Rain hammers the private study windows while the feast fades behind the door. General Rovan spreads a salt-stained map across the desk, one gauntlet pinning the western wall. Outside, Getrin's shadow waits in the corridor with the dragon-crested soldiers, still close enough to press for answers.
General Rovan
He comes as a guest, but he watches like a scout. If he gets near the sea road, he can learn where Ethrosise can be seen from land.
Rovan taps three marks on the map, then the narrow stair, the balcony, and the cliff path. A spill of beast-taming cords and hooks lies beside the parchment, suddenly looking less like tools and more like alarms.
King Hammon
Then keep him in the hall, and keep his soldiers counted.
General Rovan
I can do that, but he will call it restraint, not welcome. If he is allowed to study the serpent from the walls, Lord Alon gains a picture of your shore and your rule.
A hard knock strikes the study door. Beyond it, Getrin's voice is calm and patient, carrying through the storm as the waiting soldiers shift in place. The pressure is no longer on the coast alone, it is on Hammon's threshold.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep Getrin contained in the hall
✓ Quest Accepted
Prevent Getrin from studying Ethrosise from the walls
“I say, keep an eye on them but theyre free to move around the public areas until they commit an offense. Ethrosise can handle himself if the wizard tries something stupid, we will know and respond”
FAILURE (Great Willpower, rolled -3)
King Hammon
Keep watch on them, but let them move through the public areas until they break the peace. If Getrin tries anything foolish, we will see it and answer.
General Rovan
Then I keep my men close and my reports closer. But once they step into the hall, they are already mapping your hold.
Rovan folds a corner of the map down hard, then turns from the desk toward the door. The rain ticks louder against the glass, and the study feels smaller with every word.
Getrin
That is a generous gate for a guarded shore, King Hammon. I accept the courtesy, and I will remain within it.
The latch lifts. The door opens a handspan, enough for Getrin’s calm face to show in the gap, with the dragon-crested soldiers waiting just behind him in the corridor.
General Rovan
Then I will escort him under our eyes. Public areas only, wizard, and no wandering alone.
Getrin gives a small incline of the head and steps back from the threshold instead of forward. The soldiers ease aside, but their line stays tight, and the choice now hangs on where Hammon lets them go next.
“I say, keep an eye on them but theyre free to move around the public areas until they commit an offense. Ethrosise can handle himself if the wizard tries something stupid, we will know and respond”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled -1)
Hammon lets the line stand. The ruling is plain, the watch is plain, and the room finally eases by a breath.
General Rovan
Then I will keep eyes on every corridor they touch. Public halls only, no roofs, no walls, no wandering.
Getrin
A fair leash, for a careful king. I can work within it.
Rovan gives one hard nod, not approval exactly, but acceptance. Outside, rain taps the panes and the study lamp throws a thin gold edge across the map.
General Rovan
Your hold stays yours if we keep it that way. That is the burden of every open door.
Getrin
And the burden of every guest is to remember where the door is.
For a moment, the wizard’s calm looks less like spying and more like discipline. The soldiers in the corridor remain tight, but they do not push.
“I set the terms of public and not public areas”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +2)
Hammon draws the boundary cleanly, public halls for the visitors, no private chambers, no walls, no roofs. The rule lands like a sealed gate, and the study feels smaller for it.
King Hammon
Public spaces only. Rovan escorts, and nothing beyond that.
General Rovan
Understood. I will keep them where the hold can see them.
Getrin
A sensible division. I accept it.
The wizard’s calm hardens into obedience, while the soldiers in the corridor shift from watchful wait to measured restraint. Rain ticks at the window like patient fingers.
Getrin
Then I will leave the study to your books, King Hammon, and keep to the halls you allow.
That leaves the choice hanging in the room, plain as the map on the desk, tighter guard or wider courtesy, and the hold must live with whichever shape Hammon gives it next.
Quest Complete
Prevent Getrin from studying Ethrosise from the walls
Skill Upgrade: Persuasion Superb→Legendary
“I say, ethrosise doesnt like unannounced spying and can sense us for miles, if you try something you shouldnt he already knows youre here. Youre best being upfront with him if he verbally confronts you and more then anything just observing him has been the safest for everyone”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -3)
King Hammon
Ethrosise does not like unannounced spying. He can sense us for miles. If you try anything you should not, he already knows you are here.
King Hammon
If he confronts you, be upfront with him. Observing him has been the safest thing for everyone.
Getrin
Then I will take your warning as wisdom, not insult. Better plain water than hidden rocks.
General Rovan
That means the halls stay orderly, and the coastline stays quiet. I can work with that.
Getrin
He does not bluff about the serpent. That changes the shape of this visit.
The wizard folds his hands instead of reaching for notes, and one of the dragon-crested soldiers lowers his chin in uneasy respect. The rain keeps tapping the glass, but the study no longer feels like the center of the danger, only the place where it is named.
Quest Complete
Keep Getrin contained in the hall