The Judges are impassive as you make your arguments, but you think you may have made a difference. The trial ends around 2 pm, and the Beast is lead back downstairs to his cell. As the Judges leave, the spectators erupt in hooting cries and scream abuse at both the Beast and you, as its defenders. The Herald of the Court raps his polearm several times and order is restored as the crowds leave, still grumbling. Gustav Kaple comes over to you, his wig off and drenched in sweat. "T-t-t-thank you for speaking. I f-f-f-fear this was the easiest of the days. Tomorrow covers the murders of the children of Herstag, and it will be a terrifying ordeal, I imagine. I have the court files for you, if you're still willing to help." He looks nervous, but hopeful.
The files he gives you paints a picture of horror. Herstag is a small village now abandoned about 10 miles northeast of Lepidstadt. Herstag was a small religious farming community before the murders. About a year ago the first child was murdered. Over the course of five months a total of six children were slain. The last child's body was returned by the Beast, who walked into town holding the girl's corpse and laughing madly. The ghosts of the murdered children haunted the town, until it was abandoned. All of the villagers moved far away, save for three maiden sisters who live now on the outskirts of Lepidstadt.
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Ezechias kindly asks the Holy Sister of Justice. "Most Holy Sister, would you indulge in an experiment? I am attempting to discover whether the Beast has a soul or not. Whether it is capable of compassion or not. Would you kindly agree to witness my experiment as a neutral party, please?"
Ezechias addresses the Beast with a compassionate look. "Good day, Beast. I have faith that we will be able to prove your innocence of the crimes that you have been charged with. I know you can't really understand me, but I wanted to ask something simple of you:
The paladin stops, trying to looks at the Beast straight in the eyes to catch its attention.
"How do you feel about the children that were killed in Herstag? What lies in your heart, Beast?"
"Ah, if only you could speak your mind, tell us how you feel. But maybe there is a way? How do you feel about this monstrous crime?" says the paladin as he unrolls the picture for the Beast to see.
The Holy Sister ponders your request for a moment before nodding. "If I must testify, though, I will need to arrange for a replacement. I believe one of my brethren will be available. Lead on, sir."
The Beast listens, and when you mention the children of Herstag, its head slumps forward and it mutters, "Ellsa," before its lip curls upward and it begins to laugh in a ragged voice.
"The bluthering baffoon. The face it's making, it's not a grin, its a grimace. And the noise is crying, however it can't produce tears because it's master didn't implement those." Xerice whispers to the others.
She comes to stand in front of the Beast, pats him slightly on the head and with a kinder voice says
"Beast...I believe you feel sad for Ellsa. We want to find the one who is responsible for this so it will not happen again. Now is the time, tell us what happened to the girl. Where did you find her? And you knew her didn't you. Why don't you tell us how you met for starters."
The Beast chokes a few times before it can speak. "Beast lived by the lake. Quiet, quiet lake. Little girl came. She not afraid. She Ellsa. She so nice. So sweet. But monster takes children. Monster ghost. It steal children souls, walks at night, buzz like bee. Beast see it, but no can hurt it. It take Ellsa." The Beast breaks into racking sob-laughs, and it's a few minutes until it can continue. "Beast find Ellsa. Take Ellsa home, tell parents bout ghost. But parents see Beast, think Beast am killer. Chase Beast away. Ellsa. Ellsa." The Beast breaks into racking laughing-sobs and it's clear it can speak no more.
The Holy Sister looks at the Beast with a sort of detached interest. "Interesting. But it's the accused's word against three witnesses. And the accused's word is not worth much in court. I will testify, but if you believe this creature, you will need proof."
Putting his hand of Ezechias Caesare speaks up"I am proud fighting at your side. You have the heart of a true Saranrean. We know now, that we fight a just fight and by Torag, this is a fight we have to win! We have to haste to Herstag."
With that words Caesare all but hastens outside.
