Chapter 29: Law and Order: NWN
"Lord Nasher Alagondar, Defender of Neverwinter, and Reverend Judge Oleff Uskar, Lord Justiciar of Try!" announced a uniformed soldier in formal tones.
The throne room of Castle Never was filled with spectators in the back, looking across the oval room up to the dais upon which Lord Nasher sat. The Lord of Neverwinter was flanked by Sir Nevalle on his right, wearing the blue and white tabard of one of the Neverwinter Nine, as well as Judge Oleff on his left, wearing a somber black robe. In the center of the throne room lay a white rug with golden trim spread across half the chamber, bisected by a royal blue carpet leading up to throne itself. Two simple stone podiums covered with blue cloth stood on opposite sides of the carpet, one for the accused and one for the accuser.
"Bring in the accused." Lord Nasher Alagondar decreed.
The form of Tamil Farlong walked solemnly from the blue and white checkered flooring of the hall into the throne room. She wore her armor, decorated with the trappings of a Neverwinter City Watch lieutenant, but with no helmet or arms. Following her were Shandra Jerro, Sand, and Daniel Jackson. Jack and Sam stood in the back with the rest of the crowd. Sand took his place at the podium with Tamil, Shandra, and Daniel standing beside him.
"Reverend Judge, let the trial commence." ordered the Lord of the City. Nasher sat on the throne, a simple golden circlet crowning his balding head. Nasher was an aging man, but he wore the ceremonial armor Lord Halueth Never comfortably. His carefully trimmed facial hair and regal demeanor belied his youth spent as a powerful knight for the city.
Judge Oleff was far less imposing, but he spoke with solemn gravity as he began the trial with the ritual words. "We are gathered here to determine the truth of the crime committed in the small village of Ember, its people slaughtered down to the last man, woman, and child. Under Tyr's guidance shall the truth of this matter be revealed and justice delivered. Is the Accuser here?"
At the podium set for the accuser stood Torio Claven, Ambassador of Luskan. Torio was a tall woman with pale skin and short cut plain brown hair. She wore a white fur stole around her back and a thick dark collar around her neck, as was the current fashion in the northern city. Her white blouse was revealing, leaving her shoulders bare and revealing much of her upper bosoms.
"I speak for those the Accused slaughtered at Ember, and I am here to see that Justice is carried out this day," Torio began.
From behind Sand, the form of Daniel Jackson spoke up. "You don't speak for the dead of Ember. You are the one responsible."
There were gasps from the audience at this quick counter-accusation.
Torio replied angrily, but soon calmed down. Then she addressed the judge, hoping to exact her revenge with a legal protest. "Who is this standing with the Accused? The Accused is only allowed one counsel at the court today."
"If I may, Reverend Judge?" Sand spoke up. "With me today are the Accused, Lieutenant Tamil Farlong of the City Watch, Squire of Neverwinter" he said accenting the titles, "Shandra Jerro of Highcliff, and Dr. Daniel Jackson who has been working closely with me since coming to our fair city. The Accused has asked that Dr. Jackson be her Defender here, but since he is a visitor to our city, as thoroughly has he has studied our laws in preparation for this trial, I ask that I be appointed his assistant for the duration of these proceedings."
Judge Oleff considered this for a moment. "So granted. But by doing so, you forfeit your right to speak directly to the court. Only the Accused or her Defender may speak without permission of the Court." The judge paused momentarily, "Are the Accused and her Defender prepared for this trial?"
Tamil spoke up, "We are here and ready to bring this matter into Tyr's sight, Reverend Judge."
Judge Oleff nodded. "Very well. We now list the items presented by the Accused in their defense, and they will be shown to the people of the court, Lord Nasher, and held aloft for the eye of Tyr to see. First off…" the Judge began going through the items that had been assembled for the defense. Items such as the Ember quartermaster's logbook, the twin rings with dagger markings, and samples of poisons received a wide range of reactions from the crowd. The digital camera, laptop computer, and all electrical devices, however, met with but one reaction: head scratching confusion. Especially from the Luskan ambassador.
"The Accuser, Ambassador Torio Claven of Luskan, may now call witnesses to the stand," Judge Oleff declared.
