The Town vs Ekrath

[wxdruid]

Here is where we will start the Town vs Ekrath Trial

a few ground rules

everyone that is required for the trial will be heard (I will determine if your voice needs to be heard)
I will tolerate no disruptions in the courtroom (you will be asked to leave, if you don't I will call the police and they will cart you off in handcuffs)
I am the Judge, I have the final say, I will listen to all arguments, just be patient.

Will Ekrath and a representive of the Town Police please appear before me.

Ekrath is accused of 7 counts of murder, 4 counts of assault, and 1 count of attempted theft.

evidence http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...t=36796&page=7 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36796&page=7)
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...t=36796&page=8 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36796&page=8)
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...=35422&page=29 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35422&page=29)


Ekrath please state your plea for the record.

Ekrath, will you be hiring legal assistance?

possible witnesses

Gentlebot (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?find=lastposter&t=35422)
Maph'tey (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=19351)
SnowRaven
NightStar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=9896)
El Jaspero (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=3046)
Gongjin
Cosmo (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=9100)

[Raistlin1040]

Ekrath strides in.
I plead not guilty by virtue of demonic possesion. And could I get a court appointed lawyer?

[wxdruid]

I'm afraid there is no such thing at this time. It is up to you to find a lawyer or someone to represent you.

[Raistlin1040]

Ekrath begins to swear, then stops abruply.
I'll represent myself then.

[wxdruid]

Your plea of not guilty because of demonic possession is entered into the records.

[Fuum Bango]

Fuum wanders in just as the judge finishes her statement.

"Your honor!, I, Fuum Bango of the Abyss and leader of the League of Countless Tongues, would like to say that I know many of the Abyssals and Infernals of this town and if one with possession skills entered town I would know about it! Further, are we to consider that demons are evil by default? thats racism! For millenia we have been the scape goats for murders and sinners!"

[wxdruid]

Fuum, you can either take a seat and be silent or you can leave or I can have you thrown out, which one?

[Fuum Bango]

Fuum huffs, then sits down and begins reading a book.

[wxdruid]

Thank you, Gwen looks around, if we don't have a representative for the Town by tomorrow I will find one or do it myself.

[Raistlin1040]

Wouldn't having the judge be the prosecution be unethical?

[wxdruid]

Sometimes if nobody is available then I have asked the questions.

[Raistlin1040]

Alright then.

[McBish]

McBish enters the courtroom juggling several folders. Um which one is this now... um... no, that one is done. Town vs. Ekrath. Right, Your honor I am here to represent the Town. He takes a seat.

[wxdruid]

Thank you McBish, I appreciate your coming forward. Do you have any opening comments?

[Raistlin1040]

Ekrath stands
Your Honor, I understand the need for a powerful opening statement, but something is telling me that a friend of mine needs my help. Now if McBish is taking so long, might I suggest simply skipping opening statements and going right to the questioning?

[Flabbicus]

(( Its out of time so you can still go about your business. At least until the trial is over. ))

[Raistlin1040]

((I know. I'm just trying to get a valid reason to skip the opening stuff))

[Flabbicus]

(( Ah, carry on then. *Looks around sheepishly at the prospect that he's wrong about something.* Can't let my math class here about this. ))

[wxdruid]

((sorry, won't work))

Sorry, no, Gwen waits for McBish.

[McBish]

((Sorry I'm on spring break.))

Your honor we are here to find out the truth of these murders. Wheter Erkath did them or some demon god, punishment needs to be given. This Town has turned into a place where innocent people are killed for no apparent reason all the time. These people have family's and lives, and while they are not as powerful or as rich as some they are still people.

[wxdruid]

Gwen nods at McBish.

Ekrath, any opening comments?

[Raistlin1040]

Your Honor, if I had killed those people, I'd sadly accept my punishment. However, my mind and body were not acting of my will. My body was overshadowed by a demonic entitiy. Should one be judged for actions his body made, or for actions his mind made? That is the true question here. I'll strive to prove my innocence here and pray I succeed. That is all.

[wxdruid]

Thank you Ekrath.

McBish, please call your first witness.

[McBish]

Your honor we would first like to test to see if Erkath was under the control of a Evil force. To do this we would like to call a cleric of a neutral party of some sort, perhapes Inari, to test this in some way. If it pleases the court.

[Raistlin1040]

I approve of this method, although there is a chance no reading will be found due to divinity on both my part and the demon's part.

[wxdruid]

Since both sides agree I will as well. A Cleric of Inari sounds like a good choice to me. McBish are you going to arrange this?

[McBish]

I will your honor it might take some time though.

[wxdruid]

Okay, I understand. This court will be in recess until McBish finishes the arrangements necessary for a Cleric of Inari.

