The castle rises above the village, its outer gate open beneath a pale afternoon sky. Sehra arrives with the sealed letter, the three dispatches, Caldus, the gate sergeant, and two Harbor Watch guards under her authority.
In the outer hall, a royal clerk waits beside a trestle table. He is a thin middle-aged man with a precise beard, tired eyes, and a crimson-trimmed black robe fastened over plain gray wool.
Oren Pell
Captain, I am Oren Pell, clerk to the crown. I carry an order bearing royal authority, and it commands that this investigation and the pilgrim be surrendered for examination.
Oren extends the folded order, his left ear marked by a small notch, without crossing the hall. The red wax bears the crown’s device, while the gate sergeant keeps one hand near his sword and Caldus stands quietly beneath guard.
Oren Pell
The order invokes royal inheritance and secrecy. Refusal will be recorded as defiance of the crown, Captain, regardless of whatever city jurisdiction you claim.
The Gate Sergeant
The captain brought us here under city authority, clerk. The letter and the prisoner have not left her custody.
The two Harbor Watch guards remain behind Sehra, blocking the castle doors without drawing steel. The sealed letter rests among the dispatches, and every waiting face turns toward her answer.
+ New Item Acquired
Sealed letter
“Is Oren Pell's royal order genuine?”
YES (Even, rolled 22)
Oren breaks the outer fold and holds the order beneath the hall’s pale light. The crown device is cleanly impressed, and the parchment bears the proper clerkly countersignatures.
Oren Pell
The seal is genuine, Captain. This order was issued through the crown’s household office and entered against the royal inheritance inquiry.
The gate sergeant steps nearer, careful not to touch the document. He examines the device, then the writing, his expression tightening as recognition replaces suspicion.
The Gate Sergeant
I have seen that seal on entry warrants and royal levies. It is no village forgery, Captain.
Behind Sehra, the Harbor Watch guards remain at the doors. The pilgrim lowers his gaze, while Oren keeps the order extended and does not yet reach for the sealed letter.
Oren Pell
Its authority is real, Captain. It requires surrender of the investigation and the pilgrim for royal examination, but it does not erase the record already made here.
The order establishes a genuine royal claim over the inquiry, not a counterfeit threat. The castle hall falls quiet around that fact, leaving Sehra’s custody challenged by lawful authority rather than exposed as mistaken.
“I ask Oren to explain what examination the crown intends for Brother Caldus.”
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Sehra
Clerk Pell, explain precisely what examination the crown intends for Brother Caldus.
Sehra’s question settles over the hall without yielding custody. Oren lowers the order slightly, while the gate sergeant watches him and the two Harbor Watch guards hold the doors.
Oren Pell
A sworn examiner would question Brother Caldus about the waystation, the sender named Mara Venn, and the message he carries. The inquiry would establish whether he knowingly served a royal transfer.
Oren Pell
He would not be imprisoned for carrying the letter. The crown seeks his account under seal, then a comparison with the dispatches already gathered, before deciding whether his testimony belongs in the inheritance record.
Caldus lifts his eyes at that distinction. The gate sergeant remains beside the table, and the guards keep the castle entrance secured without drawing weapons.
Oren Pell
You may record the examination as a royal inquiry into the route and the claimant’s protection. I will provide the examiner’s name and require no sealed document from your custody without your formal surrender.
“I ask how the crown will protect Harbor Watch”
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Sehra
Then explain how the crown will protect the Harbor Watch while its officers remain involved in this inquiry.
Oren folds the order once, thoughtfully. The question shifts the hall from authority to responsibility, and the gate sergeant straightens beside the table.
Oren Pell
By naming them in the royal record as protected witnesses and lawful officers, not suspects. No crown agent may seize, threaten, or punish them for obeying your orders here.
Oren Pell
I will write that protection now, under the household seal. It will cover the guards at this hall, the gate sergeant, and the harbor officers who secured the warehouse.
He draws a fresh sheet from his case and writes in a careful hand, specifying immunity from royal reprisal while the officers give evidence or preserve city custody.
The Gate Sergeant
That is protection I can place before my people, Captain. Without it, a seal alone leaves every watchman exposed.
Oren Pell
The protection is granted, Captain. Keep your custody and conduct the inquiry; the crown will receive its examination through your recorded proceedings.
Oren sands the page, presses the crown seal into its wax, and offers the document across the table. The Harbor Watch now has a written guarantee beneath Sehra’s authority.
+ New Item Acquired
Crown protection writ
“I ask Oren to protect them from Harlan’s employer”
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Sehra
Then extend that protection to the Harbor Watch against reprisals from Harlan Voss's employer. Their lawful service must not make them targets.
Oren studies Sehra for a measured moment, then turns the fresh document toward the light. The gate sergeant watches him without touching his sword.
Oren Pell
Granted. I will name the Harbor Watch as protected officers and witnesses against reprisal by Harlan Voss's employer, for every act performed under your lawful custody.
He adds the employer's threat to the record, identifies Sehra's authority over the inquiry, and states that any retaliation against the officers will be treated as an offense against the crown's protection.
The Gate Sergeant
That gives my watch a shield we can understand, Captain. We will stand to your orders and give our evidence without fear of his employer.
Oren signs the clause, sands the ink, and seals it beneath the crown device. He hands the completed guarantee to Sehra, its protection now formally granted to the Harbor Watch.
Quest Complete
Protect the harbor watch from Harlan Voss’s employer