Aduard bows slightly to Edison "Indeed. Originally our intention was to seek witnesses, not perpetrators. While I would like to claim my superb skill as a detective allowed me to chase down a trail of clues, the truth was rather more prosaic."
The author shakes his head slightly as if in disbelief "When we sought to interview them, Vorkstag and Grine unleashed a patchwork monster to kill us. In one fell swoop they showed the ability to create a monster, the ownership of said monster, and the willingness to commit murder at the slightest provocation if they thought they could get away with it. Given that, how could we not investigate further?"
"They attacked you," Adivion asks, his face a mask of offended surprise. "For simply pursuing an interview? That does not seem like the actions of innocent men. What happened after your fight with this monster?"
Aduard obviously hesitates before suggesting "May I suggest that we give anyone of a more delicate composure a chance to leave first? This case has been full of horrors, yes, but what we found..."
He trails off, his eyes apparently locked on reliving that horrific sight.
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Edison waits for Aduard to continue; when he doesn't, the woodsman shoots the scholar a confused look before leaning forward.
We uh...proceeded inside the premises -Vorkstag's violence in the face of questioning and their willingness to use that beast presented a clear and present danger to the city. Moving inside, we were confronted with both owners and a group of...either indentured servants or slaves, I am unsure which. Vorkstag and Grine ordered their folk to attack us and joined in themselves, using combinations of magic, alchemy, and the more terrestrial type of violence. After subduing and restraining the owners and disarming the remaining workers, we searched the place.
It was an...ugly experience. An operating room behind a secret door in the basement -complete with cadaver-, more ugly, stitched together creations, and finally a- he nods his head towards Aduard. -a...skin cabinet.
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"Ugly indeed," Karras says, his voice low and carrying, like ice calving from a glacier. "I have been in this line of work - shining torchlight into the darkest corners of our society - for nearly two decades now, in both the classroom and the field. And yesterday was one of the darkest corners I have peered into in all those years. The creature Vorkstag was hardly human at all; a being a called a skin-stealer, which means what you may already be surmising, judges. It takes the skins of its victims, and can wear them. It kept a closet full of them, the skin cabinet that Goodman Wyatt mentions, and Vorkstag - or the skinstealer that wore his skin, for Vorkstag himself may once have been a victim - could change its appearance almost at will, including taking on more monstrous and foriegn guises. It was also a fearsome fighter and skilled in the alchemical arts. And, a Chemikal Works is of course a most useful enterprise for the dissolution of evidence, as it were. I can only guess how long the skin stealer preyed upon those in your community. But I suspect that most disappearances these last years could be tied to that damned creature and its accomplice, Grine."
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Aduard shudders, his gaze snapping back into focus.
"Indeed doctor. Those skins..." he makes an effort to continue "Are evidence of foul crimes. With appropriate research it should be possible to determine to whom they belonged. At least for the... human skins."
"Incidentally, I think it fair to say that any corpse supposedly murdered by Adam but whose mortal remains is in that damned cabinet was in fact murdered by Vorkstag or Grine."
"The good news - the very good news - is that we found no evidence other skinstealers had infiltrated this good city wearing the skins of citizens. The bad news is that neither did we find evidence that there weren't. Citizens are already roused to act outside the law, and I can only hope we can move quickly to prevent outbreaks of violent vigilantism against anyone whose skin seems a little...loose."
"In many ways the straightforward horrors Vorkstag and Grine pinned on the so-called Beast may pale in the face of the real horror that we may now face."
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Adivion listens to the testimonies delivered by the party, the disgust on his face growing with each revelation. Disquieted murmers from the gallery are silenced with a sharp glare from Justice Aldaar. With the revelation of the skin cabinet, Adivion gestures to his assistant, who begins to wheel a rack of covered garments towards the bench.
"I must ask those with weak constitutions to leave the gallery," Adivion begins. "For what these adventurers have found at the Chymical Works is extremely disturbing, yet vital to the case."
Otto Heiger makes no objection, too caught up in the moment—or perhaps too morbidly curious with the unfolding scene—to try and stop it.
"These are but a few of the 'skins' collected by the creature called Vorkstag," he explains, removing the covers one by one to reveal the hanging suits of fleshless skins. "We believe that Vorkstag has operated within Lepidstadt for years, perhaps decades, able to murder and assume the place of those that were slain, or take on new personas using the repurposed skins of travelers and vagabonds. Given enough time, we believe that an investigation into the skins discovered within the cabinet could shed new light on murders unsolved."
