I've had some interesting conversations of late about a trial that is
supposedly going to happen in Shallam done by Her Patrons involving the
people now refered to as "the bombers". I just want to reiterate a
couple of things to those in Shallam that are holding out hope that this
trial will be the end of the war.
First off, and probably most importantly, even if a guilty verdict is
returned on all involved it changes nothing with the war. Charlotte did
not start the war. Sure it contributed to the climate and tension. But
it was Dresden that started the war. She attacked a soveriegn city as
the leader of another city because she violently opposed that city
exercising its own well posted laws. Thats why we are at war. Charlotte
is basically a puppet in my opinion. Used by Dresden for her own gains.
Why else would someone accused of mass murder against another town be
put into a position of authority? Thats not poor judgement, thats cold
hard calculation.
Secondly its a trial being done in another town completely removed from
the place where the charges were filed by a Patron who is not our
Patron, but yours. This immediately puts you in a rather unfortunate
position. A guilty verdict with a punishment that is not so severe that
it makes even the coldest hearts flinch and Hashan will say that its
nothing but a ploy to try to sate our need for justice. An innocent
verdict and we shrug and say big deal. So while I applaud the effort,
please do not think that this trial will do much to end the state of war
between our two cities unless of course Dresden and Charlotte are found
guilty and exiled. Beyond that, its not really going to mean a whole lot
to us.
And finally, forgive us for being completely jaded on the concept of the
words "Shallam, Charlotte, Trial, and Justice" when they all appear in
the same sentence. We simply do not expect much from this trial. This
isn't any kind of sarcasm, its fact. We were ignored by Dresden for over
a year. Then once the cold war started we were ignored by Ryvern. So our
attitude on this trial is as icy as a Hashanite winter.
Its my hope something good will come from this trial. Maybe not an end,
but a beginning to an end. But my optimism has waned that I will see any
kind of justice done. And yes, I talk of justice. Not revenge. Justice
was our enemying those who broke the laws of Hashan. Vengeance was when
their ringleader swooped down on our city and attacked innocent people.
We do know the difference. Perhaps others should learn the lesson.

Penned by my hand on the 20th of Valnuary, in the year 291 AF.