"I think you should point out that justice should be blind and that the court should be ruled by the evidence presented and not by any preconceptions they may carry."
Leon smiles. "Yeah. That. Go with that."
"What have we here?" Firavel begins, "Hmm... When is rook not a rook? It seems you're the answer. So... are you going to speak, or shall we play?" he finishes with his blade still at the man's throat.
Whispered to Jean, "please tell me we didn't just get tricked."
Jean walked up to the man and looked down at him. "Any man who runs at the sight of strangers and uses illusion magic to hide their true form doesn't strike me as a trick." He looked back at Sethis. "Make sure no one is coming. Now..." Jean said, pulling out his own blade and turning his attention back to the man. "Why don't you start by telling us who you are and why you were running from us."
Investigation
The man's eyes widen as Firavel speaks, then get even wider as Jean pulls his blade. Obviously, while the elf is menacing, something in way Jean handles himself causes some serious anxiety.
"My name is Gnarvl Hora. I work with my dad making tools - or I used to until he threw me out. Found out I'd been selling subpar copies on the side for extra coin. Still good tools, just not up to the "Zbraslav" standards. Said I'd dishonored his reputation. I saw you all go into my dad's shop and figured you were trying to track me down."
----------
Courthouse
Gustav nods and quickly rises, "Judges, friends, and watchers..."
He has barely started his opening statement before a chorus of boos erupts from the spectators. Loudly and coarsely, the common folk vocalize their displeasure upon the stooped shoulders of Gustav Kaple.
He continues on, though it seems he is somewhat rattled, "This defendant you see before you is no more guilty of the crimes than you or I! This is a courthouse, and here, justice must be blind - the judges must rule based on what they are presented in this case, not because of any preconceptions or biases they might carry with them! In fact, to call this creature a Beast is a good example of such predjudice - he has a name, just like everyone else in this room! And in this place, accused of these crimes, we must demand to see and hear the evidence, because if this creature is innocent, then the real murderer may still be out there! Planning and plotting to kill again! In fact, it might just be one of you!" he says while pointing up at the commoners.
Unfortunately, while a civilized man could discern Kaple's intent, his poor choice of words nearly causes a riot. The crowd leaps to its feet, raising fists in the air, and begins screaming for Kaple to sit down. The herald tries in vain to silence the crowd by banging on his gong, but they ignore him for several minutes. Only the armored bailiff banging his gauntlet on his breastplate a few times brings the unruly spectators back to their seats.
Shaken even more, Kaple presses on, "Er... As I was saying, this... um... Beast could not have committed these crimes, and we'll prove that this monster is innocent. Um... thanks."
Gustav rushes back to his seat and plops down, looking over at you, "This is going to be tough."
Heiger smiles as Kaple sits down, then rises slowly to stand behind his table. After the gong sounds to quiet the crowd, he speaks, "Judges, if it please the Court, I would like to call my first witness."
Leon closes his eyes tightly as Kaple sits down. This was not off to a good start.
"What are the rules about other people giving statements or questioning witnesses? Are you the only one who gets to talk?"
Attempting a spellcraft roll to determine if the person we caught is the one that cast the spell.
Investigation
----------
Courthouse
Kaple shakes his head, "Oh no, anybody on the defense team can speak ... obviously when the judge indicates it's our turn, of course."
He looks at Leon, a faint glimmer of emotion on his face, "Would you like to get up and cross-examine some witnesses? You were in Morast, weren't you? Perhaps you might be able to press them on the details that I wouldn't know about?"
Sense Motive DC 2 : Barrister Kaple is hoping he doesn't have to speak in front of this crowd again.
Leon nods. "Love to. Just make sure to tell me if I'm starting to break any of the rules of the trial."
"Hmmm. Ill take that." as he reaches down and pulls the rag off of the man. "Wouldn't want you to try and use this again on us."
"You, or perhaps someone you know. We are looking for someone rather specific, who may have purchased a rather specific set of tools from either your father... or, what seems to be more and more likely... from you," Firavel says, his blade remaining against the man's throat. "Then again, I'm not sure the tools sold would be considered 'sub-par'."
Investigation
The man becomes visibly angry when Sethis removes his hat, though he glances at the swords pointing his way and wisely keeps his mouth shut.
When Firavel questions the sale of tools, his eyes widen, and he moans softly, "No, please. I can't tell you that. You don't understand - I've seen what they do to traitors." He leans forward - as far as he can - and whispers, "They do worse than kill their victims. They skin them alive... then wear the skin like a suit... then become their victims."
