On Fri, 4 Jan 2013, Onno Meyer wrote:
Hello Johannes,
the first question would be just what standard of evidence and
proof the court uses. We're talking about a highly politicized
trial, and a freedwoman is accused of killing an eques. Who
has seen her (or thinks so)? Citizen, foreigner, or slave?
Primary witnesses would be slaves of the Pressus household and possibly
Minucia, though for the time being i think i will have her not having seen
anything.
There propably could be more, who saw him running over the roofs or
jumping down to the street at a different place. Though people who are on
the street at night are almost automatically considered dubious and drunk.
Next question, anything to show that Ingrun would have known
her way around Pressus villa adds an extra motive, maybe she
wanted to elope with the wife or whatever. Her defense would
rest on "I'm not that incompetent as a killer" ...
The primary working theories would be, that they both wanted to remove an
obstacle to their affair, Ingrun took matters into her own hands to remove
obstacles to the affair, Minucia seduced Ingrun, to get rid of her
husband, Ingrun killing the husband, so she gets a chance to start an
affair with Minucia.
If Ingrun reveals, what she knows about the villa, it will shift between
thoose theories. "I'm not that incompetent as a killer" is not a
particulary good defence. Though together with some other evidence it
might be used.
* Say Ingrun has a recognizable piece of clothing. The plan
of the real murderer was to have a hired pawn (perhaps the
laundrywoman) damage it, and to leave a replica part on the
scene of the murder. The laundrywoman rips a button off,
and the killer drops a button. (Why a replica? Timing!)
Except that the laundrywoman removed a right button, and
the killer drops a fake left button. At a first glance, it
is the missing button, on closer inspection it isn't.
* The killer leaves a bloody weapon on the scene which is
supposed to implicate Ingrun. Only he stole the wrong
weapon, which belongs to another PC.
I had first thought of using an easy to get shortsword, since Ingrun is a
shortsword fighter. Ingrun also uses no special ethnic sword in the arena.
The only other shortsword pc would be Sanguinarius, who is Chinese and
uses an exotic ethnic sword. Both have gotten fine quality swords as
manumission presents. However the killer might not be an arena follower
and propably only came to Rome for the job, so he might mix something up.
He might even steal a Sanguinarius sword from the arena, and then i don't
have to ask the players where they put their swords and how often they
look if they are still there and such.
In either case, the PCs could try and follow the evidence
trail.
Hard to estimate the size of someone who is running away on
the roof. No easy references. So maybe the killer is
considerably smaller than Ingrun, and he (she?) waited for
the victim to come home in a closet where Ingrun wouldn't fit
in.
The villa follows that basic floorplan:
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/house.html
Pressus will sleep in a bedroom at the atrium. There is easy access to the
roof from the peristylium. The killer will either climb down in the
peristylium and then sneak into Pressus bedroom, or he jumps down in the
atrium. After the deed he will run to the peristylium and there climb onto
the roof.
This will give slaves sleeping in rooms next to the peristylium a good
chance to see the fleeing killer, and they can see him before he gets onto
the roof, so they will have references to judge sizes.
I already plan to bring Ingrun into the villa afterwards, so she will be
forced to spend a night in the bedroom of the victim, in the hope that his
ghost will haunt her and make her confess. I'd prefere it however, if
there is more detective work to do, then have a witness say "hey she was
differently sized last time".
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