Alexandre lifts the shutter only a hand’s breadth, studies the newcomer’s tonsured head and weather-stained robes, then lowers his sword without opening the door.
Alexandre Reaper
Brother Thomas. State your business, and show the monastery credentials before you cross this threshold.
Brother Thomas
I come under the monastery seal, bearing authority over the secret rites beneath the altar niche. Open, and I will answer for every step.
Alexandre examines the parchment through the gap before drawing the bar. Brother Thomas, a gaunt middle-aged man with pale skin, a narrow beard, and a mud-darkened brown habit, enters alone.
Brother Thomas
Prior Silas cannot lawfully direct those rites without my approval. His pursuit of Timothy and Bren exceeds his office, whatever orders he claims.
the Northmere official
That is a dangerous distinction, brother. If your credentials are genuine, your testimony may void this pursuit. If the leadership authorized Silas, it may condemn the whole house.
Bren keeps Seamus hidden behind the altar rail while Alexandre closes the door again. Thomas’s gaze settles on Timothy, and the chapel waits for what he will reveal.
✓ Quest Accepted
Gain Brother Thomas's testimony against Prior Silas's pursuit
“I ask Brother Thomas to state plainly what he knows of Silas's pursuit.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Timothy
Brother Thomas, state plainly what you know of Prior Silas’s pursuit, and why he seeks us here.
Brother Thomas studies Timothy across the chapel’s bare aisle. Outside, the mounted men wait in uneasy silence, while Bren Riverglade keeps Seamus shielded behind the altar rail.
Brother Thomas
Silas pursued you because he believes you know of the hidden rites beneath the altar niche. He claimed the knowledge belonged to the monastery, and that you had stolen it.
Brother Thomas
But his order was not a lawful recovery. He meant to seize you, silence Bren, and remove Seamus before anyone could testify about the chamber or the rites.
The Northmere official’s expression tightens. She is a middle-aged human woman with a sturdy build, warm brown skin, and tightly braided black hair. Alexandre remains by the door, one hand near his sword, while Brother Thomas places his sealed credentials on the chapel table.
Brother Thomas
Silas acted beyond his office. I withheld approval because his pursuit served his private ambition, not the rule of our house. The warrant outside cannot make that lawful.
the Northmere official
Then your testimony changes the matter. I will suspend the seizure until these claims are recorded, and no man enters this chapel without my direct order.
Quest Complete
Gain Brother Thomas's testimony against Prior Silas's pursuit