----------
Courthouse
Gustav nods and smiles, "Of course, I think this will work out well. After all, you've been to the village just yesterday, so you should be able to catch anything that seems out of the ordinary."
The first witness approaches the stand and bows before the judges who return the gesture with a nod. The woman sits down and Otto grandly approaches. "Thank you for coming, I know the journey was terrible!"
Funny, it seemed like an easy ride when you were out there just yesterday...
What follows next is Otto leading the witness through an obviously scripted question and answer session in which she basically says that Elder Lazne is the smartest man in the world, and only a fool would question his story about the Beast. Somewhat surprisingly, she doesn't even give much information about the event in question - the capture and chase near Morast. Her entire testimony apparently establishes Elder Lazne as the foremost authority on the creature. Otto finishes, and Chief Judge Khard looks at your table.
Kaple leans over, "Respectfully, you won't gain anything by questioning her. She didn't say anything of value, just that we should listen to Lazne. Wait for him."
Slightly standing, Kaple responds, "No questions, Chief Judge." Otto seems mildly surprised, and the crowd murmurs softly as the witness is excused.
Otto stands and calls another witness. You recognize the young man walking to the stand from your time in the village. In no time, Otto is reprising his earlier act with this witness - Elder Lazne is great, he's the best leader in all of Ustalav. To hear this testimony, you would swear the man could take on the entire forces of the Undying Prince and his Deathless Hordes... blindfolded with both hand tied behind his back.
Kaple just shakes his head when Otto finishes - "No"
The man is excused, and Otto once again strides to the center of the room, very close to the cage holding the Beast. "Ladies and gentlemen, I now call the man that nearly caught this monster - the only man who managed to trap him, and the only man who has successfully chased the creature away from his home, saving the lives of every single person in the city of Morast!"
The commoners erupt in cheers and clapping, and as Lazne enters from a side door, they start chanting his name. Several minutes pass before they are quiet enough for Otto to proceed. He starts by asking Lazne about the disappearances and strange happenings around Morast. He then moves into the plan to capture the Beast, followed by the creature's narrow escape, then the chase that ended in the swamp with the monster eluding his pursuers after being attacked by Redjaw. Everything Lazne says is exactly what he told you - no embellishments, and no changes. But you all notice that Lazne doesn't elaborate too much either - he's not helping you, but he's not doing as much damage to your case as he could.
Otto finishes by thanking Lazne for his bravery and wisdom, then gives him a slow clap as he walks back to his table. Glancing over, he winks at Barrister Kaple. "Your turn, if you have anything to ask this time."
Leon nods and stands up to approach the witness stand.
"Hello Elder Lazne. It's nice to see you again. As you can see, we're all very glad you could make it all this way to help us make sure that justice is properly served."
"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few more questions about night you nearly caught the Beast."
"I don't want to cast any doubt on what you did. That isn't my goal here. For the record, I believe you and think you're an honorable man. I just want to make sure that we don't make any mistakes here."
"Elder, can you tell us what the Beast looks like? Please be as detailed as you can."
Jean looked hard into the young man's eyes but was distracted from the memory of what they found in the graveyard in Morast. He wasn't sure but he thought he could trust what Gnarvl was saying or at least that he was truly afraid of who he was talking about.
"What do you mean Become their victims? What's your business with them?"
Investigation
He looks at Jean with a haunted stare, "They become them. They speak like them, walk like them, even know things that their victims knew. It's how they move around without being noticed."
Suddenly, he looks around at each of you, realizing something for the first time, "Any of you could be one!" he screams before violently pushing away the swords pointed at him. He slices his hand open on Firavel's blade, but it doesn't seem to register - he flips over on his belly and begins to crawl feebly away, crying hysterically.
----------
Courthouse
Elder Lazne nods in greeting as Leon begins speaking. Hearing his question, the Elder pauses, then responds slowly, "Well, I'll tell you what I saw. He was like a man, with legs and arms, and a head. Tall fellow too, taller than the tallest man in town. Wore a little bit of cloth around his waist, not much though. Looked in his eyes, I did. Eyes were shiny and seemed to be black as night."
That said, he can clearly see Son in the courtroom, and could be much more specific if he wanted to. It seems he is trying to give you the truth of what he saw that night.
"Lets stop hima me take him into custody, he obviously knows something about what's going on."
Sethis then uses his summon natures ally ability to summon a wolf to cut off his escape.
