Storm Raven said:
Are ou sure they don't have that right? Are you certain that the head of the Sapphire Order doesn't have the power to render judgments? Are you certain that Roy's father, who answered the summons for a celestial, is not capable of rendering such a judgment? Shojo didn't hand pick Roy's father, he showed up when the priests requested a celestial.
If they have that right, there's no need for deception. In any event, there can be no doubt that having the accused's father serving as the jury cannot be considered impartial.
But I will accept that something is seriously out of joint here - Roy's father isn't Lawful, and doesn't seem particularly Good. Therefore, his answering a call for a Lawful Good celestial doesn't fit. (Although, don't the Fiendish Codices make mention of Lower Planar powers sometimes hijacking such summons, much as Roy's father was seen to do? If so, it stands to reason that a Chaotic Good power could do likewise.)
Shojo could not have done that for two reasons. He feared (probably correctly) that Roy, without the background information provided at the trial about the snarl, and the prodding from his dead father, would simply ignore the message.
With input from Roy's father, he could almost certainly have phrased the message such that it wouldn't have been ignored. Or, just have Miko ask Roy really nicely (although, to be fair, Shojo couldn't have known about that reaction on Roy's part). Or don't send Miko with a message - call another Celestial and send it with the message. Or just hire someone else entirely.
Remember, the only way to provide the "state secret" about the snarl to Roy and company was to have them demand it at the trial.
Since Shojo obviously doesn't consider himself bound by the oath not to meddle in the other gates, he almost certainly doesn't consider himself bound to keep the state secret. As such, there is absolutely nothing him just telling Roy when they're in private... much like the way he asks the OotS to look in on the other gates.
In any event, relying on Roy demanding the 'state secret' at the trial makes for a really sucky plan. What if Miko had 'accidentally' killed him? What if he'd decided not to cooperate? What if he mounted some other form of defence? What if they'd escaped?
Furthermore, the paladins of the Sapphire Order are prevented by their oaths from seeking out the other gates, and preventing others from doing so, which means that Miko could not carry the message to Roy in the first place.
Miko does not need to be told the content of the message. Furthermore, the message to be delivered can be nothing more than "Azure City desperately need your help in a noble endeavour. Will pay lot$". This (by itself) hardly violates the paladin oath, and it's no more a manipulation of Miko than is sending her out to recruit the OotS via a show trial.
But Shojo was not the only one presenting the prosecution. Hence, he didn't control the flow of information. If there was more evidence, it would have been brought forward at trial. That's why we have trials.
That, I believe, is my point exactly. Suppose the prosecution had presented some piece of information Shojo hadn't been aware of. For example, "Roy Greenhilt's father swore an oath of loyalty to the lich Zykon binding unto the seventh generation."
Now, what would the outcome of the trial have been in that scenario? Will the verdict be guilty or not-guilty?
It has, by everyone at this point except Miko and Hinjo. And even Hinjo seems to think that there is a need for a trial to determine Shojo's guilt, so he's not entirely on the "no justice" wagon. And in their position, they could have been shown (had Miko been willing to listen) that justice had actually been done, resolving the problem. Of course, Miko didn't care whether justice was actually done or not, her statements and actions clearly show that.
I agree with most of this. There did indeed need to be a trial of Shojo, putting him up on the charge of "perverting the course of justice". A charge of which he is guilty. And then he should be removed from power.
By summarily executing him, Miko has rendered a public enquiry impossible, and prevented the damage caused being fixed.
Because it was the only way to get the OotS to the Sapphire City, get them the secret information about the snarl and the other gates, and convince them to do what he needed them to do. Shojo explained all of this about a hundred fifty strips ago.
A way, certainly. The only way? Hardly. Just because Shojo is so used to manipulating everyone as a matter of course, and so couldn't see a means that didn't involve such manipulation, doesn't mean that no such means exists.
