Joan-Pau attends, less to watch the trial than to watch the crowd. He wants to know just what he mood in the city is, right now.

Her Majesty’s prosecutor is Eliad Comez-Xarra, a well-regarded attorney of infernal Cheliax with the remarkable good fortune to irritate someone and be awaiting his own execution for it when the four days’s war happened. As an enemy of the old state he realized at once he was well positioned to be the best of friends of the new one, and that with Citadel Rivad in ruins there would be a great deal of important work collecting evidence against heretics, diabolists, demoniacs, and anyone else you liked, and rising unimpeachably in the much-thinned ranks with each set of convictions. Her Majesty has made it clear she wants rigorous honest work and will occasionally truth-spell him about it, which is fine, and Her courts are laughably lenient but still do generally dispose of the enemies of the state once you’ve proven they are that. 

He gets an opening statement. 

“Honored Magistrate. Two days have passed since the Abyss came to Westcrown. Law-abiding subjects of her majesty were butchered in the streets and in their homes; anarchy reined, and the whole city would have burned if not for the intervention of the Queen in her own person, and the archmages, and the gods themselves. And who invited this horror on our city? This man, and those who authored treason alongside him.

This court has passed sentence on the worst butchers of Baphomet and of Lamashtu and of other wicked names too terrible to speak here, but usually they are caught after their first murder, or their tenth. But conspiring with other enemies of Good, of Law, and of the Queen, extending and magnifying other evils wherever he saw them, this butcher and madman managed two hundred and forty two deaths before our investigators identified him as among the chief conspirators in the treason and madness which overtook our city. When a man with poison words stirs others to murder, he is as guilty as they of the blood they spill; such is the wise decree of our Queen, and of the Good and Just gods, in whose name we must see this traitor brought swiftly to justice.

After a thorough investigation he has been charged with one Murder, of a man he denounced by name with the aim that the mobs should slaughter him, and two hundred forty one wrongful deaths, of every other person who died in the Anarchy he instigated. It is our duty to demonstrate before this court that his poisonous words called for murder, and that murder followed, and that is sufficient. But in the interests of a full telling of this depraved and wicked mind, we have prepared also proof for the court that for weeks he had been aiming to bring this about; that he knew the law forbade this, and defied the law and betrayed the Queen knowingly and deliberately; and indeed that he intended more deaths than came to pass. Today we will demonstrate his indisputable guilt in each of these matters, that this Honored Court may see justice done, the Queen's laws upheld, and peace restored to our fair city."

Bernat Vidal-Espinosa is in theory entitled to an advocate. He is not, however, entitled to an advocate at the state’s expense, nor does he have many assets remaining to his name. Not that it would make much of a difference if he did. He may not have denounced lawyers, per se, in his final issue, but he’d railed against them before, and few professions seemed more diabolist to the mobs of Westcrown. The city’s barristers are no friends to the Friend of the True People. He has no advocate but himself.

"My fellow citizens," he says. His voice is thin and soft, and his gaze is locked on the paper in front of him rather than looking out at either the crowd he's nominally addressing, or the judge he's supposed to be addressing.

"I will not plead that I have broken no laws, nor that I have not defied the queen. I will not argue for my own acquittal, for I know the ending of this play has been written already, and I cannot change it by any action of my own. I say, rather, that while I have broken the law I have done no evil, for it is the law itself that is unjust. A law that shields the wicked from the vengeance of their victims is an evil law. A law that silences free citizens calling for the defense of the nation is a tyrant's law. If the new queen is determined to protect nobles and diabolists and hellspawn from the Chelish People, then she is a queen of nobles and diabolists and hellspawn only; The People will do without. I know that I will not survive the week. I will not degrade myself or waste your time by pretending to be an obedient subject. I ask only that when I am gone to Heaven my fellow citizens will continue to fight to defend their freedoms, and to cast off the last of the shackles that have been laid upon them."

...With his opening statement finished, Vidal-Espinosa remembers to look up at the crowd of citizens he's trying to inspire. He flushes, slightly, under the weight of all those eyes, and sits back down.

Damn, he can barely hear the words from where he's standing!

lieslieslies you can tell because he's in chains and there's a betting market on how he'll diediediediedie -

Eulàlia's had a few days. She can get a grip on herself, and keep her expression amused and inscrutable rather than scaredscaredscared. Her Majesty wants this show, which can only be because it isn't actually threatening. 

Howdarehehowdarehehowdarehe

If he were actually worth the water it would take to spit on he wouldn’t include tieflings in that list.

