london trial ♔ i guess i'll save the best for last

[mislabeled]

WHO ||Lydia, Sark, Francesca, Cora, Will, Sam, Lila, Carol, Rose, Sydney, Dean, Audrey, Grant [Closed]
WHAT || Audrey Petersen is tried for her involvement in the schemes of Nicholas St. Andrew
WHERE || London, England
WHEN || June 2017
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

They're calling it one of the trials of the year.  Some of the more hyperbolic tabloids have referred to it as the "trial of the decade" or even "of the new century".

Audrey Petersen, wealthy socialite and wife of Professor Grant Petersen, curator of the Knights' archives has been involved in an extended proceeding ever since the day that the Knights and the London police stopped Nicholas St. Andrew, a charismatic cult leader, from completing a dark occult ritual.  St. Andrew was killed in the assault, but Audrey was taken prisoner, her role in the business less black and white. She now stands trial for the crimes she allegedly committed with her former mentor.  The authorities are still uncertain as to whether Audrey was a willing accomplice or just another of St. Andrew's brainwashed cultist lackeys.  Her lawyers and the popular press have taken to painting her as a victim, but Wynn is hardly so sure.  Dozens of people, including prominent citizens have said they are willing to appear as character witnesses for her, and some have even been obliquely criticizing the work the authorities did in arresting her.  Many of the Knights who were involved in thwarting the Children of Chaos have been asked to come to the trial to provide more insight into the situation.  

Police chief Jared O'Keefe paces nervously outside the doors as they arrive, rubbing his mouth with one hand.  

"Oh good.  You made it.  Now, we've insisted on no cameras anywhere nearby - we want to preserve the sanctity of the Knights' secrecy as much as possible.  The attorneys have a ... bit of a history.  They've sparred in the courtroom many a time.  I believe the plan is to call you up on the stand in small groups."

Comments

dead of winter group

[likedillinger]

[ dean, sam, will, sark, cora, sydney, and francesca are called to answer questions about the final confrontation with nicholas st. andrew and audrey's subsequent arrest. questions are below: answer some or all! ]

prosecution question 1

[likedillinger]

[ "Were you among the agents who arrested the defendant? Can you describe the events surrounding her apprehension in your own words?" ]

[immuno]

When we found her, the defendant was unconscious. She was under the effects of a spell of some kind that induced a deep sleep, and she had been shackled in the sewers while St. Andrew completed some ritual.

[ Lydia shifts her gaze to Audrey Petersen, as if by sheer force of will, she would be able to see through her and figure out if she were telling the truth about this plea. After all, she'd never seen any of the accomplice-work firsthand; just the end result. ]

We averted the ritual, stopped St. Andrew, and took the defendant into custody. I've never spoken to her, personally.

[impetere]

We followed St. Andrew's trial from a murder scene. He was starting the ritual to be King of the World or whatever he was trying to do and your client was shackled to the wall. We stopped St. Andrew and then we brought her back to Captain O'Keefe for questioning.

prosecution question 2

[likedillinger]

[ "What was your understanding of the nature of the ritual being conducted by Nicholas St. Andrew?" ]

[immuno]

He said he wanted to attain the 'power of the dark gods.' The ritual in the sewer was the last in a series of rites to enhance his own magical ability, using the hearts of those he killed. St. Andrew recruited the Children of Chaos to help him sow the seeds of the ritual, but ultimately, he just wanted to bestow himself with godlike magical power. Classic cult leader.

[impetere]

That it was dangerous. It involved some ritual human sacrifices, which usually isn't attached to anything good, and he'd conjured a dire tiger to help him do it.

[superswank]

The idols contained an inscription, that spoke of feeding a Spirit through the rituals he was undertaking with them. Something filled with unholy power. I would think whatever he was doing was meant to tap into or contact that entity.

prosecution question 3

[likedillinger]

[ "What do you believe was Audrey Petersen's role in the St. Andrew's schemes?" ]

[certainproclivity]

[Sark keeps quiet for most of the questions, but this one he cuts in with significant confidence.]

I have more than enough reason to believe Audrey Peterson was of an equal partnership with Mr. St. Andrew up until the time of her... predicament, as it were.

[immuno]

Honestly, I've never spoken with her. I'd be the last person to know where she factors in to all of this.

[impetere]

[She gives a smalls shrug.]

Nothing that I can speak to personally, only what I was told by my colleagues.

defense question 1

[superswank]

[ "Isn't it true that the only time you saw the defendant and Mr. St. Andrew together, she was unconscious and chained to a wall in the sewer? Does that seem like an equitable 'partnership' between the two?" ]

[certainproclivity]

That is incorrect. [Sark smirks.] The first time I encountered Audrey Peterson, she was storming into St. Andrew's office after the attack on her home, claiming that their plan had failed and she'd be unable to discredit her husband.

[familybusiness]

I think that things between people go sour all the time, especially when those people aren't exactly on the up and up. Maybe once he got what he wanted, he didn't need her anymore? Maybe he didn't want her trying to take the results of the ritual for herself. There's a lot of reasons that we found her the way we did, and not all of them end with her being a victim.

[immuno]

Or the strategy of a guy who knew he'd get caught to ensure someone had an out to carry on his good work. You're asking me to speculate. Last I checked, that was the job of the jury.

[impetere]

Yes, she was, but partnerships don't have to be equal. People double cross each other all the time.

defense question 2

[superswank]

[ "Did Ms. Petersen seem to be in her right mind during your encounters with her?" ]

[certainproclivity]

Indeed. From the way I understood it, a great deal of the attack on her home seemed to be her idea.

[immuno]

She mostly seemed unconscious. But people have done crazier things to make themselves look innocent than BDSM and submitting to a sleeping spell.

[impetere]

[She shakes her head.]

I didn't really interact with her.

defense question 3

[superswank]

[ "Under what authority were you allowed to participate in this arrest?" ]

[familybusiness]

I carried her out of the building because we weren't just gonna leave her like that, but I didn't arrest her.

[immuno]

I'm sorry, who's the one on trial here?

[impetere]

We didn't arrest her? We just rescued her. And we were asked for our assistance from the London Police Department.