[Raistlin1040]

Your Honor, perhaps until the cleric arrives we could begin questioning?

[wxdruid]

McBish, how do you feel about that?

[McBish]

Your honor this is the main question of the case, until it is anwsered there is no point to go on.

[AmberVael]

Four blackened runes rip the light from its rightful place, then Aesa shimmers into existance in the middle of them.
Your honor, my services as a diviner could be used for this.

[wxdruid]

Gwen looks at Ekrath and McBish to see what they have to say.

[McBish]

Your honor if she can prove to the court that she can honestly divine what we need her to I have no objection.

[AmberVael]

How would the court like to put my skills to the test?
Aesa crosses her arms.

[wxdruid]

Aesa, you can test me to see if I'm under the influence of something evil.

[Kyrian]

Kyrian enters, wondering how this trial will go, knowing that he was punished for crimes committed when he hadn't been himself.

[AmberVael]

Aesa nods, then scribes three runes in the air that suck the light and seem to distort reality very slightly. Her eyes grow dark.
Only slightly, your honor. The aura of Iames the Dark is fading from you.

[wxdruid]

Thank you Aesa.

McBish, she has indeed found the truth in regards to myself.

[Kyrian]

Kyrian closes his eyes at Aesa's words.

[McBish]

Um right. Well if the opposing council has no objections I am satisfied and will accept her as a diviner.

[wxdruid]

Gwen smiles at McBish. As soon as you have Ekrath's agreement you may go ahead.

((I need to go to bed))

[Raistlin1040]

Ekrath nods that it's ok.

[AmberVael]

Aesa first tries a direct divination with her Seid, attempting to do exactly what she did to Gwen.
((Consider it to be like a Detect Evil (Detect Evil Possession), except she is scanning your recent past.
As in- have you been possessed in the last week? If so, when?
Keep in mind that this is not magic, but Seid, which is an Ex ability in DnD terms))

[Raistlin1040]

There is definately a second entity inhabiting Ekrath's body. It is currently dormant but surely there. It carries much more power than Ekrath and is easily capable of possessing Ekrath
((Good?))

[AmberVael]

((One more question- how likely is it that Ekrath/Entity are disrupting/changing her divination?
This is a question from me, not her))

[Raistlin1040]

((Ekrath couldn't and wouldn't change it. The entity could change it partially. Not enough to make him seem to not exist but enough to change the view on him.))

[AmberVael]

((Okay))
Aesa changes her runes and her divination focuses on the entity to detect its alignment.

[Raistlin1040]

The entity's alignment seems undetectable. However, for the reason that it doesn't want Aesa to know, should clue her in that it's less than noble.

[AmberVael]

Aesa smirks.
If thats how you want to play... how about this?
She sends her divination flying through the different possibilities of time, multiplying her results by the thousands.
A great many of them turn up undetectable. A fair portion turn up evil, and a very small fraction turn up as not evil.

((The logic behind this is that, assuming the entity has free will, there is a chance that it either failed in putting up its defenses in time, or Aesa overpowered it, or it did not want to put up defenses... etc. So in some possibilities he did not disguise his alignment.
Aesa, therefore, checks those possibilities to see her results. Naturally she recieves a wide variety of answers, but she can estimate based on this))

Aesa smirks.
He is being inhabited by an entity. Its alignment is uncertain, but the likelihood is greater that it is evil due to the possibilities of time that were checked.
The court may or may not wish to use this evidence.

[J_Muller]

Aesa smirks.
If thats how you want to play... how about this?
She sends her divination flying through the different possibilities of time, multiplying her results by the thousands.
A great many of them turn up undetectable. A fair portion turn up evil, and a very small fraction turn up as not evil.

((The logic behind this is that, assuming the entity has free will, there is a chance that it either failed in putting up its defenses in time, or Aesa overpowered it, or it did not want to put up defenses... etc. So in some possibilities he did not disguise his alignment.
Aesa, therefore, checks those possibilities to see her results. Naturally she recieves a wide variety of answers, but she can estimate based on this))



((OOC: ...in addition to slaughtering the fabric of reality, there's no way that doesn't qualify as Deus ex Machina to the extreme. I mean, I can tolerate when people can scan alignments. That makes sense. But I must protest when you just wave a hand and bend space-time around your finger.))

[AmberVael]

((She's the daughter of a norn who uses divination magic which she ALSO learned from the norns. Time is her female dog.

In technicality, she should know your entire life before you do, but I am not that horrible.
And anyways, she doesn't even bend it with this. Its like... she changes perception. Instead of scrying in merely one dimension, she scries in them all.

