Phoenix Guard Hall

[Onimaster]

Shale walks in and looks around the Phoenix Hall (assuming it hasn't disappeared yet) looking for Guard members as Drake had ordered. "Anyone here...?" he shouted and waited for a response.

[Onimaster]

Shale anxiously looked about waiting to see if anyone showed up looking back over his shoulder at where the magic smoke had come from. He calls, "Anyone in here? We have orders to rally... here. So, stay put or find Drake."

After a few moments of no one showing up he turns and heads back charging a boom to be safe.

[Kels]

*Kels walks in to the hall looks around*

"Phoenix, Rally to me!"

[Kels]

*Seeing that there is noone in here Kels begins to make perprations to leave, getting supplys and such.*

[Ian_McAllister]

*walks into the guild hall*

"Captain Targon, reporting for orders, sir!"

[Ian_McAllister]

*walks into the Guild hall*

*Salutes*

"Captain Targon, reporting for orders, sir!"

[Ian_McAllister]

*walks into the Guild hall*

*Salutes*

"Captain Targon, reporting for orders, sir!"

[Ian_McAllister]

*walks into the Guild hall*

*Salutes*

"Captain Targon, reporting for orders, sir!"

[Donovan Thynedar]

Donovan walks into the hall and allows Drake to enter before he closes the door. Now in private, he appears very, very angry.

“Before I bust your ass for disrespecting both of your superior officers, being an embarrassment to the Guard, and threatening the Duke, the High Magus, the Head of the House of the Crescent Moon, a member of Haven’s council, and your Preceptor with a sword, I’m going to make one thing crystal clear: not everyone in that room treated her as a criminal. Not everyone in that room sees what she did as evil or a mistake. Some few of us are very familiar with doing what must be done, and don’t see anything but tragedy in what has befallen her.”

Donovan paces around, clearly furious.

“Did you honestly think that I was treating her like a criminal? Did you think Corbyn was? The man just got back! He had no idea why you were mouthing off to him, why you would seek to blame him. I had the displeasure of informing him what Robin had done when he returned from the Lizardmen, and I saw the pain on his face. Pain he felt not only for his heir, but the suffering of his future wife. The man has all of this plus the prophecy to deal with, and you have the NERVE to draw steel and start spouting your misguided condemnation at him!

Donovan wheels on his heel, rips his gloves off, and throws them down on a nearby table. He walks within inches of Drake, bending so the two are nose to nose.

“I have been more than accommodating to everyone in regard to the ordeals that they have endured, you especially. And how is my patience repaid? By insubordination! By a half-cocked temper tantrum from a man who I trusted to serve as an example to his troops! If we were back at the Pass I’d have you in chains for this, Elderich! I should bust you down to Guardsman and give you privy duty until the peasants call you the shit man! The only reason I’m not strapping you to a board right now is that we’ve got more important things to worry about.”

He takes a step back, his hands slowly unclenching as he clams himself.

“Your men, however, do not deserve to be punished for your actions. Disrupting the Shields serves no ones interest, and that is the only reason you will remain in command. You may consider this your chance to redeem yourself in my eyes, Captain Elderich. Show me my mercy is not in err.”

He stops, locking his gaze with Drake’s. White light begins blazing from Donovan’s eyes, and both his hands drip with luminescent flame.

“Oh, and understand this: another outburst like that and I’ll show you fire the likes of which you have never seen. Do you understand?”

The light and flame fade, and Donovan waits for Drake’s answer.

[DrakelenasElderich]

*Drake looks upon his Preceptor with anger*

"I was only doing your job, Sir."

*Drake looks Donovan in the eyes*

"Is it not one of our duties to protect? Is it not one of our duties to hold others in respect, be it freind or foe? Is it not part of our Code to live in honor?"

*Drake has a fury in his eyes*

"No one showed her that respect in that room. And you should have been the first to stop it. Your men stood there and disrespected her right in your face. So I did what you should have. So even though you were nice to her, you didn't help protect her."

*The fury in Drakes eyes begins to soften*

"So if you want to strip me down and make an example of me, do it. I will take it with pride and honor. But I will not stand by as you drag her name through the mud as mine was."

*Drake looks into Donovans eyes long and hard*

"As for Corbyn, I will speak to him personaly about my outburst. I lashed out at my Duke when he did no wrong, and I deserve punishment for that."

