Large crowd, many guards, sturdy platform, raised about 9 ft off the ground, shortish rope kinda thin, maybe 2 feet. (Alcashia is about 5'10)

"A Tiefling? What have they done?"

Aodh knew who it was. How they ended up getting caught, it didn't care much to know. It was more curious about why exactly they were caught. After all that trouble, summoning them, only to be caught and immediately executed...Aodh wasn't sure about what game it was trying to play, but it was a notable one.

One of the townspeople near you looks and says, "You've never heard of Alcashia Voidbough?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not knowledgeable in what happens in cities and towns. I don't stay long enough to hear about criminals. What has he done?"

"If you can think of it, he's done it. No one has been able to catch him, until this morning when he just walked into town. No one knows why. Maybe he's tired of being a criminal. Though you can never really tell with a Tiefling."

"Hm...Where's the priest? One would usually be called to administer last rites to the criminal."

Aodh was using the host's knowledge on this matter, though it has been witnessed such things in past bodies.

"The Guardian Theos is giving last rites."

On the platform, the angel Isala and Lyssma saw the night before is talking to Alcashia. Do you listen to Theos?

A tall but poorly-dressed human woman (again, Isala in disguise) emerges from the bar, and shouts above the din.

"What is this?  A person walks into town this morning, and is fitted for a noose by midday?  Read their last rites without so much as a hearing?"  Isala spits on the ground.  "And you call this justice!"

(S)he turns to the crowd.  "That's not justice...that's the work of tyrants and bullies!" She fixes her eye on the angel, pointing once before sweeping her arms to encompass the crowd.  "But perhaps you need it...parading a bloody circus in front of these good folk every day while to make them forget they have no bread!  Look at the bloody angel, everybody!  'anging a Tiefling because he's a Tiefling?  Racist on top of it all, too!  If there was any real justice, the likes o you would be in that noose, and people trying to help the downtrodden" (she smiles and gestures to Aodh) "would be free of your oppression to do actual good!"  She sets her chin, defiantly.

"Am I right, people?"

Aodh listens to the rites

As Aodh tries to listen to the last rites of Alcashia, the women interrupts. The commoner who was taking to Aodh speaks up angrily. "He doesn't deserve justice, he's a murderer! A NATIONAL criminal. It's not that he's a Tiefling, all criminals are the same, regardless of race! And how dare you come here and insult our Heroes. How would you solve the hunger problem. Us commoners built the complex they live in, we don't care that it's better than our houses. And if you actually went in there and looked, you'd find homeless being rehabilitated and helped. But no, you just waltz in and want your 15 minutes of fame because you think you're special. WELL, YOU'RE NOT!" Many of the townspeople agree with cheers and claps, but Theos raises his hands, and everyone falls silent. Guards move toward the woman, but Theos waves them off. They settle for standing around you in a tight circle.

Lyssma remains acutely award of the surroundings, looking for anything else amiss.

Isala looks at the woman sadly and shakes her head.  When (s)he speaks, the affectation of the common woman starts to fade as he descends into full-bore monologuing.

"Doesn't deserve justice?  If that is the commoner attitude, it is no wonder these reprobates prey upon you.  I will say this truth once, because those who have convinced you to lick their boots have obviously kept it from you."

"Everybody deserves justice, or nobody does," he continues, walking slowly and deliberately towards the gallows, heedless of the guards.  "Justice is for all, or it ceases to exist.  You jeer at me, saying I think myself special.  And yet you are the ones denying this Tiefling a trial, elevating yourselves above him without a second thought, or any concern for what is just."

"You accuse me of waltzing in here for fame.  Woman, I have always been here among you, always hiding, always disguised, because I have seen first hand what your proud heroes do to those who are 'different.'  They allow you enough scraps to survive to look down upon others.  No, I am not special.  I am, however, 'different.'"

At this point, if Isala has made it to the gallows stage, he drops his disguise and stands as a Firbolg.  "And in many shapes I have been one of those your heroes refuse to see on the street.  Those you commoners refuse to aid.  Those you refuse to even acknowledge as alive, and are only too happy to see starve!  And we are far more common than you commoners.  And we are far hungrier than your heroes, because for too long they have ignored us and taught you not to care."  He makes a point to open acknowledge the helper Aodh, and to make eye contact with Alcashia, with Gorgox, and with Lyssma (if he can spot them in the crowd) as he speaks.  "All good people must be ready for the moment to fight for what is truly just, not for what a powerful elite tell them to do."

Isala turns, walks up to the angel, slowly, nonthreatingly, as he pulls out his rope and offers it.

"Now, would you have all our necks too, tyrant?"

Isala: The guards allow you to move in front of the stage, but not on it. Many people gasp as you drop your disguise. One shouts "If you can't even walk freely among us, how are we to trust your word! And you would see a murderer walk for his crimes, which he has admitted to? What kind of justice is that?" Alcashia stares back passively, not saying a thing to you.

"Why do we not ask the accused?" Theos says. "Alcashia Voidbough, how did you plead as you entered our complex earlier this morning?"

"Guilty."

"Of what?"

"Murder, treason of the highest degree, theft, conspiracy to destroy the planet with a meteor..." The list goes on for about 3 minutes. 

“Justice is process,” Isala concedes, “and if the accused has confessed - not under duress - to rightful authority, that is something else altogether.”

”But justice is also doing ones best for fellow creatures, sentient or beast.  It exists when one is being able to stand before Nature, and be able to proclaim one serves all, from the greatest to the least.  It flourishes when one can stand before the judgement of the Mother, knowing her almighty judgement can and will snuff out the unworthy in an instant, and not flinching because you are no hypocrite!”

”I will never lie to you.  I know my heart, so I stand perpetually ready for such judgement.”  He looks at Aodh.  “As do others.”  While Moving as close as he can to the angel,  he stares down at the man who challenged him.

”Can you say the same?”

He affixes his gaze on the woman who earlier spoke up.

”Can you?”

He locks eyes with the angel.

”Or you?”

(Big call out there XD Isala got some balls)

Before any of the people can respond, Alcashia says "I'm tired of waiting for you fools. Kill me or don't."

In response to this, the angel nods to a man at a lever. The man pulls said lever, and Alcashia swings. He is dead. Many of the crowd cheer, and after a few minutes they disperse. Then it is only you 3 and the heroes.

Ooc: I hate to ask this, but Isala was building to something that he probably would have done before the lever was pulled, and which I’m pretty confident would have stopped it cold.  If, however, such a retcon is impossible, what is the lineup across from us?

(what do you mean?)

Ooc: I mean that, not knowing Alcashia's plan, I dont think Isala would have allowed the execution to proceed had any means of preventing it, and I think he did.  If, however, you rule that time has past, he still might use that means immediately thereafter in front of the crowd.  He might wait until this private showdown, but that depends on the composition of the heroes and the crowd.

(There is no way you can now prevent Alcashia form hanging, bar the Wish spell. You may however, speak to the crowd before they leave,)

Ooc: Wouldn't I be possible to prevent it just by preventing the nod or its consequences?  Don't get me wrong; I'll roll with it from whatever point in time you say we are at, it just seems out of character to expose one self to the focus and ire  of the crowd and the heroes for the benefit of Alcashia, and then let that focus be taken and several steps occur without intervening, or taking notice of what/how many heroes are there.

Again, if it happened too fast, I can pick up from where you say.  Isala Would definitely act before dispersal unless the heroes had overwhelming force.  Not out of loyalty to Alcashia; Isala can deal with the loss  or a tiefling.  What he cannot countenance is being ignored...