The Council room was ruled by silence, even the energy of the old guard was sapped, well…. Except for Mal but he could read the mood of the room. He understood that the others seemed to view him as a senile old fool, and so opening his mouth would accomplish little to nothing at this point. So mal just sat down in his chair and stewed in his indignity, he really did not care for these new weak chiefs or that pompous Zal. He was okay with gray-fist though but… He would rather not listen to anything the brute would have to offer.
So silence continued for a good few minutes before finally a demon whose horns appeared to have been broken off and had a symbol branded into his cheek built up the courage to speak. He carefully stood up and took a few shaky breath and then spoke "I believe… I think our problem here is that we are lacking in information. What do we truly know of the situation? That the Margrave is dead and the inquisitors have begun to move again. That is all we know to be confirmed, the rest is mere speculation on shaky evidence.
So I propose that….we…we send out some people to scout out the situation and gather more information." The demon's voice was shaky and uncertain.
The sapped Zal looked around the room and could see that the majority of the members were nodding their heads in agreement even the brute Gray-fist. It seems some of the tension and gloominess let up a bit. Zal Not even bothering to get up from his chair, he let out a exasperated sighed and then begun to speak. "And how perchance do you propose to do that…. I'm not saying it's bad idea but it's just…. We don't really have the strength send out scouting parties… We can't afford to lose any good men in the state were in….. And anyways if we do send them out if there lost we will not learn anything." Zal words struck a chord with the Council yet again, and the pessimism returned as fast as it had started to let up.
The hornless demon was still standing took a few more breaths to calm his unsteady nerve before he responded. "Well I propose that we send a trade caravan… Into the roughlands, even if they are lost it can provide us…. With valuable information on the situation over there." The hornless demon's response seemed to shake the rest of the Council out of the gloominess for second. Instead of agreement or disagreement the many councilmembers a single look on their face that was of 'are you fucking stupid'
Mal stood up from his chair his legs shaking somewhat that came with the toll of age. " What kind of proposal is that! Are you an idiot has the time as a slave warped your mind! What could be possibly accomplished from sending a trade caravan into those disgusting pinks skins lands! All you would be doing is sending people to the slaughter or to be enslaved!" Mal like he had done to zal, he berated the hornless demon.
" as much as I hate to agree with mal… he is right i can't see what sending a trade caravan can possibly accomplish…. I mean seriously that would just be sending our people to the enemy to be lambs to the slaughter." as zal spoke he shook his head in irritation and disagreement, his voice still sapped but bit of energy coming back.
" AYE I TOO CAN'T SEE DA F'ING POINT EITHER!" Gray-fist nodded his head in agreement with Mal and zal, his voice as incoherent as ever. Is quite clear to the entire Council that the hornless demons proposal was idiotic to say the least, and confirming this fact was that the entire old guard came to the same conclusion and concurred.
The hornless demon on the other hand just looked around the Council with a look of disbelief on his face as he just realized something…" None of you know, do you?… I was sure that you would've known… I didn't think this would be common knowledge among the rank and file but… The Chiefs… I Thought you would all at like least know." The disbelief had overtaken the Hornets demons lack of confidence, he was just shaking his head in disbelief as he spoke.
The other members of the Council looked at him confused, what didn't they know? Before one of the old guard could speak, another one of the new members stood up suddenly and asked the question. This chieftess, had long straight horns and long flowing silver locks sprouting from her skull. Her frame and build although more feminine was still bulky like that of Gray-fist. Her skin was that of a lighter red and it too was covered in scars. Although you could not see many of them for she was wearing a large shaggy pelt coat.
"what is it that we don't know?" Her voice betraying her desperate need for the answer, the hornless demon must know something, something they can get the ball rolling; some information that is critical… Or at least that's she had hoped. This same hope seemed to be portrayed on many of the councilmembers faces.
The stares of the councilmembers unnerved the hornless demon somewhat but he still spoke "errr… Well you see the Margrave, the person you called the butcher… Well… He made a decree known as… 'the dissolution of chattel and recognition of personhood'… He made this decree over… 30 years ago…it..it outlawed the slave trade and instilled in law the personhood of quote 'demons'… the decree made it so our people were legally recognized… as equals to humans.. From a legal standpoint, in the roughlands it was illegal to own a person… That included our people… Shortly after he defeated our King… He made a second decree this one was called 'the recognition of the conquest of the demon lands'… In this he enshrined in law that the quote 'demon lands' the name the humans gave for our homeland… As being part of the roughlands in all the people who lived in these lands to be given a full pardon and…. Be made citizens of the roughlands…. The Margrave…he… From a legal standpoint in the roughlands we actually free to travel anywhere… And anyone who attacks us would be committing a crime… Unless it was in self-defense..." The hornless demon spoke his voice trailing off near the end.
Plastered on the faces of all the councilmembers was disbelief. If what this hornless demon was saying was true. They could quite literally just send that trade caravan in and from a legal standpoint the humans would not be allowed to touch them… Actually the inquisitors, who have been attacking them if what the hornless demon was saying was true, are committing a crime.
mal yet again stood from his chair and glared at the hornless demon, his old eyes filled with rage. "The time as a slave has warped your mind hasn't! They made you into a damn pet for you to believe such nonsense! How can that possibly true, why would the butcher who butchered so many of us and killed our King treat us as equals! He is just like any other pink skinned human, he is a disgusting and vile thing!" The say the least mal didn't believe what the hornless demon was saying at all, instead he was enraged believing that the hornless demon is lying to them.
