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You can still remember the last time you had seen the book. He was sitting on a rock, looking at the dozen dead ghouls, and writing fastidious notes. Just when you had snuck to an angle where you could see what he was writing, he had slammed the book closed and looked unnervingly directly at you. “One day,” you said shaking your head. “One day you are going to have to show me what is in that book of yours.” He just smiled and said, “tell you what: I will leave it for you in my will.” At that moment you couldn’t wait for Professor Lorrimor to be dead, but now that you look down at your desk and his book, you would gladly burn it if it would bring him back.
The adventurers that brought you his book (and the other books) had told you of his death at the hands of the damnedable Whispering Way and you were sure you would find a way to make them pay for what they had done, but for now you were more interested in finally reading his book. You opened the cover and just as you got to the first page you were interrupted by the unusual sound of boots running to your office. An undergrad student, that you vaguely remember seeing before, sticks his head in and shouts, “They got ‘em! They got ‘em!” before running off in the opposite direction. Whatever he is running towards seems to be generating an ever louder racket.
Sigghh, Viktor thinks almost aloud as he considers just staying here in his office and enjoying a good read. The last time you ignored a commotion there was that fire, he thinks to himself some more before deciding to head off and see what this disruption is all about. He places the book in his oak desk, locking it with a small brass key.
Leaving his office, he moves with a preternatural grace, following the sound of raucous students.
I’ll only be gone a minute, and then I won’t need to worry about what is going on. It’s best to have an undistracted mind while reading the works of Lorrimor.
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As you follow the sound of raucous students, you eventually make your way to the second story of the entry chamber, where a balcony allows you to look down on the ground floor below you. A number of student have gathered here and you can see that they are looking down on ... something and seem to be cheerfully discussing it. When you glance down you see almost a parade. The town's sheriff seems to be triumphantly leading a procession of deputies towards the college's main door and between them, heavily bound and floating on a giant magic disk, is a gigantic creature. It appears to have the vague shape of a man, but it far far larger than any man you have ever seen and seems to be the result of someone crudely stitching together the pieces of other bodies (some of the wiring and staples are obviously visible). As you watch, the creature makes a growling sound and feebly tries to break its bonds, but luckily whoever bound it knew what they were doing and all it manages to do is cause a jangling sound of chains grinding on chains. You hear a gasp and then a cheer from the students as it tries and fails to break its bonds, but you also hear a quiet voice come from behind you. It is seemly lost to the nearby students, but you hear the familiar voice of Judge Embreth Daramid say, "This is going to be a lot of work for us." She walks towards you and stands beside you, leaning on the banister as though she was any other observer. She speaks quietly, not quite a whisper, but clearing now wanting others to overhear. "Over the years, dozens of murders have been attributed to the beast, but it is going to be hard to determine which murders are this creatures sins and which are other people using it as a scapegoat. Whats more I worry that more is going on than we know. I just spoke with Dr. Crowl and he said that a seemingly non-valuable statue was stolen by the beast, but was not found on the beast's person."
Judge, how are you?, Viktor asks with a slightly peaked interest. What is this beast precisely? If it is a flesh golem then it has no mind of its own, and its sins are sins of its controller.
Waiting for her answer he takes a minute to straighten his suit. Judge Embreth Daramid was a lady of some influence in this area and he had been working to make her a potential ally for a couple years. She had come to him in the past about a few cases, nothing too serious. For one she required a translation of a cypher written in Elven. The other was as a minor witness to petty theft. Both cases had gone reasonably smoothly and helped him establish some credibility with the judge.
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Seeming to ignore your first question (she often does things like that), she answers your second question by saying, It is definitely a flesh golem, but even a cursory examination has shown me that it is not mindless. That should be impossible, of course, but it wouldn’t be the first time I have had to deal with the impossible.
That of course doesn’t mean it does not have controller. There could very easily be someone else who is partially or completely responsible for the beast’s actions.
His interest somewhat piqued, Viktor smiles Fascinating, do we know it’s creator? Someone at the university? It is not a simple task.
When she finishes her reply he asks her what she proposes to do and whether the local constabulary is looking into what crimes may not be its fault.
Seeing the students in such a clamour about this brings a little sadness, If only they dedicated this much energy to their studies, he thinks to himself.
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She shakes her head. No, we do not know who its creator is, but if it does have a controller, they are likely one and the same.
The sheriff and his men will do their part, but most of figuring out who he has or hasn’t killed will be up to the prosecutor. While it is not official, I suspect that Otto Heiger will be appointed to the task. He is a decent enough sort, but he is overzealous and I worry he might be too busy bringing The Beast "to justice" to dig deeper into all of this.
