Leafiara (prime)/Non-Canon/Trial of the Rooks Deleted Scenes

Alternate Opening Statement 1

Speech

Leafiara begins, "There are many things I'd like to say, but we only have so much time in a night, so I'll tackle something that I don't expect to be brought up in questioning."
Leafiara states, "Apparently it's been claimed that Kayse was the only person found in the Den that night who anyone had known to be a Rook, but I dispute that."
Leafiara mentions, "Pukk had revealed himself as a recruiter for the Rooks a couple of weeks prior."
Leafiara notes, "Chandrellia is always proudly showing off her beloved kitten Mystie, who has a rook-marked name tag."
Leafiara continues, "And over the past several years, thousands of chrisms marked with rooks have been purchased from my shop and distributed for use in town defense--most before I joined, but many after as well. I've also been running with the Rook Queen line ever since Malluch Burdos and Mayor Thadston propagated it."
Leafiara reasonably acknowledges, "Someone might say things like this are inconclusive, but by that standard, so is finding us meeting with Casiphia. That is, of course, unless we should believe that any of the number of dealings that Thadston himself has had with Casiphia make him a Rook too."
Leafiara frankly says, "Still, I decline to deflect. Yes, I am a Rook. I've been one since Lormesta 22, 5122, shortly after the Rusty Cutlass opened. And I'm glad to be known."
Leafiara clearly elaborates, "After all, when the mayor barged in last week, I was in the middle of making the case to Casiphia that Pukk revealing himself was the correct path and we should do the same--just like I'd recommended to her previously at the end of the Knave war."
Leafiara adds, "Lest you think the timing of my story sounds convenient, I'd like to remind the court of a past incident and inform the court of another."
Leafiara reminds, "In 5121, during the Knave war, I supplied Marshal Thadston with a great deal of evidence and occurrences pointing to the conclusion that Casiphia must be Mother and Rone--and the latter had been proven by that point. I'd already believed so even before then, but didn't expect there was any chance of him listening until at least one of her identities had been exposed. As it turns out, even under those conditions, he didn't listen and dismissed it as wild theories."
Leafiara recalls, "In 5119, during the battles with Raznel, a militia member I didn't know passed by in the barracks one night and whispered 'Mother guide us' in my ear before hurrying along. Like I said, I didn't join the Rooks until two and a half years later, but even then back they trusted me and liked me, even to the point of saving me from Raznel's spiders on a rooftop one night. And I, in turn, trusted and liked them. Still, I considered it a higher priority to end Raznel than to protect the Rooks, so the next day I contacted Captain Shinann and informed her of the Rooks in her ranks, knowing it was a dangerous game to risk being too compromised."
Leafiara explains, "I hope nobody feels surprised nor betrayed by me. When I feel that the Rooks align with the best interests of the Landing, I've been with them, whether as a member or simply a vocal defender. When I feel that they don't align--or even potentially might not align--I've made use of my connections to supply information to the parties best capable of working against them."
Leafiara sincerely says, "For years, I've been warned by myriad voices that sooner or later the Rooks will betray me--yet they never have. If anything at all, I've been the one betraying them. Leaked information here, leaked information there, probably more leaked information tonight if you ask me the right questions, a council decision they didn't like, a second council decision they didn't like, and one time I even slew several Rooks in the tunnels to defend a drunken ex-Marshal Thadston. "
Leafiara earnestly concludes, "But the Rooks hold no grudges against me, nor have they ever. Situations grow complex. Sometimes we make mistakes. But then we move forward. The Rooks were my allies even before I was a member, and *we* are your allies now. I hope you'll come to see that throughout the trial."
Leafiara graciously says, "Thank you."

Why Didn't I Use It?

It didn't touch on anything major. Also, the second to last line wouldn't have worked if Leafi had gone anything other than first, so I abandoned this one immediately after writing what I did.

