Basic Law - Mordeneb [Private]

[Aesha]

Classroom Three was not hard to find, just through the main lobby door and into the corridor beyond, and from there just a quick turn on the left. The door was ajar, inviting Leon's next student into the room for the lesson to start.

The classroom itself looked like any other, and a big blackboard had been affixed to one wall for demonstrating particular points of the lessons. Various pieces of broken off white chalk had been left in the jutting out piece of wood below the board that served as a shelf of sorts.

A few desks had been arranged in the centre of the classroom, indiciating that on occasions each teacher took on more than one pupil as a time. The classroom was used for a varying amount of different subjects, which was reflected by the wide array of paintings and large pieces of infomation containing parchment that had been stuck to the four walls.

Leon, Mordeneb's assigned teacher, was sitting behind the teacher's desk when the elven man entered. He had a carved pipe in his hands, and was idly blowing smokrings towards the fairly high ceiling of the room. He glanced around as he heard footsteps and invited Mordeneb in with a hand motion.

"Come in, come in, you're the new student, I presume? Sit yourself down, make yourself comfortable, and we'll begin."

[Mordeneb Ashcliff]

Mordeneb smiled to his teacher as he entered the room. "Yes, sir. Mordeneb Ashcliff, at your service," he said politely.

It had been some time since Mordeneb had been in a classroom, and he had never been inside one in the city, so even an ordinary classroom seemed exciting to him. He sat down at the desk closest to his teacher and folded his hands carefully in front of him. He wanted to look at the posters that dotted the room, but he restrained himself. He wanted to make a good impression on his teacher, and he could do that best by demonstrating his attention.

[Aesha]

"Ahhhh, good. Serale!"

The teacher straightened himself out a little and spent a little time extinguishing his pipe, then placing the obviously quite prized possession inside a sanded case, which he left on the big teachers desk amid several books that were no doubt on the subject of law

"Well now, I'm Leon. Some teachers like to stand on ceramony and such and well, forget it, you can just me Leon instead of Master this or that."

The man stood up, grabbed a few books, then strode across the classroom and sat himself in the desk next to the one Mordeneb had chosen.

"Never could stand sitting up there above everyone either."

He plonked the books down with a slight 'thump' and looked at Mordeneb for a moment with wisdom-filled eyes, as if assessing the elf on whether he would be a succesful student or not.

"So, come then, why law? Most people these days prefer to throw their weight around with swords and such. Why are you different?"

[Mordeneb Ashcliff]

Mordeneb was slightly taken aback by Leon's actions. However, in a strange way, it was refreshing. It reminded Mordeneb a little of his childhood, growing up among humans who wouldn't recognize the word "ceremony," let alone insist on it. His teacher appeared to be such a man.

"Well," the elf began in response to his teacher's question, "I have experienced something of the way of the sword -- not by choice, but by necessity -- and while I concede its occasional necessity, I do not believe it makes people better. No, making people better -- making civilization as we know it work -- is the province of the law. As cliched as it sounds, I'd like to make the world a better place, especially in troubled times such as these."

He shrugged. "And, the way I see it, the very worst that can happen is that I'll have invested a few hundred crowns in becoming a more responsible citizen. Worse things have assuredly happened to me."

He was feeling more confident now, as though he had just explained something to himself. However, he refrained from adding more, waiting to hear what Leon would have to say next.

[Aesha]

Leon gave an approving nod and thumped his hand down on the book pile in an ethusiastic manner.

"Excellent! I must say you're quite a rare one these days. Everyone seems to think things can be solved with a knifepoint, hmm?" He paused a moment, waiting to see if the elf either agreed or disagreed with his statement. "It's good to see someone taking an interest in the other side of things."

Moving swiftly on to the actual lesson, Leon opened up a book and studied it for a moment, then looked up at Mordeneb with a slight smile on his oldish features, that had a bit of a sly tinge to it.

"Now, most of the Basic Law course consists of creating a in depth understanding of the Annarian code. The first thing I will ask you, of course, is, how familiar are you with it? How much do you know about the Annarian Code?"

