Henry promises to keep Crowl informed and heads off with the rest of the group to go visit the Beast at the jail. He stops momentarily when they see the new Sergeant. He'd completely forgotten that he'd needed to be replaced recently. Their little excursion to the countryside had distracted him from local events. "Indeed. We can't leave any stone unturned while any accomplices are still out there."
The Sergeant nods, taking a big key ring from a desk drawer as he gets up to lead the group to the back of the prison. "They say e's crazy," he says. "Heard they're gonna burn 'im for all the stuff e's did, like killin' all those swampers out in Morast, and those kids in Hergstag. So... just be careful. We got 'im chained up and all. He should be fine. Lemme know if you need anythin'."
Then, he lets the group into the hallway adjoining the Beast's cell.
The Beast of Lepidstadt sits within the largest cell, manacled to the floor by thick steel chains. His uneven blue face bears a deep, angry frown. He looks up, just with his eyes, when the party enters his cell. With a deep grunt, he just says, "Wasn't me."
"Thank you very much, Sergeant." Ila says, as she slips into the cell block. Ila had learned not to trust rumors, but had also found that rumors had a way of containing truth. So, there were indeed dangers in Hergstag and Morast, but it did not make sense for him to be blamed without proof.
She stops suddenly when she sees the creature. An undead? No, Henry had said he was made manifest from the bones and flesh of others. She wrinkles her nose slightly, was that a piece of owlbear. She stops when it says it didn't do it.
"Oh. You can speak?" Ila says, tilting her head. "My name is Ila Indigo. It's... rather unfortunate circumstances meeting you here. Do you have a name that you prefer to go by? I should very much like to not refer to you in the same way that most do."
She awaits a response before continuing. "Could you tell me what happened? Or grant us any clues in understanding what happened better than we do?"
Henry nods to the sergeant. "We're more than capable of taking care of ourselves. But we'll be careful." Then he follows Ila into the cell block, absently digging into his belt pouch for his journal to take notes. And perhaps a few sketches if the Beast is relatively peaceful.
"Indeed. What an incredible piece of work. Many golems are not capable of speech." Henry doesn't really try to hide his excitement in seeing the creature up close, especially once it seems capable of meaningful interaction. "And perhaps you could explain what you mean by 'wasn't me'. You were found in the middle of the university. What brought you there?"
The golem shakes its head morosely. "No," it says, "Won't explain. That'd be wrong. I'd die for nothing."
When Ila asks its name, the Beast shakes its head. "No, no preference. Everyone says I'm Beast. Isn't that my name?"
The creature wasn't exactly what 'Khar had expected, though to be honest he hadn't been sure what to expect. It was, however, impressive. "Don't need t'take the name others give ya, 'Beast'," 'Khar interjects, "And y'gonna die for nothin' either way then, they ain't gonna let y'live if y'don't do anythin'."
"From the look'a ya, pretty sure y'could walk outta here if y'wanted to, and y'didn't make an effort t'run. So y'just gonna lay here and die then? Not gonna bother tryin' to change things? Pretty pathetic if y'ask me. When m'grandma nearly killed me, didn't give up on livin', I took th'challenge and kept goin'. Y've got that choice t'make; y'can die, or y'can try t'live or die on your terms, regardless if y'are a monster that's done th'things they say y'have."
Something seems to stir in the Beast at 'Khar's words. It looks up at the skinwalker warrior, and says, "You're right - I can get out if I want to... but it would only make it all worse." It shakes its head again. "The only way this ends is if I die, or if they know I didn't do all those things."
"If I die after giving up my secrets, then I will die for no good at all."
"But... why are they secrets at all?" Ila asks after a moment. "Did someone -make you- do this? Did a friend ask it of you?" Ila asks, mouth creasing into a frown. "You're saying you didn't do it, but we need some way to prove that. Anything you can give us. A place, a person. Anything at all."
Henry frowns ever so slightly. "It almost sounds like you want to die. I suppose your life can't have been easy to this point, but surely you want more than to be burned by the city watch for smashing up the university. Are you really just okay with this?"
Having never seen a flesh golem in person, Urick was not entirely certain of what to expect, even with the information the the professor was able to provide. But seeing the so-called Beast in the flesh, the first that strikes the half-elf is how pathetic he looked in his cell. Monstrous as he was, it was not difficult to recognize an element of humanity in the golem's speech and mannerisms. That alone is enough to temper his prejudices, at least for the time being.
