Bren steps into the chapel yard, morning light pale on the grass. The air is sharp, and the quiet does not last. A clerk stands by the gate with a sealed scroll in hand, watching him like a man late to a ledger.
The Clerk
You there, seminarian. The Mayor requires an account of your recent doings, and he prefers it without delay.
The clerk’s knuckles tighten around the scroll. He keeps his distance, but his posture says he expects obedience, not argument.
The Clerk
This is not meant as a threat. It is a matter of record, and I am charged to collect it cleanly.
The Clerk
If this is simple, let it be simple. If it is not, I would rather know before noon.
He lifts the seal a fraction, ready to present it, while the chapel wall and open yard hold the silence between them.
✓ Quest Accepted
Answer the Mayor’s account request
“"While in the city I am at the Lord Mayor's service. What does he wish to know?"”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +2)
Bren Riverglade
While I am in the city, I am at the Lord Mayor's service. What does he wish to know?
The Clerk
His account request is plain enough, seminarian. He wants the names of those present, the matter spoken of, and whether any coin, token, or debt changed hands in this yard.
The clerk lowers the seal a little, relieved to have something orderly to carry back. His eyes flick once toward the chapel door, then back to Bren, as if measuring how much of the morning belongs to record and how much to mercy.
The Clerk
He also wants to know whether Father Hallowell gave you the packet openly, and whether the vellum and prayer strip were shown in full.
The mention of the packet makes the clerk's grip tighten again. He keeps his voice careful, but the question is now set between them, waiting for an answer that can be written down.
The Clerk
If you answer cleanly, I can mark this as a hearing and not a quarrel.
“"Father Hallowell wished to illuminate my eyes to the sacred texts, and showed me them. No goods or coin were exchanged, and no one else was present."”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled -1)
Bren answers evenly, and the clerk hears the shape of a clean report in it.
Bren Riverglade
Father Hallowell wished to set my eyes on the sacred texts, and he showed them to me. No coin changed hands, and no one else was present.
The Clerk
Good. Then I can write it as witness and viewing, not payment.
The clerk draws the scroll closer, but not as if to threaten with it. His shoulders ease by a small measure, and the morning hush returns around the stones.
The Clerk
Father Hallowell will likely want his own line kept fair, too. He is not a man who enjoys being miswritten.
He glances toward the chapel door, then back to Bren, as though weighing whether duty is finished or merely softened.
The Clerk
If there is nothing else to add, I will take this to the Lord Mayor as a hearing recorded in good order.
Quest Complete
Answer the Mayor’s account request
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Great→Superb