A Grand Design 54.

Winter. Oaklynn. Girdane.

The builders and masons who have been doing the repair work on the front of the main building of the palace of the king.
Have also been busy building something else this morning. A gallows that they complete in the middle of the afternoon.
And when the session of court is over. Those in attendance make their way from around the side of the palace to the front where the gallows is located.
A large crowd of a couple of thousand has gathered in the marshalling yard infront of the palace.
As town criers have been out in the city, declaring that a public execution will take place.
The palace gates were opened for the public, and they've come in to see who it is that will be executed this chilly winters day.
As those who attended court today stand off to one side. The four prisoners are escorted by their black clad guards to around to the back of the gallows.
Upon which duke Furnek of Marsin has climbed, along with his oldest son, Marcco the new regent of Oaklynn.
As well as duke Tremane of Isanor who has been named the new king of Girdane.
The gathered crowd falls silent as the duke of Marsin calls out the names of those who are to be publicly executed this afternoon.
A murmur starts to spread through the gathered crowd as each name is called out. Until shouting and yelling can be heard after duke Furnek calls out the last name, the name of lord Sammis the now former regent of the city of Oaklynn.
The duke of Marsin holds up his hands for silence, and eventually the gathered crowd starts to quiet down.
Then duke Furnek calls out the crimes those who have been named have committed.
There's an uproar from those in the marshalling yard when they hear these. First with the former regent of Oaklynn getting the three most western duchies in the kingdom to rebel against the crown by nefarious means.
But most notably when the duke of Marsin calls out that lord Sammis had his cousin, king Jarnard the Second of his name murdered, along with the rest of the extended royal family.
As he listens to what the duke of Marsin calls out. Lord Sammis as he stands behind the gallows with his cohorts and their guards.
Can't help but sourly smile as he hears the gathered crowd baying for his blood.
The former regent of the capital city knows that most of these people were on his side, and supported his war against the rebel dukes of Dalmar, Girnath and Falosen.
But now, they want him dead for the way in which he went about with his designs and plans to take the throne and be the king of Girdane.
Lord Sammis sourly smiles even more when the duke of Marsin declares that the court of the king has named his oldest son as the new regent of Oaklynn.
And if there's surprise from the public in the marshalling yard when they hear that.
They're absolutely flabbergasted when duke Furnek calls out that duke Tremane of Isanor has ascended the throne, and is the new king of Girdane.
One look at the nearby nobles and others who have come from court. Is a clear sign to the gathered crowd that this is true.
As cheers and applause come from those who attended court during the day.
There's a momentary pause from the gathered crowd in the marshalling yard, then they too burst out into cheering.
The former regent of Oaklynn, lord Sammis grimaces as he hears the public chanting the name of Tremane, first of his name, king of Girdane.
The nobleman who had designs on being the new king of Girdane, can't help but wonder where things went wrong for him.
He glances to his right at his cohorts, and figures that they're probably feeling the same thing as he is. How everything has gone wrong.
Then up on the gallows, duke Furnek has a quiet word with the new king of Girdane.
Then Tremane, first of his name, king of Girdane nods, and calls out in a loud clear voice "Proceed!".
The duke of Marsin looks to behind the gallows, and nods. Then the prisoners hears someone call out an order in the elven language.
It's a captain in the mercenary army from the lands Farque. And a moment later, black clad mercenaries climb the steps onto the gallows.
As the black clad soldiers for hire tie ropes into nooses, the former regent of Oaklynn looks to his right, where captain Kilmane says to him "It's been an honour serving you my lord".
"It's been an honour knowing you Kilmane" replies lord Sammis, who then adds "And you too Sarmac".
"Thank you my lord" says Sarmac the keeper, as the three of them ignore the fourth of their number. The wizard Haric who stands there in a daze, unaware of what's going on around him.
Then as more of the black clad mercenaries carry stools up onto the gallows as the gathered crowd in the marshalling yard, and those who attended court wait in anticipation.
The former regent of Oaklynn suddenly hears a voice behind him, he isn't all that surprised that it's duke Hilloc of Dalmar.
"I thought there's something you should know Sammis" quietly says duke Hilloc of Dalmar, who momentarily pauses before he explains something to the nobleman who is the last surviving member of the family that led the kingdom of Girdane for nearly two centuries.
Lord Sammis goes to spin around when hears what the duke of Dalmar has to say. But the pair of black clad guards holding his arm, keep him still, and facing the front towards the gallows.
"How does it feel knowing that it was never your wives, but it was always you who was always the problem?" quietly asks duke Hilloc who was told some interesting information about the former regent by Helbe the elven thief.
"How they could never fall pregnant because of your, shall we say lacking seed?" adds the duke of Dalmar.
Then the nobleman, one of the three dukes from the very west of the kingdom of Girdane, who rebelled against the crown says "No progeny to follow after you because you could never get it done, no matter what you made those three women suffer".
The former regent of the capital city stands there seething in the grip of his guards, as he had always wanted a son to follow after him and be the king of Girdane as well.
