Imperium Session 13: And The Guard Shall, Above All, Defend The Public Good
General Summary
- A battle raged immediately after Morubash's surprise attack. Most of that fight, Morubash would wrestle a lion, Reynard would begin setting the captives free, Barry would perform radical acts of magic, and Sora was merciless with sword and spell. The Nox family was freed, but the Man In Black wasn't done yet. Eleven minions of the Shadowcats, including a hulking Ogrekin, joined the fight. As the party focused on the Man In Black, Captain Gerin held the line himself, nearly being killed but taking out the half-ogre and almost all the others besides. When their own fight was over, the party rushed to his rescue, and together, they won the day.
- The family took a lot of time to just hug and make sure of safety and generally process what the hell just happened. The little boy, Jerrik Nox, revealed a hidden box he had seen Samael stash away and offered to read the party's future at some point. Nox and the Captain then reiterated that someone was going to get in trouble for all of this, and it would likely be the detective. In moments, a patrol of the Magical Accidents division burst into the warehouse, and then we fade to black.
Of Laws and Losses
- It took a full twelve days for the trial and punishments to play out. During this time, Nox, Samael, Hill, the party and the Captain were relieved of duty temporarily. Lt. Grimes (ghostly head of IA) was put in as replacement Captain, and members of IA from each of the city's districts were gathered for the investigation. In preparation, conversations were had. Lemon bartered with Vari Mildbluff, trading a favor for a future favor. Barry had a word with Dave Nilganti from The Nook. Morubash reviewed all he knew of the law.
- The trial was hell. First, the lesser crimes committed by members of not the Watch.
Crimes and Sentencing: Supporting Cast
- Alicel and the Brothers Lasagna were found guilty of Criminal Behavior At The Behest Of An Officer Of The Law Who Did Not Have Permission To Order Such Things. Since the court believed that they were in fact undercover agents of Gerin's, they were allowed to join the watch and sentenced to Community Service, with their wages as training officers cut in half until the debt to society was paid (indefinitely, essentially). Additionally, Alicel was found guilty of Operating A Gambling Operation Without The Appropriate Licensing and Participation In An Organized Street Gang Larger Than Six Members and sentenced to pay a Fine To The Crown, which she agreed to pay in the form of new swords and spearheads from her forge, if the court would agree to give her her property back. They did, in exchange for twice the amount of weapons.
- Bex, who had been tracked down by a bounty hunter, was made to testify about the Shadowcats in general. They were charged with Failure To Appear At Court When Summoned By The Imperial Judge, they pleaded guilty, and they were sentenced to Civil Service For Public Betterment Under A Master Craftsman, and evidently that was Gerin's idea. Bex's assigned master was Alicel, to the relief of them both.
- Nadia Chance, the Shadowcat Second, was found guilty of extortion, racketeering, Coercing Crime Through Violence, murder, theft... a grand total of sixty separate charges. She was sentenced to Life In Prison Without Hope Of Release.
- Bugsy LeLore was the same as the above, save that he had gained the additional charge of Distributing Hallucinogenic Substances With Intent To Cause Mayhem Without Success. In addition to his life sentence, he was punished with Fifteen Lashes With The Whip And No Mercy.
- Mr. Horace Falcon was the same as Nadia, save that he had gained the additional charge of Impersonating Nobility By Pretending To A Nonexistent Title So As To Profit By It, and in addition to his life sentence was punished as well with Removal Of The Tongue By Hot Tongs And No Mercy.
- The Warlock was charged with General Mischief, Theft Of Items Costing More Than 11,000 Imperial Dragets, Misuse of Magic, Murder, and Consorting With Dark Powers. He was sentenced to Life In Prison Unless Judged To Have Changed His Ways as well as Banned From Practicing Magic Of Any Sort Against Penalty Of Death By Wizard.
- Jack Alwere was charged with Misuse Of Druidic Powers, Failure To Register As A Magical Creature Pretending To Be Human, Willful Theft Of Items Known To Be Stolen, Aiding In Corruption Of An Officer Of The Law, and General Mischief. He was sentenced to Banishment From The Realms Of Evermore And Associated Nations Against Penalty Of Death By Experimentation.
- Alyx "Sweet Dreams" Smoak was charged with General And Assorted Violence Too Numerous To List In A Reasonable Amount Of Time and Intimidation Of An Officer Of The Law Via Misuse Of Public Property. She was found to not understand the concept of laws and was sentenced to Life Imprisonment Unless Judged To Have Learned How To Function As A Normal Person And Agreement To Lifetime Community Service.
Crimes And Sentencing: Main Cast
- Detective Morgana Nox was the first dealt with in the trial. While the Captain insisted that she had only helped out the criminals on his orders, the court found that her allowing the blackmailing bit during the "deep cover" constituted Negligent Risk Of Coercing An Officer Of The Law To A Criminal Act, since according to Imperial Law, no person could be reasonably expected to behave rationally when their close family is in danger. Detective Nox was immediately dismissed her position and banned from ever again holding an office of public trust. Hereby referred to as Mrs. Morgana Nox. Mrs. Nox was given a pension equivalent to one year's pay and charged to attain steady employment by year's end. No one in the courtroom could say if she was angry or relieved.
