A sharp knock at the door draws your attention. A moment later, it opens and a bailiff puts his head in, "Your pardon, but the judges have indicated ten minutes.." He nods and backs out of the room.
Kaple gathers up his papers and smiles, "Let's get in there, the judges are prompt."
You exit the room and move down a small hallway to a large oak door. Kaple pushes it open and briskly walks into a huge circular room. The north side has several desks facing the center, while the south side contains benches for spectators. People are filing in from other doors all around the room. Kaple leads you to a large table near the center of the room.
People continue filing the stands, and from their appearance, you can tell that the court allows commoners and nobles alike to watch the proceedings. After several mintues, a robed man emerges from the north carrying a small gong. He rings it once, twice, and a third time. From behind him, a parade of people enter as the crowd quiets down. Several clerks make their way to the lowest desks, and they are followed by a massive man wearing black half-plate armor and carrying a black greatsword. His head is covered by a ceremonial helmet that has a stylized blindfold over his eye slits. In a deep voice, he intones, "These proceedings are now in session. Let justice be done here today."
From the stands, a shrill voice screams, "Aye, punishment for the Beast!" Jeers and catcalls rain down, but quickly quiet down as the armored man glances up. After silence returns, he walks forward and to the left. From the door, three individuals descend to their desks - An older man with gray hair, a younger man with a neatly-trimmed beard, and a familiar face - Judge Embreth Daramid. The judges take their seats and the older man nods at the herald. He smiles and rings his gong again.
Kaple leans over and whispers, "The older man is Chief Justice Khard, he'll speak first, then Otto will talk about today's case."
Khard stands up and looks over the assembly. "Let Justice guide today's case. We are here to hear the people of our city present evidence against the most heinous of criminals, the Beast of Lepidstadt!"
As he says this, a trap door opens in the floor and a cage rises out of it - The Beast inside. Though he remains chained, it seems the guards have not restrained him as tightly as before. More jeers and catcalls echo from the benches as the creature is lifted into position. The herald allows it to continue for a moment before lightly sounding his instrument.
Khard raises a hand and the crowd ceases their chatter. "Yes, the Beast has committed all number of heinous crimes against our people, and we have suffered his barbarity for years. Now we have a chance to condemn him for those he has wronged. Our prosecutor, Mister Otto Heiger has selected three particularly vicious crimes for which the Beast shall be tried. Mister prosecutor?"
Khard returns to his seat, and a man at a table across from you stands up. He is clad in robes that would make kings of small countries seem to be paupers. He bows - much too low - toward the judges, and in a fawning voice speaks while looking at the crowd, "Beloved citizens of Lepidstadt, we have lived in fear for too long. The Beast has preyed upon us for years, and we now shall have him pay for his crimes. A year ago, the citizens of Morast suffered at the hands of the Beast. Several murders were committed, and I shall call witnesses who shall confirm the monster's involvement."
Cheers greet the prosecutor's comments, and many begin chanting, "Burn, burn, burn!" Khard allows it to continue for almost a minute before calling for silence.
Heiger bows again, then resumes his seat.
Kaple looks at you, and says quietly, "It's our turn to speak, is there anything I should say... or avoid saying?"
"Yea, I don't like this one bit. What's he up to?"
"It's only Morast today - the other crimes are presented tomorrow and the following day. Right now, we just need an opening statement."
Harold leans close to Kaple and the others, "Should we brin' up what none ov da uvver side's witnesses 'ave witnessed awer could wiv one 'undred percen' accuraccy identify Alphy commitin' any ov deese crimes what 'e stands accused? It is all 'ear-say an' murky descripshuns ov a criminal what might match one awer two ov Alphy's distinguishin' marks. It is like sayin' a big geezer wiv an ugly scar commited da crime. There are plen'y ov big blokes wiv ugly scars in town what could be a possible suspect."
"Indeed," Korvus rumbles softly in agreement with Harold's assessment.
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 Beast is no more guilty of the crimes than you or I! We need to see the evidence - and the real murderer may still be out there! It might 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 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."
Korvus attempts to school his features to mask his alarm at the delivery and reception of Barrister Kaple's opening statements. Glancing toward his other companions, the half-orc wizard leans over to whisper to the Beast's lawyer.
