The Magistrate pauses for anyone else to speak up and when the room remains silent he replies, "If this small man is not an associate then why does he allow you to speak for him? But if you do speak the truth then the rest of you are only in slightly less trouble. Generally speaking, New Crobuzon has a zero tolerance policy against outworlders."
"In the distant past a group of outworlders came to our world. They promised technological and Thaumatugical advancement beyond any world's wildest dreams. We accepted their offer gratefully. Stupidly. But we were young and trusting of our outworlder friends. They did give us what was promised but they also enslaved the population. Eventually we rose up and drove the Outworlders from our dimension and since have been always watchful of other Outworlders who might attempt to brutally enslave us again."
"You state you have done nothing wrong but by simply sailing over the threshold of that portal in the sewer you broke one of our most important laws. As for your short friend, he did far worse. The Thaumaturgy he used disrupted space and time. It tore a hole in the barrier between worlds and ripped apart everything it came in contact with which included about a dozen of our militia who happened to be engaged in operation against a rebel faction. The faction then escaped with your small friend and since then we have been scrying the city for him. We only located him just today and where do we find him, with others who also took advantage of the weakening he caused to the dimensional barrier. Coincidence? Some people might say it was the luck of Saint Jabber that brought you together. I for one do not believe in luck."
"So before I decide to go ahead and attach the dozen sewn back together heads of the fallen militia who will forever whisper to him of all the pain he has brought to them and their families to your small friends shoulders and back and of course your own individual but creative ReMakings, what further defense do you have to offer?"
[OoC: Betimi knows the following about, St. Jabber
Jabber is by far the most widely known and worshiped deity of New Crobuzon. His name is very frequently invoked as a curse or general exclamation, and the title of "Saint" is usually omitted.]
"In the distant past a group of outworlders came to our world. They promised technological and Thaumatugical advancement beyond any world's wildest dreams. We accepted their offer gratefully. Stupidly. But we were young and trusting of our outworlder friends. They did give us what was promised but they also enslaved the population. Eventually we rose up and drove the Outworlders from our dimension and since have been always watchful of other Outworlders who might attempt to brutally enslave us again."
"You state you have done nothing wrong but by simply sailing over the threshold of that portal in the sewer you broke one of our most important laws. As for your short friend, he did far worse. The Thaumaturgy he used disrupted space and time. It tore a hole in the barrier between worlds and ripped apart everything it came in contact with which included about a dozen of our militia who happened to be engaged in operation against a rebel faction. The faction then escaped with your small friend and since then we have been scrying the city for him. We only located him just today and where do we find him, with others who also took advantage of the weakening he caused to the dimensional barrier. Coincidence? Some people might say it was the luck of Saint Jabber that brought you together. I for one do not believe in luck."
"So before I decide to go ahead and attach the dozen sewn back together heads of the fallen militia who will forever whisper to him of all the pain he has brought to them and their families to your small friends shoulders and back and of course your own individual but creative ReMakings, what further defense do you have to offer?"
[OoC: Betimi knows the following about, St. Jabber
Jabber is by far the most widely known and worshiped deity of New Crobuzon. His name is very frequently invoked as a curse or general exclamation, and the title of "Saint" is usually omitted.]