"There is one skin that he favored," Adivion continues, his hand resting on the final shawl. "A skin that could explain a recent rash of murders in this fine city and its surrounding communities." Adivion tears away the cover to reveal the final, most monstrous skin: that belonging to a hulking mongrelman, made up of flesh, fur, and scales and covered with hideous puss-filled boils.
The effect is immediate, a sharp intake of breath from every corner of the courtroom. A woman in the gallery shrieks and breaks the quiet. The gates opened, shouts erupt from the gallery, Otto Heiger shouts objections, and Chief Justice Khard pounds his gavel in a furious demand for order.
When it is reestablished—a process that takes several minutes—Adivion gestures to the beastly skin, looking at his witnesses. "Does this skin match the descriptions of those given by Elder Lazne, who witnessed the attacks in Morast, and also that given by Dr. Brada's assistant, Karl?"
Esta grimaces as the suits of various kinds of flesh are revealed. She understands the reactions of those observing the trial, as her own stomach roils once again at the sight.
Pulling her eyes from the macabre evidence, she focuses on her answer to Adivion's question. "It matches," she says simply. "An' Elder Lazne said that he saw what he thought was Adam get attacked by a blood caiman, so..." She looks from the barrister to the suit of flesh, and then back again to Adivion, her expression hopeful. "That would've left marks."
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Adivion gestures to his assistant, who moves forward having produced a lantern. While the man stoops to light it, a hush falls over the already quiet court, with the entire gallery waiting to see the results with rapt attention.
When the lantern is lit, his assistant holds the lamp below the skin. Adivion, fearless to touch the disgusting "suit" in his dark gloves, grasps the skin and stretches it. Bright light glows through nearly two dozen lacerations—the tooth marks of some large beast.
The gallery erupts with excited murmuring. Otto Heiger visibly slumps in his chair.
"There will be no further questions, your Honors," Adivion adds, peeling off his gloves to reveal pale, graceful fingers. A second pair is handed to him by his assistant, and Adivion stalks back to his place nearby the Beast. For a moment, before he turns away, the party sees the ghost of a smile on his usually grave features.
---
When the time comes for closing arguments, Heiger is somber, nearly tranquilized compared to the bombast of his opening. He argues that the reputation of the Beast is well known, that the charges laid against him were serious in the extreme and came upon by the witnessing of good and honest Vielanders. He asks that the judges look at the Beast and see the monster there, the potential for violence, and if they want yet another monster to wander the dark paths of Ustalav.
When he finishes, Adivion rises and straightens his coat. He takes a moment to gather his thoughts, and begins. "Your Honors, I would like to take this moment to thank you for your time. Administering justice is not an easy task, and it is surely more difficult when having to deal with such a shambolic display as we have seen over these last three days."
"Is that too harsh for Mr. Heiger? Perhaps. In Ustalav, we are accustomed to the darkness that creeps in every shadow and we are quick to judgement, especially when we see a visage like Adam's."
"And who could blame us? When the darkness reaches out and takes something precious from us, it is usually in the form of a monster. It is a learned skill, a survival skill. Without it, I doubt very much that we could stand in this building and palaver over such civilized conceits as justice."
"But here we are, and when it comes to justice, real justice, we cannot be rushed. Our earliest impulses must not be those that we reach for when we decide to sentence someone to imprisonment or death, even if that someone does not appear as our neighbor would. Without justice, we are little better than the monsters we fear."
"I cannot say to you honestly that Adam has done no wrong in his strange life. I do not know his past and I do not know his heart, although I suspect I have come to understand it in part. What I do know is that you cannot convict him of these three murders."
"In each case, in each place, I have provided reasonable doubt that Adam was responsible or even present in the places he has been accused of. In at least two cases, I have provided evidence and expert witnesses to show that, in all likelihood, the murders at Morast and Sanctuary were committed by Vorkstag, a monster that could wear a disguise so canny that it appears as a second skin. And in Hergstag, we have presented evidence and testimony that the murders were likely committed by the apparition of Gilwyn Treyes, a known killer of children in life."
"None of these are certainties, because those are preciously few in a place such as Ustalav, but they do raise significant doubts. What has the prosecution provided? Half-glimpsed accounts from terrified villagers in a dark swamp? The statements of three isolated gossipmongers? What was last seen by a blind man? All of it backed up by urban legends and fed into our own biases, like coals into a flame. We are so quick to determine that Adam is guilty that before this trial was even concluded, a group of citizens attempted to abduct and murder the defendant. We must do better. Your honors, I hope that you will. Thank you." Adivion returns to his seat.