"How do we make them know that you are innocent?" Urick asks, not presuming anything. Even if the Beast were innocent of this particular crime, that would not absolve him of the countless other accusations leveled at him. "If what you say is true - that are not responsible for your actions - then we need to know who was, and how they managed to manipulate you so."
The Beast rumbles. "A man will come. This man's job is to know what your rules are. He will fight another rules-man, to see if I will die or go free. Help this man set me free, and I can tell you why I was there tonight."
After taking a day to rest from the dreadful expedition to the backwoods Perdita had made sure she was once again clean and well groomed. The university seemed strangely dull though she found? Perhaps searching for answers in musty old tomes wasn't the best way she could research her problem?
Hearing of the excitement, and that Professor Lainor was once again becoming involved she sighed and over a cup of coffee pondered if she wanted to be involved?
Urick grimaces. "Barristers. Of course. They intend to put you on trial, don't they?"
On one hand, Urick approved of the idea. Any sentient creature capable of understanding the weight of its own actions had a right to be judged fairly. On the other, the fairly part did not necessarily have to apply.
Seemed like they weren't gettin' anywhere with the Beast, 'Khar thinks to himself. Maybe he wanted to share, but couldn't for some reason, but whatever it was, it was clear that they would need to earn some trust before it went any further.
"So hows'bout y'get some help from us, and maybe y'can give us more to work with. Can go look at th'scene, maybe somethin' there that'll point to what happened, hmm? Then we can show ya and y'can give us a hint or somethin'," 'Khar says, leaning back against the wall and looking the giant patchwork man in the eyes. "Maybe Urick and I can have a quick look if y'all want to keep talkin' t'Patchy over here," he says to Doc, Tass and Perdita. "Maybe the new girl can join us, since y'seem t'know what's up with th'theft..." he adds, looking over at Ila.
Henry strokes his beard. "To see such a fabulous creature destroyed because of another's actions would be a tragedy. A crime in and of itself. I would very much like to do what I can to see you free. Law isn't exactly my specialty, but that's hardly stopped me before. But perhaps you could tell us more about what you know they're putting you on trial for. It would be easier to help defend you if we understand what they think you've done. Other than the break in last night, I suppose." The professor sounds slightly too eager to learn more about the Beast and his life.
The creature inflates its chest, and then deflates it, however, it doesn't have any lungs so it can't sigh regularly. "A man here already. He looked tired. Named... Kaple." It slumps backward, leaning against the prison wall. "He says I have three ... wrongs. They want to punish me."
"I don't know what he means. I didn't do any of them," it says, its voice grumbling and defeated. "He said I kill some people in a swamp place, and made a hospital burn down, and he said I kill little ones in a small close village. I never even go to hospital. I never even go to swamp place he said I go to."
"Deaths in a swamp, a burned hospital, and the deaths of several children. I think the guard mentioned that one. We'll have to speak with the barrister and perhaps see if there was any investigation into the cases. Hopefully we can find something that proves you weren't there." Henry quickly writes down the Beast's words in his journal and makes a few notes to ask the barrister and the guards about. "If you can think of anything else you think is important, please tell us. Otherwise, we'll go speak with the others and see what we can dig up. Oh, and did they say when the law-men would be debating?"
"Hospital 'round here? Might be a good place t'start if so," 'Khar interjects.
The Beast shakes his head. "Dunno," it says by way of answer to both questions.
"Indeed. We'll be seeing you again then." Henry tips his hat to the Beast and goes to find the sergeant.
"I'll scour for information first thing in the morning. It shouldn't take too long. We can likewise meet with his attorney and see if there has been any information. I hate to suggest it, but does anyone want to stay here to ensure that no one does anything stupid and tries to execute him?"
Ila asks, looking between the others.
"Trying to prove his innocence on three fronts with no information will be... difficult." she says, dallying for a moment, before looking back to him. "One last question from me... does the name Auren Vrood ring any bells to you?"
"I am sure that the guards have it handled," Urick replies, still gazing at the imprisoned Beast. "I doubt that anyone would pursue such a suicidal endeavor."
"But you are right - we should speak with Kaple as soon as possible. We should also investigate the museum. Given the excitement around his capture, I highly doubt that the area was scrutinized closely," he suggests, looking to Henry for confirmation.
