The gate captain leads Kynd and the bound prisoners through a narrow arch into a barred holding yard. Snow clings to the stones, while watchfires glow beneath the city wall.
The Gate Captain
Inside, all four. Keep the line tight until the cells are secured.
The guards inspect every knot in the weathered rope, then cut no strand. They separate the prisoners into individual iron-barred cells, leaving their confiscated belts and weapons on a bench.
Gate Guards
Four prisoners received. Weapons secured. Rope retained as evidence.
A young clerk, a slight young woman with freckled cheeks, chestnut hair pinned in a bun, and ink-stained fingers in a dark wool coat sets a wooden tablet on the bench and begins scratching a custody record into wax. The captain watches Kynd’s raw palms, then looks toward the gate.
The Gate Captain
I am Captain Mara Venn. Before the magistrate arrives, tell me what happened at the roadside camp. Did anyone survive there, and is any evidence still waiting beyond the gate?
The clerk pauses with her stylus above the tablet. Behind the bars, the four prisoners fall quiet, listening for Kynd’s account while the captain leaves the question open.
✓ Quest Accepted
Give the gate captain a truthful account of the roadside camp
“"I was resting when these fellows attempted to rob me. I drew my blade and attempted to make them back off that way, but their leader insisted and attacked me, injuring my arm. I used my magic to freeze them in place and finished off their leader. I then searched for rope, and when I couldn't find any due to my injury, I healed myself and found rope. I then tied them and brought them here" *He attempted to give the most detailed account he could*”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +0)
Kynd
I was resting when these fellows tried to rob me. I drew my blade to drive them back, but their leader attacked and injured my arm.
Kynd gives the account carefully, tracing the ambush from the first drawn weapon to the leader’s attack. The clerk records each detail in the wax as Captain Mara Venn listens without interrupting.
Kynd
I froze them in place with magic, then finished their leader. I searched for rope, found none, healed my arm, and finally discovered a weathered length near the dead man’s pack.
He explains the bindings, the confiscated weapons, and the walk to the city. By the end, the wax is crowded with cramped marks, while the exact order of the two knife carriers remains uncertain in the record.
The Gate Captain
That is sufficient for custody. The prisoners, their weapons, and the rope all support the central account. I will mark the uncertain sequence for the magistrate to examine.
The Young Clerk
I have entered the leader’s death, the magical restraint, the healing, and the delivery of all four survivors.
Quest Complete
Give the gate captain a truthful account of the roadside camp