Quiet returns to the courtroom, broken only by the deep rasp of Adam's breathing. Chief Justice Khard clears his throat. "Thank you, Goodman Heiger, Goodman Adrissant. My fellow justices and I will now deliberate."
He rises, as do Justice Aldaar and Daramid. As she turns to leave, Daramid offers the party a brief nod before leaving with her peers. As they depart, the gallery begins to buzz with nervous excitement. Adivion leans over and murmurs, "I hope that will be enough for the judges, although I doubt I have convinced the people of Lepidstadt. Be ready."
The woodsman stands up behind the counsel table, throwing a cautious glance around the room.
Understood an' agreed; I don't credit this local populace a damn bit after last night. Oh, Mister -sorry- Master Adrissant? he offers a rough and calloused hand to the barrister. You spoke really well. I...heh...I feel you're wasted on this crowd, he throws a judgmental glance at the crowd shifting behind them, but you are not wasted on justice. Frankly...folk like yourself, and that speech you did...its enough to make even an old woodsman believe that there's a future in 'civilization'. Well done, Master Barrister. Well done. Whatever the outcome. And whoever lives to see it. The corners of the paladins eyes crinkle, and the ends of his beard turn up into a smile.
"I doubt anything could convince the people of Leipstadt, Adrissant, but your work here was magnificent. All of our work, if I may risk hubris. In a just world we would now retire to a drawing room with whisky and cigars and toast each other for our efforts... but our work is not yet done. I see four paths..."
Bookman looks around, and speaks more quietly.
"Should the Justices bow to political pressure and find him guilty of murder there is little we can do. I will write the matter into a book in the hopes that knowledge of what was done to justice in Leipstadt can become a national shame."
"Should they excuse him on these crimes, but attempt to hold him for the actual crime he committed - breaking and entering - then I suppose we might stay involved."
"Should the Justices free Adam, and the crowds accept it, then we should escort him somewhere else post haste."
"The last is this; the Justices free Adam, and the mob decides to see their own justice done. In such a case we should plan to move Adam quickly and secretly. And we must assume that at least some members of the constabulary will spill any plans they know to the mob."
"I see it is this last case we must plan for now."
"I don't think we're done yet, " Esta says as she joins the others, but she keeps her focus trained on the agitated crowd that surrounds them.
Their fear is almost palpable; the young witch can almost feel the congregation’s discontent spiralling through the space around them, ghosting over her skin in an uncomfortable wash of familiarity. The only emotion more prominent than their fear was that of displeasure.
Esta is no stranger to the way townsfolk could quickly band together against an outsider, especially one different from themselves. She's even witnessed her own hometown rile up into a mob when they thought their idea of justice wouldn’t be the one served, doling out their own due process in the aftermath of a trial.
It was violent then, and she fears more than anything that it will become violent now, those seeds of vigilante justice surely taking root amongst some in the crowd.
She watches the townspeople whisper amongst themselves, their glances casting over Adam before turning towards her group.
Esta shakes her head. "I don’t like this,” she mumbles, scratching absentmindedly behind one of Oolong’s ears. She turns her focus to the others. ”I just... have a bad feelin’ somethin’s gonna happen.”
"I am afraid you all are correct," the Doctor growls, one hand traveling unconsciously to his pepperbox. "We very well may have more conflict in front of us, and another enraged mob to fend off. I shall be on edge until Adam is removed from the courthouse and accompanied out of town. He is... not planning on staying here, is he?"
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Adivion shifts out from under the paladin's grip—clearly uncomfortable with touching—but he offers the party a small smile. "Thank you, Mr. Wyatt. Both and Adam and I owe your party a great debt. It isn't hubris to suggest you risked much for a stranger, indeed one as... Unorthodox as Adam."
"I don't know what Adam's plans are, although I doubt he would stay here. The mob won't let this go easily, I fear. You should stay ready to intervene, in any case."
The wait is not long, only an hour passes before the justices return, their demeanors grim. The Herald calls for order, the brass gong immediately bringing the crowd to a hush. Justice Daramid stands and begins to speak.
