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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kalendraf" data-source="post: 1362939" data-attributes="member: 3433">A Mayor's DilemmaBeing the mayor of Cossor was certainly not an enviable job.  Most of the time, there was little actual governing to do in this small town.  To make matters worse, as of late, the Baron Greeley Prime of Harwich seemed to be having his say in all too many of the matters of importance in this region.  Greeley was persuasive, and he'd found it was best not to get in the baron's way.  Right now, the Prime guards were everywhere in Cossor, outnumbering the town's own city guards by almost two to one.  Of course they claimed to be searching for Greeley's betrothed, Ianthe, but there was no doubt that a few of those squads would stay behind even after the missing bride-to-be was found.The mayor had found solace in a warm cup of brandy as he sat by the fireplace.  He'd been reading well past midnight once again, and it was time to hit the sack.  His wife had long since given up calling him, and his excuses of working late on "city business" had worn thin.  Suddenly, rapid knocks at the door were followed by loud voices in the hall.  He headed toward the ruckus and saw the town guard captain speaking to one of his personal guards.Could the news get much worse?  In the last day, three prominent townsfolk had been murdered.  A respected baker and his helper were the first to be discovered butchered in a backroom at the bakery.  Now the brewery had been broken into, and its proprietor slain.  Fortunately, the guards had managed to round up the thugs that had done these dastardly deeds.  Reminder to self: make sure the captain of the guard gets a medal for this.After writing a quick note to summon one of the priests from the temple of Suldane, the Mayor of Cossor handed it to his messenger, Padris, and finally went to bed.  The trial would be in the morning, so he needed sleep.  By the time he finally did fall asleep, it was over two hours past the witching hour.The <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />'s crow woke him at dawn, and he hurriedly washed then dressed in his judicial fineries.  His wife gave him a rude look, obviously not appreciating the late night noise and his even later coming to bed.  "There's been three murders, but they caught 'em dear.  Do I have this on straight?"  Finally, she helped him straighten the outfit, but never spoke to him.He arrived at the town hall which served as court for matters such as this.  After a few quick accolades for the guards, he caught a glimpse of the priestess, Katra.  She'd been sent by the temple of Suldane a few times before this.  Long ago, the mayor's of Cossor didn't rely on outside help in determining the guilt or innocence of the accused.  But the temple had made some very persuasive offerings, and ever since it had been customary to have a priest on hand to oversee the proceedings.  Of course, he didn't really need their help as he had a knack for seeing thru lies and bluffs.  In fact, ever since he'd been mayor and had overseen this court, he had almost never missed noting such things.  He continued to wind his way to Katra, to greet her, but then was intercepted by one of the guards.  "They are ready for you sir."He turned and walked into the hall, observing first the guards and what few other spectators had arrived.  Then he look squarely at the group accused of murder.  There were four of them.  A burly man, two dwarves and an elven lass.  One of the dwarves had the look of a wilding.  The other dwarf wore a symbol of Suldane.  Strange.  The elven lass was exquisitely beautiful.  The man looked rather plain.The captain read the charges against them.  As he did, the mayor kept a very close eye on the group to see their reactions.  The mayor had already read a brief report, but there were a few new details.  The robes worn by the baker's helper were found in the possession of the man in this group.  There were also signs that both the baker and his assistant had been bound and then killed afterwards, probably tortured along they way.  There was also evidence of robbery at the bakery.  The biggest news was that one of their number had escaped.  A certain half-orc with a double-axe was seen running from the brewery.  The murders at the bakery and now at the brewery had been very bloody, and the weapons found on these four were not necessarily capable of causing such wounds.  This was troubling.  Finally, the report was complete, and it was time for the defendants to speak their side.Katra invoked her truth spell, and then the accused were allowed to tell their tale.  They began quite a ways back, indicating they'd headed to Harwich to collect a reward for Ianthe.  So they were bounty hunters?  They'd headed into the swamp and managed to find her along with a certain healer named Quentin.  When Ianthe awoke, she accused Greeley of planning to kill her brother Edward and then kill her after the wedding, in order to gain control of land held by her family.  Interesting...such a plot would not be unlike Greeley, but I would never imagine him being that ruthless.  Still, it was amazing that these bounty hunters could think up such a tale.  After returning to Cossor, they'd foiled an assassination attempt against Edward.  His food and drink when mixed had somehow lead to it being poisoned.  Quite an inventive story.  