"That does not excuse you involving innocents against their will."
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"And just why didn't you take the evidence you had to the authorities? Surely it would have been easier, and more assured, than abducting a half dozen strangers to do your dirty work?"
"Yes, I believe Trabe. On the other hand, Wade, we have the evidence Miss Eliannador mentioned which points to you. Besides, you're a very unconvincing liar. As my grandfather would say, you're more full of manure than a dairy." Lao takes a deep breath before continuing. "It's best to make your confession now than waiting for the spirits to force it from you."
"I believe Trabe is speaking the truth. I'm not just basing this on his demeanor. Trabe had no way to provide me with the visions I had of the murder."
Lao considers Trabe's words, then says, "Malgrim's no longer able to threaten anyone. What proof can you provide that this transpired as you say?"
"Of course you should be the only one to suffer for your crimes, Trabe."
"We'll do what we can to keep your family from suffering your crimes," Lao says. "Though it will require your full confession to prove they had no knowledge of your misdeeds."
"Returning to the court room to publicly absolve Mord of his false conviction would be a start. I do not know if you would be empowered to rule against the true murderer. Regardless, I think we need to go to the court room before the gallows."
Lao looks at the man who called Wade's name. "Who goes there?"
"The figure loomed over the woman in my vision."
"In the vision I only saw the murderer's back. His mere presence frightened the woman. He approached her and tried to strike her. That's when he was wounded." Lao's voice trails off as he ponders the vision further.
"Of course a beard easily covers a scar, doesn't it Trabe? Don't worry, we won't need to shave you because we have Felgor's letter. Sloppy work that, having Felgor killed without silencing his confession."
"Bribing you to stay silent about your role in sending Mord to the gallows for another man's crimes," Lao says firmly. "We know Mord is innocent. A lot of guilty people died gruesome and painful deaths to prove it. People who died merely for violating their oaths as jurors." "Tell me Your Honor," Lao glares at Trabe. "What do you think the punishment will be for a judge who violated his oath to see justice done because he couldn't get his victim's wife to violate her wedding oath?"
"How long have you been in here and why are you fighting?"
"That much is obvious, Killian. But who are they and how did they get here?"
"Oh, I think it's going to hurt. The question is who's going to be hurt?"
"I guess the spirits want us to return the murder weapon to the scene of the crime. It already came close to decapitating too many of us to be a coincidence." Lao makes his way to the ground floor.
"I suppose we'll find out as we look further. I suppose we've seen what the spirits want us to see in here."
"And the only ones who'd know about the wound would be Mord's wife, the murderer, and..." Lao paces as he ponders his vision. "The vision doesn't show me the assailant from the woman's perspective. In the vision I never see his face, but Mord's wife did. Who else was in the room? It wasn't Mord. Mord would have stopped the murderer before he could get Mord's axe." Lao stops when he steps on something. He bends down and picks up one of the wooden toys from the floor. "Right, their child was the other victim. Could I be seeing what the little one saw?"
"In my vision, the axe was kept over the hearth. Anyone who was in this room could have used it."
"The axe was in the courtroom where we were first gathered. At least those of us who arrived before you and Miss Magenta."
"She was hacked to death with an axe," Lao answers. "So, Mord wasn't injured at the trial. The way the wife reacted when the murder entered the room I didn't think it was Mord. She was frightened of the murder as soon as she saw him."
"Thanks again, Magenta. You keep getting me out of trouble today," Lao says to the tiefling with a smile. He then looks at the knitting needle. "It has blood on it just like in the vision. So the murderer would have had a recent wound on his face, about here." Lao points to his cheek. "Was Mord or any of the other witnesses wounded?"
Lao will carefully check the hearth where the axe hung, at least in the vision.
Lao starts searching the floor. "Knitting needles, there have to be knitting needles around here. She attacked her murderer with her needles before he took the axe to her. Hit him in the face, probably left a scar."
Lao sways on his feet and braces himself against the wall. He stands for a few minutes with his eyes unfocused. Finally he takes a deep breath and looks at his companions. "I saw it again," he says. "A vision of the woman being murdered in this room. Who would have been able to get in here other than Mord and his family?"
"Yes, let's be on our way. It's time to end this madness."
"Thanks, Magenta," Lao says as he takes and drinks one of her potions. "Two rooms and two jurors, best we all stay alert."
"At this point, we have to wait until our friends can move again." Lao makes another attempt to heal Eliannador's illness.
Lao will stabilize anyone who's down. Then he'll attempt to treat Eliannador's disease.
Wordlessly Lao steps forward and swings his mace at the monstrosity.
"Come on, Ava. You're too tough to fall to this thing." Lao walks to the warrior's side and casts a healing spell.
Lao makes another attempt to bludgeon the evil creature that was Patrissa.
"We have to stop the thing that was Patrissa, quick!' So saying, Lao moves through the mass of writhing intestines to strike the abomination.
Lao tries to flank the dwarf that's attacking Chantilly, but it's hard to move in these tight quarters. Lao gets to the thing's side and bashes it with his mace.
"Anyone see where Killian and Rekart ran to?" Lao says as he swings his mace at Malgrim's reanimated form.
Lao steps forward with Chantilly and calls forth divine power to disperse the vile abominations that once were Mord's jury.
Lao can't figure out what kind of horror this is.
Lao follows Eliannador to the jury room door.
Lao goes to the stairs.
"Yes, we should look for her because Mord needs us to witness his victims' demise." He joins the others on the second floor and looks for Patrissa.
Lao follows the others to the stairs. "If we could find the stagehand, the play might end. Either way, I'd like to get to the end of this production with as much of the cast around for curtain calls as possible."
Lao shakes his head, "Until we get to the bottom of the injustice that was done to Mord, I don't trust anything in here to stay dead for long. But I don't think this one will come shambling after us. Let's see if we can find any more clues in another room."
"That should do it, Miss Ava. Funny how many things I've merely heard of keep popping up in this courthouse. This was a variety of undead that actually plays dead. Sorry about the dreadful pun."
"But I thought it was dead again!" Lao exclaims.
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