The farmer's market outside lord Loridulus' estate is loud with barter, but one stall has gone silent. Azera stands at the edge of the crowd, staff in hand, as guards drag a half-orc outcast into the open.
A spilled basket lies at his feet, apples rolling through the dust. Near the lord's gate, a bard's latest refrain still hangs in the air, the kind of song that makes rumors feel like fate.
Bince
I did not steal it. The song named me first, not the market.
Xene
It was a tale, Bince. Tales are not confessions.
The half-orc jerks against the guards' grip, glaring toward the stall owners and the estate doors as if either might spit out mercy. Azera's spellbook catches the light when she shifts her weight.
lord Kane Loridulus
Then speak plainly. Did you take the silver clasp from the market table, or did the song simply find a thief already waiting?
The guards tighten around Bince. He squares his shoulders, ready to answer, while the market holds its breath and the lord waits for Azera to intervene, accuse, or uncover what the song has done.
+ Story Quest Added
Uncover what the silver clasp has to do with Bince
+ Scene Quest Added
Intervene in Bince's judgment
“I vouch for Bince before the lord”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled -2)
Azera steps forward, planting her staff where the crowd can see her. The market hushes around the sound.
Azera
I vouch for Bince. This clasp is not proof enough to hang him.
lord Kane Loridulus
Then speak your reason, sorceress. I will hear it.
Bince
Thank you. I only came to sell apples and mend a cart strap. I did not touch the lord's silver.
Xene
The clasp was found after the song, yes, but songs point at stains in a room. They do not make them.
Lord Kane looks from the clasp to Bince's hands, then gives a curt nod. The guards ease back a pace, enough for Bince to stand without strain.
lord Kane Loridulus
Very well. Azera's word weighs here. Bince, you are not judged guilty today. Tell me who put this clasp where it fell.
Quest Complete
Intervene in Bince's judgment