[Mordeneb Ashcliff]

Mordeneb nodded in more enthusiastic agreement than usual at Leon's words about people these days and violence. His experience with the Saurid terrorists was still fresh in his mind, as were the dark events of the Druid's Walk.

At Leon's question, Mordeneb frowned a little. "I'm afraid I know very little of the code, beyond its existence. I attended schola in a one-room building with three other children in the middle of the country, and more time was spent discussing farming and husbandry than the details of politics and the law, I'm afraid." He shrugged apologetically. "I'm excited to learn, however."

He was a little embarassed by his perfunctory response, but tried not to show it as he waited for Leon to continue.

[Aesha]

Leon nodded, as if he had expected the answer that Mordeneb had given him. Likely, over his many years of teaching the subject, he had come across a lot of students that had as little knowledge as the elven man had on it, if not less.

"No matter, no matter. Obviously, in the younger years learning something such as law beyond the very basics... an acknowledgement of it's existence, as if were... is generally never as important as learning to read and write properly. But worry not! I actually rather like starting from scratch. You know, sometimes I get the odd student who just think they know what they're talking about... not much fun. But I'm rambling."

Leon chuckled slightly and waved a hand in the air dismissing his words, and somehow apologising to Mordeneb for his digression in the same gesture.

"Very well! We will start of with the history of the code." Leon did not bother to open any of the text books he had brought to the desk with him. Being quite well versed in the history of the Annarian code, he could just teach Mordeneb from memory.

"The Annarian code was named after Queen Anna the Strict, who was reputed for her pursuit of justice and righteousness, thus how she became know as 'the strict'. The code was originally called her Proclamation on Justice, but the name was later changed to reflect its writer. In itself... the document is actually quite a short piece, but it summarises all the rights and responsibilities of the citizens of the empire. Do you have any questions about this before we move on to study the code itself?"

[Mordeneb Ashcliff]

Mordeneb blushed a little at his admission of ignorance, but tried very hard not to give any indications of his embarassment. Instead, helistened carefully to Leon's description of the code. He put all of his effort into concentrating, so as not to miss a single word.

When his teacher asked if he had any questions, Mordeneb responded, "No, I don't think so -- not yet, anyway. I'm curious to know what Queen Anna the Strict -- and thus the law --believed the rights and responsibilities of citizens to be, but my guess is that that's what comes next." He gave a wry smile, and then turned his full attention back to Leon. He was excited to finally be learning law, and didn't want to miss any of the basics.

[Minerva]

OOC: Hi there! Just to let you know that I'll be taking this thread from now on.

IC:

Leon nodded quite fervently as Mordeneb voiced his response to the question, a light smile painting itself on his face as he noted his student’s slight embarrassment at his own unawareness, his distinct lack of knowledge in respect to being well-versed in the areas hat constituted towards the Annarian code. Of course, there was no real need for his to feel so flustered about it, even in the merest sense. After all, if he had already known something of the code, then what would be the point of this course? Leon would certainly have been put out of a steady job, that was for sure. Hastily dismissing that notion as petty and trivial, the teacher continued to do what he was meant to in enlightening his student as to the subject of law, if in a somewhat enthusiastic nature.

“Yes, yes, of course! What we will go into next will be the code itself, and all these rights and responsibilities Queen Anna deemed suitable for the likes of us citizens.”

One hand flying in a hurried arc towards the previously undisturbed pile of books on the desk, the man pulled one of the tomes out in one swift, seamless motion, before placing the device squarely on his lap, his hands resting indolently atop its leather-bound cover. It was a trivial, inconsequential thing, but Leon’s gaze never left that of his student’s as he had reached out for the book. He had located and removed the volume from the comfort of its siblings without needing to concentrate on what he was doing, judging the contents and nature of the book he had pulled out solely on his sense of touch. It was clear that the books had been with him for quite some time, a feature that was further reflected in the somewhat threadbare states of each of the tomes.

“Now then, tell me. What do you know of the Sacred Three? Anything at all?”

