Mila can't help a yawn as they exit the judge's home. Straight from one set of problems into another, it seems, and the road's been long to get here.
She glances shyly to Zhandar. "I don't mind any, you want to split a room," she says. "A bed'd be nice. I gotta say, the bed back at the Professor's house was the fanciest I ever slept in and I kinda been dreamin' of another one like it."
Possibly this is not in the spirit of Erastilian faith, she muses, but she thinks the Stag Lord can't begrudge her the occasional feather pillow.
Park nods with Rajuna. "Enjoy the beds then ladies. Rajuna and I can do one more night with the wagon, just in case."
Do we need to make Stealth or Climb checks this time around?
Park and Rajuna spend one last night in the wagon while the rest of the party (the ladies!) make their way to the Sleepless Eye. Luckily, Rajuna is right and they at least have a place to park the wagon for the night so that it isn't sitting out in the open. The Eye itself is fairly packed, but as Daramid said, the tavern is full of people keeping to themselves. A perfect place to rest outside of the watchful eyes of a suspicious populace.
The next morning is brighter than usual, the typical rain and clouds of Ustalav making way for a slightly sunnier sky. The celebratory attitude from last night continues into today, as the people of Lepidstadt enjoy the revelry and relief from one of their biggest bogeymen finally being caught.
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Park is up with the sun getting a quick (cold) breakfast. Once they are ready he and Rajuna haul the books to the University and find Doctor Crowl.
Was Kendra meeting with anyone to figure out where she could move in, and store her stuff?
At least one of you has experience with the University (looking at you, Park), so it's a simple matter of finding the campus and making your way over to it. The campus, perhaps understandably, is swarming with students of the various colleges. As you approach the department Professor Lorrimor instructed you to search for (the Antiquities Department), you are greeted by the sight of several builders and craftsman working to repair some damage to the building itself.
Asking around for the professor will easily get you pointed towards his office, thankfully.
Rajuna asks around a bit about professor Crowl and finds some chatty students. He shares what he learns with the team. "They say the Beast stole from Crowl's department and wrecked the building here before he was captured. An odd coincidence, if you believe in 'em."
”Any word on what was stolen?”
Zhandar may have some cause to regret letting Mila share her room given that the half-elven woman tosses and turns for much of the night. She is unused to the sensation of being surrounded by so many people... each clatter of a carriage's wheels in the street outside, each voice through the walls of the inn's rooms, makes her twitch uneasily. With the dawn, she slips outside to try and find a bit of grass, or tree, to make a morning acknowledgment of the Stag Lord's blessings.
Seems there's a maze here, Erastil. I pray you guide me through it just as you do the forests...
After a hurried breakfast of a few slices of bread and cold meats jammed into her mouth and washed down with tea, Mila joins the others on the trek to the campus. She shrinks away unconsciously from the many students, hanging close to Park as the de facto expert on this place.
"These people are all students?" she asks uncertainly. It's got nothing to do with their investigation, but she's just overwhelmed by the idea that this many people are all going to one school. Back home, the village school, such as it was, had never had more than five or six kids learning their letters at a time.
She doesn't know how useful she will be, here. She resolves to try and keep her ears open when they question folk-- sometimes Erastil hints at her that someone's lying.
”Any word on what was stolen?”
The crowd in general doesn't seem to know, but there are any number of important artifacts and antiquities (hence the department's name). Dr. Crowl would likely know more.
Thankfully, it seems as if most of the dangerous clean-up has taken place already and the party doesn't meet any obstacles on the way to the department's combination library and workshop. Dr. Crowl is immediately obvious as an eccentric but likeable man, prone to waving his arms about enthusiastically as he speaks.
"Ah, welcome, welcome. I welcome you to the wonderful and famed Antiquities Department!" he declares grandiosely, waving his arms around at the damaged and mess of room.
The simple wooden door leading from the back door foyer into the auditorium has been broken off its hinges, as has the far door leading to the workshop. Paneled in oak, the auditorium contains a sunken, 5-foot-deep central area lined with books, tribal fetishes, and curiosities. A small stage and lectern stand in the center of this area, which is edged with a low oak rail, worn smooth from the touch of years of students gazing into the Master’s lecture room below. The high–ceilinged workshop/library is lined with mostly empty shelves, and a trio of great leaded windows looks out over the university lawn. A staggering array of books, scrolls, maps, and curios, including shrunken heads, tribal masks, and bits of pottery, lie scattered all over the floor, apparently pulled from the shelves. The room is otherwise crowded with overturned tables, desks, and cabinets.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I don't think I'm familiar with any of you, but my deepest apologies if I am mistaken." the elderly professor says, wringing his hands nervously.