"Come peacefully won't you?"
"Sounds like that skin mask could have an owner," Firavel mutters to the others before stepping towards and then onto the man's back to prevent him from crawling away.
Crowching down on the man's back, Firavel whispers to the man, "You'd best do what he says. He and his pets get ornery when he's not obeyed. Besides, if we were the fellow you think we could be, what you fear would likely have already come to pass. Tell us who it is and maybe we can get him off your back. Don't tell us... well I suppose we could still tell people how helpful you've been to us anyhow..., but word gets around, you know..."
"Was he thickly built, or thin? Did he have hair on his head or his body? He wasn't wearing much clothing, right? What color was his skin? Did he have any scars or tattoos?"
Investigation
The man twists his head to look at Firavel, fear clearly evident in his eyes. They dart around, frantically searching for a way to escape. Tears well up and begin running down his cheeks, "I sold some tools, from my dad's shop. Sold them to a couple of scientists here in town. They didn't want to visit stores because all the tools are always marked. I removed the marks from the tools I sold them so they couldn't be traced. They were worried because they had lost some a while back, maybe a year or so ago.""
He looks toward the side of the alley as he continues, "So I sold the tools, but they wanted to make sure I didn't say anything about them, so they insisted on showing me what they were planning to do with the tools. The scientists and their assistants took me down into a basement where they had a man lying on a table, strapped down... I thought they were going to dissect the body or something, you know, to scare me. But that's not what they had in mind. When the first one started cutting, I realized the man was alive."
The man looks directly at Firavel, "They all leapt in to help when he started screaming. Skinned him alive, from his head to his feet. But that wasn't the worst part. The head scientist, he stripped off his clothes then put on the fresh skin. His assistants ran over and started stitching it up, sealing him inside. The rest of the group all pulled out masks and put them on. The masks were made from human flesh too. Then they started dancing around, and started groping me, tearing at my clothes. They finally tackled me and forced a mask over my head too. I felt them grab me... lay me down on the table... and I felt the straps tighten. The scientist promised that he would wear my skin if I ever betrayed our deal for the tools."
He grins and starts chuckling, but everyone can tell it's not humor, it's closer to madness. "Vorkstag and Grime were their names. They have a shop in town. They have an army of helpers, and experiments around their labs. Please don't say my name. I don't want to be the next costume he wears!"
----------
Courthouse
Lazne raises his eyes upward as he considers the questions. "The Beast was... well, he was just normal sized, I'd say. And he had hair on his head. The rest of it, well, I can't say for sure. It was dark, and we only caught glimpses of him in the torchlight. I'd say his skin was the same color as ours, but he wasn't wearing any clothing. Bare as the day he was born. Didn't notice any scars or tattoos neither."
Stepping back from the man, "Thats twice we've heard those names before. Do you think we should investigate now or wait for the others to finish?"
Jean stared in horror as the young man described what he had witnessed. The acts described to him were simply beyond what he would expect men were capable of. It didn't take long for Jean to decide what was necessary. He looked at the maddened young man and nodded to him.
"If there are as many of these men as he says there are, I think we should be at full strength before confronting them. You have done more to help us than you know. We have faced evils that are monstrous in nature but this is something else entirely. Sethis, return his scarf. We will see to it that these men are not allowed to continue their mad schemes. You may do as you wish, but I would say that you would be much safer if you were to come with us."
"You said that the Beast was attacked by a creature called a Caiman called Redjaw. Can you describe Redjaw, and the details of that attack?"
"Here you go." as he tosses the scarf back to the man.
Investigation
The man takes his scarf back, "No offense, but I'm better off on my own. But if you're going after them, then take these. Little something I picked up in case I found my back against the wall."
He pulls out several vials and hands them to you.
Potions of bear's endurance x2, bull's strength x2, cat's grace x2
----------
"Well, Redjaw was the oldest, meanest, and smartest caiman that ever was put in the swamp. Been hunting around Morast for at least forty years, maybe more. Big fellow, with a patch of red scale near his mouth, that's how he got the name. He'd tear you up too - teeth as long as your hand!". He hold his hand up to give everyone the visual.
"As for what happened. Well, the Beast got out of the pit we dug, so we chased him into the swamp. Headed toward our burial ground, so we wanted to be sure he didn't mess with our kinfolk. Anyway, he started running through the shallows when Redjaw leapt up and grabbed him! Took a hold of the Beast, shook him a couple of times, then went under. We all figured that Redjaw took him for a deathroll and that was the end of the Beast. Sure enough, all our troubles stopped after that. "
Jean takes the potions. "Thank you for your assistance. I'd keep your head down for a while and if you think you're being followed come and find us. One last thing before you go, where was this basement they took you to? Was it in their building or was it somewhere else?"
