Quote from leapingmountain >>

This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.

A look of shock and disbelief crosses Cheddar's feline features.
"You want to what?" his voice raising slightly. "This is how justice is mediated in every town and village from here to..." he pauses. "Well, to everywhere. And you want to mettle in their ways? What about justice for the dead woman? Who speaks for her?" he asks.

Shaking his head, Cheddar ignores everyone and guides Gus to the doomed man. Cheddar shakes his head again.
"Yes Cicero, I agree completely." 

With that Cheddar looks to the man.
"Kevan."  he calls on the man. "It's me. Look to me."
Persuasion: 8
Cheddar casts Charm Person on the man. 

(OCC: I would ask if there is a disadvantage on his save due to the state he is in? &/or advantage on the persuasion roll?

 
"I am your friend and here to help you. But you must confide in me the truth of this matter. I must know and it will be just between us." Cheddar pauses. "Who killed her?" he ask. 

 I did an edit of 1 word and it gave me the warning. My bad.

At Jararaka’s charged words, the fury that had taken some of the guards dissipates.  Cooler heads settle over the group, but there is still no consensus.  Half the guards, led by the younger one Tylaerys had been speaking with, seem to like the idea of sending these two with you to Elturel, to receive Torm’s justice.  The other three don’t see the need, fear it is just passing off their own duty, or fear you strangers mean to release the killer (or that you just don’t care and the killer could find a path to freedom through your carelessness).

As the group comes to a loggerheads, Cheddar approaches the hanging man.  His dull eyes look upon the cat, and there is a flicker of recognition.

His dry, cracked lips bleed a little from the corners as he tries to speak. His voice is little more than a whisper.  “Friend… So awful… My wife covered in blood… Her eyes… That rage… Never seen such rage… Never saw her hurt a fly… But that rage… And then she was looking at me… Asking what happened… Like a drunk after bender… But it had to have been her…”.

Cheddar sits back on Gus and says nothing for a moment, his eyes looking down. He then looks up at the condemned man.
"Kevan, my friend, did you see your wife harm this other woman or did you walk in just after the deed was done?" he asks. 

Tylaerys, the behavior of the guards is extreme but not beyond reason.  By their previous statements this was a small community and some of them knew the victim - and the accuseds well.  They have a lot of emotion wrapped up in this so for some of them to react aggressively doesn’t require any malign influence.  Regarding the wife’s behavior, there’s just too little info to draw any conclusions.

Cheddar, the man looks toward you, drawing in a raspy breath.  “I didn’t see… it was already done… but she had the knife… and her eyes… her eyes…”.

Not wanting to interrupt Cheddar in his questioning, Tylaerys keeps back, listening intently to what the condemned man is saying, trying to get the young man and the others to listen as well as she feels this with the eyes might be important. It could of course simply be what the condemned man percieved, but it could also be an indication that insidious powers had been in play.

     "Is it possible it wasn't me?" Finn asks, shifting her features into a mask of the distraught wife and also using her words to cast a Healing Word upon him for 7 healing.  "Could it have been someone disguised at me in order to cause all this to happen?"

     Although her clothes do not change, Finn otherwise becomes the spitting image of the wife and even goes so far as to do her best to mimic her voice.  Performance: 21

"What about her eyes?" he asks. "Tell me about her eyes. What makes you remember them? Were they glowing?" 

Seeing the man heal, Cheddar falls silent. 

The cracked skin on the man's lips and burns from exposure return to a natural flesh tone.  Still, while his wounds have been healed, the man's exhaustion remains.  He still is only barely coherent.

"Her eyes... no glow... but never had I seen such wrath... such... malice... when I walked in on her... she looked... gods... she looked satisfied...".

As Finn approaches, the man looks at her with recognition and sadness.  "I wish... I am so sorry... all my fault... I drove you to this... I wanted you to get away... I'm so sorry...".

Tylaerys listens and contemplates the man's words. Insidious powers indeed. She steps towards the woman, speaking gently and looking her in the eyes. "Are you saying everything went red and that you don't remember the actual crime? Has anything unusual, other than this, happened to you or in your village lately?" She asks calmly in a warm friendly tone.