I’ll be honest, I’m not really up on what crimes it stands accused of. How long has it been loose so to say? Pausing for a second, Viktor tried to judge what the judge is asking him to do. Or if she is just holding conversation.
Though Viktor is usually able to get a read on people, the judge’s intent remains unclear.
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She shrugs. He will be charged with murder at least a dozen times over. Maybe two or three dozens times, depending on what Otto can put together. After all, The Beast has been active for a couple of decades and in that time every murder in and around town has been attributed to him. Some of them are definitely his work ... but, as i said, probably not all.
She is hard to read, but you get the impression that this ins't a conversation. If anything, this is a mission briefing.
Getting an inkling that the judge may be asking him to look into this Viktor tries for a more direct approach. Is there something you would like me to do Judge?, he asks with a plain face. Or is this something you can’t be involved in?
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She nods but only slightly. It is a gesture that is obvious to you, but not the gawking students beside you. I would like you to look into this. Specifically, I would like you to aid Barrister Gustav Kaple in the defense of The Beast. She puts up a hand to forestall any angry response from you. It is not that I want to have The Beast found not-guilty mind you, but while I am convinced that the prosecution will do an excellent job, I worry that Gustav will be in over his head with all of this arcane business and if we are sending something … or someone to the punishing man, I want to make damn sure they were responsible for their actions.
She quickly glances back and forth to make sure that none of the students are ease dropping before adding, … plus … the missing statuette makes me worry that there is more to this than meets the eye.
Below you the creature again tries to break its bonds and again fails and once again there are corresponding gasps and cheers from the students. The sheriff is clearly taking his time escorting this creature and enjoying the measure of celebrity it is giving him. As you watch, he gives a wink to a nearby female student who swoons.
She sighs and adds, and yes, you are correct that I can not be involved in supporting the defense, even if by only asking a competent person to aid in it. Not only did this conversation not happen, but when we are done here, you and I will not be able to meet until this business is over.
I'll go talk to the Barrister, to see what can be done. Viktor gives a slight bow and then turn and departs back to his study. Not quite sure what to make of the situation, I'll have to get an overview of the situation from the barrister and start from there.
Getting back to his study he sits at his desk, in his dark wood, tall backed chair. Sinking ever so slightly into the forest green velvet upholstery. He ponders for a second just sitting here and perusing his new book. He takes the key to his desk out and twirls it in his hands twice before pocketing it and standing up.
Locking to door to his study, he makes his way out into town. The town has become familiar to him these past few years. Familiar places and familiar faces, though he has few true friends. He makes his way down to the barrrister's Office and knocks twice on the door.
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A moment later the door opens and a middle aged man stands on the other side of the door frame. His hair is retreating, but it is not the disciplined retreat of any a losing army so much as it is a desperate retreat of a broken force whose soldiers have dropped their weapons and are scattering in all directions. His head also seems to have too much skin, which always seems to leave some part of his face with a fold of skin. He it carrying several books and stacks of papers, wedged between an army and his chest, and he says curtly, sorry, I am not taking any new clients at the moment, I have just been assigned something that will consume all of my time. I suggest you check with Benson or Pulmeir, third and forth buildings down the road to the west.
Stepping onto the threshold of the door, and allowing himself to be silhouetted by the door frame. Barrister....Gustav. I am not here as a client. I am here to ensure you current project goes well.
Until an hour ago I had little interest in this case or your client. But a friend of mine has called ina favor. This friend is concerned that your client may be used as a scape goat for the crimes of others, letting them get off for free. My friend has an interest in seeing justice done and justice should be based on the truth. As such, I am going to help with the case.
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He looks at you flabbergasted for a moment before stepping aside and saying, your funeral, kid.
He walks towards a nearby table and puts down the books and papers, which he immediately begins sorting. Looking at you over his shoulder (while still sorting the books) he adds, I am still trying to figure out who I pissed off to get assigned his case. Best case scenario, I lose and sooner or later the town forgets that I defended a monster. Worst case scenario, I win, and then for the rest of my life I am that guy who literally kept a monster from being destroyed. He shrugs and continues, but if lost causes are a hobby of yours, I could certainly use the help.
We will have to have you swing by the county clerk and register as a ‘volunteer defender’, but that is more a formality. I don’t mind discussing my defense with you in the meantime … but that is mostly because I don’t have much of a defense. From what I hear, The Beast either can’t talk or wont and while there are scattered stories of The Beast helping lost travelers and children, I doubt I can get any of those people to speak out in his defense during the trial (not that I won’t try, mind you).
He sighs hopelessly. Do you have any bright ideas on where we should begin?
I think I will begin by filling out the proper paperwork, then attempting to interview the beast. Has the prosecution given a formal list of charges? I fear that we will have to disprove each one.
