#sosm

Summary: A look into another time line where Ego never came to Earth and instead Yondu had changed Meredith’s life.

Characters: Meredith Quill, Yondu Udonta

Warnings: some violence, but nothing graphic.

My entry for @yonduweek.  I was just gonna post this large as heck thing for the last day only (AU) but there are elements of all the prompts in this. I wanted to break it up to be easier to read because 20 pages is just too much for me to expect people to swallow.

Also on A03  

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The morning is cold and bleak, with a dry wind stirring up the thin layer of frost covering the grounds of Bofkasmaur- the first real sign that winter is upon the lands. Waking up in unfamiliar lodgings, the Mudwangs shift with groans and cracks, the vestiges of their battle last night under the grounds of Academy with Huon Hurrard and his infernal minions. As their memories return, they recall having escaped the mines with Rinna to her shop, though not all of the party made the return journey...

Over tea and biscuits, Rinna's caretakers thank you for returning the girl, though from where the men did not fully explain, glossing over the severity of the trouble she was in. Nevertheless, the couple understood she had once again found herself in trouble, a common reoccurence for the students amongst her classmates and her teachers. Though they'd hoped the academic setting would help the girl find discipline and control, Vax counseled that too much structure for a free spirit such as herself might be fighting who she really is. He offered to counsel and advise the girl, for which her Mum and Uncle were happy to accept.

---

The peeling of the morning bells a short while later reminded the men that the final judgement for Shakan Bake and Elder Gikandi remained to be uttered. Despite their frustration with losing Rucker of the Blacktails- yet again- the men swore to find a solution after seeing through the end of the trial.After enjoying a humble breakfast and some coffee, the morning bells toll, and the four men make their way back once more to the Conservatory of the Archives, where the final sentence will be uttered shortly. You realize you didn’t see Larrius in the pits last night, and wonder what state he'll might be this morning following his attempted abduction.

Taerus tarries a moment outside the Tower of the Archives as the others enter. Finding a familiar bench and tree where he'd counseled Shakan some days before, he summons his spiritual other, Ayeres. Using words and thoughts, they reconnect and rediscover their linkage. Ayeres had been locked away, within the soldier, perhaps by choice, perhaps as a defense, to help protect themselves from the dark magic of the Emcee's inferno. Like a scar, it had kept them sealed until Huon's cursed minion reopened the wound, and Ayeres was able to fully escape. Not much for sentimentality, both human and hylgee quietly relished their reuinifcation, and Taerus dismissed her form easily, knowing that he could summon her easily again.

Making their way through familiar halls, the warriors saw more friendly and supportive faces than they'd remember. Entering the domed Council room, the seats were filled with students, insturctor's, and townsfolk alike- the magnitude of this trial has spread across the land. Elder Gikandi is pleased to see the group return, however diminished. With Rat still recovering in the medical bay of ConsMyst, and Rucker lost in the destruction below, Taerus is dour despite Gikandi's assurances that everything happens for a reason, even if those answers are unbeknownst at the time.

The gavel bangs, the audience rises to their feet, and Vincardo Dalakas, Mid-Gothi Worowo, and a tussle-haired Larry Dennit walk out. Larry is wearing thick-set glasses, and his normally pristine robes are a bit tossled, but it seems to be him. Without much formality, the leader of the tribunal reads a preapred statement that excuses Gikandi of any culpability, and will be reinstated as acting Elder at his earliest desire.

After a brief celebration from the audience and the defense, Larry continues with the sentence that does find Shakan at least partially guilty for the aftermath of Goldsands, even though his actions were in self-defense. As punishment, the genasi's status as acolyte was terminated, and he was given a choice- to either accept complete exile from the Academy and it's resources and inhabitants, or to accept a 6 month term as temporary-instructor in residence at Bofkasmaur, under Gikandi's further guidance.