It is also inaccurate sometimes. I make her mess up with it on occasion.
Seriously, it tells her no truly conclusive data. She can guess, but she can be wrong as well.))

[J_Muller]

((She's the daughter of a norn who uses divination magic which she ALSO learned from the norns. Time is her female dog.

In technicality, she should know your entire life before you do, but I am not that horrible.
And anyways, she doesn't even bend it with this. Its like... she changes perception. Instead of scrying in merely one dimension, she scries in them all.

It is also inaccurate sometimes. I make her mess up with it on occasion.
Seriously, it tells her no truly conclusive data. She can guess, but she can be wrong as well.))

((So, what, she's taking a peek at The Book or something?))

[AmberVael]

((The Tapestry of Fate, you mean))

[J_Muller]

((The Tapestry of Fate, you mean))

((Huh. I learned it as a book, but it comes to the same thing really. Though Tapestry of Fate does sound cooler. And the mental image is nicer.))

[AmberVael]

((Book? Meh? The Norns have always been weavers, dude.
Oh, and keep in mind that Aesa technically has to scry once for each dimension, so she is pretty much out of spells for today... and considering that since she uses the fatigue style system... to keep with Seid realism...
She'll need help to get out of the courtroom))

[wxdruid]

Gwen looks at McBish for his comments.

[Timberwolf]

The Alexander sisters, having noted with horror that they might be called as witnesses enter the courtroom very very quietly and sit at the back.

[McBish]

Your honor the Town, upon hearing this new evidence, requests that the defendent is placed in the non-violence braclet until we are confident that he is no longer under threat of possesion.

[wxdruid]

Gwen looks over at Ekrath, How likely is the entity to take over possession of your body?

[Raistlin1040]

Well until now it was very likely. However now that I am conciously aware of it, most likely only if my emotions get very out of control in extreme rage.

[Raistlin1040]

((Verdict?))

[wxdruid]

So it's possible that the entity could take over again despite whatever you might do?

[Raistlin1040]

Well I doubt he could take over me now for instance. But if I was under extreme stress and anger, like if a friend was in deep trouble and I couldn't save them, there is a chance my body could be temporarily possesed until the anger and stress passed.

[wxdruid]

I see, I agree with McBish, if you cannot completely control it, then you need to wear a bracelet.

[Raistlin1040]

For how long? I mean this isn't something that's just going to "go away" if we leave it alone. This thing is inside me and it's not just going to move along. It's going to stay. And I don't think it needs to kill, or even to inflict harm, to unlock the prison it's in.

[wxdruid]

Gwen looks at Ekrath, I understand that, at the same time do you deny that the entity for some reason or other took over and killed and assaulted people? If the entity isn't leaving anytime soon then it is a part of you, part of who you are now at this moment.

((and I'm going off to bed))

[Raistlin1040]

I don't deny that the entity is in my body. Unless I could get a type of exorcism, it's stuck.

[wxdruid]

In other words you are a potential danger to society. Just like anyone else. The question I think you want me to answer is if you are responsible for what this entity does.

[Timberwolf]

Nightstar crushes Snowraven's instep as her head begins to loll.

[Raistlin1040]

The irony of that statement is apalling. We're all epic-level characters. We're all dangerous. I think the question is rather, do you have a way to fix this?

[wxdruid]

Me? I cannot perform exorcisms. I'm not a cleric and that is not what court is for. What do you expect from this court?

[Raistlin1040]

Only a chance. Locking me up, or binding me with some bracelet won't help me or stop the entity. So its a moot point. What I need is help. And assuming this is a Lawful Good court, that is sort of the job.

[AmberVael]

Aesa quietly snickers at Ekrath.

[Raistlin1040]

Ekrath glares at Aesa
(Drifting dangerously close to Blackguard territory, guys.))

[AmberVael]

((If Aesa knew how close you were, she'd probably do her best to tip you over the edge))

Aesa smiles sweetly at Ekrath, pretending like she never did anything at all.

[Raistlin1040]

Ekrath mumbles something that appears like garbled speech to most of the people inside. He does, however, project the words right into Aesa's ears using a spell.
Damn bitch.

[AmberVael]

Aesa just grins and blows a kiss to Ekrath.

[Raistlin1040]

Ekrath smirks and (using a spell) sends a picture of him smiting her with his greatsword into Aesa's mind. ((*sighs* Twist this as you will))

[AmberVael]

Aesa laughs quietly, glancing at Gwen as she decides not to do anything more unless a perfect opportunity showed itself.

[Raistlin1040]

((Raistlin, desparate for more crazy Vael schemes begins to quickly thinks up a perfect opportunity. To the Raistlin-Cave!))
A Lawful Good court should help those that need helping. If that's not true, I might as well go blackguard.