Now those designs are lost to him forever, and he can't help be angry as he hears the tone of satisfaction in the voice of duke Hilloc who tells him "Since what you subjected my sister to, I'm the one who gets to do the deed".
Then once the stools are placed beneath each of the nooses. A command is called out in the elven language.
And the four prisoners, lord Sammis, captain Kilmane, Sarmac the keeper, and Haric the wizard are marched up the steps onto the gallows.
And with the gathered crowd in the marshalling yard getting their first look at the condemned, the jeering and booing starts. Mainly directed at the nobleman who is the former regent of the city of Oaklynn.
As he stands there with his hands bound behind his back, lord Sammis looks around.
And can't help but sneer in disgust at those who have come to witness his execution.
Then he looks over at the duke of Isanor, Tremane the first of his name, king of Girdane, who waits for a lull in the booing and jeering from the gathered crowd, then calmly calls out "Execute them!".
A massive roar goes up from those in the marshalling yard. And from a fair few of those who attended court on this chilly winters day here in the city of Oaklynn, the capital of Girdane.
Then the condemned are lifted up by the black clad mercenaries who wait for a command in elven. The prisoners are stood on the stools beneath each noose.
Lord Sammis who doesn't even know how the noose is put around his neck and throat, then tightened.
Is on the left end of the gallows. With capital Kilmane to his right, and the keeper Sarmac to the right of the captain. While the dazed looking wizard Haric is on the right end of the gallows.
The new king of Girdane waits until a silence settles upon the gathered crowd, then he slightly nods. It's followed by a quiet order in elven by the captain in the Farqian mercenary army who stands at the back of the gallows.
There's not even a pause, as one of the black clad soldiers in the army from the lands Farque kicks the stool out from beneath the feet of Haric the wizard.
The confused look in the eyes of the wizard in the former regent of Oaklynn's army disappears, as Helbe the elven thief drops the sustained dazed spell he's cast upon Haric.
And in the last moment of his life, the wizard who helped to bring the plans and designs of lord Sammis into action, realises what's happening to him.
The portly wizard in the rumpled, ruby red robes drops. And his weight for once is an advantage, as his neck is snapped by the noose that's around his neck and throat. Killing him instantly as the public in the marshalling yard cheer his demise.
Next it's the keeper Sarmac. And when the stool is kicked out from under his feet, he's not so lucky.
He's not heavy enough for his neck to break. Instead he's strangled to death by the noose that's around his neck.
His legs kick about, and his body spasms as he's hung by the rope that he's at the end of. Eventually he goes still, which illicits a cheer from the gathered crowd.
Next is captain Kilmane, who takes a deep breath just before the stool is kicked out from beneath his feet.
Which is rather unfortunate. As he doesn't die instantly either. And takes even longer to die than Sarmac the keeper.
The captain who was the most trusted officer of the former regent, and who came up with a lot of the plans for lord Sammis to become the new king of Girdane.
Takes quite awhile to die as his legs kick about, and his body thrashes around as the noose around his throat and neck slowly strangles him.
Captain Kilmane's face turns purple, then blue as he's strangled as he swings about at the end of the rope.
Eventually he too stops thrashing around, and slowly swings from side to side, dead at the end of the rope that's killed him. As the public who have to come into the palace grounds to witness the executions, let out a cheer at his demise.
Next it's the former regent of Oaklynn's turn. Lord Sammis who has turned his head slightly, and seen the deaths of his cohorts.
He hears duke Hilloc of Dalmar say from behind him "To your left" followed by "She's watching you".
The former regent turns his head the other way, and at one end of those who attended court. He sees his wife the lady Mera, who wasn't at court earlier.
Standing there calmly watching proceedings. With her ever present house maid at her side.
Then lord Sammis looks her straight in the eye, then the former regent of Oaklynn hears duke Hilloc say "For my sister". The stool beneath his feet is kicked out from beneath him by the duke of Dalmar.
Like the keeper Sarmac and captain Kilmane. The former regent of the capital city neck doesn't snap. And is strangled to death by the noose that's around his throat and neck.
It gets tighter and tighter as he hangs there at the end of the rope. While his body and legs jerk and spasm about, as he's unable to breathe, with his last thoughts being of how everything went wrong for him, when it looked like he was just about to be the new king of Girdane.
The gathered crowd in the marshalling yard, and those who attended court are silent as they watch the former regent of Oaklynn being hanged to death.
Then once his body goes still, and it just swings from side to side. A massive cheer goes up from the public, and quite a few of the nobility and the others who attended court earlier today.
As the four bodies swing there at the end of the ropes on the gallows. Duke Hilloc of Dalmar looks away to the left to where those who were at court are standing.
At one end of them, he sees his younger sister Mera looking at her now dead husband, the former regent of Oaklynn, lord Sammis.
And as the gathered crowd continue to cheer the demise of those who have just been executed.
The lady Mera sees her brother Hilloc looking her way. She slightly smiles at him, then nods in satisfaction at what's just taken place.
The duke of Dalmar nods in return to his sister, then duke Hilloc looks at the body of lord Sammis as it hangs there on the end of a rope "Good riddance you fuck" murmurs the duke of Dalmar in satisfaction . . . . . .