"Yeah, it's VERY annoying that people can't stay in one place after dying!" Zinli inspects the floor for any sign of where Halgrak could have gone. Perhaps the corpse got back up and walked away?
Carrie winces and closes her eyes as the jester's fate becomes clear.
When Zinli offers her a potion, she shakes her head to clear her thoughts before reaching out for the bottle, "Ah, thanks. Bastard got a lucky hit in..."
"Halgrak's body's gone?" she worriedly ponders for a moment, "You don't think his body rotted into nothin', do you?"
"After he, uh, reattached his toes, that rot kept creepin' up his legs n' stuff," Carrie pauses briefly, shuddering with disgust, "But it spread way, way faster than it should've."
Does anyone have rope? So we can tie down Ebin so he can't come after us if he becomes a zombie.
Carrie drinks the potion from Zinli and feels better. With the mental and physical wear and tear of this whole event, the slight healing seems to go miles as she feels more comfortable in her handling of what is to come .
Zinli feels an unnerving sensation wash over her as she investigates where Halgrak could have hobbled off to. The pool of blood where his body laid has no signs of anything walking or being dragged off to. Carrie’s remark of the body rotting into nothing might draw interested from anyone skilled in healing.
Rekkart moves towards Ebin and says a prayer under his breath. His longsword sheathed after the battle, he grips the hilt and pulls his blade free from the scabbard. “It won’t make for an open funeral, but I don’t know of many things that could come back from removing their head.” His eyes have a sense of duty, no malice in them.
“And then there were just three… of the original jury that is.” Killian says as he cleans his dagger from the fight on the floor below.
Tobold says "Don't bother with the rope. It won't matter. Whoever or whatever is doing this will just untie him first. I think what's more important is that we sit and have a little chat with the three of you left from the original jury. I'm not trying to lay blame here but we need to know exactly what happened in order to try and fix this so some of us get out of here alive." He then looks at each of the three and then says "What happened. How could you have possibly been influenced? How good or bad was the evidence? We know Halgrak's vote was bought due to his debt. I'm not saying any of you were bought but could have been influenced. Think what might have been done."
"Doesn't look like he walked off on his own. Or that someone else was here. Maaagic?"
Anger washes over Rekkart’s face as he slams his blade fully into the scabbard and walks away from Ebin’s corpse. “I have spent my life upholding the law and serving the temple. I give you my word that I would do nothing to tamper with the case. The evidence was,” he looks around and his frustration begins to grow; “I can’t remember.” Patrissa moves beside him and places a hand on his back; “It’s okay…” she says as she comforts the paladin.
Madge shakes her head; “I don’t know about anyone else, but Mord took everything away from me…” the halfling’s eye fill with tears. “You know my name is Madge, but I am a Blossomheart. My father is Daben Blossomheart, and we made our living as street performers and we were good at it.” As she says this you have seen or heard of this family of gymnast before. And you remember how she was tied up mid tumble in the closet before; “We made a good living and life was an adventure. My father was framed for stabbing some nobleman in the back and he was sent to trial, and he was set to hang.”
Tears are now rolling down Madge’s heartbroken face; “Have you ever watched a noose being placed around the neck of a family member or someone you loved? The last thing my father saw before the bag was placed over his head was me turning away from what was about to happen.” She plops down on one of the couches as she begins to sob uncontrollably.
Gasping; “That poor man!” Patrissa says from beside Rekkart; “We killed that poor, poor man! What evil frame-up are you all part of?” and she buries her face in Rekkart’s chest.
As all of this is unfolding, Zinli goes through any kind of illness or spell that could have done what it was doing to Halgrak. She isn’t thinking of anything because she was thinking of some kind of direct magic. Looking around, this place is haunted… A haunt! Living Decay is one of most frightening display of death as its victims’ body rots away as they are alive. The rate that this happens varies, the lucky ones go quickly. You know that this is extremely contagious and has a wide radius of infection.
Madge who was the executioner? I seem to have lost track of all of the connections here. Hrumph! Some investigator I am
Trevor says this bittey.
Tobold looks kindly at Rekkart and says "That is exactly the kind of information I was asking for. You can't remember the evidence. That speaks of some sort of interference with you, probably magical. I was never accusing you of intentionally going against your beliefs."
He then turns to Madge "So Mord was your father's hangman and you were more than happy to send him to the gallows guilty or innocent. It wasn't Mord who framed your father, it was someone else. Mord just did his job. It was the judge, jury, and prosecutors who killed your father along with whoever set him up and killed the nobleman."
