@Gkirkhan: yes, but you'd better tie him up if you want to present him to the local cops. Or not.
As you're binding him and stabilizing him, you find a scar on his shoulder that looks very much like what being bitten by a blood caiman would leave.
This room contains a set of anatomy and surgical books worth about 500g to a hospital or university, a complete alchemist's lab, 3 packets of flash powder, and 5 pots of alchemical grease.
'Vorkstag' has on him 2 potions of cure light wounds, 1 potion of invisibility, a wand, a potion of water breathing, a masterwork heavy mace, 2 doses of dust of tracelessness, an alchemist's kit, a formula bonk, a ring of keys, 2 doses of black adder poison, 2 doses of blue whinnis, and 1 dose of deathblade.
The door in north wall is locked.
Wood smiles and says "Well done. Let's gather up the stuff and our star witness for the trial."
The young wizard points to Zhiden first, "Let's try the subtler approach to unlock this door."
He points to Rova's adamantite weapon, "Then we try less subtle if the lockpicks don't work."
He points to Gkirkan's hammer, "We can save the least subtle for last."
Finally, Wood notices the key ring and tosses it to Zhiden: "These may work too."
Even after the rage leaves the surface, it simmers just below. His voice is strangely calm.
"Right, sottle."
Zhiden caught the keys that Wood threw him and looked at them disdainfully. He headed for the closed door and thought about just using his picks, but for grins he tried the keys first.
"So," He said, followed by a long pause filled by the sound of jingling keys, "Do we really need him? I mean, couldn't we just say that these two skipped town when they figured out that we were on to them? I can tell that part, if you want, I'm good at telling people what they want to hear."
"Eh, eh! None 'o dat. Best folk know wha' monster's really b'hind dees crimes. Give'em a fair trail. If folk act like dat, da Beast'd already be hacked up 'r burned."
The only thing within this room is a large oak cabinet against the western wall.
Inside the cabinet, however....
Vorkstag has been a very busy boy (?), it seems. There are nearly a score of flayed skins in here, most of which are recognizable as or by locals, many of which are answers to some of Lepidstadt's long unsolved crimes...and some that have been blamed on the Beast, as well. One or two of them you've even seen around during your time here.
Most important, though, is the one hanging in the front - the grotesque, deformed, skin of what was once an 8-foot tall mongrelman, made up of flesh, fur, feathers, and scales and covered with fungal boils and hideous pus-filled eruptions - a skin that fits the description of the Beast that most of the witnesses in the trial have given.
the long missing Miller of Hargen
Olga Slovech, the scandalous "harlot of Cerny Brothel"
Borgo Znojmo, respected and reclusive local merchant
Doctor Katrina Vilt, an esteemed lecturer at Lepidstadt University
Upon seeing the skins Eva says with a disgusted face
"This is horrible, it's starting to make me feel a little nauseous."
Zhiden backed away when he saw the contents of the closet, shaking his head as he did so. "What do we do now? Invite the authorities here, tell them we found the door open and decided to check on the proprietors and found all of this? Or do we really want to drag this stuff out of here?" The way he said 'stuff' made it clear that the word was a last minute substitution for something less polite.
"Hy vant to break sumting."
Gkirkhan cracks his knuckles and eyes Vokstag, making it all too obvious what he intends to break.
"We need all this stuff to make sure the Beast is not wrongly judged! We need to bring this to my favorite inquisitor, and probably Gkirkan's too."
Vertielle pats at her still-smoldering armor and walks over to Vorkstag, her sword out already. The rest of the talking is just noise to her, not registering at all. She spares a glance at the closet, her expression an indiscernible mask, and rests her longsword on the back of his neck.
With surprising speed, Gkirkhan snaps out a hand pulls Vertielle's sword away.
"No, too swift for hem."
The human wizard, quick to action, quickly cast a very short, simple spell. The spell, known by the most basic apprentice, could cause a moment of indecisiveness.
As the large warrior prepares to intervene, a cloud of indecision attempts to confuse him as the execution is conducted.
The wizard known to be very miserly with his spells, is remarkably free with his cantrips. Unfortunately he has not calculated that Gkirkan has matured to be beyond the reach of such minor magic.
"He deserves it."
Vertielle holds up her sword.
The law doesn't always work, She says simply, looking Gkirkhan directly in the eyes. Her own emerald-colored eyes are wet with threatening tears, but steeled with resolve.
This will, she whispers, taking her eyes off his and looking at the glittering blade.
With that, she tries gently to remove his hand, and step back towards the creature that lies immobile on the ground.