"These pieces of 'evidence', if that is what they truly are, can easily be explained away. It may seem extensive, but our witnesses will tell a different story," she began. Torio's voice changed, taking on the tone of a skilled storyteller. "Unknown to many, the people of Ember were not slaughtered to the last woman and child. I call on Alaine, the last living resident of Ember, to speak on what she saw that fateful day."
Tamil and Daniel both watched expressionlessly as Alaine walked into the throne room. Shandra Jerro, however, vigorously shook her head as he woman she knew well walked into the room. The woman from Ember wore a simple blue dress, her blond hair tied back in a pony tail. She appeared timid as she entered the room, looking over in Tamil's direction with real fear in her eyes.
"Alaine, thank you for coming here," Torio turned to her witness, her voice becoming soothing. "I know it must be difficult. But you realize that you are the only voice of Ember that survived that terrible tragedy." The Luskan ambassador played those words out towards the crowd, drawing them in to listen intently. "Now... please, tell the court what you saw."
Alaine looked at Torio, then the figure of Tamil standing calmly at the Accused podium. "I... I saw the Accused... there at Ember... she... killed them all..." Alaine spoke with anguish and raw emotion.
Shandra wanted to protest, but Daniel held her back as Torio continued to question the Ember survivor. Alaine explained in detail how she saw Tamil killing the Ember quartermaster with a large sword. She cried and Torio made a show of acting compassionately.
The spectators in the crowd were clearly buying it. Alaine's passionate testimony was enough to convince them that the one being accused should be bound over for Luskan. Half of them wanted to hang her themselves.
Torio all but crowed in triumph. "What more proof is needed? We have a witness, a witness that saw the accused perform the deed. Perhaps we should move on to the sentence now, the Accused's guilt is plain."
Tamil interrupted. "I have some questions for her first."
Ambassador Claven smiled predatorily. "Of course. Please," she made a mocking gesture of permission, "now that the trap has already closed, there is no squirming out of it now."
Tamil turned towards Alaine, but the woman from Ember looked away. "Alaine, I understand this is difficult for you. But I need you to answer me very clearly and carefully. Who was the one who committed the murders in Ember? I'd like you to point this out for the court and tell us when this occurred."
Alaine looked at Tamil then with a little confusion, but even more anger. "It was you!" she said, pointing her finger directly at the form of Tamil standing before her. "You killed them two tendays ago in the middle of the afternoon!"
Tamil continued, "Are you saying it was the Accused, Tamil Farlong, who committed the crimes?"
"Yes! Of course, that's what I just said."
"And you're sure of this?"
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes."
Tamil nodded. "How far away from the Accused were you when you saw what happened?"
"Just about as far as you are from me now," Alaine answered.
"And was the Accused alone? Or were there others doing the killing also?"
"There were others, but…"
"And you got away?" Tamil asked. Alaine went silent. "You were close enough to see the killer, yet you managed to get away from an entire group? How do you explain that?"
"I… I don't know," Alaine stammered. But then she got a steely look in her eyes. "But what I do know is that I saw you do the killing!"
"There's just one problem," Tamil said. "I'm not the Accused."
Daniel Jackson stepped forward. "I am," he said calmly.
A murmur went through the crowd. Then, the outer image of both Daniel and Tamil began to blur and bend one after another. First, where Tamil had stood was Daniel Jackson, dressed in the robes of a Neverwinter mage and scholar. A moment after that transformation, Daniel's form blurred and where Daniel had stood was the form of Tamil Farlong dressed in her own armor.
"What is the meaning of this?" Torio protested. "They're using tricks! What kind of court is this?"
"Deception by magic is not looked on favorably in matters of law," the judge began.
Now Daniel Jackson, the real Daniel Jackson spoke up. "My apologies to the Court for the deception. But it was the same deception used to frame an innocent woman," Daniel said turning his attention away from Alaine and to the judge. "I believe Tyr would appreciate the justice of this. Further, we used the exact same alteration powder as was sworn into evidence by your hand in order to affect the illusion."
Judge Oleff considered the matter for a moment before allowing it. Torio made some further protest, but Daniel countered, citing Neverwinter court custom permitting the demonstration of a magical effect occurring as part of a crime.
