[Phase 1.5] Castos Vast Woes [open to Abelar's supporters]

Roland stood with the handful of other knights. At first he shared in the septon's delight in seeing a hypocrite seized, then wariness over what would come next.

Abelar and he had talked when the man was in a cell at Highgarden, but how much had truly changed? How much could any man truly change, once he reached the age of majority?

For now he trusted to their shared Faith in the Seven and Lord Yelshire's presence to keep matters under control, his left hand worrying at his seven pointed star necklace.

"We could parade them both to the Starry Sept as they are" Alekyne does not appear to be joking. "Or see if there's something suitably humble in this place"

As much as Castos tries to plead for his dignity, he is cowed and broken, the girl is shocked and terrorized, obeying with tears in her eyes. Both attempt to cover their private parts as best they can against the ever-growing crowd of onlookers. The girl is comely enough to elicit hoots and hollers, nobody really recognizes Septon Castos without his robes and rainbow-colored vestments. Some of those Abelar had brought along silently grumbles about maybe going too far.

Their bare feet leave blood stained footprints by the time they reach The Starry Sept, where Septon Roswyn appears, forewarned undoubtedly, he looks on sternly, betraying no opinion on the scene before as he demands to know the meaning of all this.

Roswyn betrays no emotion as he considers Abelar's words, the habit of the faith was to deal with such things quietly, for surely they must happen to The Godsworn, they were only men and women, fallible, if perhaps on the whole showing greater temperance than their flock. But the very low number occurrences that became known to others gave them pride of place on the tongues of any gossip and suggested that there were much and more that never reached them to begin with. Roswyn notes that they had both made the walk of atonement, for the girl, that should suffice aplenty. Though unless Septon Abelar as the presumed accuser and Septon Castos as the accused might agree on a fitting penance, The Star Tribunal must convene for a second time within but a fortnight or so, with one member obviously having to be recused.

Roswyn notes that by his recollection, Abelar happens to be an avid student of the histories of the faith and surely would know what sort of penance happens to be precedented. Abelar might tell him that is a rather wide range, but undoubtedly Roswyn already knows this, perhaps purposefully casting Abelar as the one pushing for harshness and tying the hand of The Faith in this matter, giving Abelar the chance to gain whatever results he likes, but taking all the risks by reaching for them. Roswyn is like to find apples pleasing to his taste having fallen from the tree when all the attention is upon the one who shook them loose. Some High Septons had advocated Mother's Mercy, others would prescribe gelding for one of the cloth unable to uphold his vows of not taking any wife or fathering any children just as they would have a tongue removed for being unable to uphold a vow of silence. Others again had decreed that septons breaking their vows should no longer be sepons, confined to septry's copying holy texts or other good works with their hands and backs as humble brothers in the service of The Faith.

If Abelar were to suggest that if Castos might ask for The Father's forgiveness and The Mother's mercy, he might keep his manhood and quietly retire to ranks of the holy brothers, there should be a good chance that he would so agree and the matter would be settled to the satisfaction of Abelar's primary goal. But if he demanded his genitals to hang about his neck on the way to the septry as well, Castos would undoubtedly prefer to take his chances with The Tribunal. For there would be little else for him left to lose. In front of the Tribunal, without the blackmailed vote of Septon Castos, cast by septons and septas who knew him and possibly considered him their friend, there might be a good chance that they would consider his walk of atonement to be sufficient to absolve the man of his sins. But few can match Abelar's rhetoric, and a victory in front of the Tribunal would surely do much to increase the prominence of Abelar and his views.

Fearing far worse should it come to a tribunal, Septon Castos readily agrees to it. Roswyn appears as stonefaced as ever.