“I thank Brother Wulfric for the "special penance" that he gave me, and reassure him that I will not tell anyone of how he gave in to his darkest desires. I persuade him that the flesh that tempted him was mine, so the fault is mine alone. I even persuade him that I enjoyed what happened to me and now love him deeply.”
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Timothy
Thank you, Brother Wulfric. Your penance is a holy light in my darkness.
Brother Wulfric
The boy’s words are honey, yet they sting like gall. Does he truly see my soul, or is this the ultimate deceit?
Timothy
Do not fear for your name, Brother. No one shall ever know how your desires broke through the monastery wall. It was my flesh that enticed you. The sin is mine, and I cherish the scars you have carved into me. I love you for this correction.
Timothy
His grip on the scourge is loosening. He is trembling, no longer the master of this room, but a man drowning in his own sudden shame.
Brother Wulfric
You... you would protect me? Even after I have laid my hands upon you so cruelly?
Timothy
I would suffer any pain to keep your peace, Father. Shall I kneel again?
Wulfric drops the scourge, his gaze darting to the heavy oak door as if expecting a witness to walk through at any second.
+ Scene Quest Added
Secure Wulfric's silence and depart the monastery unnoticed
“I persuade Brother Wolfric to tell me which of the other monks also harbor carnal desires towards me.”
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Brother Wulfric
You have a devilish tongue, boy. But your truth... it is a mirror I cannot look away from. Brother Thomas, he watches you in the gardens. He thinks himself pious, yet his eyes linger on your stride whenever you pass. And the Cantor... he has asked me more than once about your duties in the scriptorium.
Timothy
I see. The Lord’s garden is thick with weeds, then.
Timothy
The terror in Wulfric's eyes is fading into a desperate, wretched sort of camaraderie. He is no longer looking for the door. He is looking for a co-conspirator.
Brother Wulfric
They are as weak as I am. We all crave what we claim to despise. Promise me you will not speak of this to the Prior, and I will ensure you leave this monastery before the morning bells ring.
Timothy
I promise, Brother. Your secret is as safe as my own heart. May I go now?
Wulfric sways slightly, leaning against the cold stone desk, his breathing heavy and ragged as he gestures vaguely toward the iron-bound door.
Quest Complete
Secure Wulfric's silence and depart the monastery unnoticed
