A Letter to the Magistrate

Sent March 29, 1720 from Robin of House Gryphon to Thomas Dyerson, one of the magistrates in the Barony of Aveil

To the Honorable Magistrate Thomas,

Regarding the matter of the presentation of false testimony against us by Perette, I hope you will consider my words here and if it is appropriate pass them along to whoever shall ultimately be handling these matters.

When that fell shadow creature appeared above us and began striking down the townsfolk around us, my page Viepuck referred to it as ‘theatrics,’ and this was correct. There has been a great deal of theater on display as of late: Fey imposters, this lich pretender to the throne, and accusations and rumors of a necromancer under every bush used to haul anyone who might have stood in opposition to the chaos to trial. As part of this theater, when it appeared that deceitful tactics might not bring us down directly, the puppeteers instead decided to slaughter everyone around us as part of their ruse. Theater.

These and other events transpiring over the past months have weighed heavily upon me, and I find myself not only sad, but also angry. Angry at the casual brutality and indifference to suffering on raw display. Far angrier than I wish to be. I am glad the queen has bid us rest, as anger tends to lead one to poor decisions and bad outcomes.

This is all to say that it is my hope that as these matters are considered further, that they be considered fairly, impartially, and without any consideration to what gratitude the crown or others might feel towards myself or those with me. A court is not a place for emotions, it is a place for serious contemplation and the laying out of truth, truth being a commodity in far too limited supply as of late.

I ask that the complaint drafted by my page be considered not as any plea on my personal behalf, but as a statement of the facts as we and others witnessed them. I and my companions are perhaps in a more fortunate position than most, with a host of friends and the blessings of gods upon us that were likely not available to any number of other hapless folk dragged out on malicious charges. Perhaps this person when she spoke did so out of sincere loyalty with no inkling as to the nefarious nature of the baroness’s plans, but it does not matter and I cannot guess what may or may not have been going through her head.

What matters is that false testimony must not be given in a court. I do not claim to be any sort of zealot or unimpeachable purist, and there are times when speaking false may be warranted. If a bully pursues a smaller child who runs left, you are justified in telling their tormentor they went right. But court is not a place for this, however righteous in a cause one may feel. To do so is to, perhaps unknowingly, play into the hands of manipulators and corrupt miscreants, as was so evidently on display here.

A court must be a place for truth and the facts being simply what they are. That principle must hold, or no one brought before a magistrate can have any faith that they will be treated fairly, and instead will find themselves subject to the whims of whatever political influence currently holds, legitimate or otherwise.

So again, I ask that the facts on this be considered simply for what they are, and those responsible be dealt with as is appropriate for their action and choices.

Yours in service,
Robin of Abinford