Persuasion: 22
Insight: 6 

While Tylaerys is questioning her, the woman's eyes are fixed on Finn.  "No... not that I can recall.  I was mad... of course I was mad.  This woman lost her own husband - and that's a shame, he was quiet but handsome and strong - but that is no justification for trying to seduce mine!  I didn't mean to do it... I didn't plan on it... but she was dead and the knife was in my hands.  Do you think... could there have been some magic involved?  Was this a trick of some kind?"

Tylaerys:

 Some of the guards are marveling at Finn's transformation.  A few more are seriously thinking about what Cheddar and Finn are getting at, while at least one looks to be growing irritated at all this chit chat.

"I would say it is hard to rule out in a world full of magic, but we would need to find at least some trace of it to convince the gentlemen over here." Tylaerys says, tilting her head towards the guards, still unconvinced, then glancing over at the others for thoughts on how to proceed, or if this simply is beyond the teams reach to investigate further.

     "Gentlemen ask yourselves this," Finn says as she allows her features to revert back to her Finn persona, "If you kill these two and your town has more murders, will you ever sleep again?  I'll frankly forget about you all a mile down the road but then again I don't have to live seeing the loss of those left behind without those you may save by a true investigation..."  Finn shrugs and readies her horse once more.  Alone she'd have freed these two and forgotten about everything, laws are only laws when they are convenient.  She is with her companions, however...  And she can not act on her own whim any longer.  She's not yet sure how comfortable that is sitting with her but, for now, she is accepting it.  

     "What is the name of your village again?"  Finn asks the head guard.  "We will come back and check on how well you are sleeping after we are done with our mission for The Order of the Guantler..."

     For Finn the interest has wore off.  She is constrained in what she can do by what she believes the others would want and the fact they have a greater mission upon them.  She is ready to be done with this and move on and looks to Tylaerys to see what her play is.

On the brink of giving up this inquiry, Tylaerys steps away to the young guard for her final play. "Listen, I believe they are both telling the truth and most likely the woman is your perpetrator, but what they say may also indicate that she was under some kind of unnatural influence. Alas we can not stay for long and should continue our journey north towards Elturel soon, the offer to bring them both there, or at least the woman, to find help to determine if she was in fact under some supernatural influence stands. Just out of curiosity, you didn't have any other strange incidents of late in your village?" The young blonde half-elf says in a quiet voice for only him to hear.

Insight: 17

"Nothing strange or supernatural," the young man replies.  "Prior to all this, the victim's husband had passed away around two years ago.  He seemed healthy enough but he dropped dead in the field... his heart quit, we all supposed.  The widow grieved him as did the town... he was a great rock thrower and was always showing off for the crowds or at festival games."

"No one in town was aware of any affair between the victim and the man here... we only have their words to go on and they seem to confirm it."

After much discussion you have two options here.  The guards will consent (some of them reluctantly) to let you take these two with you to Elturel to face a proper inquiry.  You will need to stop and make camp for a night here, as the man is simply in no condition to travel... without sleep his body is going to fail him.  

Otherwise, they will proceed as planned and hang the both of them and pray they have the right of things.

Jararaka was right. Magic was wild. Almost 'mindblowing' to think of it's capabilities. Jirel shared Jararaka's sentiments for hoping freedom has been good to Cheddar despite the loss of his master. She couldn't help but chuff softly in amusement to the lizardwoman's surprise. "Aye." The goliath admits. "My twin brother Jethrow towers a foot over me." She moves a hand to rub the back of her neck, and she exhales. "That cheiftain, my father, died at the hands of my blade that same night in my black out rage... It sealed the deal of Jethrow's plan." Jirel breathes. "I live in exhile, an' he the new Chieftain... A tyrant..." Her jaw clenches, then unclenches, her tough visage slipping into one of shame.

Honey eyes then meet Finn's having heard at least some of her whispered words. She'd nod to her softly in appreciation, then to Jararaka. It was good to have warrior 'sisters' at her side again.

