J1 reaches the grand tournament arena as bronze drums fall silent. Three beautiful young adult women in black and deep violet mourning robes drag a wounded champion across the sand.
the eldest mourner
Judges, hear us. An Oath of Brothers has been broken, and the blood of the dead cries out for atonement.
The champion, a broad middle-aged man with a split brow and crimson sash, collapses before the raised tribunal. The women stand over him, their veils stirring in the hot wind.
the wounded champion
I accept responsibility for the killings. Let the charge be weighed against the only witness who can contest it.
the second mourner
You mean the monk? The handsome stranger who watched your oath take shape?
All three women turn toward J1. Their grief appears practiced, yet their eyes measure him sharply, as though his answer could decide more than a judgment.
the wounded champion
J1 alone knows what happened that night. Ask him, and learn whether I am murderer, scapegoat, or something worse.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish the truth of the past killings
“Recall what happened on the deed in question. Also, check out the women to gauge their reactions. Get a good look and their beauty and be a offer a quick flirtatious smile at them.”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled -2)
J1
The champion swore the brothers would leave the eastern gate together. Only one returned, carrying the dead man's jade seal.
J1 studies the three mourners beneath their veils, noting the eldest woman's steady hands, the second woman's guarded eyes, and the youngest woman's pale, composed face. He offers them a quick, flirtatious smile.
the second mourner
There it is. The famous charm, offered even at a funeral.
The second mourner's mouth tightens, but color rises beneath her cheekbones. The youngest looks aside too late, while the eldest keeps her gaze fixed on J1.
the eldest mourner
You remember the oath, then. Tell the tribunal whether our brother broke it first.
J1
The eldest is controlling the exchange; the second is offended, and the youngest is curious despite herself.
A few spectators murmur at the visible exchange. The tribunal's chief judge, a middle-aged woman with a narrow build, dark braided hair, and a severe gray robe leans forward, and the wounded champion watches J1 with renewed hope. The mourners now suspect he is easily distracted.
“Try to recall if the wounded champion escorted the brothers outside the gate. Also try to remember if the brothers may have been attacked once they left outside”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +0)
J1 lowers his gaze and lets the tribunal fade behind the bronze drums. He searches the memory of that night by its sounds: sandals, gate hinges, then sudden steel beyond the eastern wall.
J1
The champion escorted both brothers through the eastern gate. The attack began after they left.
The recollection settles with hard clarity. The champion walked beside them, not ahead or behind, until figures rushed from the dark roadside and broke the oath-party apart.
A sharp pulse strikes J1's temple. His breath catches, and a thin line of blood appears beneath one nostril, the price of forcing the memory into focus.
the wounded champion
You remember it now. They were attacked beyond the gate, where no judge could see.
the eldest mourner
Or he remembers the version that spares him. Witness, tell us who struck first.
The chief judge raises one hand, silencing the murmurs. Every face turns toward J1, while the three mourners watch for the smallest fracture in his certainty.
Quest Complete
Establish the truth of the past killings
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Good→Great
“"The champion had escorted the brothers out of the East gate as sworn. They brothers were attacked after they left."”
FAILURE (Fair Reasoning, rolled -1)
J1
The champion escorted both brothers through the eastern gate as sworn. They were attacked only after they had left.
J1's voice carries across the arena, but the memory blurs at the crucial instant. He can place the attack beyond the gate, not identify who struck first or whether the wounded champion withheld a warning.
the eldest mourner
A road beyond the gate is not a verdict. You prove where the oath ended, not who broke it.
the wounded champion
The ambush came from the roadside. I fought to reach them, and found only one brother standing.
The tribunal's chief judge studies J1's bloodied nose, then the jade seal at the wounded champion's belt. The testimony has not cleared him, but it exposes a sharper question: why did the seal remain with the survivor?
the tribunal's chief judge
Champion, if you arrived after the attack, explain the dead man's seal. Witness, keep your memory precise. We will test both accounts against that contradiction.
the second mourner
Then let him answer before J1's uncertainty becomes his shield.
✓ Quest Accepted
Explain the dead man's jade seal
“try to recall how the jade seal got to the surviving brother”
FAILURE (Fair Reasoning, rolled +1)
J1 closes his eyes and follows the jade seal backward through the memory: the eastern gate, the roadside clash, the surviving brother rising from the dust, a young adult man with a lean build, dust-dark hair, and a torn brown tunic,.
J1
The seal was not taken during the first exchange.
The recollection buckles before the crucial handoff. Steel flashes, sandals scrape, and the seal appears in the survivor's grip only after the champion kneels beside the fallen brother, a young adult man in a torn blue coat with a dust-streaked face,.
the wounded champion
You see it now. I lifted the dead man's hand, but I never removed the seal.
J1's nose begins bleeding again, and the memory's pressure breaks. Yet one detail remains: the survivor's fingers were already closed around the jade before the champion touched him.
the tribunal's chief judge
Witness, you cannot name the first attacker, but you can place the seal before the champion's hands reached the dead.
the eldest mourner
Then question the surviving brother's hands, not merely the champion's belt. The contradiction has narrowed.
“explain that the surviving brother already had the jade seal before the champion touched him”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +3)
J1
The surviving brother already held the jade seal before the champion touched him. The champion did not take it from the dead.
The words cross the arena with the weight of a struck gong. J1's bloodied face remains turned toward the tribunal, while the champion's hand tightens around his belt.
the wounded champion
Yes. That is what I have said. He rose with the seal already closed in his hand.
the second mourner
Then why did he possess it? You watched the attack. You must have seen who placed it there.