"Barrister Kaple, I admire your enthusiasm in defending Alpy's character. However, as the ones who visited the crime scenes yesterday, would you mind if we presented the evidence and questioned the witnesses? With your expert guidance, of course."
"What Korvus said, maybe you should let us handle it. I mean you're doing a decent job, but we should do our part."
Gustav looks confused for a moment, but then relaxes and smiles, "Perhaps you're right, you might be able to catch something I miss in the questioning."
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.
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."
The woman is soon excused and Otto calls another witness. You recognize the young man walking to the stand from your time in the village. He was one of the fishermen catching the small caimans when you arrived. 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.
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Korvus stands up, drawing a surprised intake of breath from nearly everyone in the courtroom. Some of you would swear that Judge Daramid cracks a slight smile, but if so, she recovers quickly to keep her face totally impassive.
One of the braver commoners yells, "Oh great, it's one beast to defend another!" to laughs and whistles from the rest of the stand. Korvus simply ignores the jibes and proceeds with his questions.
Through his line of inquiry, Korvus quickly gets Lazne to poke holes in his own story. It becomes clear that the capture happened at night, and since all of the villagers are human, they could only see the monster by torchlight. Lazne admits that he could not identify Alpy with 100% certainty.
The next thing he asks about is the attack by Redjaw. He encourages Lazne to stand up and help him reenact the entire scene. Lazne uses his arms to show everyone where Redjaw attacked - Korvus, looking confused, asks Lazne to wait while he gets something that may help everyone understand the situation a bit better.
Korvus walks over to your table, pulls out the severed head of Redjaw, and quickly turns around with its mouth wide open. In a loud voice, Korvus asks Lazne, "So you're saying this is what tore into the Beast as it fled?" The crowd gasps as the massive jaws of the caiman are revealed.
Lazne is permitted to return to the stand, and Korvus puts the head down in the middle of Otto's table to stare the pompous man in the face. With his own face turning a bright shade of green, the prosecutor gently pushes himself back as far as decorum permits.
Korvus then continues questioning Lazne, asking about other attacks by caimans, attacks by Redjaw, and whether or not such vicious creatures leave scars with their massive teeth. Lazne agrees that such scars are common, and even rolls up a sleeve to show a small red line he claims was caused by a caiman. Korvus nods knowingly, then asks Lazne to approach the Beast and point out any scars he sees that were likely caused by Redjaw's attack. The Elder looks at Korvus for a minute, then gets up and approaches Alpy. The older man circles around a few times, pausing and turning his head, then finally sighs. He walks back to the stand, sits down, and says, "Honestly, I didn't see anything on its body that seemed like it was done by a caiman."
The crowd erupts in anger, shouting down Korvus and Lazne. The bailiff quickly bangs his sword against the stone floor to restore order.
Korvus asks one final question, "So Elder Lazne, you are known as a fair and wise leader of your people. Knowing what you do now, are you absolutely convinced that the creature who sits here on trial is the same one you caught and chased into the swamp almost a year ago?"
Lazne sits in silence, staring ahead. After a few seconds, it becomes clear that the man is looking at the head of Redjaw. Finally, he looks up at Korvus, "No sir, I can't say that for certain."
The crowd erupts again, and this time ignores the bailiff's attempt to calm them. At a signal, other bailiffs flood into the room from side doors and they begin ushering the commoners out, pulling and pushing as needed. Luckily, nobody is dump enough to pull steel inside the building.
Korvus thanks Lazne, thanks the judges, and returns to the table.
Otto quickly stands up and begins peppering Lazne with questions, but it seems the damage has been done and he knows it. After a few questions, he shakes his head and dismisses Lazne from the stand. "We have no more witnesses."
The Chief Judge looks at the defense table, "Do you have anything else we need to review?"
Kaple looks at you all, "I think we're pretty good - that was an important fact to point out, and I think it scored us some points."
The only location of any interest is a small graveyard. A cursory search reveals six small headstones dated approximately at the same time as the crimes the Beast is accused of committing. One of the headstones bears the name "Ellsa" - the name of the child the Beast carried into town.
Perception DC 12: It's apparent that only two of the six small graves have anything inside. Four of them are only markers, not actual graves - typically done when bodies cannot be found for burial.