After a long pause, Jirel swallows and clears her throat. "Thank you." Her hand finds Tylaerys' on her thigh. "Everyone. Fer sharing your stories, an' listening to mine." Hearing each individual story felt humbling in a way. Now they were able to at least understand a little of where each of them were coming from, and why/how they were all different. Pieces of her now felt connected to these individuals who have been battling at her side. Her sense of desire to reciprocate and protect them grew.

Still and silent, the goliath felt herself growing impatient. Everyone was quick to get involved, but now no one appears to be the one to want to make the decision. The wind blows and the leaves rustle. Jirel grumbles to herself. They've already meddled in these peoples affairs enough. She exhales. A hasty judgement is not always a just one. She dismounts. The blonde warrior stands to her full height and steps forward. "Let's go." She grunts.

Jirel gestures for the woman to go with Finn and Tylaerys while she goes to the prisoner. "She's your responsibility." Honey eyes then meet the guards' as she moves in to take the man. While Jirel wasn't threatening anyone, she was being firm and direct with her intent. They were taking them off their hands. She's gentle when handling the exhausted man. With his consent, she'd carry him to relieve him of the burden of walking and set him on her horse for the rest of their travel.

     Finn helps the wife up onto Chomper and then climbs up behind her.  "What is your name again?" Finn asks the woman and then assures her "All will be fine.  You both will be fine."

     Finn, not a natural hose rider and even less so with another riding as well, takes up the reins and intends to take it slow and easy until she gets used to this.  Misses Binklesworth "Meows!" at the disruption and then carefully maneuvers herself into this new woman's lap.  She didn't like it, but she also didn't trust her.  She intended to keep a close eye on this reportedly murderous woman even if it did mean she had to take some petting and scritches from such a stranger...

     "So," Finn whispers conspiratorily into the woman's ear after they have been traveling a bit.  "Did you do it?"

"We will make sure justice is served and that you will be informed when this matter is resolved in Elturel." Tylaerys assures the young guard, then agilely getting back up on Shiloh to follow the others northwards.

"We should rest soon, that man might not even make it to Elturel in his condition." The young blonde half-elf suggests to the others in the team as they have left the guards behind.

     "Just a short bit," Finn suggests.  "I do dislike sleeping where people I disagreed with know about..."

"Yes, first we go on a bit more, then we rest." The young blonde half-elf nods in agreement with Finn, looking to Jirel, Cheddar and Jararaka to see if this was an acceptable plan to all.

The guards consent to allow the party to take the man and wife.  They do not have manacles, but they insist on binding their hands with rope after cutting them down from the tree.  It is a mixture of relief and misgiving on their part as they bid you farewell and wash their hands of the investigation.

The woman replies to Finn, "Yes.  I don't remember the act itself, but I remember arguing with her... and then I was standing over her body with a bloody knife, exhausted... and Kevan was there looking at me with horror and disgust on his face."

The party loads up the prisoners and continues north.  You stop to rest for an hour in the mid-afternoon, paying special attention to the prisoner Kevan, who's condition seems precarious.  Saddling back up after a rest, water and snack, you press on.  

As the sun is setting in the west, you all notice the sky remains brighter than normal, with an unusual glow coming from the north.  As you emerge from a forest you catch sight of the Chionthar valley.  The holy city of Elturel surrounds and occupies a bluff on the far side, dominating the scenery.  Above the city, seemingly 500' or so feet above the tallest towers, a bright orb of light hovers.  Those of you familiar with the history of this region would recognize this as a magical gift from the Gods, called the Companion.  It remains above Elturel both day and night, preventing the city from ever knowing true nightfall.  Additionally, the light from the Companion is destructive to undead, making it virtually impossible for vampires or their ilk to gain a foothold here. The river is wide but shallow here; pole barge crossings sit above and below the city, and a large ferryboat makes a crossing from this shore, directly into the city, and back again.

It should be dusk now, but the light from the Companion illuminates the valley such that it looks more like late afternoon and the interior of the city is even brighter.

Crossing at the ferryboat, the charge is 5cp a head plus 1sp for each animal.