Bishop Valetti

Bishop Valetti

My good men, I will be the first to admit that tonight’s events seem quite cut and dry. After all, we did find the harlot Crynne in the room with the body of the deceased, Majere. We all saw the body. We all saw the girl. We all saw the knife.

Yet, I'm not certain it is truly that simple.

Allow me to present you with an alternate take on the "facts" as all of you have presented them to me independently of one another. And, despite the protestations I know I will receive, this is the story that I will present to the Arch Bishop, who will then act upon my findings as they see fit.

Simply put, Crynne had nothing at all to do with the unfortunate murder of Majere.

Crynne is a whore. Of that there is no question. She was sleeping with Majere. On that point, we also are in agreement. What you do not know is that this was not a one-time lustful plunge into moral depravity. It was, in fact, a long-term affair of the heart between the two.

Majere had sought my counsel in the past on how to deal with the love he felt in his heart for Crynne. I asked him if he knew whether or not Crynne felt the same way about him. He was adamant that she did. In a future meeting I held with Crynne, she confirmed what Majere told me.

The young Majere was also steadfast in his desire to free Crynne of the shackles that bound her to the brothel. All the money and favors he could garner were used to attempt to "buy" her freedom.

The man in charge of the brothel would not part ways with Crynne. She earned far too much money for him over the course of several years. She was his "prized possession."

In a final effort to save Crynne, Majere took a less than noble route... he stole her away. However, in their haste to escape, they did not cover their tracks well enough. The brothel owner found them both and, during a moment of lovemaking between the two, drugged Crynne and stabbed Majere. The hope was that when Crynne awoke, she would be blamed due to her proximity to the corpse.

I know, however, that the true murderer was the owner of the brothel. And I also know this mysterious man's identity. It was Bishop Dominick y'Nobe. I have known for years of your immoral escapades into prostitution and your attempts to supplement your income.

May God forgive you in the afterlife, Dominic. For I doubt I can forgive you so long as you remain of this Earth.