[AmberVael]

A court is not morally aligned, and is not made to give help, but justice.
A court upholds laws, interprets them, and decides when someone has broken them. They decide punishment, not aid.
If you want help, find a temple, not a court.
Aesa gives him a disgusted look, wondering about his intelligence. She obviously doesn't care that she is speaking out of place.

[Raistlin1040]

Well when the mayor is presiding, she should do something to help the townspeople. I, Ekrath have not broken any laws here. I, the entity have. How does one decide a punishment? Go back to hell you bitch.

[AmberVael]

The mayor is presiding as a judge, as she always has. As for punishment, I never suggested I had an answer, merely that punishment was what you would get here, not help.
Aesa stands.
As for going back to hell... I'd prefer to be there than listen to some arrogant imbecile of a paladin rant about things he doesn't understand. So I'll be leaving. I'm glad you are so grateful for what help I gave you of my own free will.
Aesa traces three runes in the air, pausing before she makes the fourth. She wonders if he will say anything at all.

[Raistlin1040]

Ekrath runs it through his mind wheather he should thank her.
Mmm. Thanks. I suppose without your help, I'd be serving a long while in jail. If you ever need my help, you need only ask.

[AmberVael]

Sure. I'll ask you now- hold your tongue whenever I am around, it'll help me keep hold on my temper.
Aesa vanishes.

[Raistlin1040]

Ekrath smiles Firey huh? And hot. Very hot.
Ekrath begins becoming a blackguard, all he needs is "peaceful contact" with an evil outsider.

[AmberVael]

((Good luck with that. Aesa is CN))

[Raistlin1040]

((I wasn't suggesting Aesa. It crossed my mind, but I have this very odd feeling it's be either Catherine, or Deus' crazed devil chick.))

[wxdruid]

Ekrath, Aesa is very correct, I'm not in the business of helping people rid themselves of unwanted entities. You are accused of murder and assault, the entity is part of you. There are Temples and gods in Town that can help you get rid of your unwanted entity. I am not a goddess.

[Raistlin1040]

Ekrath looks angry. Very angry. The entity takes over his body for a second
You stand no chance against my might, mayor. You will perish, the same as the- what? What's...going...on?
The entity's possesion stops and Ekrath looks normal.
Lousy demon, getting in my conversation like that. Well I sent him back to hell, so he'll be fine. Now Mayor, I think I'll be fine. I'm a much greater power than he is. More evil as well. I bid you farewell.
Ekrath teleports out, leaving an aura of evil lingering in the courtroom.

[wxdruid]

Gwen does indeed bang her head against the wall and walks to the police station to request an arrest warrant for Ekrath.

[Raistlin1040]

((You pushed him and he snapped. Hello Blackguard!))

[McBish]

((To be fair Aesa pushed him. Being the only one present at the time. And by present I mean online.))

[Raistlin1040]

((True. And by true I mean I'm too tired to come up with any other argument.))

[AmberVael]

((Summary of Ekrath's alignment change:

--OmniShop/Trog's--
Ekrath: Hey! I got possessed by an entity!
Entity: BLARG! I KILL PEOPLE! *Kills people*
Maph'tey: Hey stop that! *failed spell* *failed spell*
Entity: *goes offline*
Maph'tey: *Force Cage, takes to police station*

--Police Station--
Ekrath: I want a trial so I can be held for longer!
Faeries: >.<

--Trial--
McBish: we need to see if he has been possessed.
Aesa: Hey! I'll show up for no reason and offer my services!
McBish: Sure!
Ekrath: Sure!
Aesa: *crazy 1337 spellcasting* He's possessed. I think its evil.
Ekrath: Yellow Warrior needs help!
Gwen: We don't give help. We judge.
Ekrath: What moron-fools are you?
Aesa: This is a court, not a temple. Imbecile.
Ekrath: BLARG!
Gwen: Aesa's right. Go to a temple for help.
Entity: I evil- hey!
Ekrath: *turns evil* I MORE EVIL! POWN YOU ALL NOOBS!

--End scene--

So, was his alignment change justified?
Its up to YOU to decide.
*fade out*))

[Castaras]

(( You made my day, Vael. Comedian in the making? ))

[AmberVael]

((Classical Culture professor, actually, if things go well.
But I wouldn't say no to being a comedian. :smallwink:))

[Castaras]

(( Good luck with that then. :smallsmile: ))

[Raistlin1040]

*Cracks up* ((Great Vael. Just great.))

[Timberwolf]

The sisters sit, quietly thinking. On the plus side, they didn't have to testify, always a bonus. On the minus side, a crazed blackguard, possibly with a grudge. Fun....