"Well as long as it doesn't paralyze me again, I'm willing to try it." Ava leads the group back downstairs.
Eliannador watches sullenly as Ava hefts the axe. She follows wordlessly as she holds Nef close against her chest.
When you get to the ground floor you see
An old man with a sizable paunch staggers
backward as he defends himself from a tall,
lean opponent with a full beard and a flashing
blade to match his intense blue eyes. Their
rapiers clang and cast silvery sparks as the
tall man adjusts his black top hat gallantly
and launches another barrage of thrusts,
disengages, and riposetes. The heavier man’s
silver goatee and drooping moustache drip
beads of sweat while his green eyes show
terror and strain as he barely turns aside the
assault. A final feint on the part of the tall
bearded man opens a gash in the fat man’s
arm. He stumbles backward, turns his ankle
with a painful yelp and falls hard on the
flagstone floor of the Great Hall.
Stop this and explain yourselves! Magenta demands as she moves forward. Or I will blast you where you stand
Magenta stands ready to follow through with her action if not heeded.
Eliannador mutters to Nef, "Great. More doomed souls."
Killian
in his british accent
"Looks like we gained two more actors on this stage."
"That much is obvious, Killian. But who are they and how did they get here?"
he takes a moment and remembers their names
in his british accent
"It looks like Trabe and Wade, Judge and Prosecutor."
Avalerdis pushes herself between the two men, holding her flail and ready to use it. "Who are you and how did you get here?" She whirls around at Killian's mention of their names.
"Are you Trabe and Wade? You're at the center of this! What brought you back here?!"
They both stop what they are doing and both answer yes to the question about their names.
"How long have you been in here and why are you fighting?"
"Do you know what's been going on in here? Mord's spirit is killing people. And we know he was framed for the murder!"
Eliannador glares icily at Trabe as the others do the talking.
Sense motive please.
everyone
Sense Motive
Chantilly peers at the pair, skeptical.
Wade:
"Trabe was going to bribe me in keeping my mouth shut and I bet he has it on him."
"Bribing you to stay silent about your role in sending Mord to the gallows for another man's crimes," Lao says firmly. "We know Mord is innocent. A lot of guilty people died gruesome and painful deaths to prove it. People who died merely for violating their oaths as jurors."
"Tell me Your Honor," Lao glares at Trabe. "What do you think the punishment will be for a judge who violated his oath to see justice done because he couldn't get his victim's wife to violate her wedding oath?"
"They're both guilty, Lao. Bribe or no bribe, they're both responsible for all this. Mord was hanged? I say we hang them both from the same gallows."
Trabe:
"You threatened to reveal my work in this, Wade.
As I have my family's pride and honour on the line,
Unlike you and your wooing with various women."
"Settle down, both of you." Avalerdis looks threateningly at both men. "Perhaps, Trabe, we should explorer 'your work' in this. And you too, Wade."
She nods at Eliannador. "The Witch has a point. Both of you bear responsibility for Mord's death. We could hang you both to quench his hunger for revenge."
Do either of them have a scar?
Perception
"Of course a beard easily covers a scar, doesn't it Trabe? Don't worry, we won't need to shave you because we have Felgor's letter. Sloppy work that, having Felgor killed without silencing his confession."
"Oh for pity's sake, can we just hang Trabe already? We can show Wade what became of Patrissa and hang him after if Mord's still not settled down."
She glowers icily at both men, but her gaze lingers longer on Trabe.
"If we hang them both, we will get the right one!"
"What did he mean by your wooing women, Wade?" Avalerdis pauses for a second and then refocuses on him. "Could that be why you attacked Mord's wife? Were you trying to force yourself on her and she fought back?"
She looks to Lao. "Does that match your dream?"
"In the vision I only saw the murderer's back. His mere presence frightened the woman. He approached her and tried to strike her. That's when he was wounded." Lao's voice trails off as he ponders the vision further.
"The figure loomed over the woman in my vision."
"So Wade, you worked to stack the jury. Why? Why did you hate Mord so much?"
Wade:
"And what proof do you have that I stacked the jury?"
"We found the receipt for the necklace you gave Patrissa and the book of debts which had Halgrek's name in it. Plus, we suspect Rekkart was enchanted somehow and Patrissa had some mysterious magical auras. Now it might not be iron clad, but it's very easy to see you blackmailing Halgrek and convincing Patrissa to cast the spell on Rekkart and vote against Mord herself."
"That would put 3 votes directly in your control. Hardly impartial."