(08) - Expulsion

"Griffonclaw, I am very disappointed to find you once again before this tribunal" began the Archbishop Benedictus. "More disturbing charges have been brought against you, of disobedience and breaking the confidentiality laid on you by Bishop DeLevay. What say you?"

Griffonclaw looked at the members of his tribunal; the Archbishop Benedictus, head of the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind, the head of his own Order, Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker, Katherine the Pure, Arthur the Faithful, and Bishop Farthing. None of them looked particularly happy to be here, sitting in judgement.

"What I have done, I have done in loyalty and fealty to Stormwind, and in accord with my duty" began Griffonclaw. "I meant no disrespect to either Bishop DeLavey, nor the Order. Indeed, I sought only to expose the truth, and exposing the Truth to the Light is the highest calling of our Order."

"Very well. Bishop DeLavey, you have the floor" said the Archbishop, who then sat down.

"Griffonclaw, do you remember my asking you to undertake a mission for the Church?"

"I do, Your Grace" responded Griffonclaw calmly.

"Do you remember the words I used?" asked the Bishop.

"Yes, Your Grace" responded Griffonclaw. "You asked me if I would undertake a mission for you. You said that a diplomat was sent to Theramore to meet with Jaina Proudmoore, and that he had never arrived. You told me that his was a mission requiring discretion and confidentiality, and that I should meet with an agent of yours named Jorgen, give him your sealed note, and do what he told me."

"You have an excellent memory, Griffonclaw - those were precisely my instructions" smiled the Bishop, and Griffonclaw felt as though he had just seen a Felhound grin at him. If the Bishop was happy with his answer, he had probably given the wrong answer. "And what did you do?"

"I found Jorgen, and delivered your note. He told me to contact Elling Trias. I did so, and Trias had me gather information. This information eventually led to the identity of a traitor in the Theramore Guard, who I then went to arrest. He resisted arrest, and I was forced
to kill him."

"Just so, just so", answered DeLavey. "Now... upon whose authority did you attempt to arrest the traitor?"

"When I arrived in Theramore I appraised Commander Samaul of the situation, and he gave
me de facto permission. Later, the Archmage Tervosh, in service to Lady Proudmore, gave me explicit authority."

"I see" responded the Bishop. "How did you discover the identity of the traitor?".

"When I met with Trias - obeying the orders of your contact as instructed, Your Grace - he sent me on several investigations to discover the truth."

"Ahh, Elling Trias. He is the Cheese Maker, is that correct?" asked the Bishop.

"Yes, Your Grace... although in retrospect, I think it safe to say that he has other interests as well."

"To be sure, to be sure. A cheese merchant has many contacts in other cities, though, wouldn't you say?" inquired DeLavey.

"I would have to agree with Your Grace".

"Do you know who Elling Trias - who is somewhat more than a cheese merchant - works for?" asked the Bishop innocently.

Griffonclaw hesitated before answering. "I assumed he worked for Your Grace, as I was directed to him by Your Grace's agent."

"Ah. You assumed" confirmed the Bishop, who turned to the panel. "You assumed. Did Jorgen tell you to do anything else than deliver the letter to Trias?"

Griffonclaw's brow furrowed. "I don't recall his exact words, Your Grace."

"Well, I have here a the report you made for me after you returned, when your memory was more fresh" DeLavey sneered. "In this report, it said that Jorgen told you to deliver the note. Did he tell you to become Trias' errand boy?"

"No, Your Grace."

"So, when you became Trias' pawn, you exceeded your instructions from Jorgen?"

"Strictly interpreted, that is so, Your Grace, but..." began Griffonclaw.

"There is no interpretation here, Griffonclaw" thundered the Bishop. "In becoming Trias' man, you were acting on your own initiative, on what you had already been told was a delicate and confidential matter."

Griffonclaw remained silent.

"Well?" demanded the Bishop.

"With respect, Your Grace, you asked no question" answered Griffonclaw quietly.

"Having finished my assignment to you - which consisted only of delivering a letter, and obeying those instructions, which were to give the letter itself to Trias - you decided to go further. You never thought to check with me?"

"No, Your Grace, I didn't" answered Griffonclaw. "I thought that helping Trias was a continuation of your original directive."

"Back to assumption again."

"If you like."

"I don't like at all, Griffonclaw. Not at all. An important mission like this, and you take it upon youself to go haring off at the behest of Elling Trias, a man who reports to someone,
and is more than a cheese merchant... " spoke the Bishop. "Why, he could be working for anyone. For the Crown. For SI:7, which is not always the same thing. For rivals within the Alliance, like the King of Ironforge... who I understand has something of an interest in you, as well. For Lady Proudmore, who has odd ideas where the Horde are concerned..."

