Tyraxas, Norona, Kuikku and Sierra may enter the scene at this point if they choose to. Feel free to narrate your entrances in your post.
The Trial Begins: Round 1 (of 3)
Simmons sits down and, without any pomp or ceremony, says, “Proceed,” beginning the trial.
Ford nods, steps forward, and says, “Thank you, Commander Simmons. We will do our best to be brief this morning.”
Ford approaches Simmons’ table, and says, “Of course, there are many logistical issues to address in this case, but the most pressing would be better explained by my associate.”
Ford defers to his Trimadore companion, who gets up and says, “Commander, it’s good to see you again.”
She nods, acknowledging the new speaker, “Harsion. Go ahead.”
The Trimadore smiles. “Thank you. As you know, we took some time to observe the scene of Lincoln’s murder, and we found some highly unusual spectral readings. They were unlike anything one normally sees, even from magical fire.”
Harsion holds up a tablet, displaying some charts and data, before continuing, “Now, something that is not commonly known about Techno-Wizards is that we can create devices that mimic pretty much any type of paranormal activity, given the right resources.”
“As you are no doubt aware, the Tomorrow Legion returned from an earlier encounter in the swamp with a veritable treasure trove of gear and assorted materielle from a skirmish with a group of demons. They sold much of this equipment to Lincoln. Most of it was mundane, but at least one item had a very magical nature, and all of it reeked of extra-planar energy.”
“Given her level of skill, it would have been a minor thing for Deezy to use some of the components leftover from her team’s encounter with the demons to rig up a device that mimicked the spectral look and feel of demon fire. And, in my professional opinion, I would say she’s likely the only other person for about fifty miles who could do something like this.”
Simmons turns to Deezy and says, “Okay, then, Deezy. You and yours may go next. What do you have to say about this evidence?”
Okay, now it’s time for you to rebut! For this round, either Knowledge (Arcana) or a similar Knowledge skill must be the lead skill. Anyone may support with any other skill that seems appropriate, to a maximum of +4 to the lead roll. The other side set the TN of 12.
If someone other than Deezy wants to take the lead, you certainly can. Just make sure you work it out beforehand and put it in your post.
Remember, anyone who uses Persuasion should add a +2 charisma bonus for how popular you guys are in town.
There will be three rounds; whichever side accumulates the most successes in those three rounds will be the victor! Remember, particularly clever arguments may merit you a +2, while very poor or easily disproven arguments will impose a -2. Good luck!