The Trial Continues

Even Helatrax stumbled a bit fully expecting this mortal to deny killing his peers and denying the will of his creator all for his personal gain. What mortal would freely admit to such before this host of divine figures? A lunatic that's who! The human God frowned staring at the relaxed looking kobold before waving his hand, the image of Xing Lei standing defiant before a looming Destorianaxe was dispelled and replaced by an open plain. The initial journey of the trio into the lands of the pantherfolk took shape, the beating of the orc thug, his personal journey to find a treasure. Instead he tricked the genie into granting self serving wishes that ultimately destroyed the djinn. The treasure dis-stabilized the region as the orcs turned on Turk for the lust of wealth.

Ultimately the dwarves would reclaim the outpost, murdering the scores of inhuman who first owned the area placing the old dwarf Ottar as regional lord. While the Dwarven god nodded in satisfaction at the end result, Helatrax cried out, "After abandoning your tribe you journeyed into the wild plains, you assaulted one of the recognized personages of the outpost and when asked to repay your debts you betrayed your host! Let alone such a shameful thing being done you used a wish to pervert the nature of our world, thanks to that countless mortals across the continents lost their lives to beasts who suddenly grew mighty in no time. This selfish wish was purely to fuel your own powers granted to you by outside forces! Do you deny this mortal?!"

Xing Lei yawned and shook his head, it was hard to deny this but alot of the charges were questionable in the self. Even Umelix was staring at Helatrax like the man had grown a second head for implying that letting the orcs maintain their bandit hold over the region would have been the 'proper' thing to do. "I do not deny turning on Turk and uplifting Ottar by byproduct. He named me dwarf friend so I'm all the less likely to deny aiding a friend. As for the wish, that's what they're for are they not? So the world changed? Suck it up, be better or die. That's the way the world worked originally right? When you lot drop an earthquake on a region are you held accountable for the lives lost to a disaster? So yes, I'm guilty as you claim. Bring it on."

Gritting his teeth Helatrax snarled, "Then there was the fall of the Ironhand kingdom, you aided Quellia's spawn in destroying the royal family! Now humans of the region are slaves to my sister Estrelie's children. By allowing Queen Silvertree's ambition to go unchecked the elves risk becoming a deviant race as wicked as their dark seeking cousins! Even worse, you aided those foul drow by sharing your obscene powers with them now the rulers of Cheth Rrihinn have impossible strength that grows with every passing day! Do you deny aiding in the destruction of a noble kingdom and the empowerment of evil?!"

Xing Lei seemed to arch one of his ridged eyebrows, "And here I thought old king Ironhand was in league with the drow first? After all he did help enslave Alustriea's people before I ever arrived. As for empowering the drow... sure I taught them a trick that would ensure they can never leave their caves, sure they got stronger but from what I hear drow already mopped the floor with surface races anyways, better a power that they can only use to destroy themselves than some fool noble who thought he could trust them right? So yeah, guilty here too I guess."

The gods could see the mocking look in the kobold's eyes as he regarded the human war God, even his own pantheon were starting to wonder about their patrons goals. Everything he thus far accused the kobold of was something countless other mortals had done over the years, why had they never warranted this tribunal of the three pantheons? Tyrix was in stitches watching his counterpart being mocked by a mortal. As much as the mortal had been a thorn in his side the demon god had to admit watching him admit to being guilty of being a self serving mortal - like every other mortal on the planet - was making Tyrix laugh himself in stitches .

Helatrax was not amused. Listening to Tyrix laugh while his own pantheon started to question his reasoning was pushing all of the war god's buttons. The fact the mortal in question just stared up at him like some sort of dancing monkey made the god's eyes spark red, the aura of divine bloodlust seemed to drip from between his tightly clenched teeth. Waving his hand the mirror shifted again, an ivory tower, a mad demon and an enslaved woman of great power. Helatrax sneered.

"We are no strangers to outsiders. Our creation has been plagued by the seeds of chaos from our forefathers for millenia. This mortal is only the latest. In the early days of recognizing this infection, we, in our infinite wisdom converted one such seed to police further people through a sanctified organization. The Heavenly Rose sect. This organization brought in outsiders to deal with the chaotic elements that could not be reigned in."

The war god strode back and forth before the rail explaining the history of what was being shown. The demon had enslaved a high elder of this organization which had admittedly lost its way. In recent years it had been growing in power to serve itself rather than be the world's babysitters. This elder was trapped and abused before Xing Lei arrived to free her from her captivity. "Thanks to this mortal the wayward Heavenly Rose sect is again lost! The treacherous elder is once again making it a force for herself rather than to police mortals like him on the mortal plane! Do you the guilty deny dealing with the demon to purchase things for your own rise to power and the cost of another? All the while working to free this greater threat to our creation?!"