The chief judge signals an attendant. A gong sounds once, and scribes bend over their tablets. Across the sand, the mourners' practiced composure begins to fracture.
the tribunal's chief judge
The seal was in the survivor's grasp before the champion reached the fallen man. Record that distinction. Bring the surviving brother before this tribunal.
the eldest mourner
He will come. But if he lies, witness, your memory will be the blade that cuts through him.
“study the mourners reaction. Offer a seductive wink to the youngest.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Seduction, rolled -1)
J1 studies the three mourners. The eldest remains rigid, the second watches him with sharpened suspicion, and the youngest's composure thins beneath his attention.
He holds the youngest woman's pale gaze, then gives her a slow, deliberate wink. Her lips part before she catches herself and lowers her veil.
Lian
You find this amusing, witness?
Her voice stays composed, but a flush touches her cheeks. The second mourner turns toward her, startled, while the eldest's steady hands finally tighten around her sleeves.
the second mourner
Do not reward him for making a spectacle of our grief.
Lian
I am not rewarding anyone. I am asking whether his memory is as precise as his manners are reckless.
The tribunal's chief judge notices the exchange and taps her tablet once. Beyond the arena gate, an attendant returns, a young adult man with a lean build, dark skin, close-cropped black hair, and a blue-gray uniform with the surviving brother, dust still clinging to his torn blue coat.
“Study the survivor and keep an eye out for any lies or inconsistencies”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled -2)
J1 fixes his attention on the surviving brother as the attendant leads him into the arena. The young man's dust-dark hair clings to his forehead, and his torn blue coat hangs unevenly from one shoulder.
J1 watches the surviving brother's hands first. The fingers holding the jade seal are tense, but the thumb bears a clean crescent beneath the dust, as if the object was recently gripped hard.
J1
His hand remembers the seal more clearly than his face remembers the attack.
When the chief judge's tablet scrapes, the surviving brother flinches before looking toward the sound. His eyes then jump to the champion's belt, and his breathing changes.
the surviving brother
I have told the attendants everything. The champion came too late, and my brother died with the seal in his hand.
The statement is smooth, but his left hand closes over the jade before anyone asks about it. J1's scrutiny catches the inconsistency, though the surviving brother notices and stiffens.
the tribunal's chief judge
Witness, you have found something. Speak precisely, and do not let suspicion become another performance.
“Question if the survivor actually recalls who attacked him. See if he is lying about the champion attacking them.”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled -1)
J1
Do you truly recall who attacked you, or only what happened after? Did the champion strike either of you?
The surviving brother’s jaw tightens. J1’s quiet question leaves no room for the rehearsed account, and the arena settles into expectant silence.
the surviving brother
I recall three attackers beside the road. The champion did not strike us. He arrived after my brother fell.
His answer comes too quickly, then breaks. His left thumb rubs the jade seal’s edge, while his gaze fixes on the dust between J1’s feet.
the surviving brother
I lied about the champion attacking us because I needed the tribunal to believe he caused the deaths. He did not.
A murmur rolls through the spectators. The the tribunal's chief judge’s tablet snaps shut, and the second mourner recoils as though struck. The surviving brother’s suspicion of J1 becomes open hostility.
the tribunal's chief judge
Record his admission. Witness, you have exposed the lie, but now tell us whether he named those attackers.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the three attackers
− Scene Quest Removed
Explain the dead man's jade seal
“Question who actually attacked the brothers and try to see if the survivor is lying or not revealing the truth”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +2)
J1
Who were the three attackers? Speak plainly. I am watching whether you remember the truth or hide behind another prepared story.
The surviving brother lifts his eyes at last. J1 watches the pauses, the tightening fingers, and the direction of each glance before the answer forms.
the surviving brother
They wore road dust and plain masks. Two carried hooked sabers. The third used a chain, and he called my brother by name.
His voice falters only when he mentions the chain. His thumb stops rubbing the seal, and his gaze slips toward the three mourners before returning to J1.
the surviving brother
They were not strangers. They served the eldest mourner. She ordered us intercepted, but she never ordered murder. My brother recognized their captain.
the eldest mourner
Liar. I sent no one to the eastern road. You begged me for protection after the killing, then twisted my warning into a command.
J1 catches the truth beneath the clash: the survivor concealed the attackers' identity, but his fear of the eldest mourner is genuine. The eldest's denial is controlled, yet her hands tremble.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine whether the eldest mourner ordered the attack
− Scene Quest Removed
Identify the three attackers
“Gauge the eldest to see if there is anything inconsistent with her statement and try to catch her in a lie. Offer a flirtatious smile to the youngest, hoping that she'll speak up with the truth.”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled -2)
J1 studies the eldest mourner’s denial: her voice stays level, but her trembling hands stop whenever she names the warning, not the alleged order. He offers the youngest a slow, flirtatious smile.
J1
Her fear begins before the killing is mentioned, but her certainty begins after it.
The youngest mourner catches the invitation. Color rises beneath her veil, and she glances toward the eldest before looking at the survivor’s clenched hand around the seal.
the eldest mourner
Do not turn my family’s grief into another one of your games, witness.
The rebuke comes too quickly. Her right sleeve shifts, revealing a narrow strip of road dust caught in the cuff, despite her claim that she never went near the eastern road.
Lian
She did send riders. Not to kill them, but to seize the seal if it surfaced. Her warning was meant to protect our house, not those brothers.
A sharp murmur spreads through the arena. The eldest turns on the youngest, suspicion hardening her face, while the chief judge orders the scribes to record the admission.
Quest Complete
Determine whether the eldest mourner ordered the attack