"Can you explain to us what a death roll is? How is it different from a normal bite?"
"Has anyone you know ever survived something like that? Have you ever heard of Redjaw losing his prey once he grabbed it?"
"Could you see where on the body Redjaw bit the Beast? What kinds of wounds or marks would that leave?"
Investigation
"It's in their building. There is a narrow staircase on the back wall behind the chemical vats - kind of hard to miss unless you're looking for it. That's how you get to the basement."
----------
Courthouse
Lazne leans back, then brings his hands up. "Well, a deathroll is how the caimans and crocs kill their prey. See, it's tough for them to open their mouths, so once they bite, they just hang on instead of trying to bite again. They drag their prey under water and just start rolling around and around until whatever is in their mouth stops moving." He demonstrates by moving his hands rapidly around each other.
"After that, they stuff the animal under a log or rock, wait for it to get tender under the water, then come back later for a meal. Most times, animals that get into a death roll don't make it. Caimans can stay under for a lot longer than most land creatures can hold their breath."
"As for Redjaw, I don't know of anything that could have gotten away. I've never heard of it, at least, none that he took under and rolled. He's bitten a couple of villagers since I've been around, but they got lucky and escaped. Might have killed a few too, but we don't know for sure - but we never saw them again."
"Well, as I recall, Old Redjaw leaped up out of the water and grabbed hold of the Beast like this." He draws a line with his finger extending from his right up upward diagonally toward his left shoulder. "Then Redjaw twisted his neck and they both disappeared. We stayed around for a few minutes, but left after not seeing the Beast again. But if the Beast survived, he'd have some definite teeth marks all over his stomach, chest, and back."
"Thank you, Elder Lazane" Leon says and moves back to the defense council's desk.
"Kaple, I'd like to bring out our exhibit now."
Turning back to Elder Lazane while Kaple went and wheeled in a table with the tarp concealing something large beneath it, Leon continued. "If I understand you correctly, you're saying that if the Beast survived, which is highly unlikely, that he would now be extremely disfigured or crippled. Would you say that is correct?"
When Elder Lazane had answered, Leon asked, "One last thing, Elder. Can you please identify this for us?"
Then he pulled the tarp back to reveal Redjaw's massive head.
"Try not to go too far. Even after we've found and dealt with these friends of yours, if they are in no condition to chat, you may be needed to connect them with the crimes. I would hate to have to track you down again."
Turning to the others he nods, "Yeah, it might be best to gather the others from the courthouse before we hit them."
Turning back before the man skulks off he asks "Say... were you or your friends involved in that little riot debacle last night?"
Investigation
He gives Firavel a look, but nods his head sullenly.
As the elf asks his last question, Gnarvl turns back with a sour expression. "I know their workshop was closed early last night, so they were out doing something. No idea what or where though."
----------
"Courthouse
Lazne considers the question from Leon before nodding his head, "I'd have to say that anybody who tangled with Redjaw and survived would have a couple of reminders, yeah. Scars, broken bones, things like that."
Glancing over at the table, a slight smile appears on his face. As the tarp is pulled back, the crowd in the gallery gasps in surprise at the massive caiman head. The red scales shine in the light of the room - there is no mistake what everyone sees on the table.
Elder Lazne slowly raises his hand, then points at the table. "That... is the head of Redjaw hisself!"
Otto leaps to his feet, obviously intent on doing something, but he falters. Sitting back down, he is now on the edge of his seat, his ashen face moving from the head of Redjaw over to the caged Beast, then back. Apparently, Otto has realized where this line of questioning is headed!
"I wish we could have brought the whole body with us. You're the expert, but my guess is that he weighed as much as a horse. His head alone took three men to lift onto this table."
Leon lifted the front end of Redjaw's mouth open, straining a bit under the weight, holding the jaw open with his arms fully outstretched over his head so that the whole courtroom could see the size of the creature's mouth and length of the many fangs.
"Elder Lazane, I'd like you to take a look at the man on trial today. Feel free to get up from the stand and walk over to have a closer look. When you're satisfied, please tell us if the man in that cage looks like someone who survived an attack by Redjaw."
