lordfisch wrote:

Whispri wrote: Hero of Shadows wrote: Your post seems to ignore every action GK has taken in the MK up until the fight itself, [snip perfectly valid points] but that does not mean that GK should not be prosecuted.



I'm not involved in law or law enforcement in any way so if anybody else on this forum is please correct my analogy but if there's a fight between two gangs and once the police arrives they can only arrest members from one gang, that the second gang gets off free does not mean that the first gang's members should be released.



Even if the police is typing the conflict so that the second gang wins, the first gang still needs to be prosecuted.

Those were Hamster's crimes - and Wanda wasn't on trial for them. And you forget that the barbarians were hostile towards Gobwin Knob long before any of that happened, they were outraged when Wanda bonded with the pliers. But never mind that, I think this update (and others prior) made it pretty clear that the barbarians break their own rules routinely and said rules are mostly for other people. Those were Hamster's crimes - and Wanda wasn't on trial for them. And you forget that the barbarians were hostile towards Gobwin Knob long before any of that happened, they were outraged when Wanda bonded with the pliers. But never mind that, I think this update (and others prior) made it pretty clear that the barbarians break their own rules routinely and said rules are mostly for other people.

Yea, this. I obviously don't forget all the things Parson/GK did that peeved the MK off beforehand, but those aren't the things this trial is about, at least the pretense isn't about that.



The problem with your analogy is that the free casters in the MK aren't the police; they don't (or shouldn't) have any authority over whether sided casters -- who live in, work in, and affect the course of the "real" world -- live or die. The MK isn't a utopia, it doesn't have a higher moral authority, and it doesn't play in the geopolitical sphere of the rest of Erfworld. It's a utility drawer that sides can stick their hands in and shuffle around in if they feel like it. It's the sides that determine whether the barbarian casters of the MK live or die, not the other way around. This is like the vegetable peeler and apple corer got sick of one of your fingers and chopped off your arm.



(I may have strong opinions on the reach of the MK's power...) Yea, this. I obviously don't forget all the things Parson/GK did that peeved the MK off beforehand, but those aren't the things this trial is about, at least the pretense isn't about that.The problem with your analogy is that the free casters in the MK aren't the police; they don't (or shouldn't) have any authority over whether sided casters -- who live in, work in, and affect the course of the "real" world -- live or die. The MK isn't a utopia, it doesn't have a higher moral authority, and it doesn't play in the geopolitical sphere of the rest of Erfworld. It's a utility drawer that sides can stick their hands in and shuffle around in if they feel like it. It's the sides that determine whether the barbarian casters of the MK live or die, not the other way around. This is like the vegetable peeler and apple corer got sick of one of your fingers and chopped off your arm.

Government in Erfworld isn't quite like our real world, because individuals have both direct controlling power over others by orders and contracts, and by the absolute individual power of abilities. Especially casters.The MK is a meritocracy, sort of like the Bat Pack in TV. Quorums of the Qualified make all key decisions for the MK. They are the law, just as rulers and chiefs are the law for sides. The TV mafia analogy is very strong here. Only those actually "made" by merit have any authority in the MK. Each Class of magic has its own council, but they work together by mutual recognition of Qualified status.It seems to me that the barbarian residents of the MK are first and foremost interested in what happens in the MK. To keep its residents safe, and enforce the unwritten law of traditional peace between all in the MK.GK and Charlie violated that peace. The trial of Wanda gives the MK leaders the authority to lock both sides out, and restore peace and order to their kingdom. From their POV, they are doing the right and necessary thing. No "real world" side has any authority or power over the MK.Not yet, anyway. GK threatens to bring war to the MK itself. War isn't about what is legal or even just. It all comes down to who holds the real balance of power to act.Wanda's escape would definitely ruin the outcome of the trial, if she gets away and can retain and expand a sided force within the MK. With Parson's help, who knows what she could do?