"We have heard the evidence presented before us, and thank Pharasma that we did so, for without this trial there would have been a most terrible miscarriage of justice. There are many cruelties in this world, but punish one for another's crimes is surely a terrible sin. If we act based only on bigotry and lies, then we are no better than the monsters that creep below the shadows of Ustalav. We find the Beast not guilty on all charges!"
The crowd immediately screams with anger at the verdict, the guards drawing their weapons to hold the most aggressive of their number back. The bailiff quickly opens the cage holding Adam, and then unlocks his manacles before nervously backing away. Adam sways for a moment, unsure what to do with the news. He steps from the cage and lurches towards the party, his face pulled into a gruesome smile.
"You did it," he exclaims. "My friends, the best friends in all the world!"
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So; Previously we agreed Aduard's Book of Harms (libris de malificat) had turned up, which is 900gp.
he had also requested Adivion look into contingencies - though ti would be understandable if he had not.
I think he got 8 hours sleep by leaving when he did last night.
Aduard smiles a rare smile in response "I can speak only for myself, but the work you have done here has been masterful, Adivion. I look forward to being able to get to know you better you under less frantic conditions. At the risk of hubris, I do have to concur with you though - this group is a formidable investigative team, for all we were forged through happenstance rather than careful planning. Enough to make a younger man wonder, and use words like 'Fate'."
---
Aduard spends the delay pondering a series of tomes he pulls from an overload pack. Primarily his own notebook - but also another book bound in leather, lacking a title, and smelling disturbingly like charred meat.
---
As Adam barrels forward Aduard gives a nervous baring of the teeth that might pass for a grin, and steps out of the way. Raising a hand he turns it into a quick pat on Adam's shoulder. "Of course, my boy. Of course. Don't discount your own role - remaining quiet as ignominy and insult was heaped upon you by ignorant peasant and prosecutor alike. Had you lashed out I doubt mere evidence of innocence would have seen you freed."
He looks to Esta, seeking to guide Adam's gaze towards the kindred spirit the 'man' seems to have found, then steps away. Adam, it seems, might be that thing Aduard was least comfortable with - a hugger.
Doctor Arruk Karras would never say so, but he was extremely grateful to be called a friend. Thankfully, there was an angry crowd for the man to focus his discomfort upon.
Karras spins away from Adam, one hand on his pepperbox, and stares at the courtroom crowd. He backs up against the others and offers a short, gruff response while staring down the howling spectators. "Of course, Adam. We seek truth and justice - whatever that looks like in the end. Reason demands no less."
There's a loud clack as the woodsman cracks his gauntleted knuckles against his seat in relief; Justice was done. Actual justice, in a city after all! The beast, Adam, is free.
Edison's relief lasts only as long as it takes the populace of Lepidstadt to voice their dissent. The hiss of singing steel from the guards' weapons freeing just to keep order has the woodsman standing and twisting to face the room, his keen blue eyes searching the crowd for the rabble-rouser from the night before, or any of the fool's idiot coterie. There's a crinkle of mail -easily missed in the chaos- as the gauntlet closes around the hilt of his sword.
His vigil is interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps as Adam approaches the party in relief and glee. The woodsman doesn't turn his attention from the crowd so much as flick it towards his new friend momentarily. As the Doc said, the truth has set you free more than anythin' else, Adam. That being said, not sure the truth'll matter much to this crew. He nods meaningfully to the roiling crowd.
I think it best we get you from these premises quick as can be.
Esta lets out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and all but collapses with relief as the verdict is announced — to see justice served, especially in favor of someone so easily swept under the rug... she feels a flicker of hope for Ustalav. A very small, nearly imperceptible flicker, but a flicker all the same. She chuckles tiredly at the thought, allowing herself a moment to ignore the agitated murmurs surrounding them before returning to the present as Adam's voice booms across the room.
Noticing Aduard's discomfort, she smiles at him in understanding and gives a nod of acknowledgement, standing straight to meet Adam's hurried, relief-and-glee-filled advance instead.
"I'm real glad you're okay," she says to Adam when he draws near, craning her head back to meet his eyes. She clasps her hands together behind her back, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet, and allows herself a rare grin. "I wasn't sure they were gonna listen."
Adivion performs a small bow, his normally stoic face curving upwards into a smile. "I must agree. My efforts would have been worth little without your dogged pursuit of truth. Justice, true justice has been achieved today, and that is something precious in our benighted home." The lawyer turns to Adam. "Mister Wyatt is right, Adam. We must see you free of this crowd before it becomes anything more than an annoyance."