"Now, Alaine," Daniel continued, "Are you certain that it was the Accused that you saw committing the crime?"
Alaine looked at Daniel, whom she had a minute ago pointed to as the killer, and back at Tamil Farlong. "I saw the Accused, or someone who looks very much like the Accused do the killing."
"What?" Torio was furious. Her star witness, the lynchpin of her case, had just admitted to uncertainty. "Forget this! Clearly the witness is too distraught to give her testimony properly," the ambassador said, dismissing Alaine in disgust.
"Hold on," Daniel objected. "I am not finished questioning the witness." Over Torio's protestations, Daniel was allowed to continue his cross-examination.
"That woman over there, Shandra Jerro," Daniel asked. "Do you know her?"
Alaine nodded. "Yes, you know I do."
"Yes, you're right, I do know." Daniel agreed. "In fact, we've met before. But I have to ask for the benefit of the Court so the judge and Lord Nasher can hear." The brown haired archaeologist explained. "I tell you what, I'll get back to that question about Shandra. It's actually that first meeting that I want to ask you about. Tell me, and the Court, was the Accused there in Ember at the time of our first meeting?"
Alaine nodded, "Yes."
"Now tell me this, what happened that time when Tamil Farlong traveled through Ember?"
Alaine paused. She remembered exactly what had happened then. "The village was attacked."
"Did the Accused attack your village then?"
"No," the blond haired woman said shaking her head. "She…" Alaine paused, unsure of herself, "…she rescued it. Our village was attacked by a large group of… of monsters…"
"Githyanki," Daniel supplied.
"Yes, that's what we were told they are called."
"And what did the Accused do?"
"She helped defeat them and rescued our village."
"And do you know why the Accused was traveling through Ember at that time?"
Torio objected, trying to dismiss the witness. Judge Oleff, however, wanted to hear what had happened. The gathered crowd did as well. Oleff instructed Alaine to answer.
"She… she was tracking the gith… githyanki, trying to save Shandra from them. They had taken Shandra and were going to do who knows what to her…"
"And the Accused tracked them through Ember to save her," Daniel concluded. "And did you know that Shandra was indeed rescued? And that she has been traveling with the Accused ever since she was rescued?"
Alaine shook her head. "No, I did not know that."
"And did you see Shandra Jerro there at the massacre of Ember? Or any of the Accused friends?" Daniel asked.
"No, I did not. And I'm sure I would have noticed Shandra if she had been there," Alaine offered hesitantly.
"Thank you, Alaine," Daniel said kindly. "This has been a horrible experience for you, and I'm sorry you've been through this. But I promise you, while the real culprits responsible for this kind hide behind a phony illusion when they attack, they will not be able to escape the truth of their actions."
After Alaine left the courtroom, Torio was left with little case. But she was not about to give up. She called Shandra Jerro to the stand. Shandra protested, but with Tamil and Daniel's urging, she answered the call.
"I hope you've been treating her well," Sand remarked to the bard.
"Come now, Shandra, don't be afraid. We are in a court of law, you may speak freely here. You no longer need be afraid of the Accused."
"Talk about what? These false accusation?" Shandra retorted.
"No... I am interested only in your interactions with the accused. You travel with her, do you not?"
"I do," Shandra answered.
"Let me ask you a question. Have you ever observed the Accused causing... or near... the sort of acts of violence as what happened at Ember?"
Shandra was about to answer no, but then hesitated. "I don't really think…"
"Answer the question," Torio demanded.
"No."
"Not even at your home?"
"Well, yes, but—"
"Weren't you attacked twice at your home? And kidnapped because of your connection to the Accused?"
"Well, yes, but—"
"Next time I ask you a question, I want you to answer it, Shandra, without objecting and giving me exceptions. You are safe here and do not need to fear the Accused anymore." Torio made her insinuation and then thought better of pressing the matter. "I have no more questions for this witness."
"I have questions for this witness before she is dismissed, Reverend Judge," Daniel said quickly. Torio's objection was immediately denied.
"Shandra," Daniel said sincerely, "what happened at those violent incidents at your home the ambassador was so anxious to talk about?"
