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 Post subject: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2018 1:15 am 
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The trial, as it turns out, is to be held in one of the anterooms in the palace. Vanire introduces the party (with Count Radun hiding in their midst, his hood up) as his guests - the Palace guards take one look over the group for any obvious weapons, try to argue that Vanire and Sir Ulath should give up their sword and axe respectively, but back down when it's pointed out to them that a Church Knight cannot be legally deprived of his weapons. (Especially since Sir Ulath is a head taller than any of them and looms a bit while pointing this out).

Aside from the party, Vanire, Count Radun, and a few Church knights, the other people present in the courtroom include:

- The Primate, who's got a very large grin, looking like a cat who's swallowed the canary
- Lycheus the Bastard (*technically* the actual ruler)
- A small group of four people on important-looking chairs, wearing crowns - these are presumably the other monarchs, none of whom look particularly pleased to be there
- A large group of Palace guards, who keep a wary eye on Vanire's party
- A few clerks, lawyers, or similar people who appear to be fulfilling such roles as keeping notes and occasionally consulting various books

"At last," says the Primate, "the accused come before this court. Bailiff, please note that they arrived late."

"Oh, come now, Annias," objects one of the Kings. "It's barely a few minutes. Surely you're not thinking of charging one of the Knightly Orders on a technicality?"

"Apologies for our tardiness, Your Highnesses." says Vanire. "Some news arrived from Rendor."

Annias Raven sniffs, looking disapprovingly at Talen and Piper. "This courtroom is hardly the place for children. You will keep then silent, or they will be thrown out, is that understood?"


Last edited by CCC on Sat Apr 07, 2018 2:40 am, edited 2 times in total.
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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2018 5:44 pm 
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Felix keeps silent and maintains a watchful eye on the surroundings.

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2018 12:44 pm 
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Arkady's eyebrows rise when he hears the name of the Primate. Thinking to himself that there's enough irony here to forge a sickle, he leans over and says quietly to Piper "I believe I told you about him. It seems he likes you."

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2018 3:00 am 
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Piper giggles, quietly. This earns her an angry glare from the Primate.

"Gentlemen," says the Primate, addressing the assembled monarchs, "I have requested your presence due to some serious accusations that have come my way. I would like to ask that you hear the words of these eye-witnesses yourself, though."

"Yes, yes," says one of the Kings, with a lazy wave. "Bring them in."

Raven snaps his fingers, and one of the clerks heads out, coming back with a man in peasants' clothes. "Y'r honor?" asks the peasant.

"Please," says the Primate politely, "tell these gentlemen what you saw?"

"Well, y'r honourablesness, I was out with my pigs, when I saw a group o' knights, in black armour they were, sir. One o' them, sir, one o' them had the head of Count Radun on the end of his lance, sir. I know him well, sir, as I farm on his land, and ne'er a complaint have I had, sir, but that he looks into it right quick, sir."

"And do you see this man in this room right now?" asks the Primate.

"Yessir," says the peasant. "Right there, sir." He points directly at Vanire.

Arkady: Mysteries: +4 Roll: -2 Total: +2
Nathan: Resolve: +3 Roll: +1 Total: +4
Felix: Resolve: +1 Assistant: +4 Roll: +0 Total: +5
Roger: Resolve: +2 Roll: +2 Total: +4

Target: +2


Arkady finds he has a headache. The peasant's words are... convincing. Suspiciously convincing, in fact - it almost catches him by surprise, but he recognises that there's something odd going on just in time. Nathan and Roger manage to avoid the headache - they are simply not convinced. Felix finds himself beginning to seriously consider the possibility that the cloaked man next to him is an imposter, instead of the real Count Radun - after all, didn't this eye-witness just say that Radun is dead, and the Pandions guilty of his murder? Just as he's nodding along, though, he notices Theresa nodding at exactly the same time, in exactly the same cadence as he is, and somehow that strikes him as suspicious - and once he realises that something is affecting his mind, it's simple enough to break through the effects. Glancing up at the various royalty, though, he has to wonder - none of them seem to have any assistants around the place. If Count Radun stands up to address them, no doubt they will immediately assume an imposter...