"Well, I certainly didn't take much of a look around. I was rather... preoccupied. The guards seemed mostly focused on taking the Beast into custody, rather than examining the scene. I doubt they've had time to send anyone back, so perhaps we'll have first crack at it. It seems that we'll be doing quite a bit of investigating in the near future."
The Beast looks up at Ila momentarily, before looking back down again and shaking its head. "No Vrood," it says.
- - -
As they prepare to leave, 'Khar turns back towards the beast and approaches as close as the bars will allow him. He sniffs at the giant golem a few times, his eyes closed. "Ech... Don't smell s'good, but will be easy t'remember anyway." He turns around and heads out the door, wondering exactly how this was going to result in him getting to fight anything.
"Y'all comin'?" he turns as he exits the cell block. "Dun right?" 'Khar asks the guard as he heads out. "Y'know where th'hospital Patchy there was supposed t'have attacked is? Like t'have a look at it and maybe th'place y'caught'm too."
Henry's eyes narrow very slightly. That was almost a confirmation of their suspicions of the Way's involvement. But they could save questioning the Beast further for when they'd fulfilled their promise. "I'm going to speak with the sergeant and hopefully the barrister, if I can find him. I want to gather all of the details they've collected on the cases first. I'll join you once I have everything here, unless something comes up unexpectedly."
The young Sergeant Dun jumps up, having dozed off while the group was interviewing the Beast. "Uh, yes," he says, flipping through some papers to get the answer. "Gustav's probably gone back to bed. We just called him in cuz he's the public defender. Here's his address," he says, handing a scrap of paper to Henry.
"The places in the charges paperwork.. Umm... Let's see..." He flips through a messy desk, but eventually comes up with another paper, which he skims. "Here, this should be helpful. Sorry, it's all so new. We don't have any new paperwork."
"Uh, says here that it's wanted for the murders of some ten people in the village of Morast, the murders of six people in the village of Hergstag, arson at the Sanctuary on Karb Isle and the murder of the Sanctuary's doctor, Dr. Brada." Dun shrugs. "Whatever," he says. "A burned monster's a burned monster. What are you guys in it for? It rich or somethin'?"
Ila's friendly demeanor breaks for a moment, and she simply nods, before moving to the door. When 'Khar moves back in and sniffs the air around the cell, she pauses. "That's a very good idea." she says, moving back to the bars, and does the same he'd just done, though more delicately. "I don't think I've ever tried to track by scent. With that in mind, we should get to the museum first and quickly. Are you well-versed in tracking that way? If so... maybe you'll be able to pick up something if we're quick enough!"
She says, opening the door way out and holding it for the others. "Innocence needs to be defended. The Lady of Graves will determine whether a creature should be judged poorly or not, not I. And in that same teaching, the circumstance's of one's birth does not determine its capacity for good." she says, offering a small smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, still preoccupied with the fact the creature knew of Vrood, but chose not to get involved. She shakes herself, before looking to the weretiger. "I'm ready to be on a warm trail for once, if you think that's possible, Mister 'Khar?"
"Not find anyone better than me at it 'round here I bet," he says, obviously quite pleased with his own prowess in that regard. "Don't care 'bout'is innocence, but ain't no way it makes sense Patchy did it. He'd've cleaned y'clocks if he wanted t'get away. He's just sittin' in there behavin', but a monster like that could walk out whenever. Maybe he's here 'cause a bigger monster is out there? That's worth lookin' into."
"Ain't got a doubt I can find somethin', just ask Urick!" he says, looking more eager after having come to the conclusion that maybe there might be something behind all this that was worth pitting himself against.
Henry stores the papers in his bag, as well as copying a summary onto one of the pages of his journal, along with the barrister's address. Perhaps visiting the man can wait until a less ungodly hour. He might not be asleep any longer, but most of the city still is. "Ah, yes. I heard about that. Still, I think you'll do an admirable job once you've had time to adjust." He stops to think for a moment, tapping his pen against his chin. "Do you have any other records of these incidents?"
"The village of Morast. The village of Hergstag and the sanctuary on Karb isle?" Perdita muses. "What links them together?"
Dun shakes his head in answer to Henry's question. "No records at hand, no," he says. "Probably spend hours tomorrow collectin' with the different law-men. Come back tomorrow... afternoon maybe, ok?"
"I will do just that then. Thank you very much for the help. Oh, and before I go, I must ask. Do you know when the trial will be set, or have they not arranged a time yet?"
