The gangplank lowers with a metallic groan, and Swanga 's ship settles into the berth on a wash of steam and salt. Lantern light gleams on wet planks, on polished boots, on a rigid line of governing officers waiting below.
Their hands rest on sword hilts. Their faces are cold. This is no welcoming committee, it is a blockade wearing ceremony.
Swanga steps to the top of the gangplank, silk catching the light, rapier at his side. The line below does not break.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
Swanga, by order of the port and the Crown, you are to surrender your blade and come quietly.
Swanga
They expected him.
At the center of the line stands Don Esteban Valcárcel, a severe magistrate in black velvet, one gloved hand raised, the other near his sword. Behind him, dockworkers pause in a tense, silent ring.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
Your business proposal is postponed. Your freedom is not.
A harbor bell sounds once. Somewhere beyond the bay, chains clink against the pier, and the air feels suddenly too narrow for a duel, too crowded for retreat.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the governor's recognition of the proposal
“I will descend the gangplank with my proposal held high in plain sight.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled -1)
Swanga starts down the gangplank, the proposal raised where every eye can see it. The wet boards answer under his boots with a steady drum, and the line of officers parts just enough to let him pass.
Don Esteban’s gaze follows the document instead of the blade. The dockworkers lean in, silent now, waiting to see whether ceremony becomes law.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
Hold there. Let me see the terms.
Swanga reaches the foot of the plank. Steam curls around his legs as a clerk steps forward with a sealed ledger, while Esteban lifts one hand and the officers stop short.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
This proposal will be examined in the governor’s name, under guard and in public.
A few dockworkers exchange quick looks, and the rigid wall of steel loosens by a breath. No blade is taken, no arrest is made, but the papers are now in the magistrate’s hand.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
If it bears weight, the port will hear it. If it does not, you will answer for wasting our time.
“I press for the governor's seal”
FAILURE (Poor Intrigue, rolled -3)
Esteban does not reach for the seal. He reads the title again, then looks up with a thin, measuring pause.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
You press hard for a man asking favor, Swanga. Why should the governor bind his name to this?
The ledger-clerk hesitates, seal-cord taut in his fingers, while the dockworkers lean closer, hungry for the answer.
Swanga
I offer terms fit for a governor, not a rumor at a quay.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
Bold words. Useful, if they can be borne out.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
I will not grant the seal from the pier, not yet. You will stand for formal review in the governor's hall, under witness, and the final hand is his.
He folds the proposal closed with two fingers, keeping it out of Swanga's reach.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
If you mean to be taken as a partner, come with proof. If not, leave before the port decides for you.
“I ask for the formal review in the governor's hall”
FAILURE (Poor Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Swanga holds his ground and repeats the request for formal review in the governor's hall. Esteban listens without moving, then lets the silence stretch until the dockworkers stop whispering.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
You ask properly, at last. That matters more than charm on a pier.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
The governor does not weigh every boast. He weighs witnesses, names, and whether a man can stand to scrutiny.
He taps the folded proposal against his palm, not returning it yet, but not locking it away either. One clerk looks from the paper to Swanga, as if recalculating him.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
I will take you in under witness. Present your proof cleanly, and I will speak for the hearing being heard.
The dockworkers loosen at once, their curiosity shifting into something nearer respect. A narrow path opens through the steam toward the inland stairs.
Don Esteban Valcárcel
Come with the ledger-clerk. If your case holds, the hall will hear it. If it fails, you will learn that here, paper cuts both ways.
“I follow the clerk to the governor's hall”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +3)