This is an extended disguise self kind of day. A generic dockworker, near indistinguishable from any other, shows up a bit late to the proceedings. 

This is honestly almost as depressing as watching people be impaled. She doesn't suppose she'd do any better, even if the speech is in fact his own and they haven't half-paralyzed him with magic beforehand, but gods.

So, in essence, the defense of the accused is... to not have one. A bold strategy, if nothing else. She supposes a proper defensive argument would be just as likely to fail as this, and this way probably means the whole thing will be over faster. She is fine with this.

Voshrelka is pretty sure that even her fellow birds are socially and morally aware enough to agree: this guy is not going to Heaven.

How dare he sit here and talk about justice and rightful vengeance when he was twisting Valia's words up to call for the deaths of innocent people. 

This would be more exciting if they were using the magic that makes your voice loud, just saying.

That guy looks small. He won’t last long in the gladiator combat part. (Iker bet a gold on ‘release hungry manticores halfway through his speech’ as soon as he saw the venue, why else would they pick this place?)

Prosecutor opening remarks - summarizes charges (1 murder 241 wrongful death); desires to prove lawbreaking was knowing
Defendant remarks - declines to defend actions as legal or accidental - opposes content of law - more incitement

If he’s openly admitting his guilt, seeing how the case is prosecuted won’t be as informative.  

Of course, there is the question of if this is even a real confession.  They might have him dominated and are using the pose of unrepentant self righteous martyr to justify an open confession.

One thing seems obvious, this trial is one of the ones done sooner because it is so clear cut (whether by deceptive usage of magic or because it is genuinely an idiot martyr).  Are they using a clear cut case to establish a scapegoat early on to make leniency in the other trials more palatable?  Or the opposite… set precedents and framings here they can apply to more ambiguous cases to convict and punish them?

Xarra has had success in the last year with asking the judge to revoke the defendant's privilege to speak, save to answer ‘yes' or ‘no' to questions, when the defendant insists on using his speeches to commit more of the precise crime for which he stands condemned. It's undignified, permitting it. But he's looking ahead; this trial is a straightforward one, but next will be Wain, who is (inexplicably) still a cleric of Iomedae and a harder target, and the more this idiot goes on the easier he makes the conviction of his co-conspirators. He nods gravely, and stands again. "The Crown will now introduce evidence of the defendant's guilt. I had intended to spend this next hour establishing that the defendant intended to break the law and intended the violence that resulted, but he has spoken to make that matter clear. We can proceed, then, to establishing that the defendant is correct: he did break the law. 

Incitement to violence is prohibited in Cheliax. It was prohibited in the decrees promulgated immediately after the loathsome and vile Thrunes fled this country on Her Majesty's righteous return. In response to a rash of pamphlets inciting violence against the people of Westcrown, Her Majesty issued a further decree on the 29th of Desnus - just seven days ago - to specifically and additionally prohibit the making and sharing of lists of purported evildoers in a manner that suggests them as targets of violence. I present before this honored court those initial decrees, this further decree, and a pamphlet written by the defendant on the 3rd Sarenite.

The pamphlet written by the defendant on the 3rd Sarenite was precisely the sort of evil murder-mongering that the Queen's recent decree prohibits. It listed two specific individuals denounced by one Valia Wain on the floor of the convention: an Aspex Ibarra, of Westcrown, and the Archduke Blanxart, Duke of Rikkan, Archduke of the Heartlands. The defendant's pamphlet accused Ibarra of the worship of Norgorber and of burning children alive in their homes, and the Archduke of knowing this and standing in defense of him.

On the publication of the pamphlet, a mob pursued Archduke Blanxart, and killed him, and several dozen other innocent people along with him, by burning down the mansion at which he was visiting for dinner. A mob also pursued Delegate Ibarra, but was thankfully unable to murder him as they had been directed to do.

One might say, in this defendant's defense, that these denunciations were made and put to paper by Wain, not by him, and that perhaps his guilt is mitigated in repeating the denunciations spoken by other traitors. But he followed Wain's words with his own, and they were these: "If Julien Élie Camille Cotonnet will stand aside and deny us the justice we desire, we can borrow his example and take it for ourselves. We do not have gallows enough for every puppet of Hell? So be it. We shall hang them from the lamp-posts.

Go forth, people of Westcrown, citizens of Cheliax. Cut down every servant of the devil. Hack every tiefling limb from limb. Purge the hall of the convention of each evildoer within. Burn the mansions and torture gardens of the nobility, and send every master who lurks there to the Hell that they serve. 