Pausing for a second to get a feel for the Barrister, , Mr. Madison pulls out a small notebook. Will I need anything official to interview your client?
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The prosecutor hasn’t provided a list of charges yet … but if we are already swinging by the country clerk, I could stop in and ask him. From what I have seen, Otto seems rather intent on moving this thing along as quickly as possible, so he probably has a list already, and he will need to provide me that list before he can formally charge The Beast.
Gustav seems like a man beaten, but not broken … yet. You can tell that he has suffered a number of major setbacks recently and probably at least one life shattering event and the result is a man who has little to no hope for the future. He is bitter, but unlike most bitter people, he is more sad than angry. You get the feeling that he will do his job, but that he will do it more out of a sense of duty to the legal system than because he believes that his client is actually innocent.
As soon as we finish the paperwork, he will be OUR client. If you want to interview him right away, help me carry some of this stuff. He fills your arms with books and collections of legal papers. They always give the prosecutor and the defense the two side rooms at the court house (where The Beast currently is) and I want to set up shop there as soon as I can.
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Unless there was something you wanted to do at Gustav’s office, he leads you to the county clerk, who forces you to file a seemingly unnecessary amount of paperwork (in triplicate), and then he takes you to the prosecutor’s office. There a happy and excited clerk gladly hands you a folder of papers, stating that you had “saved him a trip”. Many of the people in the prosecutor’s office seem similarly excited and you overhear someone mentioning that Otto has already hired a painter to paint his triumphant victory in court.
The papers given to both of you show that the prosecution is using three recent crimes attributed to The Beast to convict the creature of murder: the murder of ten citizens of the village of Morast a year ago; the slaying of six children in the farming community of Hergstag seven months ago; and the arson attack four months ago at the Sanctuary on Karb Isle, which resulted in the deaths of Doctor Brada and his patients and the blinding of the doctor’s assistant, Karl.
Viktor reviews the paperwork with the precision and patience of an academic. He is most careful about any legal ramifications for himself as he takes in this case. Once satisfied with the paperwork he looks up at Gustav and announces, I would like to speak to the prisoner first. And from there, perhaps it is time for a trip to Morast. he says these things just loud enough that others might hear.
Standing up, he grabs his notebook and scribbles notes for a good three minutes. Pausing every so often to pretend to be deep in thought. Let them think that I am into something, it will begin to sow doubts in their minds.
Gustav, while I am interviewing our client, I would like you to go to the University Library and check out four books for me. “The Legalities of Simulacra”, Court Proceedings of Ulstav volumes eighteen and twenty two” as well as “Golems and the Law - A Legal Primer”.
Viktor then sets off for whereever the prisoner is being held before whispering to Gustav. Don’t worry about the books, they don’t exist, but let them think that they do.
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Gustav is flabbergasted by you suddenly taking over and directing him … but you set off before he has a chance to come up with some kind of rebuttal and, apparently not having any better ideas, starts walking towards the University. As you whisper to him (I am assuming you mean the spell Whisper), he whispers back, What game are you playing? Who are “them”?
Walking along the way to meet with the Beast, It’s not a game, I just don’t want the prosecution thinking that they are going to win for sure. I want a few seeds of doubt in their mind. Keep them guessing. I want them worried about a legal strategy that does not exist. While they are worrying about those books, we can gather evidence on whether the beast is guilty or not.
Not spying on us, but rumors get around. People talk.
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Gustav seems annoyed by this and rolls his eyes. The rest of your walk to the court house is in awkward silence.
When you finally arrive you find a large, squat building that is dominated by an enormous clock that overlooks the town square. A huge figure of wood, roughly man-shaped, is being assembled in the square in front of the building. Gustav will lead you to a small simple office with two chairs, a desk, and a cot. He drops off all of his books and papers there, and then leads you downstairs to where the prisoners are kept. He leads you past multiple empty cells until you are standing before the prison’s largest cell.
Obviously meant to hold groups of prisoners, this cell is currently home to just one guest, a monstrously large creature that seems to be a hideous combination of body parts that were stitched together with string, wire, and staples. The Beast is bound with 12 sets of manacles and each of those sets of manacles is locked to a huge iron chair bolted to the floor.
The Beast has a number of cuts and bruises on it that it didn’t have when you saw it being paraded through the university; a fact which seems to not be lost on Gustav. He finds the nearby guards and begins angrily yelling about excessive force punishments and, at least for the moment, you are left alone with The Beast. As you stand there observing it, you can’t help but notice that it seems to be similarly observing you.
Viktor will grab one of the chairs and turn it around taking a seat on it backwards with the back of the chair facing the beast. My name is Professor Viktor Reinhoff, I have been asked to help with your case. I intend to see that you have a good defense. Before we begin, may I ask your name?