An encouraging, almost amused smile remained plastered across Leon's face as he watched his student keenly, expectantly, awaiting his answer with an intrigued breed of anticipation.

[Mordeneb Ashcliff]

OOC: Thanks for taking this thread!

IC: Mordeneb was grateful that Leon hadn't made him feel any stupider than he already did. If there was one thing that Mordeneb hated, it was to appear or feel inadequate.

In response to his teacher's question, Mordeneb said, after a small pause, "Well, I can tell you that the sacred three are Law, Order, and Justice, and that they are sacred to the great god Ioannes. I learned that in Schola; however, we never studied anything beyond that."

In his mind, Mordeneb wondered what exactly the sacred three had to do with a code of law. Law -- well, that was one of the sacred three. But what was the specific connection? He wasn't sure, but he was confident that Leon would soon enough tell him. He straightened up in his chair and waited for the lesson to continue on.

[Minerva]

"Yes, yes, yes, that is all right. The Sacred Three can be said as being the first building blocks for all our laws, and were decreed by Diana herself. Now, we will cover what the Annarian Code actually entails. I'll talk to you about it now, although you're free to take one of these books home with you to read over for the duration of your lessons here."

Folding his hands across his chest, the man's poise transformed itself into an upright, matter-of-fact, and almost aloof one, as he readied himself to explain what was to come next as frankly and coherently as he possibly could. Frankness, for him, sadly, was not one of his string points, however, and it was a possibility that he would ramble on much more than he truly needed to despite the fact that he tried to keep his points brief.

"Alright then, first things first. The First Code is "The Sacred Three shall be Thine Primacy." What this basically means is that all citizens of the Allerian Empire must work to uphold the laws, and to make sure that others do the same, or else report them."

"The Second Code is "Thou Shall Swear Fealty to the Empire." This one speaks mostly for itself, I think, but anyway, I will elaborate a little. Basically, all citizens of the Empire must swear fealty to the Crown, and obey all orders from their elders and superiors. They are bound to this, but are given something in return as well. In exchange for fealty, the Empire offers the citizens protection."

"The Third Code is "Take not what is not Thine." Again, this speaks for itself, no? To put it even more simply, don't steal from other people."

"The Truth shall be Thine Liberator" is the Fourth Code. Citizens must always speak the truth, and never tell lies. This especially applies when dealing with affairs of the state and other such things."

"Code number five is "The Weak shall be Defended." The strong should protect the weak. Simple as that. The Codes are meant to be understood by all, Mordeneb, which is one of the reasons behind their wonderful simplicity."

"The Sixth Code is "The Law is Common and Public, not Thine to Monopolise." No one person has the right to take the Law into their own hands. You can imagine what sort of problems that kind of behaviour could lead to, can't you? Anyway, that's the basic explanation for that law..."

"...And next, we have the Seventh Code, which is that "Mankind's Cruelty must be Vanquished. " Evil is a blight on the land, Mordeneb, and all must work together in order to help fight against this evil, and, ultimately, conquer it. Those who are accused of being evil, of committing acts of cruelty, are deemed and presumed guilty until they can prove their own innocence."

"Finally, we have the Eighth Code, which is "Thou Shalt comport Thineself with Honour." Everyone must conduct themselves in adherence with the Sacred Three, and the laws of the Annarian Code."

Finished with his explanations, Leon allowed his posture to slacken, to ease the muscles that had previously been tense in his last rigid stance on the desk. Looking towards his student, Leon engaged Mordeneb with a light and wry smile, gauging his pupil to see whether or not he had understood, or not.

"Now, did that make any sense to you, Mordeneb? And questions before we move on?"

[Mordeneb Ashcliff]

Mordeneb listened carefully as Leon spoke. Following the teacher required all of his concentration, but he didn't want to appear foolish by missing any important information. He rubbed his temples with his hands and focused all his power on taking in his instruction.

When Leon had finished, Mordeneb said, "One question, sir. How would the second code be applied in times such as this, where the rule of the Empire is...open to question? To which camp should one give one's loyalty?"

