"Well, Malgrim," Lao says while removing the spiked chain from the skeleton's neck. "I suppose we're just supposed to assume it's a coincidence that the beast went after you when his master was killed with a weapon you favor. And since you didn't bother to answer me, we should assume both master and hound were alive the first time you put the dog down."
Ava kicks at the bones of the skeletal dog. She looks through the remains for anything of note and then looks at Malgrim. "You killed this judge?!"
Malgrim
chomping his cigar and puffing some smoke in Doc's face
"Now the question is was it a copy cat, or did I copied him, Little Man."
Doc you can't tell if he is lying or not.
"I'll say this once," Lao says to Malgrim. "I have enjoyed as much of the smoke from your malodorous weeds as I care to inhale. There's no need to proceed all of your replies with a cloud of smoke. I may be smaller than you and I have followed the healer's path, but I've been a healer long enough to know where to hit you so it will hurt."
Malgrim
with a grin on his face
"Looks like the Little man has balls after all."
"Now that we have that out of the way," Lao says. He then turns his attention to any of the other jurors who may be in the room. Lao points to the skeleton and asks, "Could any of you tell us who this was in life? It appears he was a judge, but why would his body be left in his chambers?"
"Answer him," Ava tells the group of jurors. "We're not getting out of here unless we figure out what's going on. And as the group to sent Mord to his death, it seems like something wants you to answer for your choice."
While the others dealt with that unpleasant fellow, (Malgrim was it?), Pharysene drifted over to the ornate desk and skeleton in a chair.
She carefully examines the desks decorations and drawers.
She takes her time with it.
Perception:
Pharysene finds a letter on the desk, and it looks like it was interupted
the desk has a potion of lesser restoration, potion of bear’s endurance, a potion of cure moderate wounds, and masterwork dagger rests in an ornate emerald-and-silver sheath in his desk.
Ava reads the letter over Pharysene's shoulder. He looks up with indignation in her eyes. "So this confirms it! Mord was innocent! And this man was ready to confess his role in the matter when he was killed. Who is this Silman Trabe?"
Pharysene looks on with interest as the letter flutters gently in unseen breezes, waiting for the answer to Avalerdis' question.
Sir Rekkart
"Silman Trabe was the judge in Mord's case, and That letter is not proof enough that Mord was innocent, I would need more hard evidence."
"If Trabe was the judge in Mord's case, then who is this man? Another judge?
Sir Rekkart
"Yes, he is another judge. Judge Rayndros Felgor."
"And that was his courtroom back there?" Ava waves to the wrecked courtroom they just came from. "Then where is Trabe's office? Perhaps we can find out more about what happened in his office."
Sir Rekkart
"Trabe's Office was next to the courtroom we all awoke in"
"As a guess, I'd say Trabe's office is through the door north of the room we woke up in. Let's go over and see what we can find." Lao walks to the door to the east.
Pharysene gathers up the letter, potions and dagger.
Since we seem to be the only ones not connected to the past events holding us here, she will discreetly show them to Avalerdis and Tran.
"Is that blood on the letter? Why would someone who was garroted bleed? Maybe Malgrim is right and Felgor's murderer is trying to frame him."
"Maybe it's blood from the dog. Though you could be right. Maybe someone has framed him." Ava throws a glance at Malgrim. Clearly she doesn't believe her own words.
"I think we should go see what Trabe's office holds."
"We need a lot more information before coming to any conclusions. Let's go to Trabe's office." Lao walks out the east door into the columned hallway. He heads across the hall to the door on the opposite (east) wall.
You all enter Room4
These simple quarters haven’t been used in
years. A plain oak desk stands near the back.
Several voluminous texts on Absalom law, all
gilt-edged and bound in leather, lay scattered
about in the room.
Carefully making his way between the scattered books, Lao goes to the desk and starts methodically examining it.
While Lao examines the desk, Ava examines the books scattered around.
