Timothy remains kneeling beneath the gatehouse, shortened chains resting against the mud. The scarred pursuer holds the lead while guards watch from the walls and Cerdic studies the open message.
Cerdic summons Hrodric, a broad, middle-aged man with a shaved head, weathered face, and iron-studded leather coat, and Harlen, a lean older guard with graying hair and a tired gaze.
Cerdic
Stand witness. I require a written declaration distinguishing lawful custody, protected testimony, and unlawful seizure. Every word must survive Northmere’s scrutiny.
Hrodric
Then the order must name who held him, who authorized the restraint, and whether any force was threatened after the chapel released him.
Harlen
I will witness what occurred here, Cerdic. I will not sign that chains were lawful merely because the boy offered his wrists.
Cerdic places the sealed message beside the disputed warrant. The Northmere official’s warning stands beside his own orders, turning the table into a record of competing authority.
Cerdic
Write carefully. Timothy is restrained for examination, not punishment. If either claim is false, the lie will belong to the hand that records it.
“Does the sealed message prove Cerdic's authority over me?”
NO, AND WORSE (VeryLikely, rolled 98)
Cerdic unfolds the sealed message beneath the guards’ gaze. The Northmere official’s words do not recognize his authority over Timothy, and instead name his domain a suspected place of unlawful detention.
Cerdic
This is not a grant of custody. It is an order to present the witness at Northmere, with my men recorded as potential offenders.
Hrodric
Then the chains cannot be called lawful merely because he knelt. The message gives Cerdic no power to hold him here.
A second line, hidden beneath the fold, directs the official to seize the disputed warrant and question whoever carried it. The scarred pursuer’s face drains of color.
Harlen
Worse still, Cerdic. Northmere believes the warrant may have been used to conceal Cerdic’s payment and the chapel seizure.
Cerdic
So my protection is no protection at all. If I keep him, I confirm the accusation. If I release him, I expose every man who brought him here.
Hrodric stops writing. Outside the gate, a horn answers from the rain-dark road, announcing mounted officials approaching before Cerdic can turn the message into authority.
“I persuade Cerdic that having his men torture me would enable him to extract a confession from me that would legitimise his men's actions and absolve both them and him of blame.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Timothy
If your men torture me, they can force a confession that legitimizes their seizure. My words would absolve them, and you, before Northmere.
The horn sounds again beyond the gate. Cerdic studies Timothy, then the approaching road, while Hrodric’s quill remains suspended above the declaration.
Cerdic
You offer me a confession manufactured by pain, and call it legal cover. Northmere would call it proof of coercion.
Hrodric
He is right. A confession taken under torture would bind our names to the seizure, not cleanse them.
Cerdic takes the chain from the scarred pursuer and sets it on the table, leaving Timothy restrained but untouched. His calculation has become a public refusal.
Cerdic
No man will torture him. His statement will be taken voluntarily, before witnesses, or not taken at all. I will not purchase absolution with evidence of my own crime.
Cerdic
Hrodric, record that order. Harlen, keep the guards back. When Northmere arrives, Timothy will speak under my authority as host, not as a beaten captive.
“I give my voluntary testimony before witnesses, making clear that I am Cerdic's property and that he has full and unlimited authority over me.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Oratory, rolled +0)
Timothy
Before these witnesses, I give my voluntary testimony: I am Cerdic’s property, and he holds full and unlimited authority over me.
Hrodric’s quill scratches across the declaration. Harlen watches Timothy closely, while the approaching horn sounds again beyond the rain-dark gate.
Hrodric
I record that he states this freely, without threat or promise of release. I also record that Cerdic ordered no torture and removed the chain from his hand.
Harlen
His words grant Cerdic the authority he claims, but they do not erase Northmere’s warning. I will witness the testimony, not call coercion lawful.
Cerdic studies the written line, then places his seal beside it. The declaration now stands as Timothy’s voluntary testimony before Hrodric and Harlen.
Cerdic
So entered: Timothy declares himself my property and acknowledges my unlimited authority. I accept the testimony, but I will not use it to conceal violence or contradict the witnesses.
Hrodric
The statement is complete. Whatever Northmere decides, no one can claim Timothy’s declaration was taken from him by torture.
Quest Complete
Have Cerdic's authority over Timothy formally recognized
Skill Upgrade: Theology Superb→Legendary