"Well, first, a group of lizardlings tried to set fire to my barn. Tamil and her friends managed to stop them. Then I was attacked by githyanki, and again Tamil and her friends defended me. They saved my life and my home."
"And how about the kidnapping incident? To your knowledge, who was the target?"
"I was. They were after me because of something to do with one of my ancestors. But Tamil rescued me. I was just lucky they were after Tamil for a separate reason or I might not be alive today," Shandra said with feeling. "Tamil didn't need to come to rescue me time after time, but she did. She's a hero. Sure, trouble seems to follow her around, but it's how she deals with it that makes her such noble person. To hear her slandered like this makes me angry at the... injustice of it."
"Angry enough to kill?" Torio broke in.
"By the gods, if you are accusing me of what happened at Ember…!" Shandra exclaimed.
"I make no such accusation," the Luskan ambassador was quick to correct. That had not gone in her favor at all. Then she made another misstep. She called Tamil Farlong to the stand to question her.
Torio was a practiced orator. She knew how to needle a person, how to goad them into saying something rash. But she was an amateur compared to Tamil. The beautiful bard was a natural storyteller with a voice that made a person hang onto her every word. She had learned to snare an audience, knew the sort of words they wanted to hear and how to speak them in such a way that those listening would find sincere. Sincerity was a quality Torio clearly lacked. Every barbed question Torio threw at the bard came back on her twice as sharp. Any trap she laid was exposed, and with each question, Tamil turned Torio's interrogation into a story of failed vengeance on the part of Luskan. By the end of her questioning, the ambassador of Luskan was looking like the guilty party while the entire crowd began to hold the bard up as a darling of Neverwinter.
With Torio's last call to Lord Nasher to send Tamil to Luskan for Low Justice, it was apparent that the accusers had utterly failed to prove any guilt at all. Daniel Jackson had not even started his case yet. By the time he was through, not only would Tamil be exonerated and lifted up as a hero, the Luskan authorities would be vilified.
"Method, Motive, and Opportunity," Daniel began when it was his turn to speak. "Those are the elements of any crime. Method is simply how the crime was committed. Is the person who is accused capable of doing what it can be shown was done? Motive is what separates people from animals or monsters. When we do something, there is a reason behind it. Who has this reason? And last: opportunity. Was the person accused in the right place at the right time?
"The Luskan Ambassador has failed to prove a single element of this crime. Where I come from, this failure to present a prima facie case, enough proof to show guilt even without a defense, would be enough for a judge to dismiss the case. And right now, Lord Nasher may be considering doing just that. But, I ask him to forebear and hear out the rest of the evidence, evidence of the real conspiracy which cost the people of Ember their lives. Because the people of Ember deserve no less."
Daniel paused a moment as his opening statement stirred the crowd before calling his first witness. "I call Captain Brelaina of the City Watch."
The watch captain was more than willing to come to the stand and defend the officer that had played such a pivotal role in making the City Watch stronger and more effective than it had ever been. The exploits of Lieutenant Farlong, along with her friends from SG-1, were recounted in detail. Daniel provided statistics from Watch reports, which the captain verified and put into context. "With the help of her associates, Lieutenant Farlong has been instrumental in making the Docks, which have historically been the most unlawful area of the city, a much safer and orderly place to live. I wish I could take credit for all the improvements that have been made in the last few months, but most of that credit should go to Tamil and her friends."
There were sounds of cheers from the crowd. Most of them came from the Docks.
"Thank you, Captain," Daniel responded. "Your leadership should not go un-praised. And let's not forget that recognizing and employing good suggestions from subordinates is not something many leaders can do." Daniel pointedly turned to Torio, "Do you have any questions for this witness?" He knew there were no questions she could ask that wouldn't result in further praise for Tamil. Torio, wisely, asked no questions.
Following that, he called Issani of Waterdeep, who was only too happy recount his rescue at the hands of Tamil and SG-1. This had been his first opportunity to publicly thank his heroes. Following Issani, Callum of the Neverwinter Nine and commander of the Greycloaks at Old Owl Well gave similar testimony. The dwarven commander's word carried even more weight than the emissary's did.
