In Hauer’s private study, the hall noise falls away to a tense hush. He shuts the door and sets the red-sealed scrap between them like a verdict.
Magistrate Hauer
This is no Bishop’s mark. It is the seal of an Imperial Inquisitor.
His hand shakes as he turns the wax toward Frieda, the imprint sharp in the lamplight, older and harsher than the one she has chased this far.
Magistrate Hauer
Eisenfaust fears this authority. That is why he hid, lied, and pressed so hard to stop the warrant.
Frieda
The Bishop was not guarding himself from scandal. He was guarding himself from judgment.
Outside the study, the court stays silent, but the silence now feels armed. Frieda has not just named a villain, she has uncovered the hand above him.
✓ Quest Accepted
Survive Imperial scrutiny
“"We do not know the contents of the letter, but it appears that the Bishop may have to answer to a higher court than this one. We should report this matter immediately, before Eisenfaust can muddy the waters and make false claims against us. "”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled -1)
Frieda
We do not know what is in the letter, but this seal changes everything. Report it at once, before Eisenfaust twists the story against us.
Magistrate Hauer
If an Inquisitor is involved, delay becomes danger.
Hauer folds the scrap into the papers with careful fingers, then reaches for the bell cord beside his desk.
Magistrate Hauer
Yes. Now. The court must hear this before anyone else does.
He opens the study door a handspan, enough to summon the Clerk without admitting the hall’s noise.
The Clerk appears at once, tablet in hand, already marking the hour and the seal’s new meaning.
Magistrate Hauer
Fetch the messenger, and keep this matter from Bishop Eisenfaust’s people until the report leaves the room.
“"I should accompany him. I have no fear of Eisenfaust's men."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Frieda
I should accompany him. I have no fear of Eisenfaust's men.
Magistrate Hauer
Then go. Let the court’s witness walk at the messenger’s side.
Hauer marks the packet with a quick nod, and the Clerk turns his tablet to note the escort before the door can shut again.
The Clerk
I will set the route and seal the hour. If anyone comes asking, they will know the report has already left my hands.
The messenger takes the sealed packet from the desk and steps into the hall, with Frieda beside him and Hauer watching from the threshold.
The clerk’s stylus scratches once more as the door swings wider, and the study’s hush gives way to the muted stir of waiting men beyond.
“Frieda peers through the doorway, alert to possible danger.”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled -2)
Frieda pauses in the doorway and lets her gaze travel past the threshold, taking in the hall beyond the study.
Frieda
Two men in the passage, and one stands too still.
Beyond the open door, a pair of waiting clerks and a mailed guard are half-turned toward the study, their attention caught by the packet in the messenger’s hands.
The guard keeps his spear low, but his eyes fix on Frieda as if measuring whether she belongs with the seal or the accusation.
The Clerk
The report leaves under record. No hand but the court’s will touch it now.
Magistrate Hauer
Good. Let them see it go. That is how fear begins to fail.
The messenger tightens his grip and steps out into the hall, while Frieda remains at the doorway with the full weight of the passage, and of the court, opening before her.
✓ Quest Accepted
Confirm the Inquisitor’s seal with the court
“"Good, should I accompany the messenger, or have you need of me here?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Frieda
Good. Should I ride with the messenger, or do you need me here?
Magistrate Hauer
The court needs your witness more than your shadow in the saddle. Stay, if you can spare the pace.
The Clerk
And if you stay, I can keep the record at your elbow. A clean hearing is safer than a fast one.
Hauer lets out a thin breath that is almost a laugh, then turns the red scrap between two fingers as if weighing a blade. The open door shows the hall waiting in silence, but no one inside moves to challenge the packet now.
Magistrate Hauer
Do you see it now, Frieda? This was never only a bishop’s quarrel. An inquisitor’s seal changes the matter. It makes the whole court careful.
The Clerk
Careful, yes, but not helpless. We have the report, the seal, and your testimony in the record. That is a hard thing to smother.
The Clerk straightens his tablet and makes one final mark, precise as a prayer. Hauer nods once toward the hall, already thinking beyond the door, while the messenger waits with the packet held close and the passage before him cleared.
Quest Complete
Confirm the Inquisitor’s seal with the court