"And when you discovered the traitor within Proudmore's own house, you didn't think to report then?"

"No, Your Grace - my thoughts were on his arrest and apprehension."

"Such commendable - if misguided - zeal..." commented the Bishop, before continuing. "Let us look at his arrest. You say you reported to Commander Samaul when you arrived in Theramore?"

"Yes, Your Grace. I intended to arrest one of his men for treason; I could hardly not inform
him."

"And if he was also involved?"

"... that possibility hadn't occured to me, Your Grace".

"Of course not - but they would have occurred to me, had you kept me informed" commented the Bishop. "How do you know that Lady Jaina herself wasn't involved in the plot? Since your mis-handling of the arrest killed our only lead, we'll never know. Why didn't Commander Samaul himself arrest the traitor?"

"I don't know, Your Grace".

"And when Tervosh learned of the traitor's existence, why didn't he go with you to arrest him?"

"I don't know, Your Grace".

"When you killed the traitor, what happened next?" asked the Bishop.

"I was placed under arrest by the commanding Lieutenant of the tower" replied Griffonclaw.

"Indeed? Hardly surprising. What if the Lieutenant was part of the conspiracy?" asked DeLavey, but then answered for him. "Never mind... I'm sure the answer is 'I don't know'..."

"Milord Archbiship, I must protest" rumbled Lord Grayson. "Two things are becoming very clear here - first, that Bishop DeLavey engaged Griffonclaw to do something entirely beyond his experience and training. Second, that His Grace has some animosity towards Griffonsbane, which implies that he set Griffonsbane up to fail."

"Your points are well-taken" agreed the Archbishop. "DeLavey, please treat Griffonclaw with the respect due one of the Order, even if he remains under suspension." He turned to face Lord Grayson. "On the other hand, even if what you say is true, it still does not wholly absolve Griffonclaw, who seems guilty of some great lapses in judgement."

"Continue, DeLavey"

"Your Excellency, I have completed. Griffonclaw is convicted, from his own mouth, of disobedience and incompetence, if not actual complicity. He wears the signet ring of Lady
Proudmore, implying that he has, to one degree or another, entered her service as well"

"I recommend that he be excommunicated from the Cathedral of Light" he concluded, and with that last, Bishop DeLavey showed himself a clever tactician; if he had recommended expulsion from the Order of the Defenders of Light, the ultimate decision would have rested with Lord Grayson, who had just proved himself inclined to take Griffonclaw's side. By recommending excommunication, he left the final judgement up to Archbishop
Benedictus, who was himself the political rival for authority and influence within the Alliance with Lady Proudmore.

Griffonclaw appeared calm and composed externally while the tribunal excused themselves
to a private chamber for deliberation, although inside he was a roiling mass of contradictory feelings; pride in his own actions, of which he had little doubt. Resentment against DeLavey, for turning what he considered a successful mission into a political matter. Doubt that the Archbishop would choose to decide in favor of someone in favor with his rival. And joy that Lord Grayson had spoken up in his defense. These continued to
churn until the members of the tribunal re-convened.

Lord Grayson rose to speak, surprising both DeLavey and Griffonclaw.

"It is the judgement of this tribunal that Griffonclaw shall not be excommunicated from the
Cathedral of Light, but rather released from his vows to the Order of the Defenders of Light, and retired from the Order". He met Griffonclaw's eyes, without flinching, but both Arthur and Katherine had tears forming in theirs.

"Further, he is not judged guilty of committing any disgrace, but rather of executing poor judgement - therefore he shall not be disgraced, but merely removed from the rolls."

Griffonclaw stood - he knew what was required of him, and said the words around the enormous lump in his throat. "I accept the judgement of this tribunal, and thank them for their mercy." The last he meant with sincerity; excommunication would have meant automatic expulsion from the Order as well, and his name published in disgrace. He would have become a de-facto criminal in Stormwind and elsewhere. Griffonclaw assumed a compromise between the Order and the Cathedral, since the Archbishop could have ordered his subordinate to drop the issue and not bring it before a trail.

He walked forward, and unbuckled his sword-belt from across his shoulder, laying the Moonsteel broadsword on the table in front of the tribunal members. "Let this serve the Order, as it had served me". Ritual satisfied, he turned smartly and marched out... alone, into the darkness of Stormwind.