The harbor commander lies unconscious among collapsed watchmen, her blue-gray cloak darkened by ash. Silas stands amid scorched masks and scattered weapons while the captive nobleman searches her cloak.
A broken boat plank shifts near the shallows. A young man with a narrow, soot-streaked face crawls free, his harbor leathers torn and one hand pressed to his side.
the watchman
Wait... do not strike. I heard the orders.
The watchman drags himself onto the shingle and presses a small token into the wet stones. Its black wax bears a household seal.
the captive nobleman
That seal belongs to my house. Commander, what orders did you carry?
the watchman
The commander received them from someone already inside your household. Someone who knew when you would leave, and where you would be taken.
The token gleams beneath the moonlight between Silas and the nobleman. Behind them, the stunned watchmen remain scattered across the shallows, and no boat dares depart.
✓ Quest Accepted
Expose who within the nobleman's household controls the kidnapping