Book 4: Act 1 - Kinstrife & Dark Tidings

[Shurijo]

Borir feels rested and better. The dwarf spent an evening sharpening his axe blade and banging out dents in his helm and shield. The dwarf doesn't know much about Oderic's ordeal, since he didn't speak to many of the men or women, so he doesn't expect his word will do much good for the man. However, he does know that the man fought alongside them so doesn't harbor any ill feelings toward the man, other than the murder of Oderic's clansman.

[Vardaen]

As you arrive and take your places Tom and Finn confer over much of what you know and what you learned of Oderic from Brunhild and from Oderic himself. So as things begin you stand silently watching and listening as the trial begins.

Beorn, seated calls. "Bring the accused out before us."

Oderic walks out into the middle of the Carrock. He is dressed in simple attire, his hands bound by rope, but he appears resigned to his fate and judgement, and the bindings are hardly required. He bows to Beorn silently and things begin.

Ava, the daughter of Hartwulf, and one of the strongest personalities from Stonyford steps forward. She is the diplomat and spokeswoman for the village when dealing with traders and outsiders, and here she is the first to speak. "Let me tell you the story of Oderic of Stonyford. Oderic was always a strange boy...." she explains how he was always a strange and troublesome boy, how he was infatuated with Brunhild and how he was always jealous of Rathfic. "...then he broke into Rathfic's house, and with a knife stabbed the man in the chest until he was dead!"

The gathering gasps and mutters and murmurs their opinions among themselves. "I call Helmgut now to speak." The man Helmgut moves out to speak, he is blurry eyed, from lack of sleep for from the bottom of an ale mug, you can't be sure. He mutters something and Beorn barks, "Speak up Helmgut, we can not hear you!" Orderic's foster father mumbles only a few words about how he found his son, "...with a knife in his hand standing over Rathfic's body."

That is enough and the old man hurries away back into the crowd who is whispering among themselves. Beorn then calls to the gathering, "Does anyone else wish to speak for or against Oderic?" Now is your chance.

OOC

So this is official interaction. We skip the introduction parts and get right to it.

Set Tolerance:
Since Oderic tricked the outlaws and joined your side during the fight there is a +0 penalty (instead of a possible -2)

Tolerance is set to your Fellowship's Highest Wisdom = 3

Be creative here, you can talk up his character, his actions in battle, or call witnesses for the crime, etc... plenty of options exist for use of Song, Persuade, Inside, Riddle, Inspire, Battle, etc...

A reminder from Tom Lumpy Face:
http://www.dicefellowship.org/viewtopic ... 26#p303526

[Blubbo_Baggins]

OOC

Don't we do an Insight roll (like Battle) for bonus dice? I believe Tom gives Finn a re-roll on the Insight

"I shall speak in his defense, Lord Beorn." Finn steps forward and stands next to Oderic.

"It is only right for us to share with you the whole of the story, as you sent us out to find Oderic and return him, we know perhaps as much as any save the eyewitnesses of the alleged crime." With these words, Finn looks around, communicating with his body language that there are no eyewitnesses to be found.

Action

Persuade 3; spend Hope if needed. If I got more than one bonus die on the Insight roll, spend one first, before spending Hope.

"We spoke with the only eyewitness of the murder. Brunhild herself." Finn then briefly shares the companions' story, starting with the honored Beornings Merovech and Odo, then moving on to their experiences following Oderic's trail until it led them to Stonyford. When he reaches the part where they saw Brunhild, and Varuthil spoke with her alone, Finn raises his arm to introduce her and steps back.

OOC

I plan to do a Song roll or some other kind of roll to describe Oderic's trustworthiness/courage in leading the band of Valter astray. But I think that the more important thing probably is to cover the fact that his guilt in the crime is not clear, according to the only eyewitness. @Muskrat hope you don't mind me putting Varuthil on the spot, but I figured since she actually sat with Brunhild, that fit better.

[Vardaen]

Finn starts the group off, as expected perhaps. He tells the simple tale of how you are involved, not over doing it knowing that many here already know it, and knowing how Beornings are. He makes the suggestion that there are no eye witnesses to the crime a crime that perhaps Oderic never even committed. No one argues the facts that there is little in the way of eyewitnesses, then Varuthil is brought up to speak about Brunhild what you learned from the widow.

Roll

Almost feel like your body language and sugestion is more Riddle than Persuade. Both are Rank 2.

Rolled:
Feat Die: 10*
Success Die: 5,2
Totaling: 17

Success.

[Blubbo_Baggins]

OOC

Riddle is fine with me!