He then turns to Patrissa and gently asks "What was your part in this? How did they get you to vote against Mord?"
Suddenly Tobold turns to Killian "Wait a minute! You just said suddenly there were only three from the original jury. But there is four. You! Unless you aren't who you say you are."
"So, um, bad news folks - besides all the other ones, of course," Zinli is not often nervous; to see her so is almost uncanny. "I think this magic might be the type that spreads. Anyone got hit by Halgrak, or... is feeling a little weird?"
Other than wanting to run around and yell loudly I am nit feeling particulary sick.
“Mord… Mord killed my father…” she gets out through her tears. As Tolbold goes through the list of everyone involved and you can see an anger wash over her; “And they all deserved to die just as Mord did!” Rekkart doesn’t say anything, but he steps in the path between Madge and Tolbold as everyone can see the halfling clenching her daggers hilt that is in her belt.
“Part? What part?” Patrissa says in denial of what Tolbold is accusing. Her nerves are on edge and is coconsciously playing with a necklace that is tucked under her gown of red silk.
Killian looks around as if he is recalling what he said; “Did I say three?” Killian somehow appears to grow taller and his accent changes; “I cannot tell you how good it feels to stop slouching.” Killian? takes off his white top hat and monocle, dropping them onto the floor. “All those years of research was almost wrecked, not to mention those adventurers led by Father Kelgaard…” He pulls off a prostatic nose and removes his white mustache; “When at last I discovered Killian Paltreth, in prime drunken form, had died in an alleyway asphyxiated on his own vomit.”
Rekkart’s eyes narrow as he draws his blade but doesn’t make a move toward the man.
Stretching and rotating his neck, a different man stands before you; “Killian had no children, nieces or nephews to fill the roll, so I cast myself as Killian.” the man before you lets out a laugh; “I can’t believe I let that slip. Regardless, I am now in this just as much as you are. My name is Sveth, and I was once a janitor here, and a close friend of Jarbin Mord… I tracked your habits and patterns, found the perfect time where I could drug you and bring you here to face judgement!” He laughs to himself amused with what he was able to pull off
As Patrissa is playing with a necklace under her dress you notice that it is a necklace of fire opals.
Patrissa is lying, she has a role in all of this.
"Well that sounds..." Zinli pauses. "Like a lot of effort? Honestly, why?! It's not like it's going to bring him back or anything. Did you want to stop the curses?"
"And you," she abruptly points at Patrissa. "Stop playing with that - yes, we can all tell you're lying, and we can all tell it's fire opals on that necklace. So you're the one who took a bribe - that explains why you played all sweet to the holy man."
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Carrie sighs in frustration, clenching her fists as the impostor posing as Killian reveals himself. She takes up a threatening stance, barely keeping herself from decking the man.
"You're why we're all trapped in this run-down courthouse full of ghosts and zombies?!" she snipes at Sveth, "Some of us didn't even have anythin' to do with that trial! And you knew that!"
"Yeah, it sucks that Mord got wrongfully convicted, but you can't just stick us all in a death trap! Get us outta here, now!"
She tries to intimidate the man, but between her fear and her lack of stature, she fails miserably.
I wouldn't be surprised at all that only more death will end all of this. Wether from direct guilt or sons of the fathers.
Carrie sighs in frustration, clenching her fists as the impostor posing as Killian reveals himself. She takes up a threatening stance, barely keeping herself from decking the man.
"You're why we're all trapped in this run-down courthouse full of ghosts and zombies?!" she snipes at Sveth, "Some of us didn't even have anythin' to do with that trial! And you knew that!"
"Yeah, it sucks that Mord got wrongfully convicted, but you can't just stick us all in a death trap! Get us outta here, now!"
She tries to intimidate the man, but between her fear and her lack of stature, she fails miserably.
[dice=Intimidate]1d20 + 6
[dice=Sense Motive]1d20 + 1
[dice=Perception]1d20 + 1
Tolbold looks downtrodden and says "Why? To get justice for Mord. He didn't kill his wife. Some of us had nothing to do with that injustice done to Mord and that was wrong. Just as wrong as what was done to Madge's father. That doesn't mean what she did to Mord was right. He was responsible for what happened to her father, though I am wondering if the same person was responsible for both."
He then turns to Patrissa "Well you were the one bought off. What did you do to turn the others against Mord? Who was the one that bought you off. That may lead us to who is behind this plot."
Also, three are dead due to their participation in the rigged trial, has vengeance been satisfied? Can their now be justice now that the truth has been revealed and let this end in something other than blood?
