Thelanis Thursday Role-play event

[iscifi]

((Tonight))

The familiar voice of Capshaw the Crier reaches you as you are passing through town. “Hear ye, Hear ye! All citizens of Stormreach, rejoice! The Coin Lords are proud to announce the capture and trial of the Harbor Murderer!"

“Infamous Rogue Points d’Eberron, also known as Points DeWay former adventurer and all around n’ere-do-well has been arrested and will be tried tonight for the murder of the Halfling known as Nklos Widefoot and if convicted will be held to account for all the murders attributed to the Harbor Murderer."

“Eyewitnesses claim to have seen the murderer slay Nklos Widefoot in broad daylight in the public room of the Phoenix tavern two weeks ago. His brazen murder of this and all other citizens of Stormreach and numerous members of the town guard must have been to cover up his illegal gambling ring, or to intimidate others to keep their silence.”

“The honorable scrict but fair Magistrate Omalia Truman will preside in the Harbormaster’s Square over his trial, this night (Thursday night 9PM EST) with execution to follow on Sar (Saturday) per local custom.”

Capshaw moves on and begins to repeat his announcement.

((Please join us tonight for a special roleplay trial in the Harbormaster's Square. To join in the fun, join the trial chat channel (/joinchannel trial), be in attendance in the Harbormaster's Square at 9 pm EST and send a tell to Points to let him know you would like to participate.

This is part of our ongoing 'Harbor Murders' plotline, but everyone is welcome to join in the role-play and participate in this and all future Thelanis Thursday events.

I hope to see you there...))

[Laxxis]

what was the outcome? I missed the end due to work early in the AM...

Lax

[iscifi]

Let these words stand as documentation and record of events that I, Magistrate Omalia Truman, have borne witness to on this Zor, the twenty-eighth day of Eyre 2001YK. These documents are considered a legally sworn testimony should they need to be used by another authorized Magistrate in future and related presidings.

Herein is the decree and investigation findings in the following matters:
- The 28th of Eyre trial of Points d'Eberron
- The murder of one Nklos Widefoot
- The murder of one Praut Ektor
- The identity of the "Harbor Murderer"
- Accomplices to the "Harbor Murderer"
- Obstruction of justice by multiple parties
- Desertion by a lawful agent from civic duties
- Aiding and abetting of criminal fugitives

Copies of all related documents have been sent, by way of Orien Courier, to the following organizations:
- The Coin Lords, governing body of the City of Stormreach
- Chief representatives of the Noble Dragonmarked Houses, in their respective Stormreach wards, to be transcribed to the Khorvaire wards in Sharn
- The honorable Harbormaster of Stormreach
- Authorized arrest and execution orders have also been provided to the city guard, as well as the above listed organizations pertaining to the below accounts

THE 28TH OF EYRE TRIAL OF POINTS D'EBERRON

Evidence Presented Supporting Innocence:
- One eyewitness account of the killer's appearance being similar to, but not matching, the accused
- One eyewitness account that the killer of Praut Ektor was a female, and not male, elf
- Professional witness testimony that express training in the profession of sorcerer or wizard is required to enact soul capturing
- Testimony by the accused that he has never before seen the murder weapon or soul gems prior to their appearance in the trial
- Testimony by the accused that his possessions were temporarily not under his supervision for an undisclosed amount of time prior to his arrest
- Testimony by the accused that he was injured to the point of death and could not have committed the murders
- Conflicting accounts by two witnesses as to the security or potential tampering with the personal affects of the accused prior to trial

Evidence Presented Supporting Conviction:
- One eyewitness account of the accused attacking, killing, and trapping the soul of Nklos Widefoot
- One eyewitness and one second hand witness account of a "tall elf of female gender with white hair" attacking, killing, and trapping the soul of Praut Ektor
- Professional testimony by two witnesses that components and considerable magic skill are needed to perform an act of trapping the soul
- Admission by the accused to being skilled with acts of the arcane and artifacts
- Admission by the accused to holding council with witnesses regarding testimony prior to the trial
- One eyewitness who can confirm that a bond between the accused and a third party, his wife, was disrupted
- Admission by the accused that he is able to willfully suppress his connection to the third party, his wife
- Professional witness testimony that a priest with the proper training can preserve the life of one fallen in battle
- Soul gems found in the personal affects of the accused after it had been in his possession and handed to arresting authorities
- Broken arrow with a break exactly matching the murder weapon found in the personal affects of the accused after it had been in his possession and handed to arresting authorities
- Presiding assembly authority testimony that his personal affects had not been searched or opened by Points or arresting authorities prior to the trial
- Presiding assembly authority testimony that his personal affects had been handled by no one other than Points, himself, one other authorized arresting agent, and the Magistrate.
- Inability of accused to provide the time period or circumstances that his belongings left his supervision
- Inability of accused to provide collaborating witness evidence to his whereabouts at the time of the murder
- Admission by the accused that he is capable of magical transit/teleportation
- Long pauses by the accused, evident of possible attempts of evading and resisting the Zone of Truth
- Close personal association of several witnesses to the accused
- Two collaborating witnesses testimony required to be stricken from the record for obstruction of justice. These are also the only two witnesses who can corroborate with the testimony of the accused that he was on a trade route during the murders.
- Admission by the accused to having a quarrel with the deceased victim Nklos Widefoot over a forced entry by Nklos Widefoot into Points d'Eerron's home several months earlier
- Conflicting account by two witnesses as to the security or potential tampering with the personal affects of the accused prior to trial
- Reluctance and evasiveness from a direct question by a Magistrate regarding the physical evidence while under the influence of a Zone of Truth
- Flight from custody of the accused once physical evidence had been presented into the trial

