Jay reflects aloud, for not the first time, that last 2 weeks have been pleasant by prison standards. The food isn’t bad, you’ve got a window that looks out on the street below, the room is relatively large for the four of you, and you aren’t manacled to the wall. Quint, Brecklum, Taz, and Wung were all released within the first 3 days, since they had no recent history in Shadowhaven and held no share in the ship. They had their pay already, and although they seemed sheepish about it, chose to leave rather than remain in prison with their new employers. Taz indicates that he would be willing to ship with you again when you are released, and said he would speak to his friends in the Council on your behalf. The others left with mumbled apologies and wishes for luck. Quint promises Jay he’ll make it up to him one day.
Across the hall from you are a number of cells holding riggers. They are becoming fewer as the days pass, and you hear whispers that they are being tried and executed for their crimes. They have little to say to you.
The cell you occupy is adjacent to one occupied by Greenbottom and until yesterday someone you haven’t met before. He went by the name Fortuna, which leads you all to believe that his life must be full of incongruities, but then he was released yesterday morning, so perhaps not. You know little of his crime, although Greenbottom laughs uproariously every time you start to ask about it. Greenbottom admits to nothing and maintains his innocence, loudly and with venom. He made his apologies for involving you in the days previous. He tells you that his business sense and foresight are what’s actually on trial here, because he had moved his holdings out of danger, and begun positioning for the lumber trading deal prior to the dock burning down. Apparently that doesn’t look good to the Council. You’ve informed him of the details of your trip, and he’s quite thrilled with the success of the voyage. He maintains that you’ll all be out soon enough once his lawyers finish with the Council, and then you can go about the details of dividing the spoils of your journey.
On the other side is a cell containing the survivors of the Grenadier. You hear that they came into port a week after you did, but tried to run once they realized what was going on. Delarosa was killed when they raked the deck with grape, but a few of his men survived.
A Roofer’s guild representative, who is working on your behalf, visited Blendin this morning, although little progress has been made thus far. Moira stops by your window most days, and has been promoted to second class for her service to the Courier’s guild. She tells Gardner that Fang is well, but misses him. She says the Guild has kept your payment in escrow, and is pushing for your release as well after she made her report. She has nothing to add for Blendin, aside from a “Be well.”
Your cell door opens, and a few trade council troops stand outside, including Officer Kline. As he enters, closing the door behind him, you note that he is missing his right arm at the shoulder and he notes your looks. He claps each of you on the shoulder in greeting with a smile. “Fool thing, really, but would have been worse if you’d not saved our asses back there. Freym and Martog are about to have pups, or they’d be here too. They got me pushing paper instead of drunks now, ‘Mother knows there’s plenty of both to go around.
“When I saw your ship in dock, I made some inquiries. Appears you were all to be released days ago, cleared of charges by your testimony, but then Commander Cogsworth changed the orders. Seems he has a taste for blood outta you lot, but no one says why. He’s been itching to tear apart your ship, looking for evidence, but I’ve delayed the orders for now, and Enoch’s crew has been guarding them. They’re tough bastards, but seem reliable.”
His voice lowers. “Greenbottom’s trial is tomorrow at the Arena, overseen by a tribunal of Commander Cogsworth, Captain Finch, and the Battlelord’s Admiral Pinochet himself. You’ll be called on to give testimony. I’ll tell you now that it doesn’t look good. They’ve got a dozen riggers across the hall, all lined up to take pardons to say that Greenbottom put them up to it to corner the market on lumber. Greenbottom’s own papers say he knew the strike was coming, that they meant to burn the docks, but he maintains it was just good business sense. His competitors here in the city are pressuring the Council for an execution, and disbursement of his goods amongst his creditors.” Kline looks at you carefully. “Separate yourself from him. Greenbottom is going down, whether he’s guilty or not because the Council needs a scapegoat. If you try and fight it, Cogsworth will tie you to it, and there’s nothing I can do. I’ll do what I can for you, just ask, but don’t throw yourself into the Void after him!”
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After Kline has gone and the crew has huddled together to discuss the new developments, Tooly opines quietly, "Well, Cogsy's the junior tribunal member, so I doubt it's as foregone a conclusion as Kline thinks. The Council may want a scapegoat, but they won't make one of Greenbottom unless they have good evidence--he's too powerful and makes them too much money. Still, even WE can't be completely sure he WASN'T involved, though I doubt it. I figure I'll just tell the truth as I see it, no more, no less."
ReplyDelete-----------------
OOC: Just insert this after Kline's gone if anyone questions him further before he goes.
What happens to Greenbottom's shares in the Swoose and Ollie if he's convicted? Do they go to his heir, the Council, or us? It might be pertinent during the trial (which I assume will be another mini-game...?).
If none of the four of us know, Tooly will ask Greenbottom: "What happens to your assets like the Swoose if the Council convicts you? They just get to take it over like a bunch of scavengers? Seems like bad business, to me."
if convicted, his assets, including any shares in the ships, would be divided between his creditors - of which there are likely many.
ReplyDeleteOOC: Creditors would likely liquidate those shares ASAP, right? So someone looking to buy them out might get a steep discount. So hypothetically, we could make a bundle if he gets the chop. Hypothetically.
ReplyDeletedepends who the creditors are, but sure, hypothetically.
ReplyDeleteJay will ask Kline for the names of the Riggers Cogsworth has lined up. If asked why, he'll dissemble, saying something about seeing if he recognizes the names to see if there'd be any truth to their testimony.
ReplyDeleteIf it is unlikely that Moira will drop by today Jay will additionally ask Kline if he could send Quint by before the day has passed; if it is likely, he'll wait for her and ask her to relay a message to Quint.