Alternate Opening Statement 2

Speech

Leafiara says, "I've carefully considered the charges and would say the following."
Leafiara says, "Regarding the charge of Impropriety and Conspiracy... In 5120, I conspired with militia Captains Stormyrain and Shinann, who were requesting that Marshal Thadston be put to a hearing judging whether he was unfit to remain the Marshal while possessed by the bleakwalker. On that point, Judge Renpaw ruled that he was unfit."
Leafiara says, "However, I had also raised an additional charge that Marshal Thadston was not acting in the best interests of the Landing when he withheld information on his Operation Stonewall from his top-ranked officers as he executed it with an unknown inner circle. This, I argued, rendered the militia hierarchy untrustworthy in the public eye. On this point, Judge Renpaw ruled that Thadston was within his rights. This means my action was improper."
Leafiara says, "I also conspired with the Order of the Silver Gryphon, who wished to escort a cult of self-professed Grishom Stone worshippers to the Ivasian temple in the Vipershroud. Instead of acting within my power as the Mayor to interrupt the escort, I heard out the Gryphons' negotiations with Malluch and allowed it to proceed undisturbed."
Leafiara says, "Furthermore, the next year I'd go on to conspire *against* the militia and the Gryphons, who were planning to accept aid from Grishom Stone in restoring Thrayzar to himself. I alerted Mayor Thadston of the plan and he raised questions about alternatives, which ultimately drew out a backup plan from Missoni and Akenna that didn't rely on Stone."
Leafiara says, "Therefore, I'm guilty on the charge of Impropriety and Conspiracy."
Leafiara says, "Regarding the charge of Hooliganism... it hardly even needs to be covered. I'm guilty on the charge of Hooliganism many times over, as is, frankly, a gigantic majority of the town."
Leafiara says, "Regarding the charge of Endangering Public Safety... I did not kill nor arrest Grand Magister Dennet Kestrel or Naimorai Kestrel in 5117 despite the obvious threat they posed. I did not kill nor arrest Praxopius Fortney in 5118 despite the obvious threat he posed. I did not kill nor arrest Adjudicator Vlashandra in 5120 despite the obvious threat she posed. I did not kill nor arrest the first blood cult I mentioned previously in 5120, which did not pose a threat in and of itself--however, my inaction emboldened the second blood cult that soon arose in town and did pose a threat. I did not order the removal of Amos' mercenary army in 5121, which would go on to attack the militia barracks in 5122."
Leafiara says, "Therefore, I'm not merely guilty on the charge of Endangering Public Safety, but so guilty that the argument could be made that I've done more damage to the Landing than Gnul, Haidan, and the Remnants combined."
Leafiara says, "Regarding the charge of Disturbing the Peace... I can't think of any incident in which I've done this. I'm not guilty of this charge."
Leafiara says, "Regarding the charge of Treason... everything I said about Endangering Public Safety applies. Therefore, I'm guilty of Treason."
Leafiara says, "All of this is why I joined the Rooks: because I was sick of looking good instead of doing good. Everything I mentioned, every evil I've allowed to flourish and grow without taking proactive measures, is what you could have and should have been putting me on trial for in years past. But you didn't."
Leafiara says, "Some of you think 'we did our best' washes away all of this. That's not an excuse I'm interested in making. I failed the Landing, I failed the Landing again, I failed the Landing again, and I failed the Landing again. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over."
Leafiara says, "I couldn't take it anymore, this endless cycle of extending the benefit of the doubt to every villain and monster we've ever faced, letting them proceed until they felt confident enough to make their move, fighting back and winning, then being showered with misplaced accolades of heroism for defending town--for defending those fortunate enough to have survived, at least, and meanwhile civilian corpses piled up by the dozens."
Leafiara says, "The kind of hero some of you want is no kind I could continue to be."
Leafiara says, "I couldn't look myself in the mirror sometimes. Failure, failure, failure--that was all that rang through my head. I was barely able to talk myself into running for the town council. I thought I'd be destroyed if I did. I thought for sure my opponents would nail me on any of the points I mentioned before."
Leafiara says, "My opponents didn't say anything about it, at least not the opponents outside." She stops and taps the side of her head, then continues: "I said it. I thought it. Living constantly with the guilt of failing our people, living with the fact I could have done more and didn't. Living with being hailed as a hero while knowing I was a coward seeking the approval and admiration of my peers."
Leafiara says, "I kept wondering when assassins would come for me since I'd failed the town. Before I joined the Rooks, I thought they might even *be* the assassins coming for me. Either them or Amos' fireflies, or maybe even just some disgruntled citizens like the ones who found a wand to turn Mayor Cruxophim to stone."
Leafiara says, "In my deepest moments of shame, regret, and guilt, I grew so paranoid that I even thought Marshal Stormyrain might cut my throat if she ever saw me outside the gates, where Landing jurisdiction doesn't apply and she wouldn't have to file any paperwork after doing the deed."
Leafiara says, "I thought I'd deserve it if anyone did come after me."
Leafiara says, "So I was as surprised as anyone when, in Lormesta 5122, the Brotherhood invited me to join instead."
Leafiara says, "But I did. I did join because someone has to go out and gather intel before tragedy strikes us instead of just cleaning up the mess after it strikes us. I did join because I was done being a coward. I joined because I was choosing, finally, to value our people and their safety over my image and my perception."
Leafiara says, "I'm glad to be here, accused of treachery over acts of bravery, instead of reliving past years when I was acclaimed for heroism despite acts of cowardice. Think of me what you will. It doesn't matter. My reputation doesn't matter. Our people matter."
Leafiara says, "The Leafiara of the past was a failure, a naive optimist playing hero and receiving the welcome of one even while letting everyone down--no, that's putting it too lightly. While getting people killed at every turn."
Leafiara says, "But I'm not her. I'm the Leafiara who's finally on the right path. I'm becoming the kind of hero I need to be, not the kind people want me to be."