On the way to Dr. Crowl's office Park hears Mila's question and grins. "I hardly noticed while I was a student here. I guess you just get used to the crowd. But I've been away long enough to feel slightly uncomfortable now. It'll probably fade though."
Arriving at Dr. Crowl's office he accepts the welcome. Park gives a friendly smile in response to his nervousness. "I know I was just one of very many students here, so of course you wouldn't recognize me. But I tried to learn at least a little about any of the professors while I was here. I'm Park Song. But that isn't really important. We're here on behalf of Professor Lorrimor. He passed away, but made arrangements to have certain books brought here to you. We're here to deliver them."
He opens the package to show the books. "Is it OK for you to accept them here in your office?"
Zhandar also does not sleep well, nervous about what seems to her is going to be a day of primarily social interactions. She prepares spells to aid her in such endeavors, but hopes her knowledge will be more useful to the group.
"Is it OK for you to accept them here in your office?"
"Oh, absolutely, I can take them." he says, waving a hand towards an already book-laden table. Halfway through the motion, though, he turns back to the group and seems to finally process what the exact words Park just said actually mean.
"Ah, Professor Lorrimor, he's passed on into the afterlife? That is bitter news indeed. This world is worse off without such a bright light amongst the learned of us." he says, accepting the bequeathed objects with sad gratitude. "I always suspected he would pull something like this, if given the chance. He will be sorely missed by all."
He looks somewhat nervous, as if he doesn't particularly want to ask the next question, but pushes through it regardless. "What...what happened exactly? I don't remember hearing any news of sickness, and he wasn't that old."
Normally, Rajuna wouldn’t tell this scholar anything. But Doc trusted him to some extent which spoke well of him… and D.H. already knew they were here with some ideas about what they were doing. A fact that would be confirmed when they didn’t leave Lepidstadt after sorting Kendra’s affairs out. In essence, they had few secrets to protect and maybe this eccentric teacher might be motivated to help if he had some notion of the game they were playing. It was a calculated risk.
He puts a finger to his lips then circle-stalks the periphery of the room looking for eavesdroppers – students or anyone else. Once he returns, he speaks very quietly. ”Agents of the Whispering Way killed him. We think there are more in Lepidstadt. That’s another reasons we’re here.”
Park watches Dr. Crowl for his reaction to Rajuna's words. There is more to be said, depending on how he reacts.
The professor is genuinely shocked to hear this news, his face turning pale white upon hearing the mention of the Way. Obviously he has some knowledge of their dealings.
"He was...murdered?" he says, his voice shaky. "How can you be so sure as to the Way's involvement? I have heard rumors of the organization to be sure, but what would they have wanted our dear friend dead for?"
Raj goes with the unvarnished truth. Some people just needed to be slapped in the face with it. ”There was strong evidence of the Way doing necromantic stuff at Harrowstone Prison and acting in and around Ravengro. Doc caught on to them, went to investigate at the prison, and was killed for it.”
"There were glyphs written around the foundation of the prison. They were trying to release the ghosts from the prison. Prisoners so foul that they stayed in the prison past their deaths. If the warden's spirit hadn't kept them contained they would have killed everyone in Ravengro, then progressed across the country destroying anything they encountered."
Zhandar grunts uncomfortably. "The four of us were all friends of Professor Lorrimor's. He had done a lot of research into the Whispering Way's activities, which is likely to be another reason why they killed him. We would like to see his work continue past his death, and make sure the agents that took his life do no more harm."
"Um. What they said," Mila chimes in a bit awkwardly after the others have said their bits. "I wasn't actually there for mosta that bit."
Dr. Crowl stares at you in silence for a few seconds, jaw slightly dropped as you all pitch in.
"Well I was going to ask why you're all involved in this entire situation, but I think I can clearly see why." he says, nodding respectfully. "I wish I had any advice or information regarding that for you, but alas I do not. This entire dreadful Beast business has kept me so awfully busy, especially with its crime here at the department."
The professor waves his hand towards the group before turning back to the stack of books he was cleaning when you arrived here. "You don't want to hear about the woes of a poor college professor, of course, so I'll let you get on with your day."