*Drake then stands there awaiting Donovans response*

[Donovan Thynedar]

The fury gone from him, Donovan's manner becomes cold.

"Clearly, Guardsman Elderich, you do not understand what transpired in that room. You were not present when Arthos and I both sought to comfort Robin and grant her support. You clearly missed the fact that Ug's first concern was to remedy the situation. Perhaps you do not understand that it is Shale's duty as High Magus to investigate any such dealings with darkness, or that Ug's position as Head of the Guild of Thunder and a member of the Council gives him the right to evaluate whether someone should be brought up on charges. They both are specialists in arcane matters and they both have jobs to do. Am I to protect her from the very laws we have fought so long to establish? Should I disregard the standard we have set for all people now that it applies to one of my friends? The law must be given more consideration than Robin's right not to have people look at her in disdain."

Donovan turns from Drake and walks over to the table. He begins to put on his gloves and speaks over his shoulder.

"I cannot say that what Robin did was or was not a mistake. We cannot know if the second circle that Corbyn was organizing would have worked, or if those of us who left for Woodhold would have been successful. She may have saved us, or she may have needlessly endangered her life, that of the Duke, his heir, and all of Haven by bargaining with evil. For all we know her new desire to learn the arcane arts is a product of Narnian's manipulation. We simply do not know, and if those who would inquire or criticize are silenced and accused of "dragging someone through the mud", then we have failed in our duty to protect and serve the Haven."

He turns again to face Drake, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"It is not my job to protect anyone from the rightful investigaton of their actions. Moreover, it is certainly not your job to tell me what my job is or is not. You acted with haste and in poor judgement, Guardsman, and in so doing were more disrespectful and dishonorable than anyone in the incident you railed about. You are hereby confined to quarters until tomorrow morning, at which time you will deliver a formal, public apology to the Duke for your outburst. I will withhold further action against you until that time. Dismissed."

[DrakelenasElderich]

*Drake looks at Donovan*

"No."

*Drake starts to take off his tabbard*

"This is where I draw the line."

*Drake folds up the tabbard and places it on the table infront of Donovan, as to show no signs of disrespect to the Order that he so loves*

"I have bleed for the Guard. I have died for the Guard. I have killed for the Guard. I have destroyed for the Guard. And never have I disrespected the Guard. They are my family."

*Drake seems to get lost in thought, as if remebering how his life used to be*

"I lived at Harrison's Pass and I defended it for years. I became a Captian by my actions on the feild. I was a leader and respected by my men. I still remember when I was given that title. It was when Ulzahuk The Fallen attacked us. Now that will always be a day to remember. I remember seeing you flying through the air, like an angel of light destroying evil.*Drake gives out a little laugh* But those days are far behind us now."

*Drake looks up at Donovan and tears begin to fall from his eyes*

"I traveled the wastes for years to find you. Because I thought that if we were ever to survive, you would be the best to show us the way. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I have to quick of a temper. Maybe I'm hot headed when it comes to defending a beaten down women. Maybe I'm just not what I used to be."

*Drake thinks hard about his last statment, and gathers up his emotions quickly*

"I will be taking my leave now Donovan. Guide them well."

*Drake then turns to leave*

[Donovan Thynedar]

Donovan looks at the tabard on the table, then at the man in front of him.

"You know, Drake, there once was a time when I would comfort you after a speech like that. I remember Harrison's Pass every day, and I remember you on the field with the Shields holding the breach. I remember your courage and the dedication you displayed. It made you a Captain in the most honored Order in the world, and you deserved it. If we still stood on the wall, or in the grand halls of Elenguard, or on the green plains of Eldesta, I would tell you to remember the man you were, and to seek honor in your service to the King."

Donovan picks up the tabard.

"But no, this is Final Haven. Things are different here. As much as I would like to protect people from the burden of living in hard times, I'm too busy saving their lives to worry about it. As much as I would like to defend Robin's feelings in her time of sorrow, I'm too busy trying to save her soul - and as much as I want to reach out to an old friend and tell him that everything is going to be all right, I cannot. No one can convince you that you are worthy to wear this tabard if you don't believe in yourself. No one can give you the wisdom to lead your men, the discipline to bring honor to the order, or the strength to do your duty when it's the last thing you want to do. Those things have to come from inside you, Drake. I know you have them, but I can't convince you if you refuse to believe that they are there. It may be difficult to believe, but the Drake I knew in Eldesta wouldn't shy away from something because it was hard."