Provided that the beast responds, Viktor will continue with the following questions
1. Do you know who made you?
2. Have you been to the village of Morast? The farming community of Hergstag? The Sanctuary on Karb Isle
3. What do you know of creating fire?
4. What do you know of the stolen statue?
As the Beast answers (or not) each question, Viktor will take down notes hoping to be able to use them in the future.
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After you ask The Beast, “may I ask your name?” there is a long silence and just as you are about to ask your second question, The Beast shakes its head left to right.
When you ask it, “Do you know who made you?” it shakes its head up and down.
When you ask it, “Have you been to the village of Morast? The farming community of Hergstag? The Sanctuary on Karb Isle?” it shakes its head left to right. You are about to continue when it shakes its head left to right again and then finally shakes its head up and down.
When you ask it “What do you know of creating fire?” it just stares at you blankly.
Likewise, when you ask it “What do you know of the stolen statue?” it also just stares at you blankly.
Who made you? Can you tell me his name?
Viktor tried to give off a relaxed feel. You know, many people thought of me as a monster. I know what it is like to be unliked, unwelcome. We are not very different, you and I.
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He thinks for a moment, but then shakes his head left to right.
He is still observing you, but his eyes soften and his muscles seem to relax slightly. He then opens his mouth and a deep pitched rumble comes out. Ssssssaaaaaaammmmmmeeeeee He looks at you expectantly and you get the distinct feeling that he meant his word as a question.
Same Viktor replies in a soft tone. There is a softness in his voice that had not been there in some time. The Beast has intellect if only some. And that is impressive indeed for a golem.
I need to get going now, but I’ll come back soon. And when I do, you should tell me your name. With that Viktor will give the beast a pat on the shoulder and head off to Morast to do some detective work.
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As a longtime resident of Lepidstadt, you have heard of the remote village of Morast and how to get there. The swampers of Morast are a curious group. Local rumor claims that somewhere in their somewhat inbred ancestry, they mingled with strange swamp creatures, tainting their blood and marking them with queer countenances. No one knows how or why, but the people of Morast have legendary constitutions—sickness is rare among the swampers, and the villagers live long, healthy lives. While admired for this fact, they are also shunned for their strange appearance.
A narrow trail leads you to Morast and you are able to arrive there by three in the afternoon. The last leg of your journey needs to be done by canoe (or gondola as its owner calls it) because the village is a collection of 20 or so wattle-and-daub hovels built on stilts in the middle of the swamp. These hovels are connected by soggy wooden boardwalks and you can see dangling from many of these boardwalks are drying fish, tortious, and occasionally something that looks like a miniature (but still decent sized) alligator with a red scaled head.
The ashen skinned locals give you a wide berth, but none of them seem to object to your presence. In fact, several of them seem to be observing you with interest, but it is more the interest you would expect from someone observing a new and interesting wild animal.
Tipping the canoe man in sight of the others, Viktor asks, Who should I ask about goings on around here? Stepping out of the canoe, he shows his hands to be empty and puts a smile on his face. Don’t see many like me around here, do ya? Well that’s no worry, I’m used to that.
Dusting himself off a bit he continues, I’m in town looking into some murders. Would like them to stop, anyways I heard word of some here and was hoping to find someone to talk to.
A little wary of the villiagers, though he doesn’t show it, he tries to get a sense of his surroundings.
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The villagers don’t seem threatening to you at all, but you also get the distinct impression that they are warry of you and intend to keep their distance.
There is an awkward silence for a minute before one of the younger adults (late teens or early twenties at oldest) finally responds to you. He is gutting a fish and dumping the guts into a bucket and he speaks without stopping or even slowing his work. With a thick backwoods accent he answers you, You right, city boy, we don’t get kind ‘round here. We had some nasty murders, true, but they over and done with some time ago. Is good you came when we called for help, but YOU A YEAR LATE!
He seems to pause to gather control of his temper before adding, Elder Lazne gathered men and women and struck back at the monster. Thought we killed it until some of your lot started saying they had caught it and were putting it on trial.
Giving the teen a second to compose himself, I believe your elder and would like to hear their version of events, do you mind pointing me to Elder Lazne? Or any of those who killed the murderer?
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He points down the road at one of the huts on stilts. As you leave he gives you one last remark, Don’ expect a warm welcome. He like your kind even less than I do.
As you near the hut in question, you see a grizzled middle-aged man with dirty gray hair and ashen colored skin is standing in the doorway. He chew on a foul-smelling swamp weed and mutters, What you wan’ furriner? He punctuates this remark by spitting weed-juice into the swamp below.
Some where I live think they know what happened here better than those who actually saw it. They claim that they have captured the murderer who you already hunted down. I’m curious about what really happened. And why they don’t want to give you credit for what you did.