Curious at the mention of 'the Beast', Park replies before the professor can wave them out. "About that.... not the woes of a poor college professor. But what can you tell us about the 'Beast'? The thing is causing quite the circus around campus and the city. We heard a rumor that he stole something, from your department and caused some damage?"
"No, no, we wanna - want to hear your woes," Mila says earnestly. "Especially Beast woes. Like Park says."
The old professor is genuinely shocked that you're interested, and his demeanor brightens considerably.
"Why, of course! Regardless of why you're asking, I am more than willing to share my woes with people so friendly as yourselves." he says, turning back towards you slowly from his stack of books.
"The break-in at my department was the latest on the long list of the Beast's crimes, wherein it smashed through my research space and destroyed so much valuable equipment and so many unique specimens! It's strangest thing though: it was seemingly only after one thing: the Seasage Effigy. I'm unsure of where the statuette originally came from, but I do know that it’s been part of the department’s collection for many years. Physically, the effigy is a murky green statuette depicting a grotesque creature writhing with tentacles. With regards to its cultural significance...again, unknown." he says, his voice bitter with regret at having to admit he doesn't know something. "I, myself, privately suspect that the statuette depicts something only whispered of in the ancient legends of Golarion—some sort of creature from the mysterious Dark Tapestry. Regardless, the statuette is uniquely interesting, and I am sure we will recover it shortly."
"What it did with the effigy before it was captured and why it even wanted specifically it are also unknown quantities. You'll have to ask it, I suppose. Maybe it can give you more information on its motives. Should you wish to investigate the scene of the crime, you are more than welcome to do so; I will warn you, however, that some cleanup has already been done unfortunately."
Park considers the wording.... "You say 'what it did with the effigy'. Where was it captured? Maybe it hid the thing. Was it outside somewhere? Maybe the effigy was buried?"
"We'll be trying to speak with the Beast today. Maybe it will tell us. But who would show us to the crime scene? A short search might help in the investigation."
Where was it captured? Maybe it hid the thing. Was it outside somewhere? Maybe the effigy was buried?
The professor is nearly overwhelmed by the amount of questions flowing in, but does his best. "I uh, don't know any of that unfortunately. The university's guards are searching the grounds, if it was hidden anywhere around here they'll find it. The only thing I know is that the Beast was discovered smashing this place to pieces in the early hours of the morning."
"I can take you to the scene of the crime, should you wish to go now. It's right over in the next room." he says, offering to take you there.
The 1-inch-thick iron door is currently locked with a makeshift padlock (the professor lets you in)and only crude repairs have been made. The simple wooden door leading from the back door foyer into the auditorium has been broken off its hinges, as has the far door leading to the workshop. Paneled in oak, the auditorium contains a sunken, 5-foot-deep central area lined with books, tribal fetishes, and curiosities.
A small stage and lectern stand in the center of this area, which is edged with a low oak rail, worn smooth from the touch of years of students gazing into the Master’s lecture room below. The high–ceilinged workshop/library is lined with mostly empty shelves, and a trio of great leaded windows looks out over the university lawn. A staggering array of books, scrolls, maps, and curios, including shrunken heads, tribal masks, and bits of pottery, lie scattered all over the floor, apparently pulled from the shelves. The room is otherwise crowded with overturned tables, desks, and cabinets.
Zhandar helps with liberal castings of guidance. She first looks at the smashed doors and the areas outside them.
Park looks around the room, disturbed by the mess. Why would an intelligent 'Beast' do this? He moves over to the rail, touching his hands to the well worn surface. He'd been a student here. Not very dedicated to the learning that he should have been doing....
He moves from the destroyed door into the room, trying to get an idea of the path the Beast walked. Where had the effigy been? What had he done with it? Where did the trail of destruction start? Park was surprised that none of the windows had been smashed. They can try asking him why later.
Not sure where to start with all the destruction, Mila stands in the center of the room tugging on a lock of her hair. She mutters a brief prayer and scans the room slowly for any signs of lingering magic that might have played a role in this, even if it's a long shot.
She pokes at a few of the tribal items. The destruction indicates that it had to hunt for what it wanted... right? Or did it just do all this cuz it could?
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Zhandar investigates the door that was smashed open, noting that it was clearly smashed in from the outside. With her acute eyes, she also picks up the remains of a fine silver wire and a tiny bell attached to the door: the material components to the alarm spell, which is probably how the university guards were made aware of the crime so quickly.
She knows that many people have been through this area recently, but also picks out the tracks of a large, heavy creature in iron-nailed boots.
