heliodor

[dramatispersonae]

You find yourself in a beautiful red room, the edges of each wall adorned with real gold accents. At the center of the room is a long table, several chairs on either side of it, perfect for very serious conferences. In the middle of the table is a plate of strawberry jam tarts atop it, one per teammate present.

In the corner of the room is a hole in the ground, only large enough for a small animal to fit through. Next to it is a flat iron bar, curled at its tip, where a golden bell has been hung from it.

Finally, on one wall is a large poster which reads (or you find read aloud to you, if you cannot read):

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked into a pie.
When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing.
Oh, isn't that a dainty dish to set before a King?

The King was in his counting house counting out his money,
The Queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey.
The Maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!

Comments

inquiries

[dramatispersonae]

[ring bell receive rabbit]

Re: inquiries

[oceansflower]

[rings the bell]

Hey, did the cook have any idea that it would make a slow-acting poison for the king? I know it says mistake, but I want to make sure!

Re: inquiries

[dramatispersonae]

[there is a few moments of nothing, then a little red rabbit, regally dressed, scurries out of the hole and holds out a piece of paper to you. in stubby little handwriting, it reads:

It was not public knowledge, but consequences are consequences.

the rabbit looks at you expectantly.]

Re: inquiries

[lifeistooshort]

[YANKS BELL]

Hey! Was the Cook a member of that terrorist organization? Or was the fact that he served blackbirds on Monday a complete coincidence?

And is it confirmed the blackbirds poisoned the King's meal?

Re: inquiries

[dramatispersonae]

[the little rabbit darts off and returns, same as before. he returns with another paper:

The Cook claims he was not.

The Blackbirds claim he was.

the rabbit looks at you expectantly.]

Re: inquiries

[wouldntkilladragon]

[Rings the bell.]

Is there any hint that the Cook might have been bribed before serving the King the blackbird?

Re: inquiries

[dramatispersonae]

[the little rabbit darts off and returns, same as before. he returns with another paper:

There is no proof, but considering that many of the servants in the Castle were convicted of being double agents, the likelihood of a monetary bribe during bad economic times is high.

the rabbit looks at you expectantly.]

Re: inquiries

[wouldntkilladragon]

[Another ring.]

How many people are in the Blackbirds?

Re: inquiries

[dramatispersonae]

[the little rabbit darts off and returns, same as before. he returns with another paper:

It is suspected to be in the thousands. But only several hundred were found in the Castle and Kingdom together.

the rabbit looks at you expectantly.]

first case

[dramatispersonae]

On the table you find a paper, though it most certainly wasn't there before. It reads, or is read to you:

DEFENDANT: the Cook
DETAILS: The Cook of the King who has been in his service for many years. He is more than aware of the King's specific food schedule, which requires blackbirds to be served on Thursday and doves to be served on Mondays, with the other days of the week serving different birds. However, the King recently instituted tax cuts, resulting in less income for the castle. He thus had to cut the pay of many people working in the castle, including the Cook. The servants report that the Cook began to take his duties less seriously in his irritation, and spitefully cooked the King blackbirds on Monday instead of doves. The mistake became the equivalent to slow-acting poison, and the King was found dead in the evening while he was sorting out the kingdom's financial issues.
PROPOSED SENTENCE: Execution

Re: first case

[lifeistooshort]

. . . why would someone die from eating blackbirds on the wrong day. . .

Re: first case

[wouldntkilladragon]

It seems odd they'd be more poisonous on Monday then on Thursday.

Re: first case

[ranoutofmemories]

I bet the cook must have felt awful.

Re: first case

[redblossoms]

Despicable.

verdict

[dramatispersonae]

[a gold-trimmed envelope, letter-writing paper, and a red ink pen on the table has been provided for you. the back of the envelope reads FIRST VERDICT.

you understand the letter must be sealed and left on the table when you finish writing your answer, but you can always open it again later. the resealing would just be noticeable.]

Re: verdict

[lifeistooshort]

The crime the Cook committed was an accident, but an accidental killing is still killing. Still, putting him to death in response to an accident is stupid. So we'll imprison him for life, so the King's people who are mad at him for what he did won't try to kill him.

That should be punishment enough for his crime.

second case

[dramatispersonae]

On the table you find another paper, though it most certainly wasn't there before. It reads, or is read to you:

DEFENDANT: The Blackbirds
DETAILS: A terrorist group which sought to overthrow the King, who they claimed was cruel and ignorant to his subject's needs, levying heavy taxes and ignoring the economy until very recently, when too many of his subjects had died of starvation. The Blackbirds interrogated confessed that blackbirds being served on Monday was meant to serve as a signal for the Blackbirds group to begin their wide-scale operation to begin a coup d'etat of the entire monarchy and radically change its political structure, evidently to something more democratic. Their scheme failed, but hundreds of lives were lost in the conflict at the castle.
PROPOSED SENTENCE: Execution

Re: second case

[lifeistooshort]

. . . wait! Was the Cook involved in that plot at all?!

Re: second case

[wouldntkilladragon]

...that's definitely more deliberate.

Re: second case

[oceansflower]

What?

Re: second case

[redblossoms]

[ UM!!! ]

Re: second case

[ranoutofmemories]

...

[what]

Re: second case

[wouldntkilladragon]

Okay! Guys, we need to determine one fact.

Do we think the Cook knew he was involved with a terrorist group or not?

We know the poisonous aspect was not public knowledge. We know he was irritated and spiteful. But was that enough for him to be involved in something that was definitely dangerous for people? Do we think he would have acted if he had known what he was doing?

Who thinks what of his character?

verdict

[dramatispersonae]

[a gold-trimmed envelope, letter-writing paper, and a red ink pen on the table has been provided for you. the back of the envelope reads SECOND VERDICT.

you understand the letter must be sealed and left on the table when you finish writing your answer.]

Re: verdict

[lifeistooshort]

Our verdict for the Cook stays the same.

We convict the Blackbirds to conspiracy and murder, and sentence them to lifetime imprisonment. But not any prisons within the kingdom. We send them away to other kingdoms, split them up so they can't reconvene and try to hurt anyone else ever again.