Trial and Tribulations

Trial and Tribulations
Quest Overview
Quest Giver	Aldous
Prerequisite	Come to Court
Reward	20,000 Gold 15,000 Exp. 30 Rift Crystals
Type	Main Quest Royal Orders Quest

Trial and Tribulations is a quest available in Dragon's Dogma.

Overview

"The merchant Fournival stands accused. Prove his guilt or innocence afore time run out."

A Royal Orders Quest. The quest becomes available from Aldous after the quest Come to Court. The Arisen must aid Aldous in the prosecution of the suspected traitor Fournival.

Walkthrough

After obtaining the quest from Aldous, gather evidence to prove Fournival either guilty or innocent.

Trials and Tribulations (quest walkthrough for an "Innocent" verdict)

Fournival is held under house arrest by Ser Aerick and Ser Auguste - if spoken to, he will promise to sell to the Arisen at the lowest possible price, if they can secure his release.

Collect Evidence

The Arisen has four days to complete the quest. Petitions must be gathered, and a witness may also be procured for the trial. Depending on the outcome of a few of the Arisen's previous quests, some evidence might be harder to acquire. Quest updates will be received at 2 days remaining and 1 day (Near Deadline) remaining.

Once evidence or witnesses have been found, they should be taken to Aldous, who will then present the evidence/testimony to the jury (offscreen).

Evidence Showing Guilt

• If the quest An Innocent Man was completed, Ansell will offer himself as a witness. Ansell can be found in Cassardis and will need to be escorted back to Aldous. Ansell's statements appear to suggest he heard someone (probably Fournival and others) plotting treason.
• The Arisen may buy several falsified affidavits from Reynard with a starting price of 3,000 Gold (Dirty Affidavit). Further dubious documents may be purchased for 5,000 Gold (Moldy Affidavit), 7,000 Gold (Worn Affidavit) and 9,000 Gold (Ripped Affidavit).
• If Jasper, Sara, and Pip were evicted during the quest Land of Opportunity, then they will provide, respectively, these missives: Jasper's Condemnation, Sara's Condemnation, and Pip's Condemnation.
• The Gift Ledger found in Fournival Manor suggests corruption, but is not explicitly stated to be about Fournival. It appears to contribute towards a guilty verdict.
• If the Arisen contributes no evidence at all, Fournival will be found guilty.

Evidence Showing Innocence

• Speak to Ser Daerio at Windbluff Tower for a favorable reference for Fournival - he will order Ser Castor to give testimony at the trial. Speak to Ser Castor atop the staircase, then safely escort him to Aldous in Gran Soren as a defense witness.
• The Arisen may buy several falsified affidavits from Reynard with a starting price of 3,000 Gold (Soiled Affidavit). Further dubious documents may be purchased for 5,000 Gold (Tattered Affidavit), 7,000 Gold (Sweat-Stained Affidavit) and 9,000 Gold (Blurred Affidavit).
• The high-priest Geffrey in Gran Soren Cathedral will issue Geffrey's Petition.
• Fournival's daughter Symone will provide Symone's Petition if Escort Duty was completed - it is not totally clear that this document provides substantial weight towards an acquittal, but it does not seem to sway the jury towards guilt.
• The Chamberlain's Affidavit explicitly praises Fournival but on the behalf of a foreign state. It may seem to be a positive character reference, but the events that occur at Windbluff Tower during Pride Before a Fall put it into question. Pawn comments suggest they think it shows innocence, and it does not seem to sway the jury towards guilt.
• Fedel will provide Fedel's Petition - it is not totally clear that this document provides innocence evidence as it purports to on the surface. However, it does not seem to sway the jury towards guilt.

Verdict

Once time for gathering evidence is up, go to the Fountain Square, where Ambrose will deliver the verdict on Fournival. Afterwards, report back to Aldous for the reward.

Outcomes

Fournival is Convicted

"Wheras you have deceived your fellow man to sate your avarice, the court sentences you to life imprisonment!" - Ambrose

Fournival is imprisoned and Symone moves to the Slums. If the Arisen visits and speaks to her there, Symone can be rescued from her plight by buying back Fournival Manor for her to live in, which costs 100,000 Gold.

Though Fournival is sentenced to life imprisonment, he cannot be found in the Dungeon, and effectively vanishes from the game. His shop inventory will become inaccessible until New Game Plus; the Arisen will be unable to obtain the Magnanimous Cloak, and can no longer obtain the Maker's Finger.

Fournival is Acquitted

"You are cleared of all charges and released from bondage forthwith!" - Ambrose

Fournival's Affinity with the Arisen will increase^(verify), he will set lower prices on the items he sells, and he will make the Magnanimous Cloak available for purchase. Fournival will continue to sell to the Arisen even in Post-Game. A favorable outcome also enables continued access to Land of Opportunity and Escort Duty, if not yet completed.