Many of the members of the Council simply did not believe what the hornless demon said and nodded their heads in agreement with the belligerent mal. But Zal unlike the others, well he was incredulous. Zal didn't out rate throw out the notion. He got up from his seat finally and with his brow furrowed in thought, he open his mouth to speak. "how? How do you know this? Now well what you said does seem possible to me …highly unlikely but possible. So tell us how you know if this while we don't." The five other members Council nodded their heads in agreement wanted to know how the hornless demon knows this.
The hornless demon for his part swallowed a lump of saliva before he spoke "well… I know this… I learned this …when I was freed from slavery… I didn't escape…I was freed by roughlander guards… The humans church at the time owned to me… And they were transporting me through the roughland to cut down on time… There were going to send me to work on constructing a new church bordering the roughland… But when they entered the town to restock on supplies…. The guards there surrounded the caravan and started arrest the caravan guards and church members….
They of course were resisting and demanding what crime they were committing…. One of the guards brought out 2 pieces of paper and started to read them off…. It was the decrees I was talking about… The guard then proceeded to tell them that the crimes they committed was owning slaves as well as kidnapping roughland citizens… there was a struggle but they beat down the caravan guards and church members and change them up… They seem to take a great deal of pleasure in doing so as well… After that they undid all the slaves restraints… divvied out…. The caravan's property to the slaves… And in our tongue they told us that they didn't want us here and to fuck off…
I don't know why none of you don't know any of this…but I can only assume that's it's just because…. Most of us who are enslaved rather not talk about such things…." The hornless demon spoke his voice quiet and meek near the end
The first one to speak was of course mal. " do not spout such lies! Humans freed you!? Absolute utter nonsense!" mal tried to put as much force as he could in his old voice. He was becoming tired of what he believed were lies.
But all the other councilmembers had looks of skepticism; the story would explain how the hornless demon knew this information but… They still didn't believe it, the ramifications of what the hornless demon's claim well, they were radical. It would mean that the butcher was actively protecting them, such a notion was insane. The members of the Council, except for mal, could easily understand that the butcher wasn't genocidal, that much was a given considering the fact that they were not all dead.
But it was another thing entirely to believe that the butcher, a man who killed countless numbers of their people was protecting them and there really wasn't any other way to interpret it. The butcher hadn't tried to it assert his dominance over their people making them pay tribute or serve in his armies. There was no benefit other than maybe bragging rights for the butcher, so that would have to mean that's the butcher's actions were motivated not by the greed of a conqueror… But the desires of a guardian.
zal stood yet again to speak, the furrow not yet gone from his brow. "mal will you shut it, while I'll admit I have not been acting the most appropriate. But at least I've been contributing; you on the other hand just keep berating people. So unless you have something actually constructive to say can you keep your damn mouth shut!" zal's words filled with irritation as he glared at mal. He never did have a high opinion of mal, but what's little goodwill he did have towards him was quickly fading.
Zal then turned his head to look at the hornless demon. " Now your story would explain how you've how you learned of this information. How do we confirm it? Now while I would rather not question your word, nor of your testimony but… What you claim well… It's not something that can be easily believed, Even if I believe it is within possible." The harshness in his voice they had used for mal wasn't there when he spoke to the hornless demon.
The other members of the Council turned her head towards hornless demon again, they too wanted to know how do they confirm his story. The hornless demon just stood there paralyzed, the pressure had finally got to him. He was never truly fit to be a chief, and he never actually wanted to be the chief of his tribe. He was more used to taking orders than giving them, after all that's what the majority of his lifetime consisted of taking orders from the ones who owned him. But unfortunately for this poor demon he was the chief and seemingly his tribe was happy with him.
So the minutes passed with nothing but soon became clear to the Council that the hornless demon wasn't about to speak. As mal was preparing to speak again, most likely to yell at the hornless demon; Gray-fist pounded his fist on the table and spoke " YE AN'T GOING TO TULK ARE YE, WELL YE DO SEEM TO HAVE AN WEAK NEAV" Gray-fist nodded his head as he spoke, he did feel bad for the hornless demon. It was pretty clear from the moment the hornless demon spoke that he lacked confidence and was meek of character.
Yet again just before mal was going to speak, Gray-fist interrupted seemingly knowingly "WELL, WE CA'N JUST AS'K ANY F'ING FUKER WHO WER SLAVE'S. IF WHAT YE SAY IS TRU I'M BET DAR MORE LIKE YE.SOME OF DAE WILL HAVE DA SAME TEL." As like the times before the councilmembers couldn't understand Gray-fist's dialect.
zal let out a sigh as he braced his hands against the table and stood up "allow me to translate, basically what Gray-fist just said. Is that if what zen is true, then other people of ours who has been slaves to the humans, should have similar stories as zen's; Essentially we will be able to corroborate his claim. Now I must say this is a very good point…
In actual fact I think this could be a good source of information going forward; as those who have been enslaved by the humans should know of some information that could prove useful in providing context. Now I believe the objective we should be currently striving for is…well like what Zen had said obtaining information. Now do we have a consensus on that?" Zal looked around the Council seeing if they approved… And seeing their nods of approval as well as the lack of any outcries; it would be fair to say that they are in agreement.
Finally the gloominess that had had its grip over the Council had started to faded somewhat… They finally had some direction.