Sceptremass IV The Trial of the Bat

Afternoon of the 2nd Kinsday of Petals - The Great Hall

Referee

There is a tense murmur among the courtiers and Knights in the Great Hall. Guards are positioned between them and the tables of the houses and along the carpet leading to the throne. A light drizzle falls on those of lower status who have to be content with peaking over the helmets of the guards at the gate.

Anastaz ist sitting next to Lady Margaret at the table on one side of the King the rest of the Court on the other. You hear the bellowing laughter of Sir Adalbert at the Szalai table who has pulled a servant on his lap and demands more wine before he will release the hostage. Lady Zdenka and Sir Dragan are standing at their table shielding Lady Dagmar from view. Perilake, Lady Inga has invited you to sit with house Kranach. Have you taken her up on the offer or do you stand with the Knights and Courtiers?

There is a commotion outside and you hear shouts and screams of fear. You smell burned skin as guards rush in dragging massive chains behind them. The light from outside is suddenly blocked by a dark towering figure struggling against the chains. Upon seeing the Bat there is a collective gasp of shock and one of the courtiers even faints. Other guards poke the creature with their torches which hisses in pain and anger. Eventually the creature is held down before the throne and Lady Margaret rises: "The foul winged beast you see with your own eyed has terrorized the North for too long, spoiling crop and feasting on our livestock. But brave hunters from Waldochia came over the mountains and caught the monster redhanded. Do we need any more proof of its viciousness?"

The Waldochian hunters earn admiring glances but over the shouts of approval Heldris can be heard yelling from the gate. ”Wait! You're making a mistake, the creature is innocent!”

Heldris The Dove Knight

All eyes drawn on him, Heldris stands in the middle of the Great Hall, droplets of rain falling from the fringes of his flowery tunic. "My name is Sir Heldris the Dove Knight, of the Company of the Black Fleece. I and my fellow knights have met this creature while investigating strange happenings in the region. We too thought it responsible, and we too were prepared to slay it. But our heart saw past its terrifying features: we saw an old marvel of our lands that not only isn’t responsible for what troubles the northern hills, but might very well be able to help us. Have you all forgotten the stories of your grandfathers? When they caught the ugly Polevik that hunted the fields, and cut off its head to ensure a bountiful harvest… oh, how brave they felt, until they realised that worse horrors were stalking the tall grass, and without the ugly Polevik no scarecrow could ever stop those. All crops were lost, and famine plagued the land.” Heldris pauses for a few seconds, to catch his breath. He feels all eyes upon him, a mix of wonder, of scepticism, of annoyance, and hope. He raises his iron hand, “Already the Black Fleece have proved its worth to the realm. Let us pursue this mystery further, and bring to you the real culprit.”

Spoil the Loaf, taint the Wine - The Bat

Ser Perilake The Gilded Knight

Perilake sits with House Kranach, by Lady Inga's side. His eyes scan the crowd for his squire, who he has not seen since the shameful deeds of last night.  

Referee

Bianca pretends to not see Lady Inga squeezing your hand under the table. The Iron Knight is dressed in a fancy white uniform with the golden crest of Key and Crane on her right chest, sitting upright and attentively following the exchange between Heldris and the Sheriff. Sir Dragan dismissively harrumphs when the Dove Knight makes his case. You can't see young Zoltan among the nobles.

Referee

A moment of stunned silence and then the hall erupts in shouts of protest: "Don't listen to him!", "Ridiculous!", "Burn the beast" until Sir Vladislav repeatedly pounds his tankard on the table and shouts "Silence!" with his booming voice. Lady Margaret steps forward and declares with a slightly annoyed side glance: "I call upon the distinguished hunter Radlev to give witness to the Court so that any remaining doubts can be cleared up.” The guards repeat the name until after some time he appears and is let through. He describes how the hunters questioned the fine folk of Swinjo and the sheep herders in the mountain who all confirmed the crimes of the Bat. He describes how they finally tracked down the Bat in a cave. Lady Margaret nods and looks at you invitingly as if with the hunter's statement the culpability of the beast had been ultimately proven.

Heldris The Dove Knight

Heldris listens attentively to the hunter’s account. “Yes, we’ve met before. You traced our steps on the northern hills, but our methods differ. We sought the wisdom of the Entombed Seer who dwells in the region. They told us that the creature feasted on sweet fruit, not cattle, and predicted that we would have judged it before the King, and here we are. But you’ve spoken to the folk we live on the hills, haven’t you noticed the ghosts that haunt their minds? They force themselves on a meal of live worms, in the delusion of repelling bad luck. Something is amiss there, but is not the creature you’re so eager to slay, a natural dweller of the hills.” The Dove Knight weighs his next words, unsure whether to push his luck on the delicate matter of diplomacy, and yet: “When we camped with you, after meeting the bat, you were so eager to tell us about the contested land between Waldochia and Barowia. Why were you hunting south of your land? And what would your land gain from you killing this creature and delivering it to the court of Barowia?”