In a quite moment he will talk to the aasimar."Listen, I will spend many hours in preperation. Do you know of a spell to give me some rest? "
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The Holy Sister looks at the Beast with a sort of detached interest. "Interesting. But it's the accused's word against three witnesses. And the accused's word is not worth much in court. I will testify, but if you believe this creature, you will need proof."
Zano clears his throat Well if we can find the real culprit, that will clear his name.
Leaving the courthouse, you head for the address of the three sisters from Hergstag. It turns out to be a small windmill on the outskirts of Lepidstadt, where three middle-aged sisters run a flour mill. They introduce themselves as Garrow, Starlee and Flicht. They are a bit apprehensive when you start asking them questions, but they answer in terse clipped tones.
"The children disappeared one by one. We found empty beds, then the ghosts of the children appeared. One by one, they disappeared. Until the night that Beast," She practically spits the name out, "Came, bearing poor Ellsa's broken body. We grabbed pitchforks, hoes, whatever was to hand and chased him away. Then we buried Ellsa. By then, the children haunted us, so we decided to leave. There was nothing left for the living in that damned place."
"The ghosts of the children appeared? What did they say or do? Can you show us where the girls are buried?" Xerice asks the women.
"The ghosts said nothing. They just cried. And the children are buried in the graveyard, beside the chapel."
Listening to the story Caesares eyes suddenly narrow.
"My dear sisters, do you know that speaking the truth is liberating. I can see you have not told me the truth. I want to tell you something you do not know. The accused is a poor creature with the heart and the mind of a 5 year old boy. How he happend to be in this state, I do not know, but what we know is, that he did truly love Ellsa. He brought her back crying, but by the nature of his creation, he cannot weep and his face can´t properly mourn. Now in the light of his innocent, please, also for the sake of the childrens, whose real murderer is still at large, tell us the truth!"
"I thank you for your honesty, and we will now investigate further. Could you please give us written testemony, so that we can show this at court."
With this words Caesare prepares for the worst and loads his aspergillum and puts some flasks of holy water in his bandoleer.
"Caesare, sleep spells are more of a wizards realm I think. Though I don't know that that is the sleep you are looking for. I am blessed by being able to rejuvenate people. I do have a spell available that would remove fatigue, but it takes one of my most powerful spells for the day. Is it something you would like me to try and prepare tomorrow if I get rest tonight?"
Caesare will vote for the tools first, as they might hit some shops who could be closed in the night. So caesare will ask around for a shop who could have sold them.
With a few well-placed questions, Caesare discovers that while such tools are rare, due to the presence of the local University, about 20 tool makers reside locally, all in an area called Surgeon's Flat. In addition a local recognizes the raven symbol on the tools as a maker’s mark used by Zbraslav Hora and Sons, who have a workshop on the tiny Anatomists’ Alley.
By this time it's nearly 6 pm. You enter the shop just the owner, Zbraslav Hora, is about to lock the door. Zbraslav Hora is a bookish,
taciturn man who wears thick spectacles. He frequently deals with various tinkers and itinerant peddlers who sell his wares, and keeps a ledger of all of his sales. Zbraslav noted down the purchaser as Vladka Kostel, a red-haired Varisian woman who wears a green silk scarf depicting a swan. Zbraslav knows she works for an auction house called Ledov’s Chirurgery Merchants.
You head over, but the door is closed and locked at the store. Pounding on the door brings a tired looking woman to the door. Vladka Kostel remembers the buyer of the tools as wearing an unusual high hat and green-tinted reading glasses. The Auction Master, Ollo Klud, is a stuffy, pretentious man with a bald head and tufts of hair above his ears. He is not about to release information on his clients to just anyone who comes in off the streets.
Xerice turns on her charms.
"Are you Ollo? Ah I was told to find you here. It is said you are the man to talk about. You see I have found this set of tools which I would like to return them to their owner. Could you help a lonely lady sir?"
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Ollo seems to get a bit flustered when Xerice's charms are switched on. He splutters quite a bit and seems to spend a lot of time sucking in his gut and puffing out his chest, but eventually lets slip that the tools were sold to a chirurgery supply shop in the Surgeons’ Flats, operated by a shopkeeper called Radniche.