Seeing you shaking your heads in the negative, Barrister Kaple stands up. "Your Honors, the defense has nothing further."
A light rustle moves through the observers, and Otto gives your table a scheming glance. You can almost read his mind, "You might have gotten me today, but we've got two more days to go."
Chief Justice Khard stands up, followed by the other two. "I declare today's proceedings at an end. Tomorrow brings another day, let us all pray for guidance and justice. You are dismissed."
In a ceremony similar to the one that opened proceedings, the judges, their clerks, the bailiff in the black armor, and finally, the herald. The skinny man clearly enjoys his job as he bangs the gong quite hard and loud as he exits the room. Alpy's cage is lowered back into the floor, but his eyes find your table and he nods slightly as he sinks from view.
The crowd funnels out of the room quickly and roughly, jeering and chanting. Otto and his aides file out brusquely, nearly running out the door on their side. Several bailiffs smile as they move up to Otto's table. One of them looks over at you, "I hope you're planning to take this thing with you." he says as he points at Redjaw's head.
Kaple stands up and shakes your hands, "That went much better than expected. Thank the gods you were able to find that caiman. It didn't win us anything, but it definitely got everyone thinking. Even that bloodthirsty Khard couldn't ignore that."
He begins gathering his stuff and prepares to leave, "That's pretty much all for today. Tomorrow we are defending against the Hergstag murders - anything you can find would be a great help. This is one where the sisters saw - and accurately identified - the Beast carrying one of the dead children. I'd suggest speaking with them if you haven't already."
Zbraslav Hora and Sons shop is a small wooden structure to the east of the University, down a small street named Alchemists Alley. The front door is unlocked, and you enter to find a old man sitting behind a counter, meticulously examining what appears to be a scalpel. Thick magnifying spectacles sit on his nose, and his eyes appear massive when he turns to look at you enter.
The walls of the shop are lined with shelves that contain a variety of implements that would be of interest to surgeons. Some shelves hold boxes that contain matched sets of tools, most of which have distinct handles made from unusual and rare substances.
The man removes his spectacles and replaces them with standard glasses, returning his eyes to normal size. He stands up, looks at each of you, then places his hand over his heart, "Greetings, I am Zbraslav Hora and this is my shop. May I help you with something? Gnarvl... isn't here, if you need him?"
"Yea, we found these tools with your symbol on them. Did you make these? And do you remember who you sold them to?"
Harold looms in the background, running a hand idly over a shelf of delicate tools. He lifts something fragile up from its case which is almost lost in his big hand, "Oi, migh'y fine tools yew 'ave 'ere. Would be a bloody shame if ever a 'erd ov angry oxen stampeded fruff 'ere an' messed up all dis fine, expensive equipmun'. Thuff I guess what ain't somethin' yew see much in a shop in da middle ov da city... 'erds ov angry oxen what is. All fer da best really, they leave behind such a mess when they do spontaneously pop up."
He looks at the tools, then back up at Harold. "Oh yes, that would be a tragedy! Thankfully, accidents like that don't happen much around Lepidstadt. Except... Oh, nevermind. "
Zbraslav nods, "I recognize my mark on the tools, but I don't remember who bought them. Give me a minute, I record every sale I've ever made. Please wait here so I can retrieve my ledger." He hops up and limps to the back of the shop and enters a small room with a table and some chairs. The old man moves out of your view for a moment, then returns carrying a large tome.
"Let's see the tools... Oh yes, I made these three years ago. Sold them to a man here in town who runs a shop frequented by surgeons and those who study the body. Man's name is Radniche - you can find his stop down the street and to the right."
He closes the book and regards you, "The tools are a standard kit for a surgeon or scientist who is planning to perform a number of delicate techniques requiring substantial practice and skill. Many of these tools have very thin blades so they could easily slide under the skin, or between bones or joints. What you have here are not the tools of a student or commoner - these are the tools of a master of his trade, and if what Radniche paid me is any indication, they sold for quite a nice sum of money. "
"Now, anything else I can help you with today?"
Korvus stands quietly in the background, listening intently to the discussion and scribbling notes into his journal. "Surgeon's tools sold to Radniche three years ago... These tools are those of a master of the trade, and crafted to perform delicate techniques requiring substantial practice and skill... Sold for substantial sum of money..."