While the group celebrated at this blessing-as-punishment, Shakan nevertheless asked for a 24 hour window to decide on his fate. The Tribunal accepted, and with a final *Bang* the Trial was concluded. Amidst shoulder pats, hugs, and cries around, Shakan caught Larrius's tired eyes and the two men, former rivals, shared a brief, respectful head nod. Their previous enmities moved on, if not completely forgotten, the Mudwangs leave without much celebration to try and recover their lost ally.

However, the earthquake had not gone unnoticed, and by the time they'd returned to the mine shaft at the Conservatory of Innovation, an excavation team had already sealed off the entrance due to the instabilities of the mines. The dwarven excavation leader explained the mines were unstable and dangerous, and no one was allowed to enter. Despite their insistence, the group was denied access and they left to brainstorm how they might return to Rucker's crypt.

---

Rucker awakens in snow. Odd, considering his last memories were of a stony maw closing around him deep underground. But as he took in his surroundings, he found himself in a snow-covered vale, familiar to him as the remaining skulls around his neck- it was his tribe's ancestral home in the Blacktails. Everything was as it was before Balefroar's arrival: the village stood, the men were chopping down ironwood trees, the children were being tended to, and the Stag Mountain still watched in the distance.

Making his way towards his village, still clad in battered armor and wearing Yvram's bracelet along wit his other tokens gathered, Rucker was shocked to see his father and mother directing a logging crew in erecting a new communal yurt. Without questioning it, he quickly lent his mighty strength to the project, and for some time was lost to the chores and familiar goliath work-songs he'd grown up with.

Finally, he reunited with his parents, whom explained that he had done them and the tribe great honor by fighting for their spirits. And by dying bravely in defending others, he'd earned a spot in the goliath afterlife. However, as he considered this offer, he looked down and realized he still held the Dust of Resurrection Gikandi had gifted him the night before.

His parents offered him a set of choices- to finally rest and join them here in the mountains of the sky with his tribe, or to return to material realm. However, in returning he would make yet another decision- to return as he was with the liches curse still poisoning his soul or to return whole, albeit without the power his first death had granted him. Without a second thought, Rucker chose to return a free goliath, knowing that he would be reunited with his family someday unburdened by the curse of the lich.

---

As the sun set in the distance, silhouetting the Stag Mountain and the plains around Bofkasmaur, the Mudwangs considered their next steps- stay at the Academy to fill out Shakan's sentence? Leave as exiles and try to aid Marhsall Trest and the possible uprising at Fort Indominus? Root out the dark plots surrounding Pol and the Bloodwoods? Continue their apprenticeship as knights of the League of Terror Vigilant? Ensure the Queen of Sweets'' spores that had inhabited Rat hadn't somehow spread amongst the student body at the Academy?

All these questions rattled Vax, Shakan, and Taerus' thought-cages when suddenly a glowing portal appeared in front of them, and a man unrecognizable yet familiar passed through. Guided by a pack of flitting flower-fairies, Rucker Reborn rejoined the Mudwangs, yet again. With pristine armor and garb, the goliath took off his tortued helm to show a healthy, un-cursed face. With a great smile, he shared how he'd been able to survive the Demons jaws, and his faewild protectors had transported him to safety as his body healed.

With little fanfare, the Mudwangs made their way to the Tower of the Archives, where the men would help Elder Gikandi in mounting a defense for himself, and by proxy, Shakan Bake. A small crowd had gathered at the tall building, where they were welcomed and observed by several different groups, including some of their friends. Rinna encouraged them with homemade signs; Syster Odiminn offered a prayer; and Throfung gave Shakan a heart well wish. After passing through the magic detectors and given a space to leave their armor and weapons, the Mudwangs spent several minutes in quiet contemplation before being ushered into the Hall of Truth. 