Adam wraps the party in a crushing embrace. "I will go and see my father at Schloss Caromarc," he rumbles. "He doesn't usually care for visitors, but you should come and visit in a few days. Enough for me to convince him that you are friends." With a parting grin, Adam is led away from the crowd by his lawyer.
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In a Letter to his most-beloved Wife back home:
My Heart,
I've got this courier's promise that he can find you and return with any reply with all-do haste. There is a lot to say.
The first I should say, my Love, is that I am well, but that I cannot be returning soon.
The folk I was meant to guide -good folk, I might add- ain't done yet. It all boiled down to some cruelty, and how the people of Lepistadt were all ready to throw all the sins of which at the feet of someone: the Beast of Lepistadt -and I will say that I'm not sure I've ever seen a more frightful frame. This Beast, Adam, is near twice as tall as me, arms's thick as my waist, with patches of scales, tufts of hair, scars, and more all across his body. And yet, when I stood alongside my new friends with him, it could not have been more clear: this was no Beast. No animal. In him was the same divine spark that's in all of us; you, me, the boys, everyone. He wept at the death of a young girl -a friend of his- as much as any man would. Our opposition tried to lay at his feet the responsibility for every crime they could think of -had the prosecution more time, I imagine there'd've been more- but that's not where the truth was. If you stretched all the evidence from the scenes of the crimes out in front of you, the truth could not have been more apparent to those whose eyes are not clouded by hate and bloodlust. And in the face of all that most despicable character of Man and Mobs, there could not have been a more honest voice than that of Adam's defense council, Adivion Adrissant. The way that man stood in front of a council fit to condemn and a populace set to burn and manage to make everyone see the light...my Heart, its enough to make any cynic believe in righteousness.
And so, Adam -the Beast of Lepistadt- is free. And yet we are not done. Adam spoke of a father -in a place a bit afield of here- and farther from you all, and something compels me to pursue this trail.
There's is something wrong with all of this, my Love. I have hid in woods, waiting for wolves, worgs, or monsters more human, to make their move and prey on the innocent and helpless. But never have I huddled in darkness so pregnant with malice as this. We -these new friends and I- are not alone in it. No, there's something bigger. Meaner. Lurking. Something fit to predate on all of us; these new folk of mine have come all the way from Ravengro, in pursuit of some menacing weirdness that killed their old mentor- and mine. Every sense I have tells me that there's more to this business with Adam than we've yet seen, and that we reside now in the eye of a predator we know nothing about. And so, with greatest pain, I cannot return home until this business is done. I have made a life, a vocation, and a creed about protecting good people from the things that lurk in the darkness of our home, and I cannot turn away now. I do hope you understand.
But, please know that, despite the deep unknown into which we trek, I could not be with better, or more able folk.
There's a pair of gentlemen, both more learned than I've ever met. The first, a Master Aduard Bookman, is a most-capable wizard, apparently a noteable author -to which I defer to your expertise regarding that voracity- and I'm not sure I've ever met a man more knowledgeable in more than he. No matter the topic, no matter what clue we uncover, it always feels that he is in the know, and I am most relieved to be working alongside someone like him. The other is a Doctor, Karras. He is an amazing fellow; smart as a whip, like Master Bookman, but in different ways. He's a chemist, and he has worked more wonders with his salves and tonics in front of my own eyes than that mad apothecary Avensia back in town ever has! The man has changed his shape, my Heart. I have seen his jaw extend into a snout, his skin thicken, nails grow to savage talons. And through it all he remains so meassured of spirit that his wildness feels like a gaining of momentum, not a loss of mind. I have approached the two of them, asking about the future in a field of academia such as theirs' in regards to Tavick. They both impressed upon me the importance, the duty, and the difficulty of that path, belaboring that it is no small feat to achieve success. And yet, from their words, I drew only confidence in this young man that we have raised. If we prepare him with what these good men have equipped me, and armed as he already is with the mind he got from You, I can only believe in his success, should he choose to pursue it.
