ID: 730086
Femme Fatale of History 9
icon NPC
Level: 1
HP: 63
Aggression radius: 0m

Dialogs:

Femme Fatales of History


Volume 9. Kromede, the Fallen Judge

From an early age, Kromede of Altgard was known for her lovely features. Words failed those who attempted to describe her beauty, and their efforts grew only more difficult as she grew into a dazzling young woman.

Had that been all to her, she would perhaps would not have risen to the heights she did. But in addition to physical beauty, Kromede also possessed a sharp wit and a strong mind. Even as a child, she amazed her tutors and dominated her peers academically.

By the time she reached adulthood, Kromede had charmed everyone in Altgard, men and women alike. She soon learned to make full use of her inherent talents. Before long, her beauty could make others kneel at her feet, where her clever words ensnared them forever. She knew she was better than them all.

No one was surprised when Kromede ascended, except perhaps that it had taken so long. Had she ascended as a child, still unaware of her own power over others, things might have been different. But Fate had something else in mind for her.

Kromede quickly stood out among her peers in the Temple, and immediately after finishing her training, she was appointed as a Shadow Executor--the youngest ever at the time.

Kromede was a superb Shadow Executor, surprising no one. Her investigations were always thorough, and she pursued her every endeavor to the end. She never had a problem wringing the truth out of a situation or a witness. No one could resist her charms.

Kromede's colleagues and superiors consistently praised her for her impeccable and reliable work. But one thing concerned them: her growing obsession with perfection.

After being promoted to Shadow Judge, Kromede insisted that the most important cases be assigned to her, and that most of the Shadow Executors work directly under her.

If the leaders of the Shadow Court had not been misled by her prowess, they would have noticed that Kromede's selectiveness also applied to her workload. As it turned out, she was repeatedly taking similar types of cases, as if narrowing her focus.

After finally being promoted to an even higher position, Kromede set aside all pretense and began to clearly express an interest in cases of only one sort--those related to items legendary for their great power.

The first one to suspect aberrant behavior was Nagelbaad, a handsome and wise Archon of Dusk. Some had already noted that the Shadow Court seemed particularly interested in seemingly insignificant cases involving ancient ruins across Atreia, but only he questioned it.

It was hardly easy to pry into the internal affairs of the Shadow Court, but Nagelbaad was persistent and devious. He continued to investigate, and in the end, could come to only one conclusion: Kromede was manipulating her cases, using them somehow for selfish ends.

Though he was certain of Kromede's guilt, Nagelbaad could not bring her to justice easily. She held the full confidence of the Shadow Court, and he could easily be ignored, or arrested himself for making false charges, without rock solid evidence.

Worse yet, at the time, he was on bad terms with the Shadow Court. Nagelbaad simply could not risk openly accusing Kromede.

Nagelbaad was as clever as Kromede, however, so he patiently approached the matter in a roundabout way. He began dropping hints about key cases to his network of informants, letting them spread rumors as they saw fit.

Kromede soon realized that someone was on to her, but she apparently did not pay the matter much attention. She firmly believed that her reputation in the Shadow Court would not be impaired by mere rumor. She had no public reaction.

Privately, however, amongst her many admirers--seniors, colleagues, and subordinates alike--Kromede began to express suspicion that one of them was betraying her. She gradually withdraw her "love" from all of them, one at a time. Many hearts were broken.

For Kromede, turning off the spigot of her love was an easy thing, as she felt superior to her admirers. But hate quickly rises to fill the void where once love dwelled, and eventually one grew angry and turned on her--a minor clerk named Robstin, merely one among many for Kromede.

His vicious betrayal was all it took--the rest soon followed.

With all her former admirers firmly against her, Kromede's case was quickly brought to the surface. Kromede--the one who used to coldly judge criminals--became the culprit to be judged with equal frigidity.

Led by the esteemed Judge Kaliga, the Court launched a full investigation into Kromede's corruption, and quickly discovered a secret warehouse rented from the Black Cloud Traders. Within they found all manner of ancient tomes, skill manuals, and manastones, along with many other valuables.

Kromede had collected an incredible quantity of mystic relics, "appropriated" from the very criminals she had investigated over the years. The power she could obtain from these items was unimaginable. The Shadow Court was thrown into a frenzy.

Surprisingly, Kromede confessed everything on the first day of her trial. Through a wall of tears, she explained that she just wanted to be perfect, to be worthy of returning the admiration and love of all those around her.

Beauty, wit, charm--everyone thought she was supreme in these areas. Only she thought--knew--she fell short. To live up to their expectations, she needed ancient manuals and relics to be perfect, to become what they thought she already was.

The corruption of a judge was deemed an unpardonable crime, and Kromede was sentenced to life imprisonment in a crystal cell. For her heartfelt confession, however, Nagelbaad asked that Kromede be given a final request. She asked to serve her sentence in her birthplace, and this was granted.

Nagelbaad accompanied her to Altgard, the former Shadow Judge now in chains.

They never arrived.

As it turned out, Kromede had not taken her love from quite everyone. She had continued to secretly court someone, promising her exclusive love and proving it by shirking all her other admirers.

The confession, the sentencing, the final request--it was all a sham, one final manipulation to sway the minds of her accusers. Thus Kromede easily escaped justice with the one man who had finally proved her equal, the one man who could save her--the man who had also doomed her.

Neither Kromede nor Nagelbaad has been seen since.




Login to edit data on this page.
BBCode
HTML

Elyos
Asmodian