The commanders spread around the candlelit table, pistols and rapiers half-drawn. Gervais blocks the service door behind John, while Gaston guards the passage and the ledger chest remains within reach.
Armand Vautrin
Then hear the truth before you make martyrs of yourselves. The Cardinal did not order your friend's treason. Someone beneath him forged the warrant.
Gervais
Do not listen to Vautrin's mercy. He wants the ledger preserved because it proves which noble paid for the forgery.
Lucien Marot lunges for the chest, but Gaston steps across the narrow gap and raises the stolen key. Behind Marot, the third commander reaches for the bell cord.
Healer Gaston
Touch that cord and every guard in Nesle will hear that the Brotherhood keeps its records under lock and threat.
Armand Vautrin
Smith, you came for names. Take the ledger and read the payment line beneath the forged warrant. It names the man who framed your friend.
No one moves. The ledger chest stands between John and the commanders, while the four men wait for his choice beneath the trembling candlelight.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the noble who paid for the forgery
“I keep my rapier trained on Vautrin while Gaston secures the ledger chest.”
SUCCESS (Fair Fencing, rolled +0)
John keeps his rapier leveled at Vautrin’s chest. The point does not waver, though his boot slips on spilled wax and his wrist tightens painfully to recover the stance.
Armand Vautrin
Steady, Smith. You have the advantage, if you possess the discipline to keep it.
Gaston seizes the chest’s hasp while Marot retreats from the blade. The stolen key turns in the lock, and the iron clasp releases with a dull click.
Healer Gaston
The chest is secured. The ledger is within reach, and no one has touched the bell.
The lid opens beneath Gaston’s hand, revealing stacked papers, payment notes, and the ledger sought by John. Vautrin remains fixed beneath the rapier’s point.
Gervais
Read the payment line first. If Vautrin spoke truth, the name of your friend’s betrayer is there.
“I read the payment line in the ledger”
FAILURE (Good Reasoning, rolled -1)
John leans toward the open chest, keeping his rapier trained on Armand Vautrin while he searches the ledger for the payment line. The cramped angle hides the lower entries from him.
He can make out columns of figures and several seals, but the crucial line lies beneath the ledger's raised cover and beyond his reach. The proof remains in Gaston's hands, not John's.
Healer Gaston
I cannot turn the ledger while you hold Vautrin at swordpoint. Bring the chest closer, or lower the blade.
Armand Vautrin
There is your difficulty, Smith. The name is written beneath the warrant, but distance makes every witness dependent on another hand.
Lucien Marot edges toward the table, eyeing the exposed papers. Gaston shifts the chest away from him, leaving the ledger open but still unreadable to John.
Gervais
Then make Gaston read it aloud. Keep the point steady, and no one can hide the line once it is exposed.