Sveth chuckles at Carries comment you can’t just stick us all in a death trap “I can… and I did… But, if it makes you feel any better I am in here too.” Trevor asl about vengeance being satisfied; “That is a good question.” he points toward the stairs that lead down; “We could always go and check the front door if you’d like.” He continues to chuckle to himself; “Hate it all you want, you’re stuck with me. Unless you want to put real blood on your hands and add another blood stain to these floors…”
Patrissa is taken back by Zinli’s direct shots; “I don’t know Mord any more than the rest of you. I was told that he was guilty of murdering his family and that if I voted in that way, I would receive this necklace…” she wears the fire opal necklace on the outside of her dress; “Besides, it does look beautiful on me, doesn’t it love.” she brushes for Rekkart’s hand but he jerks away putting distance between him and the rest of the group.
Only the sound of his footsteps and armor creaking as he silently takes in the group of you.
“A lover’s heart broken.” a smile crosses Sveth’s face; “Isn’t it amazing how ugly something so beautiful can be…” taking out his dagger he points upstairs; “Shall we go visit our shadowy dancer?”
"The way I see it, your plan sucks ass," Zinli says quite calmly. "So what, you drugged us all up to take us to the deadly haunted place, just to be stuck with the rest of us and get pummeled by the same ghosts? Either I'm missing something, or you're talking some big words for a guy who's got real wounded and is now facing eight people." She points her loaded pistol at Sveth. "So if you want to come up, it'll be on your own, and you'll send her our greetings."
"'Sides, spilled blood is spilled blood. Some people here were just plain motherf~!@ers, sure, but then there's also Halgrak. Or even this lunatique," she gestures at Patrissa. "Who's bad in the same way a f$%*ing magpie is. Pretty f&&!ing terrible that she could be bought for anything, but those who threw the money at her were even worse, and it'd be a real f#%*ing shame if they'res still out there, having their fun, or whatever rich people who feel all-powerful do."
She glances at Patrissa again. "Yeah, by the way, that's a thought. Who the f&*~ wanted the guy found guilty this bad?" She glances at Rekkart. "Malgrim, obviously, but you're the only one whose exact role hasn't been determined yet. I'm just saying. No pressure though."
"Oh, and Ebin seemed to hold a weird grudge towards Mord for some reason, but why would a jester frame the dude for the murder of his family, let alone buy enough people off to get him convicted?"
Let's try the front door at least before we start stabbing each other. Trevor waves towards the stairs.
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Carrie seethes at Sveth's seemingly carefree attitude, "Gotta say that, no, I don't feel better that the guy who drugged and kidnapped us also was also stupid enough to trap himself."
Patrissa's motives just fuel her rage further, as she turns to the woman, incredulous, "And you... You sent a man to his death just so you could have some gaudy baubles draped around your neck?!"
Carrie rubs her forehead and begins taking deep breaths to calm herself. When Zinli brings up who could possibly have wanted Mord dead, she replies, "I mean, it was that Alastir Wade guy who wanted Mord dead, right? He was the one goin' around bribin' and threatenin' everyone, includin' the judge."
A beat. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that guy."
"Is he dead or something ? How come he ain't with us?"
As Zinli points her pistol at Sveth he turns and takes a step towards her. “If you’re going to threaten someone with murder you need to be willing to pull the trigger. Otherwise you come off soft.” he doesn’t move, but addresses the questions as they come in. Eyes locked on Zinli.
“Mord won’t be bothering me like he has the rest of the jury. The other things we’ve faced… that’s just a gamble I had to take.” When Carrie brings up Alastir Wade, his eyes narrow. “He is alive. And this is new evidence that I did not have before. A loose end that will need to be taken care of.”
Patrissa goes silent and is all alone. Her eyes are darting to those around her and Rekkart no longer wants to be near her.
Rekkart chimes in; “You have my oath, as a paladin of the inheritor, the light of the sword, that the memories of the trial are not clear to me. I know that there was just cause to deem him guilty. And, if I somehow played a part in an innocent man’s death, you may turn me over to the guards like the rest of those who are guilty.” looking to Sevth; “Or those who have kidnapped people, causing the death to those.” He looks at the wounds of those around him. He approaches Carrie and places a hand on her shoulder; “The light illuminate you.”
He then places a hand on his chest and mutters a prayer.
“I can only do that once more.”
