Détente (( Open. Dignitary presence requested. ))

Slowly, the necessary parties arrived, the prisoner, representatives from both Ionia and Noxus, those who would sit with him at the Institute's table, a slew of political heavy-weights from other city states as well, even Vessaria had decided to show herself. The stage had truly been set, and if nothing else, justice would be done. A flurry of emotion threatened to break the Gold Summoner's focus, a bombardment of sensory information and elation, yet his resolve held. He was here with a purpose, made all the more pointed with the High Councilor's voice still ringing in his mind, an honor all on its own.

A pair or summoners, one large and physically imposing while the other was tiny and agile-looking, ushered the prisoner to the center of the group, to the magical ring upon the slightly raised floor. Once within it, it flashed to life, a translucent golden bubble shielding not Varus himself, but those in attendance. It was clear that the pair who had guided him to the podium were fueling the reversed Barrier spell, a necessary precaution in the face of the accused and his crimes

Ethan stood in as dignified a manner as he could, his arms at his side and his chin held high. He was not quite the presence he should have been, his station telling the world that he was not of any real significance, yet his stance and expression spoke of his conviction. His words rang out once more across the open space they had picked for the assembly, addressing them all.

"People of Runeterra, today we are gathered to address the matter of the Arrow of Retribution's actions against the people of Noxus. Delegates from both Varus' home and the nation of Noxus are gathered before you as well. This matter is of grave importance to the Institute, as it stands to undermine what we have worked so hard to accomplish since its founding." Ethan bellowed, perhaps unnecessarily, magic having attuned his voice to proper levels for public speech. Still, his tone was impassioned, fervent even, showing through with every sentence he issued.

"No City-State, no nation on Valoran or beyond, should be subjected to the death of its citizens, regardless of whose hand deals the final blow. No incident of violence has gone without our scrutiny and we do not intend to allow this to pass us by either. It is regrettable that we were unable to stop the events that took place upon that day, truly, but we are still as committed to preventing it from happening again." Ethan continued, his gaze lingering upon each of the representatives in turn, then scanning out into the crowds to his left and right.

"We live in dire times. An encroaching threat looms upon the horizon. Every waking moment in a summoner's life is a busy one, now, either with magical research, correspondence, or the like. Even the daily work of our Institute is pushed to the wayside in favor of the world's needs. It is times like these that it is as much upon our shoulders as it is upon those of Runeterra. We must stand together in defiance of such atrocities, if we are to survive." Ethan's words ran dry, deeming that an adequate time to halt his speech. While he knew very well that he could continue, there were those who wished to speak.

With a gesture to the two tables across to him, he offered up the floor, seating himself back upon the chair below. Though his time in the limelight had drawn closed, his shoulders were still kept back, his chin high and jaw set. His work was not yet over, as mediator, ready to step in at a moments notice if need be.

((Sorry to interrupt, but if all of our new summoner OCs could please leave a profile in the OC intro thread noting who they are and what they do, it would be much appreciated.))

Another carriage pulled outside of the meeting hall.. the driver looked oddly nervous, as he should have been.. the passenger was one to not be trifled with. After a moment, the door was pushed open, people shied away, some even leaving the scene in fear. Shyvana's boots struck the ground hard as she exited the carriage. Her scarlet armor shined brightly in the sun, her hands gripped tightly around her gauntlets. Shyvana scanned the area with her bright yellow eyes, watching as some of the on lookers turned the other way.. typical..

Shyvana simply ignored them and walked towards the meeting hall, she was here for a reason, whether they liked it, or not. Shyvana made her way into the meeting room, once again scanning her surroundings. Karma and Irelia were here.. figures they would be here, the meeting is over a fellow Ionian, after all. The Prince and Xin Zhao had already made the scene, a long with the king himself.

Some summoners she did not recognize were here.. she never really bothered to associate herself with the likes of them.. too annoying for her taste. There were also some other people here she did not recognize.. interesting, they were not summoners it seemed. Shyvana looked around once more, feeling the eyes of those who were simply observing fall on her.

She was about to make her way over to her fellow Demacians when her eyes rested on.. him.. Shyvana tightly gripped her gauntlets as a quiet, low, inhuman growl slid out of her throat as she glared fury at the Master Tactician. "No.. now is not the time Shyvana.." her conscious said to her. Relaxing a little, she forced herself to tear away from the Grand General before making her way over to the King, Xin and Jarvan.