Xing Lei gaped at the god, what was the charge this time? Not aiding the woman like some saint or for having a hand in her freedom? Shaking his head the kobold looked at the mirror, "I do not deny I tricked that foolish heart demon, nor do I deny knowing that she was a powerful force, but if she's such a massive threat why is she not here, but I am?"

Many gods turned to look at Helatrax, the mortal had a point. If this woman was a bigger threat why not do this for her? Tyrix was rubbing his jaw then narrowed his eyes looking at his counter part across the way before yelling out, "The whore is your daughter isn't she?! That's why you don't put her on trial like this one!"

Things seemed to fall into place there. Many gods turned to gaze at Helatrax as the finer points of the accusations were given new perception. Had Xing Lei bowed to Destorianaxe and let things be would she and her brood have had the strength to win the recent trial the Dragon God put the dragons through? While she naturally amassed forces without this mortals aid, her people were a middling level force compared to Palathinarious and Galdraniae....

If the orcs had stayed in power in the plains the pantherfolk would eventually unite and become a true threat to the continent, especially if they had found the djinn and worse, freed it! By allowing the Dwarven reclaiming of the region the pantherfolk would never rise to prominent position. Likewise with Ironhand, had Xing Lei not dethroned the human kingdom, the drow would have backed a human puppet to keep both elves and dwarves hard pressed to ever leave their homelands, they would be caged from all sides.

This trial was never about an outsider causing chaos in their domain, this trial was about a mortal screwing with Helatrax's plans! The pantherfolk, the humans of Ironhand, the organization called the Heavenly Rose sect were all factors belonging to the war god who kept a death grip on the continent. On the mainland, while he was the lead figure of the Council of Light, he was more a minor god worshipped in times of war. Yet if those forces had come out ahead he would have been empowered from a continent of worshippers focused on HIM.

Halatrax frowned looking at the dark gazes of this fellow pantheon members, even Sandril and Damak were squirming under the accusing looks as both were obviously in the war god's pocket. The halfling looked at Halatrax and whimpered, "Boss...."

"Shut up Sandril!" Halatrax snarled before looking around at the some score other gods. "Fine, my plan is undone. It is as you surmise, I've been growing my own court. That does not change the fact that this outsider has disrupted all our plans! I had hoped to sate all our intents through this path but since we can do away with the smoke and mirrors, none will object if I end this piece of shit here and now!" Growling displaying a speed that a man in plate should not possess, the war god had a foot on the rail and had launched himself from his gallery, a huge bastard sword grasped in his two fists bringing the shining blade down overhead towards Xing Lei.

If the god expected the kobold to die just like that he was sorely mistaken. The shining spear was once again in Xing Lei's hands raised to deflect the powerful swing of the enraged war god. The shining blade fell against the mortal weapon like a meteorite, the metal haft not even resisting for a moment before being cut through similar to a hot knife through butter. That fraction of a delay did allow Xing Lei to twist away, the edge of the blade scraping his chest opening up a bloody but shallow cut from breast to waist... but a far preferable end to being split from crown to groin!

Staggering away as he twisted, Xing Lei felt his blood running down his chest as Halatrax straightened himself. A casual swish of the bastard sword discarded the foul mortal blood from its edge. The galleries above had erupted in conflict as well. Those that had sided with Halatrax moved to block those that stood directly opposed or the fence sitters who waited to benefit from the opposed sides. Spells and blades crossed path like mini super novas above as the godly host finally shed the pretense of being higher beings above mortal conflict.

To the typical mortal gods are shining examples of the world, but this was only their public face. Each and every one of the pantheon had been a mortal at some point. Its what Damak had accused Xing Lei of in fact. In ages past, they were mortals aided by outsiders to cast out the first powers, their forefathers, the true masters of the world. They merely deposed and took over. Damak had thought Xing Lei was a similar plot by those fore fathers staging a return, how could they know the fore father gods simply didn't care?

Honestly who wanted to stay the manager of a chaotic world forever? The original godly beings let Halatrax and company have their little victory so the true gods could relax, sit back and enjoy the show, occasionally throwing curve balls into the mix like Xing Lei when ever one pantheon or another tried to edge out the competition. Honestly? One god in charge if everything? That would be boring!

Such it was that someone threw the monkey wrench that was Xing Lei into the engine of the world and was roaring in delight as his pawn turned the entire godly pantheon upside down. There hadn't been a grand godly war in eons! Finally the three forces were intermixed and at each other like rabid dogs! But this was all immaterial. For the existing players, one god and his cronies were edging them out, thus it would be war as Halatrax strided towards Xing Lei, preparing to end the lynch pin of all this chaos...