RULING: Guilty of charges

Magistrate's Notes:

I presided over the trial of Points d'Eberron, accused of the murder of Nklos Widefoot, as well as being the public menace known as the "Harbor Murderer." Initial evidence by witnesses seemed highly suspicious. Several witnesses were personal friends, relatives, or professional associates to the accused. In particular, two of the witnesses, the wife Valianna d'Eberron, and a skilled priest Maiyarra, claimed to have verified that they found evidence of trade by the accused in Valenar, but could provide no physical evidence of this claim. The accused also admitted to having discussed their "investigations" with the witnesses prior to trial. Based on their close association, and subsequent acts obstructing justice, it is my conclusion that the three had conspired to create a cover story for the accused prior to the trial, and their testimony was inadmissible to support the innocence of the accused.

Despite testimony from witnesses to the magical skill level of the accused being insufficient to cast the ‘soul trapping’ spell, the accused never stated that he is incapable of casting the magic, and admitted to having skill with the arcane, with artifacts, and scrolls. It is my conclusion that the accused has the capacity, or appropriate artifacts, to carry out the soul trapping. I further conclude that it is highly likely that the accused was not alone in his acts of murder, and his possible associates have helped him to carry out the murders by providing resources, cover stories, and the means to try and show the accused to be in situations that profess his innocence.

An eyewitness account of the murder of Praut Ektor indicated an elven attacker with white hair. Though the witness has testified that the attacker was female, the witness also testified seeing the attacker from a demonstrated distance that makes it likely the witness could not clearly distinguish the gender of the attacker. The eyewitness who testified to having seen the attacker of Nklos Widefoot demonstrated an even further distance away from the attacker when they witnessed the event. This witness thus far is the only neutral and supporting claim of innocence of the accused. It is my conclusion that Points d'Eberron is the Harbor Murderer based on two different witness accounts of having seen him at two different murder sites.

One witness testified to a knowledge of the bond between the accused and his wife, Valianna d'Eberron. As Valianna's testimony is inadmissible, the testimony of the third party witness was taken into consideration. The witness indicated that the accused and his wife share an awareness to each other's emotional states and conditions, and that they had received letters documenting the investigations by Valianna and Maiyarra. I inspected the letters, which were signed with the name of Valianna, and did seem to support the witnesses claim. The witness also indicated being with Valianna when she lost connection with the accused from injuries while abroad. The accused has admitted to being able to suppress this bond willfully. Additionally, as Valianna and Maiyarra are accused of conspiracy with the accused, it is my conclusion that the letters were fabricated by Valianna as a cover to lend credibility to the claim that the accused was elsewhere when the murders took place.

The accused admitted to having a quarrel with the deceased victim months prior to the murder. The dispute revolved around a breaking and entry into the property of the accused. I conclude that this quarrel was motivation for the accused to add Nklos Widefoot to his killing list.

The accused claims to have been confined in the debris of a ruined ship when the murder happened, and to be unable to teleport to and from the city to perform the murder and be abroad in the debris at the same time. He also claims to have been unconscious and too injured to have performed a murder. The only two witness accounts to collaborate this claim were stricken as supporting evidence, leaving no other witnesses to his rescue or injury.

Several times during the trial the accused took long pauses to answer questions, which is typically done when trying to avoid answering a question that might incriminate them. I believe that the accused had the ability to resist the magic of my Zone of Truth spell with a demonstration of willpower during trying questions.

The above evidence was circumstantial, and with no physical evidence to show a connection between the accused and the murder, I was going to present an innocent ruling. However, when I learned that physical evidence of the accused had not been reviewed, I initiated a search of said belongings. The accused and witnesses became hostile and uncooperative when I attempted to perform my legal duty to inspect the personal affects of the accused that had been taken into custody, and had not yet been returned to the prisoner. Despite my efforts to allow every opportunity for the accused and witnesses to verify the possibility of innocence by way of physical proof, the accused and witnesses - especially those with a personal connection to the accused, and who were previously suspected of perjury and conspiracy - made multiple efforts to dissuade me from my inventory of the items.

During the inventory of these items before the assembly, I discovered the other half of the arrow murder weapon in the quiver as well as a bag of gems. Professional testimony confirms that the gems are components used in soul trapping, but that the gems found in the accused belongings did not currently contain any souls. Professional testimony is that the accused is incapable of performing the magic, but as an impartial witness, the witness can also not attest to having a personal or intimate knowledge of the full capabilities of the accused. He can only go by what the accused testified during the trial, which can be refuted if the testimony given evaded the Zone of Truth by magical or willpower means. The accused claimed to be holding onto the gems for someone else, though he did not elaborate on this claim and fell silent at the sight of the evidence before the assembly.