"She's right," Zhiden said, turning away from the cabinet. He gestured toward the flesh suit in the cabinet and added, "With this thing he was able to get away with whatever he wanted, and pin it on an innocent. You don't think someone- something like that could weasel through the cracks of justice?"
Rova's eyes flash in barely contained anger.
"Didn'.. I.. say.. NO!! Yer not a judge, yer not the law, an' ya don' speak fer da people of dis land. Now, listen 'ere, ya *&%* &&#^$, I din' 'and tha' sword back ta ya so ya could run through 'elpless prisoners."
Rova will, if Vertielle provokes an AoO, strike her full-force with a stunning fist.
Wood looks at Rova and speaks calmly. "In this case, the law has failed. I will speak for the people that have been turned into human skins, possibly slowly while they screamed in pain. No law needs to be consulted about what has to be done here."
The slender, scrawny wizard begins to advance on the large warrior with confidence. "We only found this stuff here by breaking the law and trespassing here. So sticking to your law, this crew here skins people for years without any retribution and that innocent creature gets executed for the crime."
He reminds Rova of the magical forces they ran into and the powerful guardian. "Given the powers at this crew's disposal, and I cannot be 100% sure they don't have similar powerful friends to rescue them from the law, I want this pathetic excuse for humanity ended now."
"I may not be the law, but I am knowledgeable about magic. This one here cannot be contained safely by what passes for the law here. Maybe it is because Vertielle and I understand magic so well, we are not blind to this risk?"
1: Skin stealer special ability: Steal Skin (Su)
As a full-round action, a skin stealer may steal the skin of a creature of Small, Medium, or Large size with a roughly humanoid shape. The target creature must be dead, helpless, or willing. If the target creature is alive, the skin stealer must make a successful coup de grace attack to steal its skin. The skin stealer can don or remove a stolen skin as a move action. When wearing a stolen skin, the skin stealer takes on the likeness of the skin's original owner, including the victim's voice, build, and size, but gains none of the creature's abilities. The stolen skin grants the skin stealer a +10 bonus on Disguise checks, with none of the usual penalties for different gender, race, age, and size. Stolen skins are preserved and remain as supple as living skin. A skin stealer may only steal and use a number of skins equal to its Charisma score. The skin stealer may choose to discard unwanted skins to make room for new ones at any time; discarded skins rot and decay normally.
2: The only way for a skin stealer to arrive in the material world is by accidental summoning (When a powerful inhabitant of the Material Plane experiences intense feelings of distrust and maliciousness, she can unintentionally draw out a skin stealer from the First World—often whilst sleeping—under the guise of a nightmare. Thus, an unwitting evoker of such a dark being awakens cold and sweaty, unaware of the chaotic fey now causing mayhem outside her chamber walls—assuming the bandit hasn’t already made off with her flesh yet.), but once summoned they have no way to return to the First World.
Given your instructions on this case and what you've done so far:
1: You will be unable to act in the Beast's defense for this last case if you are being investigated to prove self-defense in slaying the creature.
2: You'd have to present the skin and have it identified by witnesses and the only witness to the burning of the hospital/asylum is blind. Without a confession, all you can prove from this is that the skin-stealer was at Morast, not Kalb Isle. You need more evidence or a confession.
3: Even if you clear the Beast of the first two charges, he/it can still be convicted and burned for the third.
While the creature is unconscious, Wood continues:
"We may need a confession to clear the beast of his third charge. But this guy just doesn't look like the confessing type."
He glances at Rova: "Would you also have limits on how to extract a confession? Because without a confession he is absolutely of no value to anyone alive."
Back? Vertielle snuffs coldly. She throws the sword into the wood at Rova's feet.
We use magic, like civilized folk. The witness can be cured of his blindness, she explains as she draws a dagger to replace her sword.
"Hpmh, We swore 'n oath when we took dis job as defender's investigators ta bring da evidence ta da court, an' we 'ad, if justified, discretion ta follow leads, which is why we's 'ere. We tried da nice way, an' dey wouldn't play dat way, so we broke in, again followin' da court's edict. So our actions was legal. I ain't gonna let any o' ya destroy dis piece of..evidence afore th' court gets 'im."
He looks at Vertielle in disgust, "Ain't th' implement, it's da intent."
To Wood, "Don' come off high an' mighty tellin' me you t'ink dat dis skinner's gonna walk 'cause ya 'unnerstand magic'. Iff'n ya t'ink dat, why'd ya take dis job? Jus' gonna end da same way fer da Beast no matter what we do? By yer logic, anyhoo."