Quotes

Fournival Frescobaldi:

"The blustering fools just barged in -- they hold me prisoner like some common criminal! 'Tis madness, and base insult! You there -- you're an able sort. There's time yet afore my trial is decided. Pray, arrange for my acquittal however you may. If you see me through this storm, I'll sell to you at cost for the rest of my days. 'Tis a generous offer, eh? Now go, and pray put an end to this farce. I am eager to be quit of this confinement... Please, ser."

Ser Auguste:

"Fournival is under lock and key for the duration of the inquest."

Ser Aerick:

"Fournival's to remain captive until such time as he's acquitted."

Aldous [if no evidence was supplied]:

"Word of Fournival's verdict has come. He was judged guilty. The inquest ended without event, no thanks to your reprehensible indolence. I will not brook such sloth in the future, ser."

Notes

• While this quest is active, Fournival is held under house arrest, preventing any trade with him. If active, Land of Opportunity cannot be turned in by speaking with him until the inquest is over.
• It is possible to submit evidence after the quest deadline has passed - Aldous will continue to accept evidence indefinitely until the verdict cutscene is triggered at the Fountain Square. Avoid the Fountain Square completely to continue giving evidence after the deadline.
• If innocence is to be proved, it is a good idea to combine this quest with Supply and Demands as they have the same destination of Windbluff Tower.
• If the Arisen fails to turn in any evidence, Aldous will make his displeasure plain.
• The quest is not completed until the Arisen reports back to Aldous, for which there is no deadline, allowing for the late completion of other quests that may be canceled once Trial and Tribulations is over.
• The inquest's presumption of Fournival's guilt is likely due to inconclusive but presumably suggestive evidence gathered before the Arisen's involvement in the proceedings. This prior evidence is mentioned early on by Aldous, whose comments at the end of the quest (if Fournival was acquitted) make it plain he expected a guilty verdict.
• Buying from Fournival is the only way to acquire the Magnanimous Cloak and the Maker's Finger.

Knowledgeable Pawns

• At the gate outside the Duke's Demense, pawns will comment on the expected outcome of the trial.
  • They may not make a comment if no evidence has been handed in.
  • These predictions are not always found to be true.
• Pawns can be a great help during this quest regardless of their predictive accuracy - not only will they direct the Arisen to sources of witnesses, they can also pinpoint the location of Reynard, who sells forged documents.

Obtaining a Desired Verdict

The exact conditions for a guilty or innocent verdict are unknown. Obtaining an innocent verdict specifically can be difficult, and those unware of the way the trial progresses may be suprised by an opposite verdict from the one expected by pawns. Tests show:

• Fournival starts out presumed guilty and requires several pieces of written evidence to obtain an innocent verdict.
• Most (if not all) of the written evidence is taken at face value, including the falsified documents provided by Reynard.
• The character references, both positive and negative (petitions and condemnations), can sway the jury, though it is not known how much.
• As the collection period progresses, the verdict will slide more towards guilt, potentially negating early efforts to reach an innocent verdict. Delaying submission until the last day or past the deadline and then submitting it all at once seems to offset this.
  • Turning in evidence more than half a day before the deadline may be enough to reverse what would otherwise be a verdict of innocence, depending on what is submitted.
• Witnesses, such as Ser Castor, sway the jury far more than documents.
  • Ser Castor's personal testimony seems to be worth at least as much as three written documents, and can produce a verdict of innocence without turning in any documents at all if he is brought to Aldous after (or just before) the deadline.
• Turning in all available evidence and both witnesses typically results in a guilty verdict.

Potential Problems

• Speaking with Fedel while the quest The Conspirators is marked as the active quest will prevent Fedel from handing over Fedel's Petition. To circumvent this, mark Trial and Tribulations as the active quest.
• If both this quest and Supply and Demands are in progress, Ser Daerio will only offer dialogue for whichever is marked as the active quest; this can prevent Ser Daerio from assigning a soldier as a witness. To circumvent this, mark Trial and Tribulations as the active quest.
• The quest items Gift Ledger and Chamberlain's Affidavit are also quest items for the Notice Board quests Trail of Corruption and Thanks Mislaid. It is expedient to duplicate them at The Black Cat before turning them in as evidence to Aldous; they can be acquired immediately upon completing A Matter of Myrmidons, and duplicates can be prepared before this quest begins.

Trivia

• Easter Egg The name of this quest is possibly a reference to Capcom's third Ace Attorney game, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - "Trials and Tribulations".