Cayden Navaar Roleplays/Cleaning House

Cleaning House

The previous night had gone through in silence, but none could deny the chaos and uproar through the streets of Kalmar that morning. Guards combed the streets on the prowl. No rhyme nor reason seemed to be given to their targets. No collectives targeted, no black market traders driven out. Each guard was given the same set of instructions. "Your realm needs you. Come with me," was all they told the men and women, and then escorted them away as if under protection. The Tidemaster's orders had been absolute. Gather seventy five men and women serving the realm. What was to be done with them remained to be seen.

The city of Kalmar, built at the base of the volcano, was also home to a number of unique locations, something the previous judge had yet to explore, something Cayden wished he hadn't either. The judgment grounds where all of these men and women were herded was drawing a crowd, one of curiosity more than command as the escorted citizens were brought into a building. Cayden himself waited outside, today having exchanged his robes for his travel gear, including the great axe he usually carried around. It didn't take long for the first muffled screams to come from the building. Then the next. Then a third. Cayden signaled the guards. Shortly, word of an execution would spread through the city.

It took until about mid-day for all of the selected prisoners to be rounded up, put in shackles, and be dragged back out onto the grounds. Cayden had gone to each torch and sprinkled in a bit of ash, causing the flames to burn nearly black as people looked on in horror. "Good men and women of Alexandria," Cayden called out. Once. Twice. By the third time, the air had grown tense, hanging on to the Decapitator's words as everyone wanted to know what was happening. "Today, we are cleaning out the failings of our government. Alexandria is still a fledgling realm and we are now on our third leader. At some point, it is no longer the men and women we choose, but how we conduct ourselves. To that point, I would like the men and women of Group A to step forward.

With several nudges and a couple of jabs from the butt of a spear, twenty five men stepped forward. "You men and women, are the product of nepotism. Useless bureaucrats whose only accomplishment has been to suckle on the teat of someone with real talent. Your very existence in the halls of our leadership fouls up the way things are administered. Today we intend to send a reminder to the few that are left, a reminder that there will be no more second chances. These first men will be executed on the spot. Their corpses will be returned to their families, at which point I expect we shall see far fewer favorites in our halls, I hope."

Crying desperately for help, the first man was pulled forward and brought before Cayden who looked back with a stoic expression. It was time to live up to his title. The man struggled, of course, held down by three guardsmen as he tried to wriggle free. Raising his own axe, Cayden looked down at the man. "Let this be your last act of service to Alexandria."

Thunk

The axe made contact with wood as the man's head rolled free. It always amazed him how fragile life was, that all it took was a single stroke of the axe to end it all, and how soft flesh and bone were under the weight of one. The first blood splatter coated his axe, and that didn't stop him from swinging it over his shoulder for all of the city to see the glistening red-bathed steel. Forcing himself to watch, he waited just long enough before continuing. "Bring the next one forward."

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Twenty four more people were dragged before an executioner that day. Each head that rolled, tottered off before a man that was holding back his cares. By ten, some of the crowd dispersed, others remained with morbid curiosity, and drew others in to fill the gaps. The black flames flickered from time to time, but never once faltered, just like the judge, until his axe may have always been red, and even the prisoners in groups B and C were silent in horror. The Tidemaster wanted fear? As the last body lay motionless before him, Cayden gave it one swift kick to send it skittering a short ways away with a new spray of blood. He cast a look out over the crowd, and then turned back to his prisoners. "Group B, step forward."