Why Didn't I Use It?

It was way too long, too self-indulgent, spent too much time going into detail on things that happened before Leafi joined the Rooks, and took on far too negative a tone for the character by focusing on what she used to be instead of what she was.

You can see how a lot of the material here morphed into what became the final version, though. I did think this first iteration had its powerful aspects, but ultimately, as I look at it now, the only part I even sort of wish I'd kept was the mention of Leafi saying she thought people would kill her for being a traitor (again, before joining the Rooks)--that would have been some fine subtext to explain why she bounced back from getting hanged so quickly that she was literally engaging in banter with and winking at Thadston the next day.

Alternate Opening Statement 3

Declaration

Leafiara theatrically proclaims, "By myriad titles am I known! The Rook Queen, the Whimweaver, the Countermelody, Rysusbane, Scion of Shaundara, Avenger of the Alleys, Shadow of the Shanties, the Holy Flame of Tilamaire! The Maiden of the Eclipse, the shining light who rallies behind the shadows!"
Leafiara briskly continues, "But no matter the titles, no matter the designations, no matter the accolades..."
Leafiara triumphantly declares, "I am Leafiara Autumnwind, an ascendant star of Wehnimer's since the day I moved here!"
Leafiara loudly calls, "Ally to the Rooks, nightmare to all who wish harm on our frontier! May the fires of freedom ever burn bright!"
Leafiara adamantly exclaims, "I have no fear of any Mayor, Judge, trial, or verdict because I have even less than no fear of the truth!"
Leafiara defiantly challenges, "Ask me your questions if you dare hear the answers!"

Why Didn't I Use It?

I only thought of this because the previous version was far too long, so I wanted to take a stab at something ultra punchy. Honestly, Leafi's so brazen that she'd absolutely do this, but I think it would have killed everyone else's immersion, so I'll save this sort of material for fighting the Remnants, heh.

A Brief Aside

Comment

Leafiara amiably says, "Whatever direction the rest of my time in this trial goes, I'll not snipe at anyone, I don't deal in gilded or honeyed words, and, above all, I don't tell lies. I'm as hardline against lying as Darcena, who along with me was one of only two people expressing distrust and dismay toward Icemule's Mayor Talliver when he used a ploy of leaking false information to lure in allies and resolve the Ravager situation a couple years ago."
Leafiara adds, "I'm even such an open book that I let Kharusa into my mind willingly and risked the Rooks in their entirety because Landing safety was a higher priority."
Leafiara encouragingly emphasizes, "So, please, ask anything of me you wish *if* you dare to hear the answers."

Why Didn't I Use It?

This was going to conclude her opening statement, but bringing in Darcena and the history with Talliver and the Ravager came across too off-topic while cutting them made it all seem too generic even if I left in the Kharusa bit. So off it went!

