The peddler is led into the hall, wrists still bound, head bowed under the magistrate's stare. Then they look up and catch Frieda's eye, and the fear drains away like a mask pulled off in candlelight.
The Peddler
My capture was never the end of the matter. It was the road in.
A murmur runs through the hall as the canon stiffens. The peddler reaches into their coat and draws out a thin ledger, its cover hidden beneath travel grime.
The Peddler
I let myself be taken to reach his circle. This book carries what Bishop Eisenfaust has been sending, and to whom.
Magistrate Hauer takes the ledger at once, turning pages with growing care. Frieda sees names, sums, routes, and seals, all tied to the riders and the Bishop's hand.
The Canon
This is a snare. You bring forged scraps and a thief's confession into lawful court.
Magistrate Hauer
No. I bring entered summons, sealed record, and fresh proof. The Bishop's reach ends where this hall begins.
✓ Quest Accepted
Bring the ledger against Bishop Eisenfaust to court
+ New Item Acquired
hidden ledger
“"There is no evidence that the ledger is forged or that the man is a thief. He is simply the Bishop's messenger a position of trust he accepted in good faith. When he found evidence of crimes, he reported it first to me, and now he has presented it to the court, as he should. And if he has any sins to confess, I am ready to offer absolution. "”
SUCCESS (Great Oratory, rolled -1)
Frieda’s words settle over the hall like a steady hand on a fevered brow. The peddler is no snare here, only a man who chose to carry proof into the open when silence would have been safer.
Frieda
He is no thief to be dismissed. He serves as messenger, and when he found crimes, he brought them first to me, then to this court. That is faithful conduct, not fraud.
The peddler’s shoulders loosen. Magistrate Hauer keeps the ledger open on the dais, as if weighing every line against the chamber stones. The canon’s mouth tightens, but the edge leaves his posture.
Frieda
And if this burden has left any stain upon his soul, I stand ready to grant him absolution.
The Peddler
Then I was right to trust the road to bring me here.
A faint, shaken smile appears on the peddler’s face. The court’s fear does not vanish, but it changes shape, from suspicion to listening. Hauer gives one quiet nod, and the clerk bends lower over the record, scratching the moment into ink.
The Canon
Spoken well. Too well for a mere chaplain.
Quest Complete
Bring the ledger against Bishop Eisenfaust to court