Rekkart's holy energy jogs something in Carrie's memory. She snaps her fingers as she recalls the letter in the judge's chamber, "Ah! Actually, thinkin' back, Wade had nothin' to do with the judge, as far as we know. But I do remember that letter in the judge's room havin' a name on it. Silman Trabe, I think? Anyone know who that guy is? Another judge, maybe?"
Trevor ponders Silman Trabe.
Silman Trabe was Beldrin's Bluff's magistrate and judge. He over saw trials, helped pick out jury members, and helped organize evidence of those trials.
You remember that the room you entered where the books flew around was Trabe's Chambers.
(He knows what Trevor knows. If anyone is able to make a higher K-Local or Diplomacy(Gather Info) check go ahead and make that roll.)
As Zinli points her pistol at Sveth he turns and takes a step towards her. “If you’re going to threaten someone with murder you need to be willing to pull the trigger. Otherwise you come off soft.” he doesn’t move, but addresses the questions as they come in. Eyes locked on Zinli.
"I've shot down guys who gave me less of reason than you did," Zinli cocks her pistol. "if you think it's clever to double-dare a gunslinger to shoot, then go ahead and mo~o~ove!"
She doesn't break the staring contest she has with Sveth, but lets her mind wander on the Silman Trabe issue. Perhaps she's heard the name in an inn?
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As Zinli’s attention is split, Sveth’s reflexes are like a cat. In a flash a dart is produced and the blue feathers on the end twirl as it flies. The feathers tickle Zinli’s neck as they brush by, just missing the gnome and sinks into the wall behind her.
Response to Zinli's Mo-o-ove Quick draw slight of hand & throw the poisoned dart.
.
.
.
What happens next goes very, very fast.
Zinli pulls the trigger and the bullet exits Baby faster than the eye can catch. There's a groan of pain when it hits Sveth.
What exactly happened to him is rather hard to say, though, because a stream of smoke comes out of Baby. Somewhere from within the gun, there's a spark. And then the leftover powder explodes.
A burst of flames come out of the barrel, leaping at Zinli's arms and face. With a scream, she drops her pistol - but for some reason, her sleeves catch fire as if they were made of newspaper.
Engulfed in the thick smoke, she completely disappears from view. Her desperate cries only growing more and more shrill as the flames presumably eat at her flesh, before turning to soft moaning - almost sobs. The stench of smoke and fire is quickly replaced by the horrible smell of burnt flesh.
Tolbold steps back as the dart comes out and says "You made your choice." Acid then streams toward Sveth.
He then sees Zinli burst into flame and shouts "Oh my! Someone help her!"
Trevor uses his waterskin to try to put out Zinli.
The thunderclap rattles from Baby and rips through Sveth’s throat , followed up by Tolbold’s Ray of Acid causes Sveth to crumple to the ground. Flames roll up Zinli’s arms and Trevor is quick to put his water skin to use on the flames. As he empties his waterskin, the flames go out.
“Woah! Wait! What?” Rekkart is caught off guard as the speed of everything that just unfolded. He stands speechless when the sound of gurgling draws his attention. Sveth is laying on the ground unconscious. With each faint breath he takes, blood spurts out from his throat as he is bleeding out and his white suit turns red.
Trevor sighs and rushes over to Sveth, trying to keep him from dying.
Trevor's speed to prevent Sveth from dying is unsuccessful and he continues to bleed.
The thick smoke around Zinli eventually dissipates. The small body of the gnome is lying curled up in fetal position on the floor. She is blackened head to toe by soot.
Her clothes are dirty and torn, as if she tried to roll around to smother the fire. Little flames still dance and flicker on the torn remnants of her sleeves, as if to taunt her.
The rise of her chest is so faint and pained that it takes several seconds to notice. She appears completely unconscious.
Can anyone help me please? Stick your finger in this hole.
Looking between the two fallen companions, Rekkart makes the decision to go towards Zinli and make sure she is well; “What has happened, have you two gone mad?!? This courthouse is killing us off fast enough without us killing each other."
Patrissa and Madge are frozen in what is happening, but Madge moves to Trevor as he ask someone to stick your finger in this hole. She gives him a questionable look and does what he ask.
It might be the nimbleness of her fingers, but she is able to stem the flow of blood from Sveth’s neck. But only momentarily pausing his bleeding out. Without the right supplies, or healing magics, this is delaying Sveth’s inevitable death.
I no healing kit or healing potions left. Does anyone have anything that might help?
Tobold just shrugs and walks over to Zinli to see what he can do to help her.
