Part 83: Bonus Update: The Trial of Fatebinder Furia

Bonus Update: The Trial of Fatebinder Furia

I've mentioned throughout the LP that I've been trying to get this event to fire without success, but I was able to get it to fire by reloading my practice run. We'll be using Cleo as our Fatebinder portrait here because it's the very last update and I don't want to make a bunch more portraits. Sorry! Also, my image processing kinda broke and I realized it at 2AM when my internet went down, so if I missed any miscropped images please let me know!



: No? Perhaps I expect too much of my servants. Is that it?

: N-no, Your Honor! But if you hear my testimony, I think you'll understand.



: I am ready to hear the case.

: Excellent. The testimony will begin.



This means exactly what you think it means. "Defile" is an archaic word for rape, even.

: A local from the Tiers?



: What happened next?

: I fought the recruits. They fought back, but in the end my skills won out. After they were both dead, I let the poor woman go.

: Their gang boss witnessed everything, though he didn't intervene until it was all done. I was trussed up and brought back to court in a wagon, where you find me now.



Charming.



: [To Tunon] Why isn't the victim of assault a manner of concern?



Remember, the basis of Kyros' Peace is that the Overlord has a use for you, not that your life is intrinsically valuable!



Remember this is the remnant of the man who surrendered his nation to Kyros because he believed Kyros' lies about peace, prosperity, and free food.

: The gang boss didn't intervene at all?



He as much as admits this is abusing the legal process to settle a personal vendetta to save, in his own words, worthless trash (who were also rapists).

: All he did was joke about how the court would be merciless. Laughed all the way to the Bastard City. Didn't seem particularly bent out of shape over his lost men.



: Did you speak with the Tiers woman?



: Understood. Back to my questions.



: Do you regret your actions?

: She frowns in thought. No. If our positions were reversed, I would have wanted someone to step in on my behalf, Kyros' law be damned."

: She glances up at Tunon with momentary unease.

I'm guessing that Furia is a newer Fatebinder, because someone like Calio would never be stupid enough to diss Kyros' law in front of Tunon.



: I am ready to give my ruling.



Alright, let's take the option that makes Tunon happy.

: This is a clear-cut murder of protected subjects. Guilty.

: I... I understand your position. I hope you are never placed in mine.

Foreshadowing!



: An exacting and literal execution of the law as I could ever give. Thank you for your attention to the case. Dismissed.


So there was an option to use subterfuge to save Furia, what happens if we do that?



: [Subterfuge 34] You don't think she said anything about wishing to join the army?



I don't think Furia is cut out to be a Fatebinder, but we'll get to this after we see all the options.

: [Guide the witness.] And she definitely wasn't in the area for that very purpose?

: Her eyes widen as she realizes your intent. The Fatebinder nods. That's right. She only mentioned it in passing, but she told me that she was attempting to make contact with the Scarlet Chorus.

: You know, to join them. That was when the soldiers attacked.

Now, this contradicts her earlier testimony completely, but....



We get a warning from Tunon. Truth be told, I had to steel myself just to pick this option because Tunon's VA is very intimidating and the game is very good at communicating the atmosphere that one misstep means death.

The rest of the dialog is the same, but we have a new verdict.



: If the woman intended to join the Scarlet Chorus, she was protected under Kyros' law. Your actions were just.



Tunon sees exactly what we're doing and doesn't like it, both because we're subverting the law but also proving that the infallible Law of Kyros can be subverted. Remember, post-DLC Tunon is not a robot who you can dump lore checks into, he is a man under the mask struggling with his doubts about whether the law is correct and whether Kyros really is omnipotent. This entire regime runs on doublethink, so anything that brings the contradiction to mind and creates cognitive dissonance is a big no no in Tunon's court.

: Fatebinder Furia, you have ducked Kyros' punishment with a technicality. Be more mindful of your delicate position in the future.

: Your grasp of Kyros' law troubles me. It reeks of independent thoughts honed beyond the principled walls of my court. And yet it is your ruling. Dismissed.

Tunon says principled, we say ostrich head in the sand.

There is a third outcome, which is to dispense with all the guiding the witness bullshit and just rule Furia innocent via pure intent or some nonsense. What if we do that?



: Fights get out of hand all the time. The Fatebinder's intent was pure. She's innocent.

: Thank you... thank you so much.



Tunon is annoyed, but... we don't get Wrath. I had to double check here.

Nope, nothing! What happened?

This is an interesting little event for a lot of reasons, and I felt it was important enough to what the game was trying to discuss that I included this update. First, we should notice that Tunon's reply to the player character sentencing Furia to death is the optimal result from a pleasing Tunon standpoint - part of the office of Fatebinder is keeping an eye on those with "independent thoughts honed beyond the principled walls of my court" so they can be eliminated when they have the courage to say "damn the law, I'm doing what's right" to Tunon's face. It's an indirect lesson for the player character, as well - if you get out of line Tunon will have no qualms about sentencing you to death. The trial itself also serves to reinforce Kyros' law - either you take the option of sentencing the Fatebinder to death, or you have to scramble to contrive a defense by guiding the witness to use the Soviet-style buzzword of "Kyros' Peace" which Tunon catches but has to let fly because it is nominally the law.

Given all of that, why are we allowed to just declare Furia innocent with a pretext? Tunon clearly if slightly prefers her death, but if we take the difficult route we gain Wrath with Tunon while just going "lol this shit happens" lets us and Furia off with no penalty at all. Furia never shows up again in the game, and you can't get her support or anything, nor does this incident appear to ask Calio to testify despite her job being to monitor the other Fatebinders. It's not even like we're really doing an evil flinches when confronted sort of deal, because if you actually confront Tunon he fights to the death. We just kind of handwave something about "pure intent" and the defense grounded in the actual law is the one that pisses Tunon off. You could point out that by judging the Fatebinder in Tunon's court he's stuck with what you go by, but the Fatebinder's internal monologue when high reveals that Tunon can, in fact, overturn Fatebinder rulings. I have legitimately no idea what to make of this option, because it feels so out of place with the rest of the trial. We're not even ceding anything to Tunon's worldview like we are with the other options, where you either cede that this is the crime of murder per Tunon's instructions OR you invoke Kyros' Peace as a legitimate defense. Who knows!