shellphones | [Open] A Bit of Rabble Rousing

Type: Text
Sender ID: Anonymous
To: Public
Subject: Check it out!
Warnings: Descriptions of dead bodies, unjust imprisonment.

(The text is anonymous: Sidestep has no desire to attract the attention of corrupt, pissed off paladins.)

So that field of flowers the Paladins have... beautiful, right? Real romantic. Absolutely perfect place to bring a date if you're one of the privileged few allowed to visit Elah, though if you aren't you needn't worry, I've taken plenty of pictures for you.

(And as stated, there are a bunch of images attached to this post!

The rotting body of a man. His facial features are no longer recognizable but the layers of rags that still cling to the bloated corpse suggest a life of poverty and struggle. Around him, Emberblooms blossom in a stunning array of fiery oranges and deep purples.

A badly mangled body. The Emberblooms surrounding it are like gems made of pure fire.

This one is an awkwardly angled shot of the smashed up remains of a person's skull. In addition to the blooms growing around it, a single scarlet flower is sprouting up through an eye socket.

In this one, the flowers are starting to overtake a shallow and poorly dug grave. A curled hand lies uncovered. It looks like it's been picked at by scavenging birds.

A blurry closeup of some dirty and bloodstained rags trapped among a patch of Emberbloom flowers of a stunning shade of royal purple.

A paladin guard standing near a patch of flowers. Among the flowers, bones can be seen.

A thumb covers part of this picture but it doesn't manage to obscure the body that seems to have been dumped without even a cursory effort to properly bury it, only the stunning array of flowers growing over it acting as cover.

There are more, of course. Dozens upon dozens of photographs of the dead dumped among the sunset fields, corpses in every possible condition and state of decay. Some are blurry, others weirdly focused, and still more are partially blocked by clumsy fingers but one thing seems clear: this had to be the work of multiple individuals.)

I suppose dying for love is a trope for a reason...

But of course, the real sight to see is Dead Kracken Island. Normally a trip there requires one to commit a most grevious crime, but this month the Paladins have been providing trips to their most dreadful of prisons entirely for free! No age or health requirements, the children and the infirm are all welcome to have a stay in a cold cramped cell for an unspecified length of time with terrifying spectres for company!

Wanna enjoy the feeling of having your wrists bound by manacles? What about a nice relaxing period of unconsciousness while you're being transported to the middle of nowhere surrounded by ocean? Maybe you really like not knowing why you've been imprisoned or what your captors intend to do to you? Then go wander innocently through literally any area where Paladins can be found today!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, the casualness of their swooping in and claiming artifacts they tend to keep whatever information they glean off such things for their own. More so if they consider you undesirable to set foot on Elah at all. Shit luck if you're a Corair interested in helping out there.

But that's politics, isn't it?

[Stated so very dryly, but-]

Of course, more along these lines? I doubt anyone around at the time can forget the Paladin Guard higher up that was behind the mass Corsair arrests and mass executions without trial. Didn't even do anything, just existed as a Corsair.

At least some from the group deemed it only fair that the man's pay go to the families of those that were killed.

Typical.

(No better than the corporate overlords at home, really. Just in this case it's circumstances of birth and alliance instead of wealth used to gatekeep knowledge.)

How magnanimous. Tell me, was the man punished for his crimes? Or was he simply put on permanent leave or transferred somewhere out of the public eye?

Far too many can't see the shades of gray.

[Wasn't simply black and white, after all. Even knowing there was a number of Corsair that would be more than happy to keep anything found for themselves and sell off to the highest bidder. Some of the Paladin really did mean what they said as well, and those were the ones he was far more willing to cut some slack; offer some ways out as well.

Could likely hear the hum from his side.]

Stripped of all rank and arrested, which is another reason his pay went towards those families his little campaign hit. Again, this was due to the outrage from those knew and lower ranking amongst the Paladins- and a few of the Corsair who could sneak in to vote as well.

Still a pity they didn't drag the man behind a ship, but I do hope he's still rotting in chains and not being held lightly on community service. Should have a life of that, and watched carefully.

Of course it's a Paladin in a Paladin jail, wasn't it?

Indeed.

(Hilariously, some of their favorite people are Paladins.)

Perhaps someone ought to check up on his living situation.

If anyone outside of those higher-ups knew where he was supposedly being kept, anyway.

If he is still living.

For all we know he could be amongst those flowers these days.

Could be that they're ensuring no one puts him beneath the flowers by hiding his wherabouts... but that seems a little naive to just assume, hm?

If they did dispose of him, it seems clear he's unlikely to be missed...

Would likely have to be a Paladin to ask, if they'd even get those answers.

All the same, with the flowers you at least get the sense if they needed these bodies? They'd be wrapped up in the little legend about them, but either way it's clear it's something hidden; recent or not.

I doubt any low ranking Paladins would get an answer to that question.

And it also seems an awful long way to cart Corsair bodies just to hide them. Especially when there's an ocean to sink them in.

I think we need a botanist to look at them.

The only way to get answers at times is to make someone in power fear they will lose it; either by their reputation being in danger, or they see some active threat. If they don't see an easy way to be rid of it, at least.

A wide and deep ocean, and likely so many animals that could make a body easily disappear. Likely even the bones.

If one would be allowed near them, I agree.

Perhaps instead a sampling of flowers and the soil they grow in could be brought to the botanist?

Could always work, because soil plays as much the part as the actual plant itself. What's there for it to feed on.

Maybe get some that likely has no bodies mixed in the sampling, too.

Just need to find a botanist, I guess.

(Turo might be able to help but they're not sure they want to drag him into this, especially when they've already hurt him.)

Might manage to with the amount of people from various worlds.

Yeah.

[Open] A Bit of Rabble Rousing

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