The chamber doors open, and Sava enters with Theon and Krae from the dyehouse. Their arrival interrupts the ledger ceremony as the fugitives gather beneath Willowmere’s protection.
Sava
The promise is already being tested. Someone questioned the dyehouse workers about strangers, asking whether the council truly protects those beneath its seal.
Theon sets the food sack beside the table, while Krae closes the doors and listens through the wood. No one enters after them, but the cellar grows still.
Theon
We brought everything from the loft. The questions were polite, but they were meant to measure how quickly fear might loosen a tongue.
Krae
The town has not turned against us. Still, watchers near the lane will learn whether Willowmere’s words carry beyond this room.
The Elderly Councilor
Then our ledger is not enough. Council protection must reach the dyehouse, the gate, and every witness who stands beneath our seal.
The elderly councilor’s hand pauses above the unfinished entry. She looks from Sava to Raedwulf, leaving the next decision open before the gathered fugitives.
✓ Quest Accepted
Make the council’s protection enforceable
“How can my party apply to for temporary citizenship?”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Raedwulf
How can my party apply for temporary citizenship, so we may remain lawfully under Willowmere’s protection?
The elderly councilor draws a fresh page from the ledger and turns it toward Raedwulf. The broad councilor sets out three inked seals beside it.
The Elderly Councilor
You apply as a household under petition. Give names, skills, and the length of refuge sought. The council records your duties, and the reeve witnesses the oath.
The Broad Councilor
Temporary citizenship grants shelter, work, and passage within Willowmere for one season. You obey town law, answer lawful summons, and renew the petition before it expires.
The slim councilor prepares separate lines for Raedwulf, Sava, Veyra, Theon, and Krae. The elf watcher places the council seal beside the completed application.
The Slim Councilor
Your application is accepted for immediate review and provisional standing. Until the reeve witnesses your oath, this seal carries the council’s protection.
Neris
I will escort you to the reeve at first light. Tonight, you are recorded applicants under Willowmere’s protection, with the process begun.
“I ask the reeve to witness our oath”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +1)
At first light, the elf watcher leads Raedwulf’s party from the dyehouse to Willowmere’s council hall. Rain beads on blue-painted shutters as the town wakes around them.
Raedwulf
I ask the reeve to witness our oath, so my party may remain lawfully under Willowmere’s protection.
Inside the hall, a middle-aged woman reeve waits beside a carved oath-stone. She has warm brown skin, close-cropped silver hair, a russet cloak, and a blue council sash.
The Reeve
I am Reeve Maelin. Bring your petition forward, name your duties, and swear to obey Willowmere’s laws for the season granted.
The council seal is placed beside the ledger. Sava, Veyra, Theon, and Krae stand with Raedwulf before the oath-stone, while the elf watcher records each name.
Sava
We stand together, Reeve Maelin. We seek refuge without violence, and we will answer lawful summons while Willowmere shelters us.
Maelin witnesses the oath and presses the town seal into fresh wax. The household petition becomes active, granting the fugitives lawful refuge, work, and passage within Willowmere for one season.
Quest Complete
Make the council’s protection enforceable
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Good→Great