During Commander Callum's testimony, which included some unveiled disparaging of Luskan, Torio found an opening to attack. But the one she attacked was not Tamil, but rather, Sand. She accused Sand of being from Luskan and a former member of their hated Arcane Brotherhood. Sand was appalled.
Daniel, however, easily deflected the arguments. Daniel eloquently used his questions to argue that simply knowing someone from Luskan or having a friend from Luskan didn't make someone bad; even being from Luskan didn't make you bad. Callum retracted negative comments about the city of Luskan and reiterating how heroic Tamil and her friends had been. Daniel even managed to get the dwarven member of the Nine to praise Sand for turning away from Luskan after witnessing its evil tendencies. Sand was visibly grateful. Torio was left red-faced.
Tamil's character, even that of his counself, had been well defended. It was time to move on to the element of opportunity. Daniel called Shandra and Casavir. They both testified that they were with Tamil at the time of the attack. With Alaine's testimony giving the time of day the attack occured, the two were able to testify that they were with Tamil the entire time. Torio attempted to cast dispersion on their character, but was simply rebuffed. She had attempted to use Shandra's testimony herself, and it was difficult to get a courtroom dedicated to Tyr to doubt the word of a paladin of Tyr, whose power and holiness were dependent on being truthful and just.
Following this, Daniel began setting up the power generator Sam had created to power the electronic devices while Sand and Tamil brought out a large white linen sheet and began setting it up. Torio, Oleff, and Nasher all wanted to know what was going on.
"Milord," Daniel began, taking his cue from Sand, "we are preparing to present evidence that will prove beyond any doubt the innocence of the Accused, as well as reveal the identity of the true murderers. We ask your brief indulgence while we prepare. All of the evidence has already been checked and admitted by the Justiciar of Tyr." Unable to deny that the priest of Tyr had indeed examined all of the evidence, there were no further objections.
Minutes later, Daniel had the laptop hooked up to the LCD projector they had brought back from their short return to Earth. Tamil and Sand set the linen sheet up as a screen. Then, while the computer was booting up, Tamil addressed the court.
"Lord Nasher, Judge Oleff, my lords and ladies, and all citizens of Neverwinter here in attendance, I am innocent of the crime of which I am accused. But I do not ask you to simply take my word. I want you to see for yourself. I was not at Ember after the massacre, but my counsel was, and he will prove to you the truth of my innocence."
Daniel was ready. "I call Aldanon the sage, resident of Blacklake to the stand." Then he hit the function button and the computer switched to display its contents onto the white screen. On the screen were photos from Ember. There was murmuring from the crowd and raised eyebrows from the judges on the stand. Daniel briefly explained the function of a camera, explaining and demonstrating its use for the court. Torio was relieved to have the dead bodies taking center-stage again; she had no objection to the photos.
After introducing Aldanon and establishing his credentials as a sage, Daniel got down to his questions. "This gruesome photo was taken days after the slaughter of Ember. And the word slaughter is appropriate. These people were defenseless. The weapons used to create these wounds were cruel and designed to kill," Daniel said by way of preamble. Then he gestured to a particular set of photos, "This is a photograph taken of the town quartermaster. In her testimony, Alaine claimed that she saw a person who looked very much like the Accused kill this man with a blade. This," Daniel added, enlarging the next photo, "is a close up shot of his wound."
"Aldanon," Daniel said, addressing the witness, "please take a look at the picture of this victim of Ember. Now, take a look at this weapon." Daniel held up Tamil's longsword. "This is the weapon carried by the Accused. Could this weapon have been used to make those wounds?"
Aldanon considered the wounds for a moment. "Could it have been? Well, perhaps if it were used to push a larger sword onto the victim…" Daniel rephrased his question, asking specifically about the edge of the weapon. Aldanon considered the question briefly before responding. "Well, no. That blade is much too thin and not nearly jagged enough. The weapon that made the wound to the man there was much larger and thicker, and clearly had a jagged edge. I should know. I've become something of an expert on this lately. I spent the last several days watching how a sword cuts into dead animals."
"What sort of weapon would have made this wound, Aldanon?" Daniel held up a bastard sword, followed by a great sword, and finally a falchion. Aldanon agreed that the falchion was the most likely weapon to make that kind of wound. Hiring the sage to research the matter was paying off in the court.
