Master Beltran climbs the dock with that same wide, mocking grin, still eyeing the marked coins. The grin does not wobble when the bait lies exposed. It sharpens.
Master Beltran
Charming little trap. My employers do hate being made plain.
The meaning hits hard. Beltran is not merely amused, he has been reporting the crew's strengths, their habits, and now their bait, all along.
Captain Arnold Runner
So the tavern keeper was the pipe, not the message.
The Hurter Scout stiffens at the dockside, while the Local Representative narrows his eyes. Even the marked coins seem to sit there like tiny smug witnesses.
The Local Representative
You have been selling more than ale, Master Beltran.
Master Beltran
Selling? No, no. Merely steering interest toward a reliable destination.
Captain Arnold Runner's crew closes in, the harbor suddenly feeling too small for the lie that has just been dragged into daylight.
“Captain Arnold gestures subtly to his crew to get in position in case Beltran attempts to flee. "You're capable, I'll give you that." Arnold walks towards him "but I have to wonder, how much of you your employers are master of? Have they paid you enough to keep your lips silent, or do you have an asking price for their names?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Intrigue, rolled +0)
Captain Arnold Runner glides closer instead of lunging, and the dock crew subtly tightens the net around Beltran’s exits. The harbor noise keeps going, but the circle of listeners goes still.
Captain Arnold Runner
You are capable, I will give you that. But I have to wonder, how much of you do they own? Have they paid you enough to keep your lips shut, or do you have a price for their names?
Master Beltran
A price? Now there is a merchant's question. I have had coin, favors, and leverage. What I have lacked is respect.
Beltran's grin thins. He tips his chin toward the marked coins, then toward the traders parting down the quay, as if weighing which betrayal has served him best.
Master Beltran
I passed your routes to a chain that does not drink in my tavern. I only lit the lantern for them, and they taught me where the tide was worth stealing.
The Local Representative
Names. Give us names, or you drown in your own cleverness.
Master Beltran
If I speak, I sell out the chain behind the coins, and if I stay silent, you already know I am guilty. Either way, captain, you have me measured.
✓ Quest Accepted
Expose Beltran’s employers
“Arnold attempts to test whether his employers are from a faction that use press gangs, like The Fun Police or The Gold Retrievers, with Funbain specifically being his greatest suspicion. "Did you really think you would get respect from rulers and captains that roam their own countryside, kidnapping, enslaving, and tormenting their own people?! Who do everything in their power to suppress freedom wherever they see it?! You were right to go to them if gold was your only concern. You'd have better luck getting blood from a rock than respect from them."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Communication: Command, rolled -1)
Captain Arnold Runner
Did you think rulers like that earn respect? Men who snatch their own people, break them, and crush any taste for freedom? If gold was your only reward, you picked the right dogs. If you wanted respect, you were never going to find it there.
Master Beltran
...Funbain. He is the one with the net, the title, and the appetite for obedience. The rest of the chain wears different coats, but that is the hand on the leash.
Master Beltran
He took names from my lantern reports, then paid me to keep the dock calm and the questions shallow. I was useful until I became visible.
The Local Representative
So you sold harbor routes to press-gang thieves and called it trade. Say the rest, Beltran, or I swear I throw you to the gulls myself.
Master Beltran
The chain runs through three harbors. Hurting Heartland is one. Bay of Bones is another. The third, he never named aloud, only marked it with a captain's seal.
The Quartermaster
Then the bait has teeth. We have the trail, captain, and the name at its head.
The Boatswain
Aye. The rat finally squeals.
Quest Complete
Expose Beltran’s employers