Jean turns to his companions. "In that case we should head to the courthouse to see how things are progressing. Hopefully Leon and Mithias were able to deal with today's case without too much trouble. Because it looks like tonight is going to be very busy."
"Hey, maybe we can catch the end if we hurry, get a feel for how things are going."
Investigation
----------
Courthouse
Elder Lazne gets up from the chair, and walks over toward the Beast, pointedly stopping fifteen feet away. There is a collective intake of breath as the old man leans closer, peering at the creature behind the bars of the cage. He turns his head one way, then the other, eyes narrowed to pick out the smallest detail.
He steps a few paces to the right, then back again to his left, all the while searching the features of the Beast for some mark, some sign, that might have been caused by Redjaw. After a few moments, he turns away and walks back over to his chair. Leon waits patiently, and the muffled sound of a child cooing in the gallery is quickly hushed.
Finally, Lazne speaks, "Well, after looking at the creature, I'd have to say it doesn't..."
Otto leaps to his feet, "OBJECTION!"
Lazne shuts his mouth while Judge Khard motions Otto to speak.
Otto quickly walks around from behind his table and looks up at the judges, "Your honors, this man is a reputable and honorable person, but he is not trained in the medical arts, nor is he schooled in the blessings of our divine churches that frequently heal such injuries. While his testimony about what he saw the evening in question is beyond reproach, he is unsuited for drawing conclusions about evidence that may or may not have been ... contaminated."
He looks over at Leon with daggers in his eyes, "In fact, it is highly suspect that these amateurs would call upon the Elder in such a manner in the first place - they should know that his opinions on injuries, and any healing that might have taken place, would be inadmissible in these proceedings. Perhaps they should be dismissed before further embarrassing themselves, and this court?" He spins back and bows to the judge as he speaks his last sentence.
Khard glances to his right and left, then replies, "Indeed, the Elder is not trained in the identification or treatment of injuries, and as such, is not qualified to speak about whether or not the creature on trial was the victim of the attack. Elder, please do not reply to the question."
Elder Lazne nods and just sits there as Judge Khard turns to Judge Daramid. The female judge who originally hired you speaks up, "As the Judge responsible for enforcing decorum and following the rules of order in this courtroom, it is my pleasure to respond to the charge of embarrassing the court. I find... it did not occur!"
Gasps and boos rain down from the gallery, but they are quickly silenced by the scrape of steel made from the bailiff's greatsword.
Daramid continues, "As Elder Lazne was familiar with both the Beast and Redjaw, it was a reasonable line of inquiry, but he is not an expert in the field of herpetology, medicine, or divine healing. Let us all confine our questions, and statements, to matters within our purview." The last is apparently directed at Otto, who nods slightly with a smirk.
Khard speaks again, asking Leon, "Very well, that matter is settled. Is there anything else you wish to ask this witness?"
"Just one, sir." Leon says turning back to the witness stand
"Elder Lazane, do you think it is possible that the person in that cage there, is not the Beast responsible for the deaths in your village?"
Jean grimaces at the swift turn of events just as things seemed about to be settled. "Politics." He muttered.
It had been one of the things he had despised about familial gatherings and something he himself had never grown terribly accustomed to.
He leaned in to Mathias and whispered. "So you're something of an expert on medical arts and magical healing right? Would it be proper to ask for you to go up there?"
"It could also help if you know something about how things like Son actually heal. It looks kind of sewn together, so presumably some scars remain regardless of how it heals. Does it heal naturally, etc.?" Firavel adds softly.
Lazne looks at Leon and cocks his head to the side. Glancing over at the Beast, then back at Leon, he clenches his jaw. "Well, I don't know of any other Beasts around, but I suppose anything is possible."
After finishing, Judge Khard dismisses Lazne and asks if Otto has any more witnesses. Otto stands up grandly, "No, your honors. The prosecution has made its case, and we are finished presenting our evidence." Wild cheers erupt from the gallery, followed by chants of 'Guilty! Guilty!' Khard allows them to continue for a few moments before raising his hands. "Thank you, Master Heiger. You may be seated."
Turning toward the defense table, Khard purses his lips before asking in a clipped voice, "Barrister Kaple, what evidence do you have for this court?"
Cries of 'Don't bother!' and 'Beast lover!' ring out, but most of the gallery waits to see what you have planned...
Kaple looks over at Leon and Mithias with a questioning glance.
Leon looks to Mithias. "They seem to be making a big deal out if medical expertise. You patched up our witness after he was bit. Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone here. You feel like doing some questioning?"
