Trial of Airibi I Root (1)

Category:Trial
Category:Events
== Overview ==
The Trial of Airibi Root (1) was the first major trial of the reworked Royal Court - known by this time as the Provincial Court - occurring on November 24th, 202 AG. The trial was hastily arranged occurring barely a month after the restructure of the Court had been completed. The trial was initiated by judge Jonson Calfe of Helmont on behalf of its Patriarch, Forkoux Fyth. Forkoux wished to Airibi answer for crimes committed against the people of the Wrennoc district of the Capital during a Borrosian-led massacre in the Uprootings conflict. Though Ronder Bridger was in fact responsible, Root had covered for his former Great Comnmander and admitted to the crime himself for his own reasons. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Root was acquitted. However, this ruling was overruled and declared null by the Trial of Airibi Root (2) 3 years later in 205 AG. 
== Details of charges ==
All details of the charges brought before the court arose from the Wrennoc Massacre during the Battle for the Capital. On Decemebr 21st 201 AG. During the massacre, 5-10,000 individuals were slaughtered aimlessly by Borrosian forces led by Ronder Bridger but admitted to by Root. Forkoux Fyth, Ophellaer Fyth, Wilddar Braitbirn, Ch'mazi, Glossop Eckashel and Tíras Theôs - most key Fellowship figures save for Contra's commanders - were outraged at events, a rare area of almost universal agreement in the Fellowship. Such was the devastation of the massacre, Ophellaer and Forkoux formed the Wrennoc Congregate, a group formed initially to aid a recovery in the district. These details, brought to Jonson Calfe's attention by Forkoux Fyth and Tíras Theôs, were analysed by Jonson, from which he derived organised mass murder, targeted persecution of group on petty grounds and gross unsuitability for leadership when it came to Airibi. Thus, these were the charges Jonson brought before the court on the behaves of Fyth and Theôs' kingdoms of Helmont and Mhordyn respectively. 
== Outcome ==
Root was acquitted on all charges after the court judged that the Borrosian forces had killed,"...with the single aim of self-defence in circumstances, though commonplace throughout the Uprootings conflict, that were sufficiently legally exceptional and therefore just in the eyes of the court" - Contran judge, Sentheus Llarson, delivers the verdict This verdict was reached with the ruled approval of the judges of the kingdoms of Llanoreid, The Borrows, Contra, and C'thardjia. Only the judges of Mhordyn and Helmont dissented. Thanks to former Fellowship-aligned powers dominating the political and judicial landscape of The Continent, former Grenthyx Loyalist and Delegation kingdoms had not yet gained the ability to take seats on the court pending the completion of a so-called adequate restructuring process. Therefore, the court was widely accused of corruption by inundating political and judicial systems with bureaucratic excuses for delaying their representation in said spaces. In particular, the court's decision to acquit Root with a fragrantly strenuous verdict was anticipated by many given that the negative publicity generated by one of the group's key figures being found guilty of mass murder would be liable to tarnish an image for the Fellowship powers that would need to remain intact should they wish to credibly lay claim to positions of power. 
However, the influence of Jonson Calfe (who found Root guilty) and of Mhordyn's judge during deliberation did create an impact. Whereas the wish was to completely exonerate Root from the charges, the pair was able to influence the verdict to simply acquit the Borrosian ruler. In practical terms, this achieved two things. First, it weakened Root's legal protection as an acquittal conceded that proof of innocence was not necessarily made (merely a story constructed), and second, (following on from this), the prospect of a second trial was left open, and therefore the prospect of overturning the decision. Not only was this in the mind of Jonson Calfe and Mhordyn's judge, but also the former loyalist kingdoms eager to see Root brought to justice for his perceived crimes.