Once Henry has gotten an answer to his questions, he goes to meet with the others. "It seems that meeting with the barrister will have to wait until he wakes up, so we'll have to handle that in the morning. So I believe we were heading to the crime scene, yes?"
"Seems good t'me," 'Khar answers.
Urick frowns at Dun disapprovingly, finding the suggestion that some immense monetary reward was necessary for proving a creature's innocence more than a tad disingenuous. It's not like they were lawyers. There was already a fair amount of circumstantial evidence casting doubt over the Beast's culpability... and it served their best interests if he truly was innocent, because only then would he tell them what he knew about the Whispering Way.
"Yes, the museum seems the best place to start," he agrees, already getting a move on. Truthfully, he could do with a few more hours of sleep, but he felt invigorated by the task before them.
Ila takes the time to reach down into her bag and take out a coat, folded into squares. She shakes it open and puts it on, one are at a time, then moves to open the door for the others, once more. "I'm ready to go investigate the crime scene when you are."
The scene at the museum is pretty simple, actually.
The front door to the building was smashed in by huge fists. There are dents in the oak door, and iron-booted huge footprints tromping down the hallway. The hallway is scarred with burns from the museum's nighttime lightning traps. The door to the exhibition room was smashed as well, ripped off of its hinges, and lies fifteen feet down the hallway.
The room itself is totally trashed. Wooden bookshelves that once held fetishes, shrunken heads, books, bone carvings, and much more have been ripped open. Their contents have been thrown all over the room, and lie scattered everywhere. However, the area that the Seasage Effigy was stored on is strangely untouched (although the effigy itself is obviously missing).
Perdita glances around, one fine brow raised.
"The central window has been cleaned and made usable. The Seasage display is undamaged. I would suggest someone stole the effigy quietly, slipped out the window and away. Then the Beast was sent to make a disturbance and spoil the trail. Supplying an obvious villain to take the fall for the crime."
She sounds almost approving of the tactics used.
"That would make a sort of sense," Henry says as he goes to the window that Perdita identified and examines the frame. "The traps used in the Museum are mostly electrical in nature. Anyone with experience with a flesh golem would know that electricity is worse than useless against such a creature, making it a perfect and nearly unstoppable distraction. Let's take a look outside and see if there's any signs of who left through the window." He peers out of the window to look to see if any signs of passage survived.
"It seems a fairly obvious oversight on the culprit's part," Urick comments, despite being aware that if they had not been asked to investigate the matter, the crucial detail would have been overlooked or ignored entirely. He follows Henry over to the window, looking for any other signs of passage. "Of course, it would only prove that the Beast was alone, not that he was innocent of any wrongdoing."
'Khar walks up to where the effigy was kept and sniffs at the air. No doubt the area would be filled with the smell of the beast, but if someone *did* come in through the window, it was likely their smell would also be on the display. Finding a scent in commmon in both places would then allow him to track whomever it was, assuming the trail was still somewhat fresh.
Khar doesn't smell any second smell on the effigy-area. Just the strange preserved-flesh smell of the Beast.
"Unless, the Effigy was not gone when he was here before." Ila offers as an alternate explanation. "If he were to set off the traps, then that means that they were still in place. It would take a thief of paramount skills to rob the object and leave the traps in place. It seems more likely that the Effigy was either taken by someone with the means to bypass them already... which means a university staff member... or someone who was capable of making it look as though the Effigy were gone, who returned to claim it." Ila offers as an alternate set of possibilities.
"We should ensure that everything else that was here is catalogued." she says, walking through the wrecked room, stopping to look at various odds and ends. "But what's more, the display case isn't even damaged, as if the Beast knew that that is what the others were after, so it clearly knows at least that much." she pauses, looking it over. "Are any of you capable of determining if traps are still active here? I'm afraid it's not one of my capabilities."
"Ain't no obvious other smell here," 'Khar says, going back and forth between the window and the effigy a couple times. "Had t've happened earlier if their scent is gone."
He takes another look around the room in general, looking for anything that might tie the opened window and the effigy's display together.
Henry steps back and lets those more skilled in tracking look for signs of passage. He stops at Ila's words and considers just who might have a detailed knowledge of the museum's defenses.
"Doctor Crowl obviously knows the defenses well, since he's in charge of the department. The campus security likely know at least an overview of the security. They're the most likely place for there to have been a leak, unless Crowl is secretly a cultist. But that doesn't seem much like him." Henry stops for a moment and murmurs a few words under his breath, activating a spell to check for the magical aura of the traps.