[REALMS] How would you handle this?

[Bard Lucian]

[REALMS] How would you handle this?
A situation arose in our game last night. I'm wondering how people would handle it from a role-play perspective.

First, our party makeup:

8th Level Elven Bladesinger (NG)
8th Level Human Ranger of Mielikki (NG)
7th Level Dwarf Fighter/Cleric of Gorm Gulthyn (LG)
8th Level Human Cleric of Torm (NG)
6th Level Gnome Rogue/Illusionist (CG) -- Not involved in the event.

So, the DM has set up this rather extensive political intrigue plot for us, that was to culminate in our being falsely charged with Espionage and hauled before the court in the town of Starmantle.

The Dwarf and the Human Cleric went cooperatively. The Elven Bladesinger escape capture by casting Sleep on his guards and making for the sewers. The Ranger, however, cut down and killed the guards, and then rendezvoused with the Elf.

Subsequently, Elf and Ranger intervene and non-lethally rescue the Dwarf and Human Cleric. We are now all on the lamb from Starmantle, and people think we are spies and murderers.

This, needless to say, is not how the DM expected things to run. My own suggestion (I'm the elf), is to turn ourselves in to the local cleric of Tyr, whose judgment we can trust, and attempt to prove that we were both innocent of the original charges and justified in seeking to escape. But this does not get the ranger off the hook for murdering the guards. If we were to return to town to be tried, the Ranger would definitely be tried for murder, and the rest of us may be tried as accomplices, even though none of us were there when he did it.

So, if you were a player, how would you role-play this? What would you expect to happen? How would you deal with the problems of murder, assault, and resisting arrest? Would these crimes be excusable in light of our fear of corruption? Would the excuse murder? Should we accept exile and start over elsewhere? Or should we attempt to clear our names? How would we do so? Is it even possible?

There are some great role-playing possibilities here. How would you approach it?

Thanks folks, I'll look forward to your replies.

edited for spelling

 

[EricNoah]

Killing the guards was definitely a bad idea. Does your party have the resources to pay for a Raise Dead for the guards who were killed?

Your DM may be prepared to have you sneak around and investigate, find clues to clear your names, etc.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I would search for clues to prove my innocence, or run for the hills and never come back.

 

[Vocenoctum]

I vote run for the hills and never turn back, sure they'll send assassin's and more guards, but that's just more XP.

 

[nHammer]

Were the guards evil?

I ask that because it seems to me that the guards were just doing their job, and the GOOD aligned Ranger killed them. Right now it seems that the Ranger IS a murderer.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Even if the guards were Evil, they're still guards...*shrug* All depends...though I also vote never go back.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Were the guards evil?

I ask that because it seems to me that the guards were just doing their job, and the GOOD aligned Ranger killed them. Right now it seems that the Ranger IS a murderer.

Could be a Law vs Chaos thing too.

Maybe he felt he was being repressed?

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Killing the guards was definitely a bad idea. Does your party have the resources to pay for a Raise Dead for the guards who were killed?

Being a Realms game, I'd say go to the priest of Tyr if (or when) you have the resources to revive the guards...

Of course, it's hard to imagine taking a guard position in FR without raise dead being part of the health plan...

 

[Cedric]

After you presented evidence clearing your name...I would make the party (or just the ranger, depending on how the party felt). Pay for raise deads for the guards...of course, if you take too long, you'll need to buy resurrections. And probably be able to throw in a 1000gp "settlement" to the guards for killing them.

Either that..or send the ranger to trial for murder. But murder doesn't have the same meaning in a world where someone can be brought back from the dead.

The ranger will also need to seek a atonement from his deity, in the form of the atonement spell case by a member of the clergy of sufficient level for the crime.

Cedric

 

[Numion]

Being a Realms game, I'd say go to the priest of Tyr if (or when) you have the resources to revive the guards...

Of course, it's hard to imagine taking a guard position in FR without raise dead being part of the health plan...

There might be complications though .. the guards might not want to come back, or devils or demons migth've taken their souls. As it is hard to know which is true for certain, there still might be dire consequences...