The final member of our party is a young woman named Esta. You'd like her: she's got a clever mind, and a sense of empathy and truth that turned Lepistadt to justice. It was her, and her understanding of Adam, that made me believe in his innocence in the first place. She also humbled me. There was a moment where all the ugliness of Lepistadt and the City's drive for blood moved me poorly. I was not as I should have been in that moment. I was eager to 'put things right', to draw steel against an idiot who may or may not have known better, almost meeting his call for fire with my own for blood. And yet this young woman -only so much older than Tavick!- reminded me of my purpose. She is a good person -again, she reminds me of you- and we are lucky to have her in this party. She's also got magical skills! I have seen her knit grievous wounds together effortlessly, and is also armed with her own magics of self-defense. Not to drag someone who's got no skin in it, but again, Avensia could learn a thing or two from her.
She also has a fox friend named Oolong -like that tea you like. I could not fail to disclose such a thing to you.
I have enclosed some money, hopefully enough to assist with the farm while I settle these affairs I've been dragged into. My Heart, it hurts to not be home. I miss the damn field. I miss Tavick speaking with you of things that make no sense to me, and I miss Dura's endless energy; it is a different kind of tired that fills me now. But most of all, I miss you. You are my homestead, and my peace.
But that is why I must stay with these folks, at least for now. There are things that lurk in the darkness of our home, and I feel a hunter may be needed to cull them.
Love to the boys. And all my love to you.
Your Hands,
Ed
Adam's crushing embrace squeezes most of the air from Esta's lungs, but she chokes out a genuine laugh of relief all the same. Once released, she takes a step away and links her fingers behind her back, craning her head to look at the hulking man in front of her. "We'll come an' see you, promise." She notices Oolong sniffing around Adam’s ankles and watches for a moment before gently shooing the animal away.
”Uh, well…” she mumbles, unsure of how to further their conversation. ”See ya.” Esta moves away awkwardly, taking a few jogging steps before coming to a halt and turning back. ”Be careful,” she says, and with a quick, shy smile, she hurries to join the others.
”I need a bath,” she mutters mostly to herself as she rejoins her group. ”And food. And a week of sleep.” As if on cue, a long, drawn out yawn escapes her. "So what’re we doin’ now?” she asks, rubbing her fatigued eyes.
The woodsman watches Adivion whisk Adam away, his relief palpable as he watches the pair leave the courtroom.
Well, I suppose your mandate's done, he grunts, turning back to the group. I imagine the judge'd say you've done your part. That being said... he nods his head in the direction Beast and Barrister had disappeared to. This doesn't feel over. Not one bit. He was found after stealing that piece from the college, right? But he didn't have it on him, and he doesn't remember doing it. Nah, there's more; a ton of darkness's heaped all over this mess. Maybe his father at -what'd he say, Schloss Caromarc?- maybe he'll have more information.
The woodsman kneads the fingers of his gauntlet for a moment, chewing his tongue in his mouth. If you're keen to follow this through, I'm in. My family's far too close to here, and something about this feels way too big.
Edison's sharp, blue eyes gleam with determination. Let's get what we're due from our employers, use that to equip. If you're all in, of course! his dark beard crinkles into a smile.
Justice Embreth Daramid answers the door at her townhouse, but with good humor replacing the skepticism of your first meeting. "Welcome, my friends, welcome." She ushers you into a sitting room, where you are served tea and small pastries filled with dried fruit.
Embreth produces four small bags, the sound of their contents clinking merrily. "Four hundred platinum pieces, as promised. And well earned, I must say. Petros was right to place his confidence in you."
With the rewards handed out, she leans back in her seat, her ice blue eyes turning inquisitive. "If I may be so bold, what do you plan to do now that the trial has come to an end?"
"Well..." Aduard hesitates "I have found myself promising to take the employees of Vorkstag and Grime into service."
He hurries to explain "They are a... ahem, demi-humans. A minority in these human dominated lands, abused and all but enslaved by Vorkstag and Grime. Yet they are decent fellows, who helped us to take down their employers when they realised the depth of their depravity, even at the cost of their lives."
"I spoke on impulse, but my word is given. I am unsure what exactly I might employ them as - I have no desire to take over the accursed factory they slaved in. Perhaps I should start an estate, and employ them as farmers?"
Struck by the idea he turns to Edison. "My Wyatt - you hail from farming lands, do you not? I believe you said they were close to here? If I were to purchase some plots do you think your village might welcome them to rural life from the urban hell they were forced into? Would I need to approach your local lord, or are you chartered freemen?"
Left unsaid in Aduard's pretty speech is that the employees are mutant mongrels, barely humanoid, and unlikely to be welcome in any community - or that while they did turn on their employers it was after coin was offered.
"In the shorter term... I still hope to find more information on the Professor's murderers, though we have no new leads, and intend to confront the comte de Carmoarc about an unlikely alleged paternity."
