The coffer lid groans open. Folded papers lie inside, tied with fraying cord, the seal marks plain in the lamplight.
The First Inquisitor lifts the top sheet and skims it fast, his jaw tightening as he reads the marriage marks and witness names.
The Guild Master
No... not that packet.
The Second Inquisitor plants himself at the door, blocking the corridor, while the Guild Master sways beside the coffer, pale and speechless.
First Inquisitor
These papers speak of an annulment, and of a holy vow set aside. Who kept them hidden?
The stack shifts in the First Inquisitor's hand, exposing a second page stamped with the guild's mark. The case is no longer rumor. It is proof.
✓ Quest Accepted
Expose the guild master's annulment papers
“Point to the guild master and confirm he hid the papers.”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +0)
David Clarkson lifts a hand and points straight at the Guild Master. The room goes still as his calm confirmation lands on the accusation like a seal pressed in wax.
First Inquisitor
There. He hid them. Mark the man and take the papers.
The Guild Master recoils as if struck, his mouth opening without sound. The admission strips the last cover from his face, and the hidden packet is now openly proof in the Inquisitor's grasp.
The Guild Master
No one was meant to say it aloud.
A scrape of boots sounds at the door as the Second Inquisitor tightens his stance. David's pointing hand drops back to his staff, but the gesture has already done its work.
First Inquisitor
Your silence is noted, Clarkson. The seal is broken, the papers are seen, and the matter now stands on record.
The lamp flame shivers over the exposed pages, and one edge of David's sleeve catches against the coffer rim, dragging a thread loose. The room now belongs to the inquiry, not the Guild Master.
Quest Complete
Expose the guild master's annulment papers