He's asking Quint to go to [Popular Rigger's Tavern] that night with a friend or two and just happen to loudly mention how [names of Riggers] sold out their fellow Riggers to the fuzz for some cogs.
If Quint has already left the island, or is otherwise difficult to find, he'll simply ask for Moira and see if she can set up the situation herself. He'll pay either Quint or Moira with his Gold shortsword.
If Jay has any say in the matter, the Riggers will not live out the month...
Kline provides Jay with a list of names. Moira has come by most days, so you suspect she'll be along this evening as well.
ReplyDeleteOOC: Wouldn't hurt to have both of them do it. We still have that lead sword.
ReplyDeleteWhat's Commander Cogsworth's position?
ReplyDeleteKline informs you that Cogsworth was, until a few years ago, a key advisor to the council on dwarven relations and rumored to be fast-tracked for a command. However, there was some manner of falling out with the brass, and now he acts as a liaison officer to the civic authority for the city of Shadowhaven. This is something of a dead end post, but means he is often employed during trials as an arbiter.
ReplyDeleteBlendin has attempted to ask Moira about her delivery and is visibly hurt by Moira's cold shoulder.
ReplyDeleteBlendin has taken to sitting in a corner most days in a meditative trance, listening for the wind, listening for answers.
While concerned about that which is going on, he is much more concerned with the wizard and working out how to determine what he is in fact up to.
When Moira arrives later that day, she indicates that her delivery was received without incident by a short drakin alchemist, much smaller than Brecklum, who seemed none to pleased with the contents. She knows little more than that, and for the time being, is taking a leave of absence to await the outcome of the upcoming trial. She tells Jay she will pass Quinn the information as is her duty as a Courier, and keep the lead sword for her part in it, but is unwilling to directly act in this manner - she has enough blood on her hands without adding some scared riggers to it.
ReplyDeleteooc: I thought it might be useful to comment a bit on the criminal legal system as I envision it, since its not obvious, and specifically how it relates to you guys at the moment. This all qualifies as common knowledge, but I’ll let you determine how many of the ‘details’ of this system your character might or mightn’t know. A tribunal is called to oversee arguments in most trade council law with typically a senior official as arbiter, and a pair of litigators each tasked with providing legal support for one side or the other. This proceeding is basically inquisitorial, and the litigators are not tasked with proving their side’s argument so much as to make sure that their side’s voice is heard and made clear as possible. These proceedings are held publicly in, most typically, a Temple of the Battlelord (in this case, the Arena). Generally speaking, the accused is expected to make their own defense, followed by a procession of evidence and witnesses, and then a final defense/plea for mercy. Judgments are swift, as are punishments, and appeals are rare. You’d guess that roughly 90% of trials end in conviction, as a trial would not begin without a ‘thorough’ investigation. Trials are often determined by other means, either trial by ordeal or trial by combat. Trial by ordeal is typically administered by an ingested potion, which either kills you (publicly, painfully and violently) or is apparently quite tasty (although arguably, it may be quite tasty when it kills you, too). Trial by combat is most often reserved for island/island level conflicts, in which each side fields a representative ‘army’, but is not unheard of for smaller matters. Magic is sometimes employed to ensure the truth is told in civic (non-trade council) legal proceedings, but it is expected that the Battlelord will aid those whose cause is just in major Trade Council criminal cases.
ReplyDeleteIn this particular case, you are not accused of any crime directly (yet), but are being held as involuntary witnesses, as are a dozen or so riggers and presumably there are some voluntary ones as well. You know of some evidence based on what Kline has told you. Magnus is the one on trial here. That said, Cogsworth has a desire to see at least one of you on a pike – and is serving as one of the litigators. It would not be unheard of for you to come under charges as a result of your ‘dishonest’ testimony here, and face your own trial in a few days time if evidence condemning you comes to light.
As for the TC officers involved, you know what you know about Cogsworth, Capt. Finch is a female human warpriest and commander of the Indomitable, a ship with a rather lackluster reputation. Admiral Pinochet, an aged human and leader of the TC’s fleet in the ice isles. He is also a warpriest, and some say that he is the last warrior that the Battlelord came to see before abandoning the iron throne for the past few decades.
OOC: Hmm...does this mean no trial mini-game, then? If so, Tooly will need to make some preparations, including a minor retcon to have Moira deliver a letter for him.
ReplyDeleteooc: some manner of trial will likely occur w/ your involvement, unless you can come up with a way to derail the whole precedings. I'm trying to give you guys options for how that will go down. I basically want to indicate that the trial, left to its own devices, ain't lookin good for magnus. So hatching plans (e.g. sending mysterious letters) is a good move to make to prep, I imagine.
ReplyDeleteTooly sends 2 letters (written on paper from Kline) via MoiraMail.
Blendin doesn't hear anything on the wind - he is too far from the docks.
Are trials watched by the public or conducted in secret?
ReplyDeletescratch my previous question. I see the answer above.
ReplyDeleteGardner is mostly silent during their stay. His mood is initially annoyance, giving way to bitterness and anger ("you play by the rules your whole life and the bastards still get you in the end"). As the days go by he seems to be sinking deeper into a dour and depressive mood. He occassionally offers dark words like, "I'm already old, I'll do what I have to," and, "someone take care of Fang, I've got some money stashed away with the innkeeper at the Silver Sloop."
ReplyDeleteooc: left my computer charger at work, otherwise I'd have you on your way to the arena by now. Sorry about that - I'll update after work today. Feel free to scheme in the meantime.
ReplyDeleteMagnus seems to share Gardner's sentiment that he's being punished by the man for being too tall a flower. He also grumbles about various competitor guilds having it out for him, or wanting to steal his business.
closing thread, new one opening now.
ReplyDelete