Park picks up the tracks Zhandar mentions, following it from the door through the room up to the wooden rail around the sunken part in the middle of the display. A few deep scratches on the wooden rail look like claw or fingernail marks and the tiled floor directly under the scratches on the rail has clear cracked damage, indicating something heavy landed here. The tracks continue up to the pedestal that held the effigy, at which point they then make their way over to one of the windows of the room.
Inspecting the windows reveals that they are covered in a layer of grime minus one, which means it has recently been opened. Asking the Professor about them, he tells you the windows haven't been opened in years, and would require great strength to do so through the grime layer. It is only after the walk to the window that the heavy boot prints zig zag through the rest of the displays erratically, presumably inflicting the damage you can see now.
Mila takes a look at the actual display where the effigy was, and notices that that this is the one area in the room appears to be untouched, in stark contrast to the damage seen elsewhere in the department. Indeed, the pedestal that once held the Seasage Effigy is crowded with small fetishes and delicate mother-of-pearl fish carvings that are undamaged.
Following along as his colleagues uncover clues, Rajuna interprets the evidence, nose wrinkling like he smells something foul. ”So, this whole thing is about someone else wanting the Sausage Effigy. Ever seen those clockwork toys? Seems to me someone twisted the Beast’s key, wound him up, and set him loose. He bashes in the front door, makes a beeline for the treasure he needs because the alarm was sounding, pops open the window and drops the goods to a conspirator. He then closes the window and goes crazy, tearing the place up. He wastes time which prevents his escape but ensures his conspirator gets away. This was all to make the crime look purposeless. And the Beast takes the fall for the real criminals. Nice frame. Maybe he wasn’t even in control of himself. There are magics that do that, right?”
Raj exits the building to go look around and beneath the window that was opened for tracks or any other evidence.
Park considers Raj's explanation. "There are several charm type magics that I can think of that would do exactly what you explain, on a normal thinking person. Possibly on this 'Beast' as well. I wish we had been able to examine this room before so many others came and covered tracks. But I think we've got what we need. Now we need to talk to the Beast and the advocate handling his case. This is too obviously a frame. I wonder about the other charges."
The tracks outside are much more subtle than the large footed ones inside the university, but they are still there. They pick up some distance away from the building and then track through some mud before coming right up to the opened window, and then departing.
Seems to confirm Rajuna’s theory of the Beast doing it for someone else other than himself.
Rajuna looks at the prints for awhile before deciding to see if he can follow them – trying to trace where they came from and where they were heading. ”After this, I think it’s time to chat with the Beast and his barrister.”
No particular identifying marks for most of them, but one specific set of tracks looks like the maker of said tracks has a slight limp in their right leg and is using a staff to compensate for it. Rajuna can't exactly tell where they headed except away from the university; the campus is full of tracks leading every which way.
Zhandar sighs and nods amiably. "Not sure how helpful I will be with talking to people. I have some minor magic that could make things easier if I cast it on you before you are likely to converse."
She will cast enhanced diplomacy on the three others when it seems like they are less than a minute away from talking to the Beast or the person representing him.
Raj isn't surprised when the tracks go cold. He just had to check. Sometimes even the smart criminal slips up or runs into something unexpected. With the university leads at an apparent end, it's time to switch targets. "Seeing evidence of a right-side limp and maybe a staff. It could be a false trail, but keep it in mind. Let's go see a barrister and a Beast."
"Sure seems like the next step," Mila says, tugging her hair back into a tie. "I dunno what to expect from all this.... barrister business. Back home... back home, I mean, everyone knew everyone, and if there was a scuffle or someone stole somethin', the mayor and Ma-- uh, the village priest-- and those would listen to both sides and decide. I guess it's all a lot more complicated here."
She sighs. "Right, well, let's go."
"The barrister.... is supposed to be defending the Beast. But if he's like the others in this town, he might not be putting in much effort. We'll see, but hopefully he'll at least have some information."
Making your way through the crowds swarming nearly every street in the large city, you get a chance to hear a few more rumors through the mill about the Beast's trials.
The courthouse isn't exactly an impressive, built-to-impress building. It's a large, squat building dominated by an enormous clock overlooking the town square. A huge figure of wood, roughly man-shaped, stands in the square in front of the building. Ornate pillars support a balcony 15 feet above. Beneath the balcony, wide steps lead up to a huge, ironbound door. Printed public notices are posted on a wooden board next to the door. Presently, these notices detail the upcoming trial in long-winded legal language.