Zbraslav seems taken aback at Bjorn's question. In an excited voice, bordering on indignation, he replies, "Why, of course. All of my suppliers know that I keep these records, and it would't be a surprise for me to provide the information on the stand. I'm not sure what Radniche has to do with any of this, but I would be happy to be of assistance. Who is the worthy individual that I would be helping, and what are his supposed crimes?!"
"Well his name is Alpy and he's accused of a lot of horrible things that he didn't do. He's even been accused of murder. We just want to see justice done and Alpy set free."
Zbraslav seems to recoil at the mention of "horrible things" and again at "murder". "Well, those are some serious offenses, are you absolutely sure this Alpy is innocent? I don't mind speaking up for somebody who's wrongly accused, but the courts around here don't drag people in and accuse them of murder without good reason. When is he going to trial? After all this mess with the Beast is concerned?"
"Thank you for your time, Master Zbraslav," Korvus says to the shop owner, tipping his hat respectfully. "We will call on you again if we need your help with the court matter. Have a nice day."
You head down the street as directed toward the location Zbraslav described. Traffic is picking up, and there are more and more people moving about - it seems like the citizens of Lepidstadt are going about their daily business despite the riots that almost broke out last night.
Lucius notices the sign first, a round symbol with a diagonal scalpel pointing downward. When you are a few stores away, a robed figure emerges from Radniche's shop. Your keen eyes note the dagger partially hidden in its black clawed hand. The figure looks one way, then in your direction. The long black beak of a tengu is impossible to miss. His eyes find your group, widen for a moment, then the creature turns quickly and hurries the other direction.
"On it, stop right there!" Lucius tries to follow as best he can.
"Gentlemen, it appears we may have found Mr. 'Rook'," Korvus announces to his companions.
"Maximus, if you would be so kind, please keep an eye on him for us," the half-orc wizard requests of his blackbird familiar. "Aye-aye, Cap'n!" Maximus replies, taking flight and winging high above the fleeing tengu.
At the sound of your voices, the tengu breaks into a run, turning a corner and heading down a narrow alley!
Korvus reaches into his pack to retrieve a scroll, and hurriedly reads the mystical phrases inscribed upon the parchment before taking off after the fleeing tengu.
Harold's eyes narrow at the tengu stepping out of the shop with dagger in hand. It was too far to figure out if it was coated in some vital fluid like blood, but as his comrades immediately took off after the bird-man so too did the half-orc follow along. His big stride cut the distance fast as he ran after the tengu.
Lucius and Harold break into a sprint following the tengu, while Bjorn ducks into a cobbler's shop, dodging around the shelves and tables, heading toward the rear of the building. Korvus casts his spell, then begins following Lucius and Harold.
Harold pulls ahead as the tengu veers to the left down another alley. Lucius is cut off and forced to slow down, but he sees a hanging plant and leaps forward, catching it and swinging around the corner, landing right behind Harold. Korvus brings up the rear, quickly gaining on the others with his magically-enhanced speed. Bjorn bursts out of the cobbler's shop to see the group heading down the alley, peering ahead of the tengu, he sees the alley turning right, and he sprints into a store reeking of incense.
Glancing back over its shoulder, the tengu turns right at the alley, pausing to kick over a stack of barrels. Harold is caught by the barrels and gets knocked off his feet, crashing into Korvus. The wizard stays upright, but he is passed by Lucius who grabs a window frame, puts one foot on the sill, then nimbly leaps across the alley, avoiding the fallen barrels. Bjorn emerges from the incense shop just as the tengu passes the door, but the ulfen's eyes are watering and burning from the heavy incense smoke, causing him to miss as he tries to grab his target.
Korvus rejoins the chase, as does Harold when he gets to his feet and kicks some barrels out of the way. Bjorn sees Lucius run past, and the ulfen falls in right on his heels. Lucius spins around the corner to find the tengu in a dead end trying to open a sewer grate. With a leaping dive, Lucius tackles the tengu, pinning the creature to the ground.
The rest of the group catches up a moment later to find Lucius triumphantly sitting on the tengu as the creature feebly tries to free itself.
"Hey, you're not a tengu. Who are you?"
"I learned from watching you." Lucius chuckles. "It's called a spear, right?"