He sat up a little straighter in his seat. Mordeneb was a loyal supporter of Audrey -- he had seen enough of Prime during Julos's reign to be glad that the Ancient Allerians seemed to have co-opted that area -- but he wanted to see how his teacher would respond, and how he would justify his response in legal terms.

The rest of the code seemed to be reasonably self-explanitory, and Mordeneb didn't have any other questions for Leon.

[Minerva]

“Yes, in circumstances such as this it is difficult to know who to support, to pledge one’s alliance to. Abestat is, as far as I know, trying to keep a fairly neutral disposition, what with Alleria Prime being so close. Now, though...It is very, very hard. People in Abestat are only really starting to be more open about who they support. I suppose all I can say is to go with what you believe in, so long as it is for the greater good of the Empire.”

A frown crossed Leon’s features, and not for the first time during that short speech. Julos and Audrey had evidently managed to split the Empire’s views and loyalties, and such a feat could never result in much good at all. It was a topic which could, potentially, be debated endlessly, but that was not what he was here for. He was simply here to enlighten his student as to the subject of law, to educate him as to the codes and articles that constituted towards it. If Mordeneb wished to engage in a spot of petty discussion over the issue he would, of course, be more than happy to indulge him in this, however.

“If there are no more questions, Mordeneb, we shall move on to looking at some of the nine proclamations that also constitute towards the laws of Telath. These are made up of several articles that cover quite a nice range of responsibilities that are within the power of the Imperial Government. We will look at the first three in the series for now, which you can read about here...”

Digging into the pile of books stood besides him, Leon pulled one out from the pile, handing it to its student after having flipped through its pages in a half-hearted bid to find a particular marked spot.

“Have a quick read through the articles that make up the first three proclamations, and then we will discuss them in further detail, alright?”

As if expecting his pupil to be a while in doing this very thing, the teacher reached for his pipe once more, gripping the device securely in one hand as he lit the thing up. The smoke rings would evidently become manifested in the room once more, soon enough.

[Mordeneb Ashcliff]

Mordeneb elected not to press his teacher about the Audrey and Julos affair. Leon's answer seemed weak to Mordeneb, but perhaps that was merely a sign that the man didn't want to be bothered. As Mordeneb was not in the mood to argue, he simply nodded and began examining the book that Leon had given him.

The articles were quite short, and he was finished quickly. However, he went back and read it again, carefully, making sure that he understood what he was reading. This time, he spent much longer, carefully weighing every word. He didn't even notice the smoke filling the room.

Finally, he looked up. "I am ready to continue," he said. He had some questions of his own, but he decided to wait until Leon set the tone for the next portion of the class.

[Minerva]

Leon evidently seemed impressed about the fact that Mordeneb had been able to read through the articles so quickly, but quickly dismissed that notion with an abrupt puff of his pipe. Leaning forward in his seated position sent the smoke spiralling backwards as a result of the motion, although Leon paid them not a care as he deigned his student with a wide sort of grin. It seemed as though he had caught Mordeneb’s initial disappointment in response to his answer, and had only just taken this into account, a wry glint permeating the relative dullness of his eyes as he spoke again.

“Tell you what. Lay aside that book for the time being, and we’ll take a few steps back. The Annarian Code. You asked how it would be applied in times like this, what with Julos and the events in Alleria Prime. I gave you my answer, but now I’d like you to try and answer it for yourself. Take into account the Code, and tell me how you think it should be applied.”

Another hefty puff on his pipe, and Leon straightened his posture once more, tapping the side of the device with one finger, eyes still resting on the form of his pupil in a mild state of intent dashed with amusement.

“There really is no right or wrong answer here, Mordeneb; I’d merely like you’re opinion. This should be a good exercise for your mind in terms of where the Law is concerned.”

It may have seemed like a somewhat scattered thing to do, reverting to something they had just learned in favour to plunging on ahead, but Leon had set his own task to Mordeneb now, and he desired for it to be answered.