In this he goes even farther than his revolutionary bedfellows; where they called for the death of Evil nobles and those whose crimes were forgiven in the amnesty - a crime enough - he exhorted the people of Cheliax to kill every tiefling. I have consulted learned men in this matter and been told that there are more than two hundred thousand such in Cheliax, many of them with no outward appearance of it, many of them devoted and loyal subjects of Her Majesty. The Law defends every one of Her Majesty's subjects, and to call for the murder of any of them - any of them - is a crime against Heaven and against the Queen. 

Finally, I introduce the records of the Church of Pharasma who in collaboration with the Crown found, cared for, and buried the dead of this event. Twenty three people who were tieflings, or were mistaken for them, were indeed murdered by the mob that the defendant incited. Likewise were ten other delegates of the convention, guests of Her Majesty. And nearly one hundred people died in the burning of mansions of the nobility, despite the fact that nearly every single such mansion has changed ownership since Her Majesty took power. There may be more among the dead, not yet counted, presumed fled when in truth they were slaughtered; but we judged it unwise, to delay justice for this man's crimes merely because they were so enormous that it will take time to fully count them, and so we charge only the two hundred forty two deaths already established to have occurred in the riots this man called for.

Under Her Majesty's decree of the 29th of Desnus, this pamphlet makes the defendant as guilty of the murder of those he named as if he had beaten them to death with his own hands, and makes him also guilty of the wrongful death of every person who participated in the riots that he called for. For any one of these crimes Justice and Law demand that he be put to death."

"At this time Her Majesty's prosecution calls its first witness, the Guard-Captain Raimon Cervantes, who conducted interrogations of members of the treasonous mob after they were arrested for the murders that they committed. Guard-Captain."

"Honored Magister. Honored Prosecutor."

       "Do you swear before the gods of Good and Law, and before this court, and before your Queen, that every word of your testimony is true, and that your integrity as a man of the law may be verified by magic, should any call it into question?"

"I do."

       "Did you since the night of the 3rd Sarenith speak to persons apprehended for murder, rape, robbery, arson, looting, and other criminal activity on that night in this city?"

"I did."

       "Tell me about your conversation with Icas Aunet, executed yesterday for murder and arson."

"He told me that the city was full of diabolists and any man who stood up to fight them would go to Heaven. And he figured his neighbor for a diabolist. So he went out and stormed his neighbor's house and beat the man to death in front of his family, and then set the house afire, and then fled. But his neighbor's wife saw his face, so we got him."

        "Why did he believe that the city was full of diabolists and any man who stood up to fight them would go to Heaven?"

"He read a pamphlet that said it."

       "Is this the pamphet? 'Go forth, people of Westcrown, citizens of Cheliax. Cut down every servant of the devil. Hack every tiefling limb from limb. Purge the hall of the convention of each evildoer within. Burn the mansions and torture gardens of the nobility, and send every master who lurks there to the Hell that they serve. Citizens of Westcrown, we will prevail. The blades and conjured hellfire of the devils' servants cannot overcome our righteous wrath, cannot stand against our will to liberation. Each man who dies in driving out the diabolists dies a martyr. For him the summerlands. For him eternal bliss. For the enemies of Liberty, the torments of Hell. Send them swiftly to that fate."

"That's the one. I showed it to him during questioning and he said yes, that one."

       "You are a senior and distinguished man with much knowledge of the criminal mind. In your judgment, did this pamphlet encourage those criminals you apprehended in their crimes."

"Certainly it did, sir. Lotta them had read it, lotta them had heard it, or heard the things it's claiming. Lotta them were following after other men who'd read or heard it."

        "Have you read the pamphlet, Guard-Captain?"

"Yes, sir, as it was necessary for my duties."

        "Does it call for Her Majesty's subjects to murder one another?"

"Yes, sir, it obviously does."

         "Were Her Majesty's subjects murdered as a direct result?"

"Just as certain as Hell follows sin, sir."

         "How certain's that."

"Completely."

         "Honored Magistrate, I have no further questions for this witness, but submit to the court that you may question him, if you see fit."

Alexandre is, of course, in the audience. He's really looking forwards to the man who tried to have him killed meeting his fate; perhaps they'll see each other again in the Abyss, assuming they both make it that long.