Shyvana approached them and crossed her right gauntlet over her chest, bowing to the King and Prince, taking a seat next to Xin. "Forgive me for my lateness." Shyavan said, slipping her gauntlets off to allow them to come to rest on the floor beside her.. she hoped she would not need them.. nothing would make her happier than to rip the Grand General to pieces, but she would never forgive herself if she slandered Demacia in such a way. Shyvana simply sat in silence, folding her hands on the table in front of her. "I hope I have not missed much" Shyvana said to the Demacians beside her. Though, Shyavan did not care for politics.. she was here to ensure that no one dared touch the King or Prince.. less they waken the sleeping beast within her. Shyvana then fell silent once more, listening to what Swain and the other summoners had to say.. no doubt the Grand General had something up his sleeve..

Always stabbing people in the back.. coward..

Shyvana's eyes darkened, but she was not going to let the rage over take her.. not today.

((I hope I am not too late to squeeze myself in, if I am, I will delete this post.))

Irelia looked over at Karma with a concerned expression crawling across her face, before glaring at Swain, returning the gaze back at him as if she was warning him. There was surely something in his mind, something she could guess by simply looking into his bloody crimson eyes.

But what was it? The Captain had no idea whatsoever but deep down inside, she could feel that what was about to happen, and what was about to be said, was not good at all. After all, there's a clear reason why we call him 'The Master Tactician'; because not only he was a genius on the battlefield, but he's the mind that's turning the wheels of the Noxian Regime. This whole peace treaty is nothing but a scene, a step towards a new Rune War. It's quite ironic to find these two words in the same sentence.

"Peace, War, Peace, War..." Ticked the words in Irelia's mind endlessly like a clock. She was meditating on these two words that represented the Yin and the Yang, symbol of the dualism, but this was not the point; she compared the Yin with the goals behind this gathering. As the seconds ticked away, they were getting closer to 12am, the Utmost of the Yin, and this was definitely something Irelia was sure about... and feared the most.

"The lights are fading away, the night is going to fall upon us. Behind the innocent looking men, lies the plan of the Demon." Whispered Irelia to herself.

Ethan remained seated as Varus spoke, listening to the corrupted man's short speech with a faintly visible annoyance. He seemed to be treating this as though it were some show, that he was simply being paraded before his compatriots as though his actions were just. Ethan's stomach clenched, invisible under the robes that swathed his body and kept his attention trained on the delegates to stop himself reviling the Arrow's very existence at the moment.

"Allow me to remind you." Ethan began, holding out his hand, quickly filled with a stack of papers by one of the attending bronze Summoners, "Consider for a moment the Gestalt family. A father and son showed up to take their posts together on the 13th of January just as they had done every day previous for the past week. A family tradition, entering the military, for the Gestalt men. This father and son did not see each other often, busy as they were with their duties, save for this week."

Ethan's blue eyes glinted, having read and re-read the casualty reports several times for just such a time as this. He continued to explain in a voice that belied not a hint of emotion, glancing down at the pile of paper in front of him. "This would be their last time together for quite a while, as the son was to be stationed elsewhere for further training. But something changed this night. They were both slain, remorselessly. The younger Gestalt was twenty-three years of age, the father forty-five. The mother now lives pregnant with an infant daughter, no longer able to work to support herself or her children."

Ethan's measured gaze fell upon the one who inflicted this atrocity, pausing for a few moments before he added to his explanation, "They are but two of two hundred felled in the exact same way. It is for this reason and this reason alone, Varus, that you stand before each of us. You know what you have done, both in the eyes of the League and of the world."

"You are a champion of the League, one who until recently was in good standing as well. You are a role model to the people of your City-State and to the rest of Valoran. The impressionable youths of the world, they will see your actions. they will take up arms. Your choices are not those of a man seeking to redeem, they are those of a man seeking to incite war, to visit destruction upon the land."

He fell silent, the knot in his stomach dispelled by his own words. A look to Swain, then to Karma, finally a swift glance to Vessaria beside him was all he afforded himself before returning his scrutiny to the accused.

The tension seemed to float heavily in the air as the crowd digested the speaker's address. Some of them seemed almost on the fringe of riotous discontent, kept at bay only by the horror on the faces of others and the silent council of the level-headed. If it had not been apparent to Varus before that there was little support for his actions, it was now starkly laid before him in the condemning eyes that now honed in upon him from the crowds.