Tonight we follow the party as the story progresses to a hastily organised trial where the key opening speaker, Brother Colin, gives his testimony against the players. While the players know it false the rest of the audience appear to believe the Red Lord’s follower almost blindly. Will the party navigate through this trial unscathed or will they be destined to the block.
So sit down, prepare your speeches and let’s jump into tonight’s adventure!
Brother Colin
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The party have spent the last few days in a cell and waiting for their trial to come to fruition. Despite the heinous crimes that they have been accused of several Red cloaked clerics visit them with fresh food from the banquets outside as well as kind words. Yet their words do not reach their eyes as there is a dark accusation behind them, these worshippers of the Red Lords teachings are here to provide mercy and offer a second chance to the very people who stand accused of murdering their deity.
At dawn the party is brought before the Council of Sages, a stern and imposing group of wise and powerful individuals who oversee justice in the realm led by a high priest of Tyr. The grand hall is filled with onlookers, all eager to witness the trial of the alleged murderers of the Red Lord. The atmosphere is tense and charged with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
Despite the sombre nature of the gathering today the grand hall is richly decorated with tapestries and symbols of various deities, but most prominently, the crimson banners of the Red Lord hang in solemn silence. At the front, the Council of Sages sits behind a large, ornately carved wooden table, their expressions grave and contemplative. The accused stood in the centre, flanked by guards. The audience murmurs quietly, their whispers filling the hall with a hum of anticipation.
Brother Colin is called to the stand and with a glance at the party he moves to take his place. Not just a respected cleric of the Red Lord he was one of the people that came to give them food and comfort while they were held in the cells below; a true believer of mercy and the teachings of the Red Lord. He is a tall, gaunt man with a haggard look, clearly distressed by the recent events and exhausted. Clad in his crimson robes, he clutches a small book tightly as he approaches the stand. The head sage, an elderly woman with piercing blue eyes, motions for silence as Brother Colin begins his testimony.
‘Brothers and sisters,’ Brother Colin starts, his voice shaking slightly, ‘I stand before you with a heavy heart. the Red Lord, our beacon of mercy, hope and redemption, has been taken from us, and the Sacred Red Candle, our most sacred artefact which is a symbol of his eternal light, has vanished from our temple in Felmoore.’
He pauses, glancing at the party with a mixture of sorrow and accusation in his eyes, looking towards the head sage as if confirming if he was to continue which she indicated with a nod.
‘On the night of the disappearance, I was on my usual rounds within the temple. All was quiet, as it should be. But then, a strange and unsettling presence filled the sanctuary. I hurried to the altar, only to find the sacred Red Candle missing. The temple doors were ajar, and footprints led towards the city gates. The divine magic we used to trace the culprits pointed directly to these individuals,’ he says, gesturing towards the party.
The crowd gasps, and the murmurs grow louder.
‘I have served the Red Lord all my life, lived his messages and his teachings with every moment and I know his presence well. That night, it was as if a great silence had descended upon me, upon all of us. The candle, given by the Red Lord himself to his murder when he was mortal as his last act of forgiveness and second chances,’ he paused as he suppressed a sob, ‘is irreplaceable. Its loss has weakened our connection to him, and our prayers have gone unanswered since. Even the highest in our order can not reach him and our prayers to divine his safety, whereabouts and to connect with him have all indicated he is dead.’
Brother Colin’s voice grows stronger with conviction. ‘I beseech the Council and the good people present, to understand the gravity of this crime. These individuals must answer for their actions, and justice must be served to honour The Red Lord’s memory. These murders are beyond redemption and beyond second chances. They deserve not a second chance or one of redemption but the kindest mercy we can give them, a swift execution.’
As Brother Colin steps down, the weight of his words hangs heavy in the air. The party are called to come to the stand and to present their case. The challenge is now to disprove Brother Colin’s testimony and begin unravelling the truth behind the framing and the disappearance of the Red Lord. The trial is just beginning, and their fate hinges on their ability to navigate this perilous path of justice and deception.
Thanks for joining me for another night here at my tabletop. Don’t forget that this is technically day three of Dice-ember so we have a long way to go before this adventure concludes! So don’t forget to come back daily so you don’t miss a thing and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe
Brazen Wolfe Tabletop 