The various Kings, as well, are nodding along with the words of the "witness", and even a few of the Knights are starting to look uncomfortable. Talen shifts away from Vanire in his seat, but Piper appears unaffected.


Last edited by CCC on Sat Apr 07, 2018 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2018 11:00 am 
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Arkady turns to the others and quietly says "Something is helping him lie. I can feel a power at work, and it is giving me a headache. I don't know what it is yet."

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2018 5:58 pm 
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"Theresa," Felix mutters quietly under his breath and grabbing her on the shoulder in the process. "You're under a mental suggestion, snap yourself out of it."

Idly laying a hand on Piper's head to giver her hair a tousle, Felix turns to Preceptor Vanire.

"If you so desire, you can call us as witnesses," Felix whispers.

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2018 1:09 pm 
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Arkady murmurs "Never mind us. We have two Church knights here who can testify that Martel and his hirelings consort with demons, and that Martel and Raven are colleagues. I am told that is legally considered proof."

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 12:53 am 
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"If I know who is casting it," whispers Piper, "then I can stop it." She gives some of the legal clerks a suspicious look.

Meanwhile, the Primate has called forth a second "witness" - a travelling merchant (or at least a man who claims to be a travelling merchant), who is telling the assembled Kings all about how he came across the ruins of Castle Radun, filled with the dead bodies of the Count and his staff.

"Technically," whispers Sir Ulath, "I can't claim to have witnessed more than that Martel claimed to have been involved in the poisoning. The Primate knows better than to accuse Church knights of lying in sworn testimony, but he can certainly claim that Martel was lying about his involvement."

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 2:26 am 
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On a hunch, Nate pops an earbud into his radio, and using his chainmailed chest to block outside signals, turns his radio on, hoping to pick up some of the strange signals they detected before, and their possible source.

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 3:19 pm 
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Arkady whispers back. "Sir Ulath, you saw Martel on the same ship as a demon. You saw him respond to the demon's control of Nate, and the loss of that control, exactly the way someone who knew what was going on would. You saw him flee towards that demon, and make no attempt to leave it. And you saw no direct evidence of any harm that came to Martel from that demon; indeed, you saw nothing that would possibly contradict the idea that the demon was protecting him from harm."

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 11:38 pm 
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Perspiration forms on Theresa's face as she tries to push her way out of the mental compulsion.

Theresa: Resolve: +0 Roll: +0 Total: +0

"Mental... suggestion?" she says, quietly. "You mean... someone is using magic to make me think that man is the Count?"

Nate promptly picks up a very loud squeal. One or more of the radio sources is very close indeed.

"Oh, Martel's relations with demons can be taken as a given," says Sir Ulath. "I just can't link Raven to it, directly."

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 1:05 am 
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"Can you link Raven to Martel? That may be useful enough."

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:06 pm 
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Felix sighs.

"Just follow my lead, okay?" Felix whispers. Looking over at Piper, he mutters, "Any idea on how I can help locate the mage?"

He keeps an eye out for anything that might not be obvious.

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:51 am 
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"I can link Martel to the Queen's poisoning," whispers Sir Ulath. "I think that's the closest I can get."

"...whoever it is is deliberately concealing their efforts from me," says Piper. "I could just try interrupting people at random, but that will get noticed."

Felix looks out for anyone who looks like they might be behind the spell...

Felix: Empathy: +3 Roll: +0 Total: +3 Target: +5

Felix can't see anything obvious. The various Kings are getting quite worked up, and one gets the impression that the only reason that they're not shouting for the Pandion order to be immediately disbanded is because they're waiting for the current claims-to-be-a-merchant witness to finish his grisly accounting of their apparent crimes.

Though Theresa is looking at Vanire with hostility, she seems happy to wait for Felix to take action before actually doing anything.

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 Post subject: Re: Pandions On Trial
 Post Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 6:15 am 
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Nate unobtrusively tries to catch the attention of Roger, Felix, and Arkady. He taps his earbud and shows his radio, keeping it below chair level, then nods towards the front of the room where the primate, his witnesses and the court clerks are located.

He hopes they understand his meaning.

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