The shop is actually very close and you find yourself outside a dusty supply shop. The door is closed, but there seems to be a light on inside. Radniche’s cramped shop is piled with skeletons, pickled things in jars, and alchemical components. Radniche himself is a small man, with a bald head and a crooked nose, but he exudes a quiet confidence that seems to impress. "My friends, I am closing for the night. Is there something I can help you with?" If you present the tools, he nods slowly. "I had these, yes. But they were sold some time ago. To whom? I cannot possibly simply give out the name of my clients! What sort of business man would I be? Perhaps if you are truly interested, we could come to an arrangement? Perhaps the information is worth something to you?"
Xerice turns her charms on once again. "Well they are a nice set of tools. I'm sure that we would get a finders fee for them. If you give the name of the owner we will split the reward with you. And you don't even have to do anything for it!" She says with a sweet smile.
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Looking around at Zano Caesare just shrugs and says."Zano. Please, if you do not know what he meant be a good boy and just be quite! Just be quite! I think the nice lady has a point, but a good businessman should understand the notion of a down payment. What do you think what be a show of good faith! 5 gold?"
With that Caesare lays down 5 gleaming pieces of gold on the table.
Radniche seems to warm to Xerice's advances quite quickly, but you notice he pockets the 5 gold almost as soon as it hits the table. "Well, for such charming and lovely people with an obvious interest in doing the right thing, I can definitely do my part to help. I sold those to a Master Vorkstag, of Vorkstag and Grine's Chymic Works. They operate a chemical factory and shop that caters to those in the surgical and alchemical field. Odd man, Vorkstag. He's a quiet one. Air of menace about him. Something... otherworldly. But his money is good and he pays his debts, so..." Radniche shrugs. "Their chymic works is not far from here, near the edge of town. Too much smoke and smell to be near decent folks."
If you go by rented horse, the cost is 2 gp per character and should take 4 hours round trip. If you walk... 7 hours round trip.
Armed with information regarding the chymic works, you check the time and decide to head to Hergstag. The road there is lonely, passing through a few small clusters of houses where the residents stare at you with suspicious eyes. Hergstag is abandoned, much of it overgrown and gone to ruin now. It's night as you approach, and from even the edge of town you can see flickering shadows of fire moving among the ruined houses. You're pretty sure they correspond to the houses where the dead children lived.
Looking around Caesare tries to identify the fires. "I do not know what the fire is ... but for sure this makes me suspicious!"
After conferring, you pick out the house where Karrin died. You head in that direction! However, you've only gone a few feet when... Cireth suddenly gives a cry of pain! A steel bear trap, cleverly hidden in the tall grass, snaps shut on his ankle, dealing damage and pinning him to the ground!
"Stravag!Do not move! I will take care of it." Looking down Caesare goes down next to the trap and takes his trusty crowbar from his mw thieves kit.
A few moment's work gets Cireth free, though he limps now.
and
A few moments later you approach Karrin's house. This house appears to be in better condition than others in the village. Its door is shut and barred. Caesare pulls his crowbar out and begins to pry the door open, but before you can, a fiery figure appears around the corner!
The figure is clearly a child, a young girl, but comprised of black flames that dance in the shape of a child.
Initiatives!
Round 1:
21 Zanu
15 Sonny and Ghost Child
13 Cireth
9 Xerice
6 Caesare
1 Ezechias
Sonny shouts out, Watch out its a wraith! He then pulls out his holy symbol and damages the creature trying to make sure he keeps Karrin's house out of range and excludes Xerice.
"I thought we were done with annoying undead."
At Sonny's holy channel, the wraith seems to shrink significantly in on itself, fading slightly. Zanu's arcane bolts seem to strike true, burning away some more of the wraith's form. It reaches toward Sonny, drawn toward his holy energies! It floats swiftly toward him, trying to touch his soul! , it hits, melting away negative energy damage and eliciting a Fort Save, DC 15. On a failure, Sonny takes Con drain!