The formal hearing was not held until three weeks later, after Lenard had been released from the healer's ward. During that time, the teachers questioned many students about Lenard's actions since coming to the school. Most of the students supported the claims that Lenard was the principal coordinator for the systematic bullying of Thomas, but most could not produce a witness to corroborate their story. Lenard had been very cautious to have his activities as the driving force kept to a "My word against yours" scenario. While many had confirmed that Lenard had been involved in the bullying, so had most of the first-year students. But there was a great difference between going along with something and being the driving force behind it.
But the most damming testimonies came from the students who were involved in the fight against the elemental. The accusation that Lenard had intentionally attacked another student with the intent to kill required the presence of Lenard's father, Baron Eric Silvercrest, to be present. The rumor among the students was that the Baron, after hearing what his son was being accused of, went to visit Lenard in the Healer's Ward. Where he promptly tried to beat his son back into a coma. Of course, this was an exaggerated tale, the Baron did not physically assault his son.
Regardless the day of the formal hearing was set to be a day of high drama. While the students were not permitted to observe the session, so many had received a notice to appear for testimony that any attempt at secrecy was nothing more than window dressing. Most surprising was that Thomas was not going to be giving testimony, however he was permitted to witness the inquest as an observer. This was mostly due to the fact that he was the central figure of the events, but had no testimony that was not rumor or hearsay. So, he sat in the back of the large classroom that had been rearranged for the occasion.
Baron Silvercrest sat next to Thomas. He was an imposing man, slightly shorter than his son at 5'11" but much wider at the shoulders. His large well-developed muscles showed that his status as Baron had not kept him from the training ring, and the scars on his face and arms showed he was no stranger to actual combat as well. His light gold hair had whitened at the temples, but even the rich fabrics of his short-sleeved silk shirt under a rich velvet sleeveless tunic of the darkest blue could not disguise the contained power of the Lord of Starshine Keep.
When Thomas had entered the classroom-turned-courtroom, the Baron had made it a point to rise and greet him. "Shaman Walker, I presume. I am Baron Eric Silvercrest. I wish we were not meeting under these circumstances, but I am pleased to meet you nonetheless." At the Baron's signal, the pair sat. "I cannot express how angry I am about my son's behavior. When Lenard wrote me that a shaman had been found and was training at the school, I was actually overjoyed. My lands were heavily involved in the Shaman Wars, and many of the effects still linger. There are many areas that are still not safe to cross because of Elementals raised during the wars, as well as times of sudden weather shifts, rock slides, flooding, and any other type of elemental disturbance you can think of. When you graduated, I intended, and still do, to offer you a place in my forces, leading a unit of my best to fix as many of those problems as you can. I hope this incident with Lenard will not prejudice you against my offer. I told Lenard in a letter, and in person over the break, that I wanted you to join our barony. I was hoping, in fact, that you and he would become fast friends. Obviously, that has not happened."
"Well, sir, whatever your intentions may have been, Lenard has done everything except follow them. I've been talking to some of his closer confidants, and they told me that you have repeatedly told Lenard that he needs to earn his succession to your title, it won't just be handed to him. Personally, I agree with that method. But it seems that when you told Lenard to recruit me, he saw it as me getting a free ride just because I'm a Shaman. That was probably an aggravating factor to his already intense dislike of me."
"Do you mean that Lenard disliked you as soon as you were classified as a Shaman?" asked the Baron.
"No, sir. Lenard disliked me from the first time we met, at the Enrolment Examinations. I've never found out why. In fact, it was during a sparring match, that he had handily won, that my Shamanistic abilities first manifested. Lenard had disarmed me and knocked me down. As he closed in to get a few more hits in, I accidently hit him with a lightning bolt. That's what led to my eventual reclassification."
"Well, that tells me more than I would like about my son. But my offer still stands. I do need you to help my lands. And if I can't rely on my son to help, I can still ask you not to hold his actions against all the people I am responsible for."
"I try not to hold grudges, as a rule. And if I do, it's against the person who wronged me. But I don't think I'll be able to accept your offer. Directly anyway. I'm sure you know that there are many areas in a similar state as yours. When I graduate, I'm planning on acting as an independent contractor, of sorts. During the recruitment weekend after the award ceremony, I was approached by most of the guild representatives. That showed me how valuable my services are likely to be. So, rather than cause disruptions by joining a single guild, I'm going to sub-contract to many guilds to take care of all the Shaman work that has piled up since the war."
As Baron Silvercrest pondered the future plans Thomas had laid out, the inquest began. Lenard, still looking thinner and weaker than normal, entered the room. Seated at the front of the room behind a long table sat six teachers, two from each of the three main courses, and the Headmaster in the center. All of the teachers had been chosen expressly because they did not have any classes that Lenard attended. They would vote on the resolution, with a tie being decided by the Headmaster. Other than breaking a tie, the Headmaster was tasked with controlling the proceedings, and impose penalties if the verdict goes against Lenard.