Relaxed on Trial

Comment

Leafiara says, "You face the double-edged sword of speaking with a who's far better at condemning herself than you could ever be at condemning me. On one hand, your barbs and jabs are wasted breath against someone who already lives in the mire of guilt, introspection, and hypotheticals. On the other, I won't even try to refute your legitimate criticisms. So don't squander your golden opportunity, Mayor."

Why Didn't I Use It?

I was prepared for Thadston to ask why Leafi seemed so upbeat and relaxed while on trial, or at very least make some snarky comment about it, but he didn't. She would have replied with this if she had.

Courage vs. Fearlessness

Comment

Leafiara says, "...and since I can imagine rolling eyes up there over describing myself as a coward after the countless battlefields I've bled on, I'll elaborate briefly on that."
Leafiara philosophically says, "I was fearless, not courageous--I don't see them as the same. Being fearless is being bold enough to face your known circumstances, but being courageous is being bold enough to create new, unknown circumstances. In other words, fearlessness is reactive and courage is proactive."
Leafiara reasons, "So, yes, I was lacking. You can't be courageous while you believe with every bit of your being that you'll win--and, on the battlefield, I always believe that. Courage is when you don't know if you'll win and you take a step forward anyway."

Why Didn't I Use It?

As you see above, some earlier incarnations of Leafi's opening statement involved thinking of herself as a coward before joining the Rooks. That perspective obviously requires elaboration because, just on face value, it's hard to describe someone who wants to fight Bleaklands behemoths as a coward. I felt that touching on it even this little bit would be pushing into uncomfortable levels of long-windedness, though, so I ended up just dropping that angle, rendering the followup unnecessary.

Deals With Mother

Comment

Leafiara says, "By the mad twists of fate, you've still struck more deals with Mother than I have despite my being a member. As the former Marshal, yo worked with Mother to ambush Disean's army and arrange a ruse to capture him. Again as the former Marshal, you worked with Mother to evacuate willing citizens before an expected Raznel attack. As the current Mayor, you worked with the Rooks to escort Tyrrax through the tunnels."
Leafiara offhandedly mentions, "By the way, to this day we--the entire Landing, yes, even I as a Rook--have no idea what you offered her in return."
Leafiara continues, "My only deal with Mother came before I joined the Rooks. I agreed to help them with attacking wagons that she thought were one of the Knave's weapon shipments in exchange for... ironically enough... the Rooks' information on the location of the bleakstone statue that you were asking us to retrieve so you could be free of the bleakwalker."
Leafiara notes, "I'll also mention that the Gryphons and the militia opted not to accept that information, as they were unwilling to work with the Rooks and fight through Vlashandra's hidden tunnels alongside those of us who went. The Rooks were respectful of their decision, so much so that they gave a cue to the Gryphons and militia captains when to leave the room before the information was divulged, to ensure they couldn't be mistaken as having any part in the deal by hearing the wrong words."
Leafiara acknowledges, "If the court wishes to consider one-sided arrangements 'deals,' that would add another one to my tally, namely the act of joining the Brotherhood itself. However, even by this logic, your count would still be ahead of mine--and then we'd also need to add your pardon of Casiphia to your tally."

Why Didn't I Use It?

Because Thadston never asked the question I had anticipated about how many deals Leafi had been doing with the Rooks and for how long.

Convenient When Necessary

Comment

Leafiara seriously says, "I do, however, object to the idea raised previously that the right move would have been to threaten the captain and force the ship to stop or turn around. Assuming I've been following this wild trial correctly, one of the charges Mayor Thadston has brought against the Rooks is threatening violence."
Leafiara incredulously says, "So I find it profoundly self-defeating that he would not only imply Rooks didn't threaten violence often enough, but describe that doing so would be such an honorable move that, in his words, he would have expected it of a Gryphon."
Leafiara sharply states, "Pick a line and stick with it if you wish to win a case."
Leafiara shakes her head.

Why Didn't I Use It?

Thadston never asked Leafi about the shipwrecked sailor. I probably would have snuck this in somewhere anyway if not for the term "flip-flop" being out of genre by hundreds of years--because something like "I might be good with sandals, but you're good with flip-flops" would have been too tempting to pass up!