Dr. Jackson clicked on a different photo. This corpse was discolored and Daniel showed how the wounds differed from the others. Then Daniel presented the preserved sample of flesh taken from the body. "This victim was different than the rest. This sample of flesh was taken from a wound on its body. Aldanon, could you tell me what you found out about this flesh sample?"
"Well first off, I noticed that it was not complete. It was just a piece of a body, not the whole thing. That was quite obvious, I thought. I also noticed that it did not regenerate a new person from the whole, so it was fairly obvious that it was not a piece of a troll…"
Knowing the sage could ramble on all day, Daniel stopped him and asked him specifically about poison. The sage confirmed that the flesh sample had been poisoned, and that the person had probably died of septic shock from poison that had been introduced by the wounds. Then Daniel brought out the sample of poison from the evidence collection.
"This sample of poison was brought to you by Sir Grayson for examination. Did you find that the poison found in this sample matches the poison sample brought to you by Sir Grayson?"
"Why yes, it does indeed match. Which is really rather interesting because…"
Torio interrupted him, "That so-called 'evidence' doesn't prove anything! People can buy poison anywhere! Poison is even sold here in Neverwinter!"
Daniel shook his head, "Not this particular poison mixture. This particular scorpion venom poison is a favorite of Luskan assassins." There was a gasp from the audience. "The same assassins who attacked Squire Farlong during her vigil," Daniel continued, gaining steam as he went. "The poison taken from the attempted Luskan murderers exactly matches the poison used to kill at least one victim in Ember. Not only was it from the same city, they were from the same batch of poison." Aldanon nodded to confirm.
"Just because the poison was from Luskan does not mean—" Torio attempted to interject.
But Daniel clicked to another slide and held up more of the evidence. Two rings. The projection on the screen clearly showed the dagger-like markings on them. "The Circle of Blades. These rings belong to a secret band of assassins that work out of Luskan. One of these was taken from the assassin sent to kill the squire. The other was found at the scene of the crime."
Torio protested loudly. "These are lies! These rings could have been found anywhere!"
Daniel clicked a button. The video of the interview with the goblin began playing. The audio was a bit low, but everyone in the room strained to hear it. They were not disappointed by what they heard. There were gasps by the audience and many glares were turned the direction of the ambassador.
Dismissing Aldanon with his thanks, Daniel turned to regard the Court once more.
"Method, motive, and opportunity. The elements of a crime. I've just shown that the method used in the killing at Ember matches that of Luskan assassins, NOT the Accused. More importantly, however, the method does match a pattern of Luskan atrocities committed not only against Neverwinter, but also against Luskan's own people."
"What?" Torio exclaimed, truly outraged by the insinuation. "Luskan has never committed any such acts against Neverwinter!"
Daniel held up a book. "I believe the Lord's Alliance Account of the Luskan War contains entries that specifically show exactly this sort of pattern." Then he clicked a mouse button and highlighted passages appeared.
"Now," Daniel continued, ignoring Torio's spluttering, "I call on Calindra of the nation of Amn, recently a resident of Port Last." Calindra took the stand. "Now, Calindra, could you tell me what you found below the village of Ember? When you went down the well what did you find?"
"You mean, aside from the goblins?" the Amnish woman asked.
"Yes, aside from that."
"Well," the miner began, "I found a rather rich vein of ore. There's a natural cavern system below there that would make an excellent spot for mining iron. When I went down to look, I discovered that someone else had already been down there. It was obvious that someone had already been down there and had done some initial surveying."
"Would this 'rich vein' of ore, as you described it, be valuable?"
"Of course," Calindra responded. "A mine in that location would provide whoever controlled it with a significant supply of iron. Over a period of several years it could be worth tens of thousands of gold. For a country at war… well, it would go a long way to help equipping their soldiers…." Calindra was happy to add her own insinuations about the Luskans, who were already at war with a smaller neighbor.
Then Daniel clicked a button on the mouse and displayed a digital photo of the quartermaster's log book. "Before I dismiss you, Calindra, do you notice anything odd about the entries in this book?"
"Well, yeah," she said with a tone expressing her surprise. "There are no notes of shipments from Luskan for the last month. That town must have been starving by the time of the attack."