When questioned about the physical evidence found in the accused belongings, the accused would not answer the Magistrate about how the items came to be in his belongings, nor if he'd ever seen the items before that day. Witnesses began to disrupt the trial and climb onto the platform. When asked directly three times to answer the question, the accused offered a nod of his head rather than an answer aloud. The accused then fled the trial despite the fact I was inclined to believe the testimony by witness Maiyarra that the accused did not have complete supervision over his personal effects. This testimony had to be stricken once it was determined that the witness had possibly evaded the Zone of Truth. The witnesses then assisted in allowing the accused to flee the trial. The testimony by Maiyarra and Valianna and the accused conflicts with the testimony of Gallatus. It is my belief that one of these witnesses also evaded the Zone of Truth in an attempt to claim innocence for the accused of the physical and tangible evidence.

Furthermore, after the testimony and events, I offer unto any future Magistrate who presides over the trial of other involved parties, the following conclusions and supporting evidence/events:
- Points d'Eberron is the Harbor Murderer, as shown by a combination of multiple witness accounts of various facts and tangible evidence linking him to the murder weapon.
- But Points d'Eberron did not act alone. Maiyarra and Valianna d'Eberron have assisted his efforts.
-- Maiyarra has assisted Points d'Eberron by soul binding the accused to allow him quick travel away from the murders.
-- Maiyarra has admitted before the assembly during the trial to being capable of such preservations of life for the fallen in combat. This testimony was inadmissible to the trial of Points, but is admissible to a trial against Maiyarra.
-- Maiyarra has conspired with Points to create a believable cover story and testify on his behalf that she has seen him elsewhere than the murders
-- Valianna has conspired with Points and Maiyarra to create a believable cover story and testify on his behalf that she has seen him elsewhere than the murders
-- Valianna has crafted documents to convince others of the supposed whereabouts of Points during the murders
-- Once physical evidence could be provided to link him to the murder, both Valianna and Maiyarra attempted to offer false testimony and disrupt the trial in order to allow the prisoner to escape. The testimony of Maiyarra regarding the personal belongings being absent from Points conflicts with the testimony of Gallatus. Valianna thrice refused a direct order by a Magistrate to remove herself from the platform, and was seen in close physical contact with the accused until his escape. The testimony of Maiyarra was inadmissible to the trial of Points, but is admissible to a trial against Maiyarra.

-- Gallatus has obstructed justice and abandoned his duty as a civil servant during this trial
-- Gallatus did not present the physical evidence of the personal affects of the accused to the Magistrate, and when asked to do so, tried to refuse and delay the inspection of the evidence
-- Gallatus allowed the escape of Points d'Eberron. When asked to escort Points back to the Magistrate, Gallatus did not, and subsequently did not return with the prisoner
-- Gallatus then refused to take into custody accused conspirators Valianna d'Eberron and Maiyarra, even after a direct order from a Magistrate
-- Gallatus's testimony regarding the personal belongings of Points d'Eberron conflicts with other witness accounts. Either the other witnesses are lying, or he is.
-- It is my conclusion that Gallatus allowed his personal feelings towards the accused to interfere with his duty. Gallatus refused orders, and was also among those trying to delay the inspection of the personal belongings by the Magistrate. When told specifically of what the penalty for desertion would be, Gallatus still refused, and went into hiding with the other fugitives.
-- It is unclear to me, and I cannot conclude, that Gallatus is directly involved in conspiracy with the Harbor Murderer. He is however involved in desertion and disobeying the orders of an authorized Magistrate, as well as delaying/disrupting a lawful trial by attempting to withhold physical evidence from a Magistrate.

- Lillypetal, Leader of the Fellowship of the Golden Night, threatened a magistrate and assisted in the escape and harboring of fugitives
-- I, Omalia Truman, testify that upon the decree of guilt of Points d'Eberron, Lillypetal demanded the guilt decree to be handed over before I suffered bodily harm. This is a direct threat against a Magistrate
-- Witnesses spotted Lillypetal conspiring in the Marketplace with fugitive Gallatus as well as with criminal harborer Stonebow, standing atop the roof of buildings near the gate to the twelve.

- Reports from dockside witnesses indicate that Therbjorn was seen harboring fugitives on a ship sailing out of Stormreach ports

- Reports from witnesses indicate that Stonebow was seen associating and conspiring with Lillypetal and Gallatus outside the gat to the Twelve on the rooftop. He was later seen again in the company of Lillypetal near the Lordsmarch bank.

These are my accounts of that which transpired. I leave these matters in the hands of the next lawful Magistrate who investigates the further charges against other associated criminals from this incident. The above is my certified testimony, able to be used in any trial presided over by an authorized Magistrate. My conclusions are offered as an authorized Magistrate for the consideration of any other Magistrates or Inquisitors investigating these matters.

*it is signed with the name of the Magistrate and her seal*