Inside, they took in a circular, two-tiered courtroom with dappled light filtering through high, narrow windows. Opposite the lower public seating area (with accompanying balcony platforms above) stood a tall judges bench, not dissimilar from the shape of the Maur itself. With spots for 3 justices, the bench curved in a U-form, the horn-like ends pointing to a stone bench put between them. This is where much of the action of the next few days would take place. Several paces behind the witness stand were a pair of firm, heavy tables. Behind one of them, Inspector Mündur and his legal team were preparing their documents for the upcoming proceedings. Rat led the way to the other bench, where the Mudwangs made themselves comfortable and continued to mentally steady themselves.

Soon a blast of horns announced the entrance of the three justices: Elder Vinkardo Dallakas of Virtuosity, Elder Mid-Gothi Worowo of the Mystics, and finally Elder Larrius Dennith, the Younger of the Archives, and ultimate overseer of the trial. As their assistants prepared their Zone of Truth spells and the court attendants closed the doors to the outside world, Larry banged his gavel and began the proceedings with a short speech explaining the format and intent of the trial- to establish the damage and effect to Bøfkasmaur Academy from Shakan’s trip to Goldsands Harbour and the ensuing damage to it’s Library. Given Shakan’s prolonged absence following the fire, Elder Gikandi assumed responsibility and would be the one being held up for the final verdict. 

Larry opened the floor for opening statements, and Inspector Mündur approached the bench. The well-dressed half-orc began ith a straightforward indictment of Elder Gikandi’s well-intentioned but ultimately maligned judgement in sending a favorite pupil unprepared into the world at large. Shakan’s irresponsible actions while pursuing a project of questionable merit and import negatively affected Gikandi’s time and standing, as well as diverted funds and attention from other more promising students. All of these factors, in addition to Shakan’s dissapearance after the fire proved not only his culpability but also the lack of character that shown exceedingly poorly on Gikandi’s judgement as an Elder. Rat took to this unusual stage but performed with aplomb, painting a picture of a young man who had gone into the world and acted with honor and integrity, perhaps not wholly owing to the Academy but certainly as a model student from it. The defense would prove that any damages incurred were a result of self-defense, rather than folly, and he had repeatedly proven himself to be a reputable individual.

Soon after the defense and the prosecution began to call forth an alternating series of witnesses, professional testimony, and interpretive performances. Mündur began by welcoming Sgt. Eracik of the Goldsands Harbour Rectory, who took in Shakan that fateful day. The gnomish officer explained how Shaken seemed intent on staying in the library, wanting to stay after hours, and ultimately it was his quarters where the great fire began. Shakan addressed these accusations by pointing out that while he did start the fire, its as in self defense. The bodies of the attackers, whom the Mudwangs suspected were agents of the Open Hand hired to kill Shakan, were unknown individuals whose names were not in the Rectory ledgers, calling Eracik’s operational effectiveness into question.

For their first address Shakan brought in Mina Dett along with her company of Virtuosity performers. With darkened lights the troupe gave a dramatic and riveting dance performance of Shakan’s journey from childhood (The spark is lit, and yearns for air,) to the separation from his mother (The flame yearns for growth, it cannot sit still,) and his growth in the Academy and mission to learn about his past (As it is fed, the fire will take in aspects of the fuel which feeds it, changing it’s nature.) While some questioned the non-traditional performative aspect of the defense’s start, it nonetheless was a thrilling show.

The prosecution followed with a pair of character witnesses, Cpl. Reinke and Ms. Viora: the former a soldier at the Oxbow Spypost in the Blacktail mountains, the latter the personal assistant to Timber magnate Mordegall Tyldum. The soldier recounted how shortly after arriving at their outpost, at least one of Shakan’s traveling companions began to attack her and others there, and afterwards a large portion of the forest was burning. The secretary shared how on the night of the Fall Harvest Festival, Mr. Tyldum’s offices were attacked and burned to the ground, with her identifying Vax on the defense bench as being in the building at the time of the incident. As it became clear Inspector Mündur was trying to build a pattern of action, the Mudwangs sought to counter these accusations as circumstantial: Shakan (and the Mudwangs) were not party to the actions of Naliq and Srroka, nor could Shakan be pinned to the tower fire having been off at the Fair festivities. 