The half-poisoned pastry had come from the bakery, and so the party had gone there to search for answers.  They'd broken in - they admitted that much - and then were ambushed by the baker and his helper.  According to the defendants, these were no ordinary bakers, but assassins.  There were a few chuckles in the courtroom at this.  In the basement they found a lab for making poison, as well as two very large spiders apparently being raised for venom.  They also claim to have found notes about combination poisons, and the baker's logbook also had some interesting notation.  Of course, they couldn't provide this book or the lab notes, as they claimed they'd taken it back to Edward's mansion.The other half of the poison was in Edward's ale, so they headed to the brewery the next night to look for more evidence.  Once again, they broke in, but this time the night guards ambushed them.  Eventually, they headed upstairs to the main offices, and there they were attacked by...a child and gnome with a snake?  Again there were more chuckles in the courtroom.  They claimed that once again these were assassins.  The child managed to escape, but they killed the gnome and the snake.  It wasn't long after this that the guard showed up and captured them.Each of the four took their turns speaking, and the mayor kept a close watch on them for any signs of a lie.  Amazingly, they seemed to be telling the truth.  Were these four innocent?  This case was far more complex than it originally seemed.  Katra finished her note-taking and stepped forward.  She handed the mayor the papers, and then turned and left.The mayor watched her leave, and once again took a close look at the party.  They didn't seem to be afraid.  Perhaps it was the truth.  He then looked down at the papers.  The words were damning; their story was full of lies.  A few things were true, like the break-in and killing the bakers and brewer, but the rest was false.  How had he not been able to detect that?  They must be quite skilled at deception.  There was no going against the church on something of this magnitude.  There was only one verdict that would satisfy the town and the church.  "Guilty.  You will be hanged at noon!"  He saw the color drain from them, and noted their protests, but he walked out without looking back again.Why couldn't he see thru their tale?  Maybe it was the alcohol from last night.  That could have dulled his senses.  Or perhaps it was the lack of sleep.  Only getting a few hours of shut eye once again was beginning to take its toll on him.  He headed back to the estate, not sure what to do between now and the hanging at noon.  Maybe he'd be able to finish his book.  He arrived at the estate and only then did he realize he was still clutching Katra's papers.  He tossed them on the desk and picked up the book he'd been reading.As he curled up on the couch, he'd barely gotten thru another chapter before a messenger arrived with a satchel.  He looked at it and immediately noted the symbol on the flap.  It was Edward's crest.  He signed the messenger's confirmation note and then pulled open the satchel.  Inside was a book and a hastily written letter."Old Friend.  I hope it has not been too long.  I ask a favor of you.  Please delay the hanging of the group accused of murder.  Their tale may seem far-fetched, but it is true.  I'm entrusting this book to you as evidence to help clear them.  The special notes in the border indicate poisoned deliveries.  We still need to find hard evidence to link this to the baron.  Both of us would like to find a way to rid Cossor of the Baron's presence once and for all, and this may be our chance.  However, due to the current situation, I'm afraid I can't risk leaving my mansion.  I hope you can help find a solution.  Edward."For a few moments, he thought it might be a forgery.  There was still that half-orc out there, and possibly another cagey fellow as well.  But that was surely Edward's writing.  He knew that handwriting...And then it struck him like a mace across his brow.  The handwriting!He jumped from the chair and headed to his files where he started digging through some old papers.  Finally found what he was looking for.  Late last year, Katra had come to help oversee a robbery trial.  He'd kept her notes from that case as well.  He looked at it, and it confirmed what he now knew.  The handwriting was totally different.  The previous writing from Katra was very fluid and had wide loops for the letters, but this new paperwork bore handwriting that was very tight and narrow.A disguise?  Perhaps a magical one?  If their story is true, then there are assassins at work, and they could be anywhere in town, right under his nose.  He hastily wrote a note to delay the execution.  He went to the hallway and summoned Padris to deliver the note.  After the messenger had left, the mayor had another sudden insight.  What if they have agents here at the estate?  Who can I trust?  Padris was one of the only people who knew of the summons request.  Could he...no, he couldn't.  He's been a loyal servant for years, and there's no way he'd do anything to harm anyone.  Perhaps one of the guards is responsible.  He glanced at the guard near the door who was looking at him intently.  He quickly looked away and headed back into his study, closing the door firmly.Think.  Who can I trust?</blockquote>

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