Incitement to violence is prohibited in Cheliax. It was prohibited in the decrees promulgated immediately after the loathsome and vile Thrunes fled this country on Her Majesty's righteous return. 

Well, now Silvia knows she has in fact done anything illegal! Leafswirl must have been wrong. (Probably. But she's not going to risk it.) That means she just needs to know what not to say about it.

He wants to be a martyr. It won't be the blade, then, unless they require it.

He meant well. And he's not the only one. But he knew what he was bringing on. If he thought it was Good... that may be tragic, but it's no excuse.

She looks sad. Resigned. It's deliberate, of course, but it's genuine all the same - she is thoroughly sick of punishing criminals. In this crowd of bloodlust, better to moderate it, for those looking to the nobles as examples.

Élie isn't actually here. He's not going to be leaving the demiplane much until the convention resumes. He's read the man's pamphlets though, and he's read his speech in his own defense. 

Of course they're plagiarized. The speech too, actually, though he can't immediately recall if it's a particular speach his friend Jean-Paul actually gave or a melange of the sort of things he might have said or written at various times – which, to be fair, they are. Jean-Paul wanted a lot of people dead. He also wanted the abolition of slavery and lighter taxes for the poor than the rich and freedom of entry into all professions and a complete ban on corporal punishment in schools and the universal right to the final blade, which nobody ever remembers outside of Galt. He's become the great scaled monster of the Revolution (though Élie knows for a fact that the rumors are baseless; he's perfectly human and just had a skin condition). He might not have been a kind man, or a generous one, or especially wise or patient or gentle or charitable or sanitary – but if he ever incited a massacre, it was because he saw his bright and happy Republic at the end of it. 

There's been a lot of talk about Galtan anarchy. The truth is, nobody here except Catherine knows a thing about. The people of Galt wanted their freedom, and won it; the people of Cheliax had it handed to them, and they can only think of one thing to do with it. He'd say that Bernat Vidal-Espinosa is a poor man's Jean-Paul Marit, but that's not true – Jean-Paul was, if nothing else, a friend of the poor. Vidal-Espinosa hasn't a single notion of building a better world, unless he expects it to form by spontaneous generation from the blood of tieflings and aristocrats, like mushrooms. 

Élie is glad he's already committed to holding a constitutional convention, because right now he doesn't feel like these people deserve to rule themselves. 

Feather is generally at loose ends after distributing her daily Goodberries. She feels a vague obligation to be here, because it's an opportunity to learn and understand things about the Chelish people, even though she doesn't really expect to succeed.

...Huh. That - actually seems properly Lawful? No-one's talking about what any individuals want, or claiming that it matters who was killed, or contradicting plain sense and contesting obvious facts. 

In fact nobody's contesting any facts at all, which means she can't see their Law in proper action, but if the accused isn't defending himself under the law, that at least - shows everyone agrees what the law actually is? The convention and the riot had not inspired great confidence in that regard, and Feather is glad to see at least a formal tribunal works better! 

The accused speaks for Chaos and for Good, and the Law cares for neither; all is as it should be. This isn't a good image, but it's a comprehensible one.

Feather still wishes she understood what the man wanted, when he set off the riots. What was the image in his head, when he thought of the future?

'that these denunciations were made and put to paper by Wain'... a weakness, for they were not put to paper by Wain (and were they even denunciations? Of Ibarra, perhaps). Did she intend to, possibly; did she publish or cause to be published her remarks, no; not that such was unlawful but one undermines every element of the opponent's argument.

Is it unlawful to call an archduke a fool... Blanxart is of course no fool, but this is properly a matter for Blanxart at the least to handle. Whoever denounced Blanxart as a Thrune is more directly causal in his murder, but is it unlawful to call a Thrune a Thrune?

She needs to pursue Vidal-Espinoza for defamation, made difficult by his imminent execution. His heirs and assigns, perhaps?

Magistrate Puigdemont has known Comez-Xarra for years. It's not that they're friends, exactly - no two members of their shared profession were ever friends under the Thrunes - but theirs is a relationship founded more on mutual respect than on bitter rivalry, despite more than a few times arguing opposite sides of a matter. Comez-Xarra knows what he's doing and is perfectly capable of conducting an effective prosecution that will see Vidal-Espinosa convicted in accordance with Justice and the Queen's Will without any hand-holding on Puigdemont's part. The accused submitted a few questions for the guard-captain, but the Lord High Magistrate already knows the answers to the relevant questions and so sees no reason to ask.

"The court has no further questions for the witness. You may continue, prosecutor."