The Doctor doffs his hat, and then keeps it in his hands, or lap, throughout the social call. When Daramid asks about their plans, a frown settles over the Doctor's countenance - a familiar enough sight, for those that knew him, for it meant that Karras was deep in thought.
"I do not know, Justice Daramid. I came here to seem my apprentice, Mr. Stockl, laid to rest, and then became embroiled into the case for Adam. Truthfully, we are assembling quite a large - and unusual - coterie, and as I have no home at this time to return to, I should like to assist Master Bookman in finding a place for his new employees. And I feel indebted to Mr. Stockl to solve the mystery that lead - indirectly - to his passing; the murder of our dear Professor Lorrimor."
Karras absently chews upon a tea biscuit. It was dry and sweet. The dry nature of the biscuit at least, the Doctor could relate to.
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After blustering in with the rest of the party, Judge Daramid's amiable manner puts the woodsman on the back foot, and he stands awkwardly in the parlor as the others speak. As silence falls during their host's opening pleasantries, his stomach rumbles. Suitably ashamed of his bodily needs, the pious man quickly fills his mouth with the sweet treats provided.
It isn't until Aduard brings up the availability of his tiny, nigh-nameless little town that Edison chokes momentarily upon the dry cookie, thumping his chest with a heavy (and practiced) hand as he prepares himself to respond.
M-my town, Master Bookman?! I - HACK hadn't thought...Assuredly so, Masters and Misses, he manages, his fur-laden cheeks shining bright scarlet through their insufficient cover. That said, let me AHEM , let me send a letter. I was writing to the Missus anyway, and I might -eh- prevail on her that some new folk may be coming, and worthy of some cautious hospitality and -ehm- HACK optimism.
His rustic gullet finally victorious over the sophisticated-yet-dangerous delicacy, he does follow behind Karras' and Aduard's example.
Aye, they've got the right of it, I think. He clears his throat, though his eyes stay clear. We're not done yet, m'am. There's a whole...circumstance? Yes, a whole circumstance around Adam's capture at the college, and about his -eh... father?- that has left much up in the air. Though my heart demands I return home, my spirit and and soul demand diligence here.
The paladin nods, resolved, if esophageal-ly chafed.
"Might we borrow a map, your honour? I am unsure how far Mr Wyatt's village is, and in what direction the Caromarc castle might be. It would be fortuitous were both close together. Perhaps a slate and scribe we might work on designing a plan of action on?"
The author hums as he considers "The castle of course. I believe Kendra is settled, though we should absolutely check on her. Additionally I will need to approach my new employees, and Mr Wayatt will need to send a missive. I have offered my services to restore the damaged antiquities, so should spend at least a day on that. We wanted to confirm that the wraith we laid low stays dead... And sleep - proper sleep. I could spend a week in bed, I feel."
"In addition to that, Doctor, I am still working on the preparations I discussed with you around young master Stockl. Not this week, nor the next, but with a little more time it will simply be a case of acquiring the resources, and comitting."
Brogol's name hits the Doctor like a punch, and Karras blinks, and blinks again, the tea biscuit forgotten in his hand. Was the wizard serious? Did he really believe he could bring the boy back? I had assumed that Brogol's resurrection was idle chatter, nothing more.
Slowly, Karras lowers his head; the Doctor gazes absently at the biscuit in his hand. "Of course, Master Bookman. Do not rush your preparations. I shall be with you to the end then. Or the new beginning, as it may be."
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With eyes widened in awe, Esta gently takes her bag of platinum pieces from Justice Daramid with a soft thank you and holds it in her cupped palms. She finds herself staring at the small pouch, her mind swiveling between everything this small fortune could afford her.
I should at least start by sending some back home, she thinks to herself, and stuffs the bag securely into her small knapsack. She then helps herself to tea and a few of the small offered cookies, and settles herself off to the side from the others—still involved, but not too close.
Her companions speak of their future plans and goals, their murmurs becoming a gentle and surprisingly soothing background noise as she loses herself in thought, absentmindedly tossing one of the pastries to Oolong as she nibbles her own. She had no idea what her future plans were. She’s never really had a plan. As soon as she received her healing abilities, she made sure her parents would be okay without her and then left home. The only “plan” she had was to help as many people as she could.