Alternate Closing Statement

Speech

Leafiara seriously asserts, "Deep down, I know that most of you understand very well the value of the shadows."
Leafiara amiably reasons, "I know you understand because our town has elected Lady Alendrial, a former leader of the Rooks, as our next Mayor. I know you understand because our current Mayor Thadston has infiltrated the Blameless before and has struck many deals with the Rooks to spare our people from Raznel or the krolvin."
Leafiara appreciatively continues, "I know you understand because I, your past Mayor Leafi, worked with the Rooks alongside many of you to find the bleakstone statue and save Thadston. I know you understand because some of you found Gnul's forge by disguising yourselves as kobolds."
Leafiara truthfully reminds, "I know you understand because the Rooks protected Kharusa, helped ensnare Captain Bodohal, and assisted Mayor Thadston in releasing Tyrrax to end a war, free innocents, and secure another angle of attack against Grishom Stone one day."
Leafiara jovially jests, "I know you understand because our beloved Steward of the Guard is a former assassin called Thrayzar Necksnapper, for crying out loud!"
Leafiara winks.
Leafiara earnestly says, "There is no dispute about the merit of covert operations."
Leafiara smiles and chuckles, then shakes her head.
Leafiara simply reasons, "So, then, this trial has been about whether we've used our operations for heroics or villainy."
Leafiara rhetorically asks, "Does anyone believe that Rooks make some secret agreement with Casiphia that changed the core of who we are forever?"
Leafiara confidently replies, "We have not. As our statements over this trial have proven, we're exactly who we've been. We're your family, friends, allies, and fellow defenders, and the core of who we are would never change just because we joined an organization that has history."
Leafiara offers, "Our town's cherished belief in redemption has given us a spectacular Steward of the Coffers who will be our next Mayor in a landslide. In working to better the Rooks, I also choose to believe in redemption for organizations."
Leafiara encouragingly says, "If you've ever trusted any of us defendants, believed in us, loved us, or even simply thought you could work with us, you can safely continue to. Our methods change, but our intentions don't."
Leafiara amusedly assures, "And I promise you that, even with our smaller group, Rook meetings get just as spirited and contentious as any large public meeting."
Leafiara teases, "You know that Leafiara 'Embrace the Chaos' Autumnwind would have gotten bored and left the Rooks by now if it were any other way!"
Leafiara winks.
[and then the last three lines were exactly what the last three lines in the trial ended up being]

Why Didn't I Use It?

I had written two closing statements with the intent of deciding which I'd used based on the flow of the questioning. I actually preferred this one, but Thadston had already asked a question touching on the idea of redemption for the Rooks, so I ended up taking the first half of the other closing statement I wrote (the one turning Thadston's words about letting Tyrrax go back on him), sticking the last third or so of this one onto the end, and making a few tweaks on the fly for a more serious tone--once the "Thrayzar Necksnapper" line went, the "Leafiara 'Embrace the Chaos' Autumnwind" line also had to go.

Alternate Closing Statement 2

Speech

[lead in with quoting Thadston and explaining it's what he said to Kiyna after releasing Tyrrax]
Leafiara says, "We might wish for perfect solutions and clean victories, but those are just as rare as clear decisions of right and wrong. That's why we need multiple approaches. For as enduring a slogan as 'Embrace the Chaos' has turned out to be, at times I wonder if I should have gone with my initial idea of 'Embrace the Clash,' which probably would have been less catchy but better understood."
Leafiara says, "The strength of Wehnimer's comes from our diversity. That was my point. The militia, the town guard, the Gryphons, the Faendryl Enclave, the Drakes Vanguard, the Rooks, and every other organization all provide valuable perspectives. Our myriad wildly divergent groups, and the litany of debates we have, are what help us identify new angles of attack to strike at our enemies and work toward the best ways to solve our troubles. Not the perfect ways, but the best ways. We could ask for no more."

Why Didn't I Use It?

It was either end primarily with a message about the entire town or end primarily with a message about the Rooks. This was literally "The Trial of the Rooks," though, I opted for the latter and kept in just a smidge of this part. In hindsight, maybe I should have kept this whole thing and then continued to end on the Rooks anyway--but whatever, nothing's perfect!