Referee

A hushed murmur of voices from the crowd fills the hall and Anastaz hears the King cursing under his breath. Radlev looks confused for a second. When you mention the Entombed Seer he touches his forehead in a gesture of reverence. “... of course the wisdom of the Seers … has to be respected … “ he stutters. “... but I really don't know what the lands between … “ “Enough!” The King's sonorous voice cuts Radlev off who pulls down his fur headdress and turns it nervously in his hands. “We have heard enough! Sheriff, deliver you final plea before the Dove Knight will conclude the trial of The Bat!” Radlev bows and slinks back into the crowd while the Sheriff gathers herself.

Lady Margaret points at the chained creature: “The most honourable Sir Heldris – who arrived late and in a state of much abstraction – has reminded us of the Polevik, a vicious beast whose guilt was never in doubt. Should its ugliness count against it?” She pauses, wrinkling her nose in disgust.”I let you decide. But more importantly should the fact that it also had beneficial qualities – scaring away birds from the crops – be regarded as a justification for its sins? Spreading diseases, leading wanderers to their death? ” She shakes her head. “No! It shall be judged purely on the gravity of its crime and its crimes are grave indeed. The Bat is as guilty as the Polevik and it shall be punished at the stake! ”She bows before the King with a smile apparently very pleased with herself.

Anastaz The Salt Knight

The silence is punctured by the sound of Anastaz clearing his throat. "When our Company encountered the Bat during our travels last season, it was able to speak to us in our own language. Perhaps the creature should speak for itself."

Referee

“Impossible!”, “Let it speak!”, “Hide the Children!”, “Preposterous!”, “Cover your ears!” While Sir Vladimir struggles to calm down the audience the King gestures for the Sheriff and Heldris to step forward. “Margaret, is there a precedence for a beast to defend itself?” The Sheriff pauses for a moment before replying. "I am not as versed as Sir Heldris in these old rulings but if I recall correctly the Polevik was muzzled during his trial, which was criticized later by scholars. It was ordered that even 'Wyrm and Wyvern' shall be given a last word but not more.” The King massages his right hand with a pained face. “So be it. Dove Knight, deliver your speech. The beast will have its say afterwards and then ...”He looks over to Anastaz and sighs, “... then the other trial begins.” Eventually the shouts from the crowd die down and are replaced by an expectant silence.

Ser Perilake, when you look around you see a couple of kids from the kitchen who have sneaked onto the balcony. The place had been cordoned off by guards. Among them is Zoltan hiding behind a suit of armour.

Heldris The Dove Knight

At the mention of the Polevik's guilt, Heldris starts mumbling something between an excuse and an apology. But as soon as Anastaz suggests letting the creature speak, and hearing how the scholars disapproved that the Polevik wasn’t allowed to, he recovers some of his previous nerve and addresses the king: “Noble King Andrasz, by right you rule this land of Barowia,” he pauses, observing the crowd’s reaction, “and every creature, be human or beast, is your subject. And yes, every subject has a duty to their King, but the greatest burden of all is his, as he is the hand that punishes as well as the hand that protects. And the duty of protecting every creature, every soul, of this land, is not a weightless one.” The Dove Knight pauses, letting the logic of his convoluted sentences sink in. “And yet your wisdom today demonstrates your righteousness: you gave this creature, albeit ugly still your subject, the right of a just trial and even the opportunity to speak. And I believe it’ll be enough. So no more I’ll add today, besides a thought…” He scans the crowd, slowly, before addressing the king again. “Do you kill the ugly cat when it chases the mice away? Do you kill the nightly bat when it eats the gnats that bite you? Your knights are your right arm, trust them to do the right thing. And you…” He turns to the crowd, a wolfish look sparkling in his eye, ”wouldn’t you trust your King’s arm to be just?”  

Lady Margaret of Szalai, Sheriff of Barow

Referee

The crowd reacts subdued: there are some puzzled looks from the nobles and whispers among the more senior Courtiers. Into the confusion the Sheriff announces: “As is its right the accused will be granted the right to a final statement.” She grabs a pike from one of the guards and prods the creature with it. “Speak!” The Bat trembles and forces its broken body forward as much as the chains allow. It hisses weakly: “I chhave not done hwhat huu shay I cchave. Lett mee beee!” but its words are only heard by few and those who hear them look away in disgust.

The King rises and the nobles of the great houses rise with him. “I'll thank the Knight of the Black Fleece for his service to the Realm. He reminded us all of the exemplary role a true Knight plays as the sword and shield of those they protect. Without honour and compassion a Knight cannot be respected and the Dove Knight showed both.” Andrasz walks slowly over to the Bat. ”We heard the account of brave hunters from the West who followed the beast. Did they rush to a conclusion and slew the beast? No! Although no Knights, they questioned our Vassals. They gathered evidence. They brought the creature before our throne to be judged. And judged it will be: Its crimes have been proven beyond doubt and for their severity there can be only one punishment. Tomorrow it will be chained to the stake and burned to death!“ The crowd cheers wildly and the King returns to his throne as the Bat is dragged away. The Sheriff steps forward: “We will now hear the case of Sir Anastaz the Salt Knight versus Lady Bianca the Iron Knight.“ All eyes turn to Sir Anastaz.