Chapter 50 - Chapter 50: Trial by Fire

The grand hall of Ardentvale, once thrumming with hopeful voices, now holds a sharper tone. The council's secret faction has been exposed, and the time for justice has come. The trial is a formal affair steeped in ritual, a mixture of medieval legal tradition and the gravity of a city's survival hinging on truth and consequence.Lucien stands beside the accused—a former council aide whose ambitions wove shadows through Ardentvale's walls. The proceedings follow an ancient structure recalling medieval city trials balanced with your fantasy world's magical influences:The accused is brought forward amid solemn oaths, pledging honesty under pain of divine retribution.Witnesses summoned recount evidence—secret letters, shadowed meetings, and tampering with Lysara's ward magic.Magical wards detect deception, revealing concealed lies and closely held secrets.The council listens, weighing facts with growing tension.The accused denies all, invoking ancient customs and trusting that a Trial by Ordeal will reveal their innocence or guilt. In a ceremony blending tradition and faith, the accused must grasp a heated iron—worn by generations as a test of divine judgment—walk a measured distance, and return. Their hand is bandaged and observed over days for healing, a sign of innocence, or festering, a mark of guilt.As the city holds its breath, the days pass. The healing reveals truth—the warding magic around the council chambers glimmers stronger, purged of deceit's taint.The verdict is delivered with grave solemnity: the accused is found guilty. Their fall is a bitter but necessary purge to defend Ardentvale's fragile peace.Yet outside the walls, the foreboding shadow of the foreign fleet looms nearer—a stark reminder that trials within the city are but one chapter in a larger struggle for survival.This chapter integrates medieval trial procedures, oaths, witness testimony, and the Trial by Ordeal with your story's fantasy elements, weaving a dramatic justice moment pivotal for political and magical stakes