lose track of themselves, after all. Just as Ariston was starting to get worried, Mcgee turned and began speaking. With relief, Ariston listened intently to the man, trying to commit Hattie's words to memory.

When Mcgee finished, Ariston raised his hand and spoke up. "Does the Prefect, then, report to the Justicar?" He was aware that the answer was fairly obvious, but, with the professors eyes on him, he felt he needed to respond, and a nod just wouldn't do.

[Adelyn Weiss]

The Professor nodded at Ariston allowing him to speak. Many students simply spoke out without permission, but the elf had enough decency to raise his hand. "Oh good good! You're far exceeding any expectations I had, Ariston. There's hope for you yet in passing this course. That is correct. The connection you made is appropriate and lets me know you can take what's been given to you and interpret it all your own," he nodded vigorously.

He took it upon himself to grab a nearby student's textbook and opened it to The Annarian Code. "This is what you will all be reading. It is not long at all, but even so I will give you all two brightenings to commit to memory all of them. That is not all, however, so be sure you understand what they all mean," and with his fingers pointed at the 8 laws.

He then gave the book back to the student and continued talking, "The Annarian Code of Law was established by High Queen Anna as a short compact. Nowadays the compact does not really hold much weight with legal forces as the laws are short and just a little vague. But should you attend a legal case you will notice that the Annarian Code proves to be the moral basis upon which decisions are made in court by judges. The Annarian Code is basically the broader, more general law of the Aelyrian empire."

The Professor waved his arms as if to say that that was the last of this brightening's class. His ending was rather abrupt but he had other matters to attend beside teaching a basic law class. He grumbled something about, "Cases go on for so long... better not be late..." Professor Mcgee walked out of the classroom leaving all his students a bit at a loss except to start packing their belongings and come back in two brightenings time.

The girl sitting next to Ariston made a small coughing sound, blushing thorougly. She tried her best to speak up but what she said came out as a whisper at best, "Excuse me... Do you remember what page the Annarian Code was on?" This was definitely not the best question to ask seeing as a table of contents could be found at the front of the textbook. The girl was a human, and not particularly beautiful, and not particularly ugly either. She looked curiously at Ariston's wooden arm, but bit her tongue, for now.

[Ariston]

Ariston smiled, not from being pleased at himself, but, out of politeness. He had always been a good student. And not only was he a good student, he loved to learn. Those two traits were the big reason behind his move to Demios. And a big reason why he found himself sitting here in this class absorbing everything Professor Mcgee had to say.

He mimicked the professor in the opening of his text, and as Mcgee spoke, he read over them. Another trait he had always prided himself on. Multi-tasking. Memorize and understand. I can do that. And then, without warning, the class was over. He watched as the professor simply walked out of the room, without so much as a word to the class. His bewildered gaze held the door for a few more moments before he let loose an amused chuckle. Professor Mcgee was certainly a character.

He closed his textbook and stood to leave when a coughing sound caught his attention. Turning his honey colored orbs toward the sound to see a human girl, her cheeks flushed brightly. He quirked an eyebrow at her question, then noted her curious gaze at his prosthetic. He smiled at her. "An orc took the original to use as a backscratcher," he said with a playful note, tapping his wooden arm for emphasis.

"But, to your spoken question, check the inside front cover of your book. I think you'll find what you're looking for there." His eyes twinkled. "I'm Ariston, by the way." He was sure the poor girl would turn out to be one of those that failed. He hoped not, but, if her question hinted at her future in the class, then it was a dark future indeed.

[Adelyn Weiss]

OOCSorry for the delay! School has definitely been keeping me extremely busy! I'm going to speed this up a little bit so you can get your training done! :p

The girl's eyes widened in horror at his words, too meek a child to be able to appreciate such humor. She stuttered a little, "I... I... I... was not asking, Ariston. Though it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Cassidy. My father wanted me to take this class, and I'm just so nervous. I have to pass or he'll be greatly disappointed," she opened her book to one of the first pages to look at what he had told her, "Oh! Silly me... of course this book has a table of contents. The nerves... right."

