The sealed ransom message returns beneath escort. A sharply dressed young adult Spanish man carries a leather bond case, an assayer's coin, and a letter bearing fresh wax; the surviving officer watches from behind the quarterdeck bars.
Flagship Guard 1
The seal matches the record. The officer's life is authenticated, and the coin assay bears the same house mark as the bond.
Basilio Cárdenas
Basilio Cárdenas, courier for the paying house. The bond, coin, and letter are valid, but the ship sailing at dusk will not wait for your deliberation.
He sets the bond case on the chart table without removing his gloves. Beside it, the assayer's coin catches the lantern light, while the officer studies the courier's confidence, marked by olive skin, a narrow face, neatly tied dark hair, and a dark blue wool coat over a cream waistcoat, through the bars.
Captured Officer 1
That is my seal and my house's mark. If the payment is accepted, send word with Basilio. My people will know the letter proves I still live.
Basilio Cárdenas
Accepted now, the ransom is clean. Delayed, it becomes merely a promise after the tide carries my vessel west.
The guard keeps one hand on the recorded testimony and the other near his sword. The bond, coin, and authenticated letter wait between Redmane's authority and the courier's narrowing deadline.
“I verify the bond with Tortuga’s scrivener and my quartermaster.”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled -2)
The dockside scrivener and Quartermaster join Redmane at the chart table. She places the factoring papers beside Basilio's bond, authenticated letter, and assayer's coin, arranging each mark for comparison.
The scrivener matches the factoring house seal against the bond and letter, while the Quartermaster checks the coin's house mark against the recorded cargo accounts and lawful prize register.
Dockside Scrivener
The bond is genuine, properly witnessed, and secured by the same house authority recorded in these factoring papers. It is valid for settlement.
Quartermaster
The coin's mark agrees with the bond and the recorded accounts. The payment corresponds to the officer's stated ransom, without false weight or substitution.
The verification succeeds. Yet the assayer's coin bears a western branch mark absent from the ledgers, leaving its final market value to be confirmed before the ransom enters the fleet's accounts.
The scrivener seals the bond as accepted, and the Quartermaster enters its amount separately from prize silver. Basilio's payment now stands authenticated, though the unfamiliar branch mark remains noted for later valuation.
Quest Complete
Secure the captured officer's ransom
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Good→Great
“I authorize the officer's release under the bond”
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Redmane places the inspection writ over the authenticated bond and factoring papers, then authorizes the officer’s release against the verified ransom. The wanted poster briefly exposes her likeness, but Silver Tongue makes the decision sound measured, lawful, and final.
Dockside Scrivener
The bond is accepted and recorded. Under this writ, the ransom satisfies the officer’s lawful release.
The Quartermaster enters the payment separately from prize silver, preserving the factoring house’s settlement and the fleet’s accounts. The assayer’s western branch mark remains noted, not mistaken for false weight.
Flagship Guard 1
The record is sealed. I will remove his bonds and witness him into the courier’s custody.
The guard unlocks the quarterdeck bars and cuts the officer’s restraints. Basilio receives the sealed release record beneath the inspection writ, while Redmane’s Inspiring Presence keeps every watching hand still.
Captured Officer 1
The bond is honored. I will confirm my survival to my people and answer further questions concerning Cinderwater when properly summoned.