Hurting Heartland’s docks meet the ship in tidy rows of rope and salt. Border collies and corgis move in brisk formations, while Captain Arnold Runner keeps the marked coins hidden close and studies every glance that lingers too long on his cargo.
A Hurter Scout at the nearest tally post pauses mid-step, nose twitching at the sight of the coin sacks. His eyes narrow, not with surprise, but with recognition.
The Hurter Scout
That mint is not local. It has been walking with company.
Captain Arnold Runner
He recognizes the coinwork.
The Local Representative turns, follows the Scout’s stare, and immediately shifts the flow of traders away from the ship, as if the harbor itself has decided to make room for trouble.
The Local Representative
If those are marked, Captain, then someone has been counting your cargo from afar. Best you let us see how far the line runs.
Captain Arnold Runner gives the signal to bring the bait ashore. The Quartermaster readies the ledger, and the marked coins are set where any watcher can count them. Somewhere beyond the ordered bustle, the trap begins to tighten.
✓ Quest Accepted
Draw out the hidden masters of the marked coins
“"Be my guest," Captain Arnold responds charitably. "I don't know how that would be done." If the local representative tips his hand and shows how the trail is marked through the coins, Arnold hopes the coins are merely amusement and not a weapon.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Intrigue, rolled +2)
The Local Representative steps closer to the coin sack, then stops with a small, practiced smile. He does not touch the bait yet, only turns one coin between his fingers and shows its edge to Arnold.
The Local Representative
There. See the notch, just there. It is a tally mark, but not ours. A hand counts these, then passes the count along.
Captain Arnold Runner
Be my guest. I do not know how that would be done.
At Arnold’s invitation, the Representative tilts the coin toward the light and runs a thumb over the cut. The Quartermaster leans in, ledger open, while the Hurter Scout watches with the stillness of a hound on scent.
The Local Representative
Someone marks the trail before the coin changes hands, then again after. Dock hands notice the second cut, but only the right eyes know to follow the first.
The Hurter Scout
And if those right eyes are mine, I can tell you which harbors they favor. I have seen that pattern in three places already.
He taps the dock map with one claw, then names the first stop without looking up. The line is no longer rumor, it is a route.
Quest Complete
Draw out the hidden masters of the marked coins