Barrister Gustav Kaple is the Beast's public defender and once you register as volunteer defenders and ask to speak to Gustav, you are quickly led to the defense's chamber. A small simple office, it contains not much more than two chairs and a desk, with a writing set atop the desk. Gustav himself presents as an impressive figure with his huge barrister's court wig, but seeing as how the wig now rests on the seat of the chair he is much less impressive. In fact, he seems extremely stressed and nervous even as the group makes its way into his 'office' of sorts.
As you walk in, the worn down man looks up from the pile of documents adorning his desk, and sighs heavily. "What is it now? Surely you cannot have anything else to add to my pile of misery." he says in an exasperated tone.
"He's probably depressed because he's lost his last six cases," Zhandar whispers. "But his record says this streak is unusual, since he used to be much better."
"Actually, we're here to help. You're defending the Beast, right? We're new to the city, but so far the stories don't seem to make a lot of sense. The break-in to the University for example. We stopped there and the crime scene seems to indicate that others were there, possibly involved. Perhaps we can get details of the other supposed crimes?"
"Any chance we can get an interview with the Beast?"
Park's words seem to bring the man somewhat out of his stupor, and he sets the stack of paper aside.
"I am his public defender, yes, and I will in fact defend him to the best of my ability. But I am most certain that the true verdict will be guilty, unfortunately for it and me." he says, turning back to his papers.
"But may I ask why, exactly, are you interested in the Beast's case, if you're new to the city?"
"Well, I'm actually originally from here. I was a student at the University for a few years. But I went south to Ravengro for Professor Lorrimor's funeral. We found strange things about his death and links to the prison that had been burned down. The prison was haunted, and apparently it attracted the attention of a group.... known as the Whispering Way. Have you heard of them?"
"Anyway, we ran into other trouble on the way here that we also think was linked to that organization. Then we get here and see the city in chaos. We ask some questions and hear that this 'Beast' is some terrible monster that has been plaguing the area for years. But there seem to be issues with the stories?"
"We haven't met the Beast yet. But it sounds like he deserves a better defense than it looks like he's getting. We just got involved and already we've seen that the evidence in the break in, theft and destruction at the University is suspect. Maybe be need to investigate the rest of the cases?"
”The POINT is…” Raj interjects trying to stop Park from oversharing more than he already has, ”we’re investigators – good ones. There’s conflicting accounts around the Beast’s case and the police work looks sloppy so far. Folks are already building a pyre and the trial hasn’t even started yet. That’s not justice or the rule of law… that’s mob thinking. SO, Barrister Kaple, the question is – do you want our help to give your client the best defense possible and you a shot at winning this case OR are you just going through the motions?”
[dice=Diplo on Kaple (tough love!)]1d20+3[/ooc]
The barrister listens to Park oversharing (as Rajuna so kindly put it), but it's really the monk's words that snap through whatever is afflicting him. He takes a glance around his desk with its mountains of paperwork and nods.
"I actually have been preparing its defense in the best ways I know of, but I am struggling to find any kind of actual evidence in support of the Beast’s innocence. The prosecution is using three recent crimes attributed to the Beast to convict the creature of murder: the murder of ten citizens of the village of Morast a year ago; the slaying of six children in the farming community of Hergstag 7 months ago; and the arson attack 4 months ago at the Sanctuary on Karb Isle, which resulted in the deaths of Doctor Brada and his patients and the blinding of the doctor’s assistant, Karl."
He sighs as he goes through the list, indicating each event with one of his fingers as he counts.
"I have interviewed the main witnesses from each of the three cases to be discussed at the trial and have found that their stories are very plausible. I wish to see justice done either way, however, and am certain that without evidence in its favor, the Beast will be convicted. "
"The trial has already started, actually; today's session will contain the opening arguments of both the prosecution and the defense: myself. Tomorrow morning's session will begin the evidence and stories from the Morast crime being presented, should you wish for an easy place to start your investigation."
Mila listens with her brows knit. "Could we see the interview notes you've got so far, Mr. Kaple? And uhm, we didn't mean you weren't doing your best, when Park said the bit about 'a better defense.' We just might be able to help you a bit more.
"What's... the beast said when you've tried to talk to... it? Or... him? Does it have a name?"
"It does not have a name it goes by beyond 'the Beast', no. But it does talk, yes. I think it's better that you hear what it has to say with your own ears; I can introduce you when we're done here?" he says, smiling politely at Mila. "They are keeping him downstairs in one of the holding cells, but we are of course permitted to visit it."