Wood smiles:
"He is not gonna walk if he is dead, that is my point. I want the skinner to go forth and skin no more, and the Beast to be exonerated. The best way to make sure a powerful mage does not ever get away is Vertielle's solution."
He gather his breath and repeats, "The only value this skinner has is if he confesses. Otherwise he can say all sorts of things about our assault on this place. I would rather not have to get into a lengthy discussion about how many doors we broke, how many workers we terrorized, or how man alchemists we cut in two. IF his confession saves the 'Beast', it MAY be worth the risk of him escaping to bring him back."
"Hyu kent run avay if hyurs legs iz broke."
Gkirkhan growls as the discussion gets to convoluted for him.
"Und if hyu vant dis scheiße-kopf to talk. vell, Hy em sure I ken get hem to say something."
His knuckles crack again, and the look he gives the skin-stealer is unsettling, to put it charitably.
"Time to take this skinstealer to the inquisitor and get him to confess. They are supposed to have talents to do that stuff."
He'll breathe fire again, Vertielle points out.
Wood smiles: "Then we defend ourselves with extreme force. If it is does in the presence of the female inquisitor, though, we are in better shape."
"Good, tha's settled then.", Rova relaxes a bit, "Grab some rope 'n we'll truss 'em up good. Som'un wanna start rollin' up it's..uhh..wardrobe? Don' wanna carry tha' stuff visible in da streets."
Rova turns to Vertielle and quips, "Don' forgit yer sword."
Vertielle's eyes simmer as she rips the sword out of the floor, ramming it home in its sheath.
She coils up her whip with the same expression of contained anger.
Silently, she stalks away to recheck previous rooms.
Gkirkhan is none-too-gentle while trussing up Vorkstag.
Sensing a justified distaste for handling the wardrobe, Rova decided to just do it himself. Grabbing what passes for a sheet from the bedding, he'll pile the detached skins in the middle, fold the sheet closed, and roll the mess up and tie it shut.
"Damn revoltin' business, dis is."
"If ve deedn't need dis piece of horse shit, Hy vould be breakink hiz bonez vright now."
"If he doesn't confess, we don't need him."
Zhiden watched Rova work, as disgusted by it all as he was, and decided it might be a good time to get some stories straight. "Do you think the mongrelmen will help? They won't really testify, I'll bet, but doesn't the fact that they exist, and are slaves, count for something? And how are we going to explain how we got in here? I don't think anyone is going to believe us if we tell them that we were passing by and saw the door standing open, so we decided to investigate."
Eva adds
"I don't think we should lie in court,
As I do recall a case were a gentleman lied about murdering his wife,
was found not guilty, and within the hour had a fatal accident that killed him."
You manage to drag your prisoner and the evidence gathered to either the jail or to the Temple of Pharasma (whichever you prefer).
You -escort- your prisoner to the temple of Pharasma. After quick explanations, you turn your prisoner over to them. As you are explaining to the priest what happened and what you've discovered, the Ringmaster arrives, panting, announcing that there's a mob headed for the courthouse and the guards are -mysteriously- busy elsewhere.
"Gotterdammerung."
Gkirkhan, still mad from before marches off to the courthouse.
Wood follows quickly to back the half orc up.
Eva adds
"Oh crap."
and hurries to the court house
As he watched Gkirkhan march off, Zhiden wondered what the large man had in mind. He turned to the others and looked very much like a child as he said, "What do we do? Surely there are more of them than us, and I don't think I can stop them." He looked down at the swords on his belt and added, "Not in a way that would let me sleep at night, anyway."
Then don't stop them with steel, she says as she follows Gkirkhan.
Eva adds
"Let's hope we can atleast reason with them."
You all rush to the courthouse. Imrijka goes with you, noting that as the Church's representative to the court it IS her business.
When you get there the guards on duty have sealed the doors and are watching out the upper windows and balcony.
The crowd, heavily influenced by mob mentality and fueled by booze, is milling in the central area around the Burning Man. A group peals off and heads for the courthouse, carrying torches, makeshift weapons, and ladders.
Eva adds
"Oh man, Not good, I can smell the booze from them."
Vertielle mutters a spell as she draws her wand and whip, keeping her steel sheathed.
She'll look for an opportunity to stand ahead of the crowd or pick out the ringleader.
"Dem."
Gkirkhan breaks into a dead run, his long legs pumping to get in front of the mob about to raid the courthouse. He skids to halt in front of the group with weapons drawn.
He gets up in their faces and roars as loud as he can.
Vertielle sighs as she draws up next to the bellowing hulk.