As the court proceedings continued, other events of import occurred:

- Taerus had set up a string of Alarms to track the movement of Instructor Pøl, but the difficulty of doing so while across campus bore little fruit. 

- Rat was struck ill in the courtroom, retching up thick black juice. Amidst a crowd of concerned onlookers outside, Rucker was able to stabilize the bard. However, the implications over what this festering infection (previously only seen on mission with  the League of Terror Vigilant) meant here at the Academy gave the goliath pause. 

- Thanks to Vax’s efforts, the Mudwangs began to suspect that recent Archives upstart, Huon Hurrard, may be the individual responsible for the attack in Goldsands. Watching him throughout the trial, the heroes were unable to detect any foul play but grew to despise the haughty student’s attitude and mockery of their friend.

- Near the end of the trial, unverified accounts began to be whispered about of an active revolt occurring at Virpresque’s capital, Fort Indominus. These rumors were impossible to verify, though rumors spread rapidly as to whether Duchess Üllans had perished, whether Duke Malcant had initiated the attack, or who was currently in control of the city. 

Finally, the Mudwang’s called their former foe Hallehaig to the stand. Though the Rattlesnake had agreed to assist Shakan and the Mudwangs in the testimony so long as he wasn’t embarrassed or made fun of in exchange for his Poisoned Dagger, animosity was immediately rekindled as Rucker and Taerus tried to frame Hallehaig’s true ambition as genocide. They spent much of their questions focussing on Hallehaig’s character as a murderous sociopath, which he in turn spun as indictments of the Kjollden governance and their part in it. While overall adversarial to these questions, the Rattlesnake did seem to strive to hold Shakan in a positive light. The genasi concluded the questioning, helping to recover a less than ideal witness testimony for the defense. 

The prosecution faced their own challenge when Elder Gikandi was able to genially deflect and reframe Inspector Mündur’s accusations into positives. The tortle likened Shakan’s odd curiosities and proclivities to an adventurer truly seeking the unknown, rather than simply tackling easy assignments or obviously gainful courses. Though he may have been an untraditional student, Gikandi recognized Shakan’s merit and sponsored him as such because he needed it, unlike others who were more easily able to pay or pave their way forward. Shakan spent a moment afterwards to thank his mentor in front of the court, and Elder Gikandi’s again shared how proud he was of his former pupil’s growth.

With the testimonies closed, both parties gave their final statements: Mündur again called into questions Gikandi’s judgement in sending a magically gifted, though unrefined, student into the world, with a history of infernos, accidents, and damages in his wake. All of which, the Inspector reiterated, led poorly to the look and reputation of not only the defendant, but also the Academy itself, which is what the trial was seeking to determine. Supported by the Mudwangs, Shakan’s defense pointed out that his actions over the past several months were in fact a boon to the Academy: producing an expert mage who was able to defend the helpless, defuse racial tensions between the Kjollden and Wevir, and demonstrate the lessons and wisdom he gained from Bøfkasmaur to great effect. If anything, he spread the name of the Academy as a result of his great valor and honor. Before concluding the trial, Larry called upon Shakan a final time, to see whether at this final moment, he would recant any of his testimonies and/or preemptively accept a plea deal for Gikandi in exchange for becoming excommunicated from the Archives and Bøfkasmaur. Shakan would agree only on the terms that Gikandi be fully reinstated.

With the ultimate bang of the gavel, the Trial of Elder Gikandi and Shakan Bake was ended, and the courtroom dispersed. Swarmed by friends and supporters, the Mudwangs took some time to recollect themselves. Rinna offered to surveil the Justices to ensure they weren’t swayed by outside forces and sped off. Odiminn offered supportive prayers and promised that Rat would be seen to by the healer Brother Bruelder. Shakan employed an automaton to return Hallehaig’s dagger to conclude their blood deal. After a time, the men returned to Elder Gikandi’s private quarters to rest, imbibe, and reflect over the past several days.