- Detective Guy Hill was charged with a multitude of things. Specifically pertaining to the case, he had been found on Conspiracy To Weaken The Watch, Willful Theft Of Items Known To Be Stolen, Unlawful Use Of Authority, and Homicide To Conceal A Criminal Act. Hill was sentenced, as all such officers are, to Transportation To Seal Bay Colony With No Hope Of Escape Against Penalty Of Removal Of Personality.
- Captain Gerin was brought up on several charges, sort of. See, the court had charges of Murder, Unauthorized Violence, Unlawful Imprisonment, Stalking, Off-Duty Execution Of Power, etc. The Captain insisted on taking the blame for these, but the party had talked to some folk beforehand, remember? Vari Mildbluff testified with doctored documents that the house the party was renting (and running an INCREDIBLY ILLEGAL blacksite out of) in fact always had a basement dungeon, and the party had rented it for that reason, and it was for safety reasons (even taking a minute to soft campaign for werewolf rights). Her false papers helped convince the court that in fact, Alicel and the Brothers Lasagna and even The Warlock were being held of their own volition in cooperation with the (admittedly unauthorized but not inherently illegal wink wink nudge nudge) sting. Dave and Coriander Nilgante made the absolutely batshit, bold as hell claim that the gangsters the party had killed in their establishment had in fact been a case of castle doctrine. You see, the party had given them money (for coffee) and had spent the night in their establishment at some point, therefore they were technically tenants and they technically lived there, and therefore were in their rights to defend The Nook with lethal force. Morubash himself explained that any fights they had been in off-duty were cases of mutual combat and as such not Unauthorized Violence- this claim backed up by Alicel as well as numerous Shadowcat gangsters who used the opportunity to scratch that particular charge off their records. Not Guilty, all counts. While this was true publicly... you'll see.
- Finally, the trial of Lt. Samael. It came to light that the man had lied extensively. He was over 2,000 years old, an Elvish noble using the Shadowcats to enact an elaborate revenge plot against the Empire. He had killed the original Man In Black and took his identity- eventually causing him confusion in his motives, which ultimately led to his downfall. Guilty on all charges (numerous) but especially the big one. Treason. See, even though he was not technically an Imperial citizen, he had been paying taxes with his false identity for more than 400 years. Since the Confederacy could not claim him (that organization being founded after his birth, and him never having gone there), he was not a spy. Treason. Sentenced to hang by the neck until dead.
- The trial culminated in the hanging, an extremely public and gossiped-over event. Most criminals do not get an execution in Triumph. The last act of the Man In Black was to give Reynard a nod of respect, just as the Halfling had done upon first seeing the shadowy adversary. The lever was pulled, the rope went taught, and the leader of the last free gang in all Triumph was dead.
Consequences
- After the hanging, the party got to go back to work than the next day. After checking in, they were immediately called into the Captain's office.
- Acting Captain Grimes (The ghost cop) was waiting for them with her Oread assistant, and Gerin was sitting down across from her desk. Grimes thanked the party for their work, lamented that the court had failed to acknowledge their success, and gave them their official punishment. See, it was all politics. The Captain- that is, Gerin- had been stropped of his rank and demoted back down to Sergeant. The party would be tasked with building an entirely new department in North Ward, a chore of paperwork and planning and a lack of action. Themselves and Gerin, together with political casualties from four other districts, would create the Special Investigations Division, a task force charged with investigating crimes no one else could solve or might become 'too interesting' or otherwise no one wanted to touch. They would have free range in the five districts, not required to ask permission beforehand (but fill paperwork out afterwards). It is important to note that I failed to mention in session that 'too interesting' is polite code for 'pursuing this course of action is likely to piss off important people and get you in political trouble so we're shoving it on you instead of risking an officer without a mark on their record'. Also, there's a pay rise.
A Year And A Day
- Morubash threw himself into work, both on the force slaying monsters and doing odd tasks around town. It became common knowledge among the laborers of North Ward that if you have spare coin and something that needs lifting, there's a certain cop that'll be glad to do the job. He often made excuses to spend time with Alicel both in and out of the office, and she would do the same, but as of yet neither one has actually realized it. Morubash's work led to too much money to carry around with him, so he commissioned Vari to build him a secret stash in his bedroom.
- Sora's experiences changed him a little bit. He is still committed to doing the right thing, but only as he sees it, and discovered a thrill in combat. He began to hone his skills in the arena, and has begun to build a reputation in North Ward as a dangerous spellblade. His duck, Donald, is very pleased with this turn of events. Donald sometimes leaves the house on his own now, and it was discovered that he had sired a horde of distressingly intelligent and malicious ducklings at the pond across the street from the precinct.