Rekkart's expertise doesn't do much to smother the flames. As soon as he gets his hands near Zinli's body, the fire latches unto his clothes and spreads to his upper body in a blink - but weirdly enough, it doesn't burn. Rather, the intense heat turns into a soothing sensation, and the flames disappear, leaving in their wake closed up wounds and a pleasant, slightly tingly sensation.
The same flames, however, seemingly continue to ravage the gnome's body. Rekkart has managed to remove most of the soot from her face and glasses, but when he moved on to her arms and hands, what he took to be a thick coat of grime turned out to be her skin.
The arms look almost atrophied and desiccated, as though shrunk by the fire. In places, it looks like the leather of her gloves have fused with her flesh, so charred that the burn scar on her right palm is no longer visible. Where Rekkart has scrubbed a little harder in a vain attempt to remove the soot, her skin has peeled off like paper, leaving bleeding wounds in its wake.
A pained, wheezing intake of breath indicates that Zinli has regained consciousness. "Oh boy," she says in a raspy voice, her tongue flicking over her dry lips. "That one stung." She laughs - a low, throaty chuckle.
She attempts to sit up - but her arms give way. She glances down. "Wooah. What the f%*@?" she says confusedly. "The f%$~ happened?"
In what might be a small mercy, she seems too shocked or still too out of it to really feel pain or understand what's going on.
Carrie is stunned silent by this sudden and chaotic turn of events. It takes her a few moments to finally comprehend what the hell just happened enough to give the well-done gnome an answer, "Uh... Sveth threw somethin' at you, so you shot him... And then you exploded, somehow...?"
"Gods, what're we supposed to do now...?"
Trevor s utterly at a loss for words. Looking at Zinli's charred form, down at Sevth's bloody form that has Madge's finger inserted into a bullet hole.
I don't know what to do.
"Ah, yeah. I remember now." Zinli tries to sit up once again. It's no easy trick, considering how weak her arms are. At least she seems to have sustained no other severe injury. It's actually bizarre in itself - no other part of her body looks wounded, even though she was clearly on fire for a moment. Her hair hasn't even burned; her goggles are perfectly intact. And come to think of it, the black powder she keeps on herself at all times hasn't detonated.
She picks up Baby with a grimace, and almost immediately drops it again with a cry. "Shit, it's still hot!" She seems to really tale in the sorry state of her hands. "And I have no idea how to shoot with these." She sighs, and buries her face in her knees.
"Is the guy dead?" she finally asks, her voice muffled.
Tobold smiles at Zinli seeming as she isn't going to die and says to her "I'm glad it seems you aren't going to burn to death. As for him well, I don't think he's dead yet but he is heading that way quickly."
Can you help stop the bleeding?
Neronius hums softly to himself as he sorts the curios and antiques the group has discovered into small piles. He finally looks up and, with a small shrug, says "To my ears it sounds as if Sveth has received just what he deserved for his role in causing this unfortunate business. Fitting, that cosmic justice should be served in a mundane courtroom." He chuckles softly to himself.
"I can try," Zinli reluctantly makes her way over to Sveth. "Just make he has no access to any weapon first."
Once the man has been disarmed, she tears some strips from his clothes to improvise a band-aid. As soon as her hands touch him, though, tiny flames come out of her fingers, and the gnome jerks back. "Shit," she exclaims; but in a way similar to what happened to Rekkart, the fire spreads over Sveth's wounds andbseeps under his skin without harming him.
Rekkart pushing back from Zinli as the flames jump to him, but as it turns to a soothing sensation he looks at the wounds he has taken since being here start to close up . “What has happened to you? Have you found favor is the god’s eyes?” but his face turns to worry as he sees the gnomes arms. He gently helps her sit up, trying to not touch her arms with fear of hurting them further.
+1 Dagger
Silver Cane (MW Silver Club)
3x Quil-Pens (MW Throwing Darts – each one coated with Blue Whinnis Poison
2 silver flask (1 with brandy, 1 with Potion of Cat’s Grace)
Padded Armor
As Zinli moves to Sveth, Madge continues to keep her hands in place holding back the blood flow from completely draining. As the flames move from Zinli to Sveth the wound that Madge was holding shut closes as he is healed.
Sveth’s eyes open. Looking up to the group of you standing around him he laughs but pain quickly cuts him off as he reaches for his throat. Even with the divine magics from Zinli the imposter is still in terrible shape. Quietly; “I didn’t move fast enough…” He lays his head back and rest.
Madge stands up and backs away while all of this is happening. She is vigorously rubbing her hands on her pants to get the blood off them.