Mithas stands up,
"If I may your honour. The defence would like to submit two articles as evidence. Exhibit A: A alchemical vial containing a residue of an infusion of Darkvision and exhibit B: a mask made from a human face. Both items were recovered from the Morast graveyard."
Mithas moves to present to items.
"Secondly, the defence would like to call Dernik of Morast to the stand."
Judge Khard indicates a long table where Mithias can place the items as he strains slightly to see exactly what's being presented.
Otto also peers at the items, curiosity clearly evident in his face. He turns to one of his aides and urgently whispers to the younger man, prompting a flurry of paper shuffling and referencing.
When Mithias calls Dernik, the young man cautiously walks forward out of the crowd. Calls from the gallery above cause him to turn his head, but he continues shuffling toward the stand. He is quickly sworn in, replying in a trembling voice that he understands he is under oath to speak the truth.
"Mr. Dernik. Could you please tell the court in your own words what happened when you escorted the defence's investigators to the site of the Morast graveyard. Specifically what we found at the site and the events of your encounter with the caiman."
Dernik swallows and looks around, twisting his neck to peer at the judges. He looks back to Mithias, then speaks, "Well, I was in charge of one of our little skiffs, just a boat with a flat bottom. I took you and some of the gents over there," he points at the defense table, "to the Boneyard. That's what we call the old graveyard."
"When we got there, you folks spread out on the island. You found a little boat, and some doctor tools like knives and pliers, and a mask made from a person's face, there was some other stuff but I don't recall every little thing." He says the part about the face very softly, remembering it must be trying for such a man of simple tastes.
"We were getting ready to leave, and 'Ole Redjaw, he showed up and jumped me. Grabbed me and tried to take me under for a death roll. Would have too, if you folks hadn't come in to save me. Right heroes you are, saving a man's life like that."
Mithas gives the man a reassuring smile,
"We were glad to help. Now if you could be so kind, would you please remove your shirt to show the court the results of this attack."
While Dernik removes his shirt, Mithas retrieves the caiman head to use as a prop.
"Now, I know its a bit difficult to see with the bruising, but notice the pattern of puncture wounds, the distincive tearing to the right side. That's the result of the lateral death roll. A large reptile can bite with thousands of pounds off pressure, sufficient to pierce the thickest of skin. From the Eldar's testimony we know that the individual they chased off was bitten by the same animal as bit Mr. Dernik here. As such, one would expect that such a person would bear a scar similar to what we see here. No such marks are present on the Defendant."
"Thank you Mr. Dernik, you may put your shirt back on."
Dernik obliges Mithias and takes his shirt off, standing up and turning around to make sure everyone can easily see the massive scars on his torso and shoulder.
Putting his shirt back on, he returns to his seat.
Otto waits for Mithias to return to the defense table before standing up. "So Mr. Dernik, you must have been very lucky to survive an attack from Redjaw."
Dernik nods, "Oh, yessir! If my friends weren't there to kill Redjaw, then I probably wouldn't be here today!"
Otto spins around and looks at the defense table, then back to Dernik in obviously feigned surprise, "Wait a minute! So you mean these people - who sit at the defense table, killed Redjaw!? Why, that's amazing! How amazing that these people, who happen to be defending the Beast, manage to kill the one creature that could have helped us solve this for once and for all."
He turns and glares at the defense table, "That is some coincidence - that they just happened to be in the area when you were attacked, so they could kill Redjaw to save your life. I wonder, Dernik, how did Redjaw find you?"
The man thinks for a minute before responding, "Well, my pal and I took these folks into the swamp so they could see the graveyard. I guess... well... I guess Redjaw followed the boat. He used to do that sometimes."
Otto nods solemnly, then looks back at the defense table, "Ah, so he followed the boats, full of these fine visitors, to the graveyard, but he attacked you? And then they jumped in to save you by killing Redjaw? Interesting... very interesting. That's all I've got." He says while returning to his seat. Claps and cheers greet him as returns to his table, and he smiles and waves to the commoners. The adoration is so long and pronounced, you begin to suspect more than a handful of the gallery will be receiving a few coins at the end of the proceedings.
Judge Khard pointedly clears his throat. "Very well, Barrister Kaple, do you have anything further? If not, please present your closing argument."
"Your honor, we would like to request a recess before continuing. The jury has a great deal of information to consider. We'd like to make sure they have amble time to consider everything that has been presented today."
"The heinousness of the crimes has passions running hot today. Justice, though, is a patient creature that should not be dragged along by passion."