Take Responsibility.

[wordsmithery]

The time allotted for investigation this week is a bit longer than normal - not due to anything done wrong on the part of the Apprentices, but perhaps due to a basic understanding that two corpses are going to be decidedly more difficult to handle than one. However, at the end of the time period you've been given, the elevator is waiting for you, as cold and sterile as always in its journey up to the courtroom; you're down to almost half of your original number, and if anything is going to indicate that this shows no signs of stopping, it's probably this week. The deceased have had three more join their numbers since you were here last - Gold, Varric, and Viktor's portraits have been greyed-out and set atop their spots in the podium circle, the podiums themselves draped in black fabric. As always, the lectern above stands empty. Whether he's with you or not, however, once everyone has found their place in the circle, the Wordsmith's voice can be heard throughout the room. "Welcome back. Two more Apprentices are missing from your number today, and I have little doubt that weighs heavily on your minds. Balanced and Capricious have been lost to you, so that the guilty may have a chance to leave the academy and possibly even gain something otherwise impossible to attain. If you wish for your fallen Apprentices to receive justice in death, then you know what to do: yet again, hold the guilty accountable." Sixteen Apprentices remain. However many leave here at the end of the day has yet to be seen.

Comments

cw: mention of brain matter

[firstaid]

Um, I found Varric in the stairwell between the second and third floors. He was laying face down, however, his hands and wrists showed no signs of injury, therefore I believe it is safe to say he didn’t trip and attempt to catch himself. His pockets were turned inside out and had nothing inside of them.

On his front side, he appeared to take a lot of trauma and many of his ribs were broken. There were also many other injuries he had on him that may have been from falling down the stairs.

Also… he had blood and what appears to be matter from a rather violent head injury on his clothes. However, Varric himself had no open wounds nor a head wound of any sort so it was not his blood… or matter from his own head injury.

Lastly-- [She holds out a tuft of black fur] -- Varric was holding on to this. I’m unsure what it’s from or who it may be from.

[elepe]

[Lusamine waits for Estelle to finish before she brings out the trigger, kind of...unsure. Whether it's from the discussion, the fact that the stands next to her are very empty, or something else is yet to be seen.]

This was right in the area where Varric was found. I'm not sure what it is, but it looked awfully out of place in that area.

[firstaid]

It looks like a trigger to a weapon. Probably a gun or a crossbow.

[elepe]

...Did Varric use either of those? Or perhaps the culprit did, instead.

[firstaid]

I... I want to say he used the crossbows, however, I'm not entirely sure.

[foundfate]

Yeah, he used crossbows.

[firstaid]

Did anyone find a crossbow or any arrows?

[tsugomori]

Oh yes, it was to the crossbow called "Bianca", I believe.

[matchbreaker]

He named the thing?

[tsugomori]

Oh yes, it was quite important to him.

[matchbreaker]

[ Hmmmm.... ]

You know, the things from the vending machines... Most of it's useless crap, but some of it is personal items, right?

[tsugomori]

Yes, that is true...is there something on your mind about it?

[matchbreaker]

Not really, but if he loved that darn bow so much, could he have gotten it out of the machine? I got my favorite brush and nail polish.

[tsugomori]

Hmm... I wouldn't know, but it doesn't exactly look like he's had a chance to use a crossbow when all of this went down, so maybe not.

[oyashiromama]

It's not that strange. When you're using a weapon so often.

[introspects]

...The culprit might have turned his pockets inside out to get his room key, then. I think it was to try to frame Varric-san for Viktor-san's murder.

[firstaid]

It... it could have been that, correct.

[introspects]

Plus, if Varric-san really wanted us to know for sure that it was him, I doubt he would have used the shower in his room to wash off the evidence.

[firstaid]

At least someone used the shower in Varric's room. Given what you've said, I believe it may be safe to say that Varric, Viktor, and our culprit were in the same room when Viktor was killed.

[introspects]

Yes...and Varric-san was killed because he was a witness. I believe that the matter on his clothes may have been from when the culprit attacked him after attacking Viktor-san.

[firstaid]

...but why didn't the culprit kill Varric in the same fashion? They were killed via different means I believe. I don't know what weapon killed Varric, I do not believe it was the hammer.

[elepe]

Varric could have been trying to flee and missed one of his steps.

[firstaid]

If he tripped he would have had injuries trying to catch himself. He had nothing of that sort.

[iaspis]

Could he have been pushed?

[introspects]

...Do you think...the head injury was from the trombone?