It looked as though she was ready to get up and leave feeling an outright fool for not having even been able to do so much as find the Annarian Code herself. She carried a heavy-looking bag, which she placed on her right shoulder, hugging the book to her chest. Cassidy would come back in two brightenings time with the code memorized by heart. She hoped Ariston would, too, "So I will see you in two brightenings? Good luck with your studying and hope we all pass. I'm not sure what techniques I will be using to memorize them but you'll bet I'll get them!"

A few of the other students looked annoyingly at Cassidy wishing she would stop talking. They all walked out chatting quietly amongst themselves, complaining about having to memorize these. Not everyone liked to further their knowledge it would seem.

-Two Brightenings Later-

Class would begin in fifteen minutes and students were trickling in slowly one or two at a time every few minutes. The room was less than half full, however, and so the professor waited to begin, though he was a bit impatient. Mcgee removed his spectacles and rubbed his eyes as though tired from something. A cup of coffee rested atop the desk by the board which he picked up and sipped quickly.

A few more minutes and nearly everyone was in the room. Mcgee took this as an opportunity to write the first Annarian Code on the board. The chalk squeaked a little as he first touched the board with it.

The Sacred Three shall be Thy Primacy.

This went at the very top of the board in big white letters. He finished up his cup of coffee and looked suddenly much more awake and ready to begin, just so long as every student was in the class.

[Ariston]

He grinned amusedly as she stuttered. It was interesting how people would look, but, when an explanation was offered to their un-asked questions, they became embrassed. He had to admit, the loss of his arm had provided him with no end of entertainment. "A pleasure to meet you, Cassidy. I'm sure you'll do fine. First class is always the worse."

He noted the annoyed looks from the other students, and felt a bit sympathetic for the girl. He was afraid she would turn out to be the one everyone else hated. But, there was little he could do about that. He smiled and waved as she left. "Luck to you, as well." He grabbed his book and headed out of the room.

-Two Brightenings Later-

Ariston was one of the first students to arrive, taking the same seat he had during the first class. He had spent his off-time studying and memorizing the Annarian Code and felt he was ready for whatever Mcgee had to throw at him.

Finally, the room was nearly full, and Mcgee stood and wrote on the board. Ariston sat straighter and turned his attention to the professor.

[Adelyn Weiss]

The clock struck the candlemark for class to begin once more. He looked around quickly and noted everyone present. Small beads of sweat ran down the side of his face from the heat of the coffee. Just before he spoke, Cassidy waved at Ariston wildly, making sure to get his attention. Mcgee looked at the two interestingly, as a sign to behave while instruction was in session.

"The first of the codes says, 'The Sacred Three shall by Thy Primacy.' The Sacred Three rule every part of our lives and I am sure you all are aware of what the three virtues being referenced are, yes? To refresh your memory, the three virtues are law, order, and justice. While everyone has their own ideology the law says The Sacred Three are above all the greatest virtues and the most important. Law, order, and justice allow our kingdom's principles to be upheld. Please remember these if you have not already. The first of the codes is by far the easiest to remember," he explained thoroughly, but still he looked around to see if there were any questions to be asked.

After answering any questions he proceeded again to write with chalk on the black board, below the first code:

Swear Fealty to Aelyria.

This was the second of the codes in The Annarian Code.

"Oh, right... and taking notes would be a good idea, though by no means required. We still have several codes to cover and not everyone possesses the best of memories," Mcgee chimed in, pointing at himself.

[Ariston]

As the clock struck and Mcgee turned to the class, Ariston noted Cassidy waving her arm off at him. Inwardly, he groaned, as he noted Mcgee's look. He raised his hand waved back to the girl. Much more subtly. Then he turned his eyes attentively to Mcgee.

As the professor spoke, he jotted down key points in a notepad that he had borrowed from the pet store. The Sacred Three shall be thy Primacy. It was a simple enough concept and easily remembered. Without law, order and justice, the kingdom would fall into disorder. It was no wonder that it was the first of the codes. At least in Ariston's mind.

Though he had no questions himself, he took notes from other's questions and the answers given. There was no such thing as too much information and the half-elf liked to be prepared to answer whatever question he might face. He couldn't help a glance toward Cassidy, curious if she would be paying attention to the lesson or not.

He turned his attention back to the board, and followed suit, writing the second code in his notebook. Another code that seemed simple and logical enough to him.