- Barry made quite a name for himself as a bard over the year. He made a point to visit as many taverns as possible, and in North Ward at least he's played at them all and become somewhat of a local legend. His patronage has really helped out The Nook, and Barry invested in it's growth. With all of that, a second location was opened up in The Greens and Barry has started making real money!
- Reynard spent the year keeping up with his numerous contacts and new friends. Every week he meets with the Nox family, and frequently shares a meal with the Gerins. He convinced GekKoah to help him out with his experiments, eventually leading the big lizard man in a breakthrough that allowed him to use true alchemy. He is the first person to not be hated by Lt. Chu after a gift of a frog plush. He even managed to get Alicel and Bex to stop being so belligerent towards him with frequent trips to Fiery Dan's Fiery Flans. He also tried really hard to teach Morubash how to read, and spent his limited free time solving little mysteries in the neighborhood, including the Case of the Last Cookie and The Missing Cat.
North Ward In Miniature
- Sergeant Gerin was at first very resentful of the situation of his demotion, but quickly realized that he had gotten bored working in management. He reveled in being back on the streets again, and loved the challenge of organizing a brand new division. Most importantly, without politics to worry about he could finally reveal his marriage to the Attinae priestess. Together, Gerin and Juniper would make many public appearances at formal events and social gatherings of the Watch much to the surprise of many who had known him a long time with no idea. Gerin now works less hours than he had before, and the two finally moved into a relatively small (but well-fortified) house on the same street as the Temple of Pain. Gerin currently spends his days off fishing, sometimes inviting friends along to show off his brand new tacklebox of holding.
- As for Juniper Gerin, she still runs services and sacrifices at the pain temple, no longer giving a damn what her underlings think about her marriage to an officer of the Watch. She and Chompers now have a bit of an understanding, and over a friendly dinner Reynard might have even seen her smile once or twice.
- Alicel gladly spent the year training to be a Watchman. She and Bex reunited, and mother and child are rarely seen apart. As part of her penance, Alicel continued to work her forge in the hours she was not doing policework. She was able to move back into her home and decided to take the Dukgrogs in as tenants rather than kick them out. As noted above, she spent a lot of time visiting Morubash and eating with Reynard. When Alicel is doing police stuff, Bex runs the forge by themselves, and has made some good money for the business now that they make actual needed materials instead of running a fighting ring out of the basement.
- As for the Brothers Lasagna, they ended up fitting right in with the other new recruits, and with Morubash as their inspiration ended up becoming model cops on accident. Their mother was overjoyed to learn that not only were they not dead but now honestly employed, and now Mama Lasagna is a regular at the precinct, dropping off baked goods for the officers and asking anyone vaguely young and single looking about her boys. The brothers sometimes bring whole cooked meals to the party's house on behalf of Mama, who apparently believes the boys were staying safe in some kind of luxury prison they were running.
- Now free of her day job, Morgana Nox assumed full control of the Rotting Ruckus, allowing her wife Eldi to go back to scholarly pursuits full time. Whenever convenient, the ladies Nox have members of the party or Gerin over for drinks. Morgana has informed Reynard, quite proudly, that the children have been obsessed with playing investigator (especially little Elsie, who wants to grow up to be a 'professor wizard officer princess' one day). The boy, Jerrik, has not yet given Morubash his promise of a fortune telling but has not forgotten the offer. Once or twice, Morgana has been called into the precinct to work as a consultant on a necromancy case.
- Nadia, Falcon, and Bugsy quietly disappeared from prison. An investigation revealed that they had, in fact, been killed by agents of the Iron Shadow thieves' guild, who sent very quiet word that they were grateful for shutting down the rogue gang, but matters 'in house' had to be settled.
- Acting Captain Grimes made sure that matters were resolved quickly and efficiently. New policies have been put in place and the windows have been moved. There is talk that she is to be promoted to Captain once again, but the politics of the Empire are ancient and slow, and there is no precedent for naming a ghost to an important position. She doesn't even want the job anyway, but will likely be forced to keep it while the city takes it's sweet sweet time getting a replacement.
- Officer Gek'Koah was genuinely shocked to learn that all of this had happened. He had only heard rumors and was even investigating his wife Paulina on suspicion of owl-related activity. The man finally managed a bit of magic in the form of alchemy with the help of Reynard, and the couple's egg is due to hatch any day now. For the record, Paulina's owl egg business is popping off.
- Lt. Chu still works the payroll desk and still despises it and everyone even remotely involved with the department. Except Reynard. He's tolerable. She remains a mystery.
- Dave and Coriander continue to run the Nook. While they've made no progress on Cori's rare disease, they are rolling in funding thanks to Barry's regular patronage and investment. Dave even opened up a new franchise location!
Report Date
15 Jan 2023
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