[Muskrat]

Varuthil lays out what happened as plainly as she can. "This is what I was told by Brunnhild: Oderic had never felt welcome in Stonyford and had been planning to leave. He came to ask Brunnhild to go with them. Rathfic walked in on the conversation and, enraged, hit Brunnhild. Oderic did attack Rathfic, but he was attempting to defend Brunnhild when he did so. Brunnhild did not see who first drew a knife and made the fight take a deadly turn, but one could certainly see how he felt justified in his initial blows against Rathfic."

She then continues Finn's story, telling how they tracked Oderic and ran into a group of bandits who were followers of Valter, captured them and tracked down Valter's camp and made contact with Oderic outside it. "Oderic could have turned against us and called the group of bandits we fought yesterday down on us, to capture or kill us. But he did not. He had thought he had found a new home, not realizing the unsavory nature of the group he had joined. And for all his bitterness against the people of Stonyford, he did not want to see Valter's men massacre them. So he proposed a plan to us--the plan we put into effect yesterday when he lead Valter's men into our trap. Now he stands here, willingly submitting to Beorn's judgement.

"Should he have fled when his guards were killed? I think not, but I suspect he thought that false judgement had already been passed on him and most folk would fled in his shoes. And when we spoke with him, he decided that he should try to put things right--and by doing so, saved the Beorning from a surprise attack. I think all this speaks to Oderic being a man of fundamentally good character who made some mistakes for which he has sought to make amends. I think mercy should be shown him for his errors."

Action

Persuade 2. Use Insight dice and spend Hope if necessary. Hmm. Can I invoke my Merciful trait here for a bonus or auto-success, since she is attempting to persuade Beorn to show mercy on Oderic?

[TetNak]

Aerth keeps his words simple. While the others speak of what he had done before, Aerth focuses on the man's valor in the field against his enemies. "My own eyes saw him slay a few attackers, and with a bloody blade he risked his life for each man here. And if it were not for his decision when we made contact, these attackers might have come upon the Beornings unaware. In such a situation, our fate might have been much more grave."

[Shurijo]

Borir steps up alongside Aerth and waits until the man's words are finished and then adds in, "Aye, I have no love or hate for the man. He fought good - for a man - and did not run away when he could. He stayed strong and awaited his trial while providing information to protect his village and kin."

OOC

Battle?

[Vardaen]

You speak your testimony in Oderic favor. Two points are well made, and cause much conversation among those present. The first is the defense Oderic gave to Brunhild and the fact that no one knows who drew the knife. Many eyes turn to the widow who stands silently in shame with her father on the edge of the crowd. She still cant' bring herself to stand up in Oderic defense even with the words of Varuthil. Varuthil pleads for mercy for the man, which does not fall on deaf ears.

The other point is her role in the battle, his actions to save the Beornings, and how he fought the outlaws with his own blade after tricking them into the Gloomy Fold so that victory in the battle could be had.

There is a moment where Beorn is scratching his chin, in thought, and consideration.

Roll

Varuthil: Persuade Rolled: (Die Bonus, +3 Mercy Trait)
Feat Die: 5*
Success Die: 1,6t,5
Totaling: 17 +3 = 20 with 1 success

Borir Battle: Rolled:
Feat Die: 1*
Success Die: 6t,5,1
Totaling: 13 with 1 success FAIl + Hope = Great Success

Totally:
Finn +1
Varuthil +2
Borir +2

5 Successes

If you have anything else to add, now's the time. You have not failed or breached the Tolerance, but its feeling almost resolved here, unless you have more.

[Blubbo_Baggins]

Finn bows, but says no words. He pulls out his lute, and strumming begins to sing an old melody of the Lakemen. It tells a story of a man of Esgaroth before it was rebuilt, who chopped down a tree in the eaves of Mirkwood. This tree had been a living one and though the man had merely needed wood, he did not know what he did. The Raft Elves were aware that a light had gone out, a voice of Greenwood the Great silenced, and brought their wrath upon the man, shackling him and bringing him before Thranduil.

In his foresight, Thranduil saw that the men of Esgaroth would not understand the unfortunate evil that the man had brought about, but would see the Elves being stingy with their lumber, and that the men might rise up against their neighbors and a terrible conflict break out. And so, instead of the death of the tree cursing the man, Thranduil forgave him, and made him chief ambassador to the Raft Elves. From thenceforth, he was named Aelfwine, and he stewarded the lumber and cared for the trees more than any other man in the North.

When Finn finishes his song, he speaks quietly. "That man is my father. I stand before you today because in a time where evil had been committed, mercy triumphed over judgment."

Action

Song 4, use bonus die