Pharysene looks consideringly at Malgrim and Sir Rekkart, but elects to hold her counsel and follows after Avalerdis and Tran into [Room 4].
Having scored looking at the last desk, she will examine the desk here as well.
Perception:
as you all look about the room,
suddenly all the books fly off their shelves and fly about.
Pharysene gets smacked by a book
"Are you alright, Pharysene?" Lao asks. He looks about the room for whatever is causing the books to take flight.
Ava deflects a couple of the books with her hammer. "Is this still the spirit of Mord doing this?" Since she can't see anything to attack, she takes a defensive stance.
when it settles down, you all hear one many book titled Punish the Guilty drop onto the desk, and open to a interesting passage that reads.
“We, entrusted with justice,
must be above reproach. Those who fail
to serve justice blindly shall reap what
they sow.”
papyrus scroll containing the following spells:
light, mage armor, magic missile, and shield.
The winds swirling around Pharysene manage to deflect several of the flying books, until one slams her in the head. She yips as she covers her head with her arms, then turns red with embarrassment.
"Are you alright, Pharysene?"
As the books settle down, she straightens up with what dignity she can muster.
"Yes, thank you Master Lao. It is nothing. Was someone laughing just now?" She frowns, wondering if it was the air spirits that swirled around her constantly; sometimes they laughed as well.
"I heard the laughter as well," Lao says. "Yet I don't think they're only playing pranks on us. Given what happened in this courthouse, I think the book thrower wanted us to read this passage about the duties of servants of justice. It looks like an oath for a judge or jury."
He then examines an interesting piece of papyrus he noticed among the books. Speaking just loud enough that Ava and Pharysene can hear Lao says, "Light, mage armor, magic missile, shield. These look like a spellcaster's notes. A mage might even be able to cast the spells from this scroll. Too bad Miss Somana has wandered off, she might be able to use this. I'll hold it until she rejoins us."
"I heard it too. Until you mentioned it, I thought i was just going crazy in this place."
She walks over to examine the book laying on the desk. "If this is Mord's spirit doing this, do you think it blames the judge for not serving justice?" She turns back to the group of jurors. "Do you know what happened to Trabe? I had expected to find his body here too."
"I'm not sure if it's Mord's spirit, the laughter sounded like a child to me. Wasn't one of the victims a child? Being slain as a child then having your father falsely convicted of the crime would weigh heavily on the soul." Lao stops poking around the desk. "I suppose there's nothing more to find in here. We should probably investigate the other rooms on this level."
Lao returns to the desk and looks at the passage it opened to again. He starts to read aloud, "'We, entrusted with justice, must be above reproach. Those who fail to serve justice blindly shall reap what they sow.'" He then closes the book carefully and notices the title on the spine. "Hmmmm... Punish the Guilty, a good idea if we could know who is really guilty."
Pharysene glances over the sheet of papyrus that Tran turned up, but sees nothing interesting to her.
"Well something is angry about the lack of justice." She throws glances at each of the former jury members. "Let's see what else is in this place."
Ava walks back out of the room and into the main room. "Where to now?"
Pharysene follows Avalerdis out into the main hallway.
"We seem to be gaining more reliable information from exploring these rooms than from those jurors. Let us continue to do so."
She points to the first unexplored door to the Northwest.
"What of this one?"
Suiting action to words (and Dangerously Curious), she approaches the door, waits for the others to set up, then opens it.
Lao follows Ava and Pharysene into the main hallway. He nods agreement with Pharysene's statement. "Yes, if we keep finding incriminating evidence, they may tell us the truth, eventually." Lao waits beside Phaysene at the northwest door.
Ava nods in agreement as Pharysene heads to the northwest door. Wordlessly, she sets up in front of it. "Ready" She waits for the Sylph to open the door.
you open the door to room 6
This room contains one long oval-shaped
wooden table and twelve rickety, worn chairs.
Razor-thin shafts of moonlight peek through
one large window covered with rotting boards
