A hard knock jolts the chapel’s uneasy quiet. Dust sifts from the lintel as horses snort outside, and Seamus freezes beside the hearth.
Alexandre Reaper
Stay down. Through the shutter gap I see a Northmere warrant, a mounted official, and four armed men.
Bren draws Seamus behind the altar rail and lowers the blanket around his shoulders. The boy’s breathing turns shallow as boots scrape across the chapel step.
the Northmere official
By authority of Northmere, surrender Timothy at once. He is charged with theft of abbey property and heresy. Resist, and this chapel will be searched.
Bren Riverglade
Keep your voice low, Seamus. Whatever happens at that door, you are not to answer them.
Alexandre Reaper
Official, display the warrant beneath the shutter. You will not enter armed while a sick child shelters here.
A folded document appears between the shutters, sealed with Northmere’s mark. Alexandre reads it in silence, then looks toward Timothy, his expression hardening as another fist strikes the door.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep the chapel from being seized
“I offer the chapel’s testimony against Northmere”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Timothy
This chapel holds witnesses to Northmere’s warrant and to the men pursuing us. Let the official hear their testimony before he calls us thieves or heretics.
Timothy speaks through the shutter gap, keeping his voice measured. Behind him, the chapel’s barred door, the sealed warrant, and the gathered witnesses give his claim weight.
the Northmere official
You would put a village chapel against Northmere’s seal, boy? Very well. Speak, and let every word be remembered.
Bren Riverglade
The warrant names Timothy alone, yet armed men pursued Bren and Seamus through the night. Its authority has already exceeded its stated charge.
Alexandre Reaper
I witnessed the pursuit, the mixed badges, and the threat against this sanctuary. The warrant does not grant Northmere leave to invent crimes.
Seamus
They said the Abbot ordered it, but Northmere’s men carried the warrant. They meant to seize Timothy and Bren, not investigate anything.
Silence settles outside. The official rereads the document while his men shift uneasily; the chapel’s testimony now stands together against Northmere’s authority, and Alexandre keeps the door barred.
Quest Complete
Keep the chapel from being seized