"So, it would seem the city of Luskan had cut off trade to Ember just about a month before the massacre occurred. It was as if they knew the village was going to be destroyed." Daniel thanked the miner and turned to the court. "That accounts for method and motive. Or at least, half of the motive. Now for the second half, wanting to frame a loyal member of the Watch who had already thwarted Luskan attempts to infiltrate the city."
Daniel clicked on the mouse again. Another video began playing. This video appeared to be in a dark wooded area. At the center, was on odd looking tree, and standing in front of it, was a dryad. "This is Lyssa. She is a dryad living out in the Duskwood. She has some rather interesting things to say about events that transpired."
The audience watched as the dryad explained how she had come upon a force of Luskan soldiers. She overheard the leader talking to his men about blaming what they were about to do on someone in Neverwinter. So, she approached him. Seeing how powerful his forces were, she hoped he could help her obtain a magical glowstone held by the goblins beneath the village. She convinced him to aid her by providing him with a powder that would alter his appearance and voice, allowing him to impersonate the person he intended to frame.
"Quite a story," Daniel said as he adjusted his glasses. "But it's a true one. And we've got a witness to corroborate it." Torio was dumbfounded, silently cursing Lorne under her breath.
"As the Luskan Ambassador pointed out, not every woman and child in the village were killed. The assassins clearly allowed Alaine to escape, counting on her to identify Tamil. But the second survivor escaped without their knowing because he hid from them and his pursuer was slain by the goblin tried he attacked beneath the village. That second survivor is Marcus." Daniel called Marcus to the stand. "Marcus is a special boy, gifted with the ability to see beyond what is present, to see what is hidden. And he saw through the disguise the Luskan assassin used." Daniel turned to the boy. "Marcus, please tell the Court what you saw on the day Ember was attacked."
The boy nodded. "It was a huge man who killed the people in the village and led the others. I don't know how you could mistake him for her. They don't look anything alike. Maybe he used a magic disguise... but disguises like that don't fool me," Marcus said simply.
Torio wheeled on Daniel with a snarl. "What is this, a joke? You bring a child 'seer' onto the stand, ask him a question, and then have him lie for you?" Inwardly, she was gloating. If she could discredit this one witness she still had a chance to win. If it appeared the defense had manufactured all the evidence, then perhaps she could still get a conviction.
Daniel turned to Torio with a shrug. "Do you have a question for the witness or not, Ambassador? I'd take his word over yours any day."
The Luskan Ambassador smiled smugly. She supposed they would have prepared him to answer any question about the crime scene. What she had in mind, however, was something more devious. No amount of prior preparation would allow him to know the answer to her question.
"Of course I do. If he has the power of a seer, then let us test it. Marcus, what do I hold in my left hand?" Torio asked with a honeyed voice that sounded like poison.
Marcus replied with a voice that sounded other-worldly. "Your left hand holds an iron ring, the ring of Garius, the Master of the Fifth Tower," Torio went paler than usual at that pronouncement. But Marcus was not finished. "You hold it tightly, as if it would fly from you. Every time you touch the ring, you see how angry he becomes when one fails him, and you fear his ambition... it is a ring that is more of a chain than a piece of jewelry. And even more so, the ring reminds you of…"
"Enough! No more questions! It is a ring, he guessed correctly…" Torio tried to distract from the boy's performance. But nobody was paying her any mind.
Jack O'Neill whispered to Sam, "He must have read The Hobbit. Or saw the original Clash of the Titans. If you're going to make someone guess what you've got, don't go with a ring."
Marcus was not done. "The City of Neverwinter is on the brink of darkness," he said, turning to glance up at Lord Nasher, his voice becoming sturdy and his eyes light. "Shadows move behind shadows, and the land shall be turned to shadow for a time, but through the shadow lies a doorway to possibilities that may spell a new age for the city, or its final destruction."
When the boy finished his prophesy, he went silent, as did the entire room.
"Uh, Marcus?"
"Yes, Daniel?" the boy asked innocently.
"Do you see the one who did the killing in this room?"
"Yes," Marcus said, his fingers moving to point out a mountainous man who stood literally head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd. "There he is. Lorne Starling, the doomed man."