She still wasn’t even sure how she ended up in Lepidstadt, in the middle of a murder case with a group of people that were starting to become not-strangers, and that bothered her. And she still didn’t know why Professor Lorrimor sent her the letter that led her here, and that bothers her even more. She bites a chunk out of a pastry and takes a swig of her tea, her nose scrunching in contemplation as the memory of their meeting resurfaces clear as day.
She remembered it well. Very well, in fact. And yet it still provided no answers, a fact that frustrated her greatly. She saw someone in need, so she helped. End of story. That wasn’t so out of the ordinary.
So why was she here?
Guess it doesn’t really matter right now, she thinks to herself as she washes down the last of her pastry with a gulp of tea. She was here, and firmly wrapped up in everything happening. She wasn’t going to walk away from it now—not when there were more people to help, and (not that she would admit this out loud) not when she had folks around her that seemed to want her there.
...”I am unsure how far Mr Wyatt's village is, and in what direction the Caromarc castle might be. It would be fortuitous…
Esta is yanked back to the present conversation, one that she has heard little to nothing of. ”I know where Schloss Car'marc is,” she offers quickly, stumbling slightly over the name, then pauses. ”I think, anyway.”
Judge Daramid nods, her icy blue eyes glittering with mirth. "Of course, Mister Bookman, I believe I have something that might be appropriate."
The map she provides shows that Schloss Caromarc lies to the northeast of Lepidstadt, on the other side of the Dippelmere Swamp. The map notes the existence of several trails through the wetlands, but it also shows a less direct route—a road following the Lesser Moutray River from town to castle.
"Although you are no longer employed by myself or the estate," Daramid explains as you consider the map, "I would appreciate if you travelled to Schloss Caromarc and spoke with the Count. I would like to know what he knows of... Adam, as you call him. Although I am satisfied with the outcome of the trial, I am not so foolish as to believe that Adam is incapable of harming others and I worry that the prejudice he experiences could move him to violence in the future. Perhaps the Count has some manner of controlling his... son, or a way to keep him on a tighter leash. In either case, I would not be surprised if a group of misguided citizens band together and seek Adam out at Schloss Caromarc if they believed the trial to be a sham. Your presence at the castle might be required to prevent further violence."
Not familiar with that neck of the woods, Edison says, eyeing the map, but if this map is good, I'd take the road over the wetlands. Marsh, bogs, and swamps are hell on horses, and if we avail ourselves of the steeds we've been using, they may well slip and break a leg in the muck. Not as direct, but my bet is it'd be better travelling.
Arruk frowns, a pensive scowl rather than one of anger. "I agree with you, Goodman Wyatt. The road is the best approach. I am afraid to say that I know of the count and his holdings - quite well, I'm afraid, though we've not personally met. Our family lines intersect in some tangential ways. We have had similar interests as well, and he's a bit infamous in the academic community."
"He's an eccentric fellow. Caromarc was the former ruler of Vieland who abdicated his position when the Palatinates threw off the yoke of the aristocracy. Since his abdication, Count Caromarc has become reclusive and paranoid. Paranoid about his experiments and discoveries being stolen. It is rumored he's trapped parts of his castle to prevent theft, and constructed numerous guardian creatures to serve and protect him."
"Schloss Caromarc lies to the north and east of Lepidstadt, some 25 miles as the crow flies. Known as the Hanging House, Schloss Caromarc lies to the northeast of Dippelmere Swamp, and is actually several buildings built into the walls of a gorge above a waterfall. The lower parts of the house are - I've heard - as luxurious as one might find in any city. The further up the gorge one goes, the more treacherous and inhospitable the buildings become."
"A strange fellow, all in all, and one whispered about in both the hallowed halls of the academy and at our large and rather severe family gatherings, which I should add, the dear count has never attended."
"So then - I suggest we take a day to recover and put all in order. I will attempt to repair some of the damaged antiquities, Mr Wyatt can draft a letter to his beloved family, the Doctor can acquire us supplies, and Ms Vyrelian can feel out the local populace. Perhaps we can all - including the Judge Daramid and Mr Adrissant - meet with dear Kendra for a farewell dinner."
"At 25 miles it is perhaps 2 or 3 days each way, which suggests we will be back in a week. That will give my new employees a chance to put their affairs in order, and for a response to My Wyatt's letter to make its way back."
He considers "I confess I could easily be talked into two days, except I fear the Judge is correct, and the additional head start might be invaluable."
"What say you all - is this course of action acceptable? if so, one day, or two?"