"No, that man would fight like fury to keep his people together. He would strive endlessly to better himself and his men, all the while exemplifying everything an officer should be. He would overcome any difficulty, endure any hardship for his brothers. More than anything, he would never deny his duty at a time like this."

Donovan extends the tabard to Drake.

"Do you want to know if you are still the man you used to be, Drakelenas Elderich? Do you want to know if you still have what it takes? Do you want to know if your brush with evil and being shoved into a half-dozen bodies has destroyed the man you once were? You can find out right now. Try and walk away. Give up. Try to abandon your family in their hour of need. Quit if you can, because if you can walk away from this, from all that it stands for, than I think you'll have your answer."

He hands the tabard to Drake.

"This is either the uniform for the man that is or the shroud for the man that was. Either way, you should keep it."

[DrakelenasElderich]

*Drake takes the tabard with a frim grasp out of Donovans hand*

"This! You don't even understand what it stands for anymore."

*Drake begins to turn red with anger*

"You are so caught up in your damn ideals and rights that you forgot what it means to were this damn thing. You may think I am weak and I have lost my way, but I have the Phoenix in my heart. I am a Phoenix of the Old Code now. And I will not let you tarnish our sacred name any more. It is your job to live up to our name, and you failed. You have broken my trust in you as a Preceptor and I will follow you no more."

*Drakes anger begins to grow*

"Look at our Code, then look at your actions. You lived up to very few of these tonight. And yet you think I need to be punished? If we were back in Eldesta and this happened, sure I would have gotten my ass in trouble, but you would have been stripped down to nothing. Your problem is that you have no one looking down on you Donovan. Well I am. And all I see is a broken down man looking out for himself, not his men."

*You can physicaly see a fury around Drakes body*

"So do you want to know if you can live up to your position? You can find out right now. Try and do it. Try to lead your men in there hour of need. Quit if you can't, because if you can't do it, if you can't live up to all that it stands for, than I think you'll have your answer, Preceptor."

*Drake looks into Donovans eyes*

"This is either the uniform for the man that is or the shroud for the man that hides behind it. Either way, you don't deserve it."

[Donovan Thynedar]

Donovan looks at the raging Drake with sorrow in his eyes.

"My poor, misguided friend... how little you see. I did not lie to Robin, as I told her the truth of her situation. I worked to see justice done under our laws. I treated her with kindness, attempting to support her despite the gravity of the situation. I respected her as both a friend and a fellow defender of the Haven. I did my duty as Lord Preceptor of the Guard and as a member of this community. She is a repentant who has wronged in error, and she will be forgiven for her error. I sought to protect her and those around us, and I had the code - our code - in mind the whole time. No man can embody every aspect of the code, but I attempt to do so in everything I do."

"You, by contrast, have acted with rudeness - violating a part of our code. You said Corbyn and I treated Robin with disrespect, and since we did no such thing, that is a lie - violating yet another part of our code. You disrespected your superior officers and the Duke we serve, an act which violates several elements of our code. You have chosen incivility over courtesy, ignorance over wisdom, inequity over justice, disregard over duty, arrogance over humility, and excess over temperance - all of which violate our code."

"The plain truth of the matter, Drake, is that you made a mistake. You misread a situation and let your emotions control your response. Your superior then called you on it, dressed you down, and you've responded like a spoiled cadet. You've tried everything in your power to wriggle out of your fault in this issue, but no amount of rage or blame can change the fact that you screwed up. Now you've gone so far as to accuse me of tarnishing our sacred name and not looking out for my men. That's just wrong, Drake, and you know it. Everyone here knows it. You throw my words back at me to hide from their power, you try to make this about my failings instead of your own."

Donovan taps the tabard on his chest

"One of the most important things to remember about wearing this is that you keep it on, no matter what, until the Light claims you. It appears to me that you no longer wish to be a member of the Phoenix Guard, and that your hollow accusations against me will allow you to justify betraying all you once held dear. I find it sad that you must blame me to live with your own failure, and I find it even more sad that your brothers will pay for your weakness."

"Thus we arrive at the point of no return, Drake. I'll give you an out, in honor of your many years of service. Confine yourself to quarters, give your public apology tomorrow morning as ordered, and report to Captain Sethreal for assignment, and I'll overlook this episode. You say you're a man of the old code? That's fine by me. Phoenix or no Phoenix, adhere to the code and you'll be following me anyway. What is your decision?"