Magistrate Wei pushes Kareem out into the market light, the flooded ledger chamber yawning behind them. The brass tally still pulses, bright enough to stain the water on the stones. Ahead, the crowd parts in uneasy ripples.
Magistrate Wei
Keep it visible. If the Guard sees us, they must see lawful custody, not a theft.
A horn sounds from the street mouth. Imperial Guard armor flashes between stalls as they advance, and the nearest merchants recoil from the pressure of their boots.
Inspector Lian
They come for the device, and likely for Kareem too. If Wei claims jurisdiction, he had best prove it now.
Kareem Bishop
The device is pulling harder near the guards.
Wei lifts the tally for all to see, his grip steady, his expression carved into formal calm. The sigil on the wall behind the chamber flares again, reflecting red-gold across the floodwater and the faces watching from the market.
Magistrate Wei
By audit writ and ward seal, this man and these items answer to inquiry. Approach, and let the records decide.
✓ Quest Accepted
Avoid imperial arrest
“I stand respectfully near wei. The tally and my hands visible.”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +1)
Kareem settles beside Wei, hands open, the tally held where every lantern can catch its pulse. The crowd tightens into silence, watching for the first official mistake.
Wei shifts half a step in front of him, not blocking Kareem, just claiming the space like a seal pressed into wax. The brass glow stains both their sleeves.
Imperial Guard Captain
Magistrate Wei, your jurisdiction is noted. Stand aside and surrender the foreign device for inspection.
Inspector Lian
No. It is listed, witnessed, and in plain sight. If you want it, state your authority over the audit writ.
The guard captain stops short at the chamber mouth, hand hovering near his seal case. Behind him, two armored guards spread wide, cutting off the market threshold.
Kareem Bishop
They are not moving on the story they expected.
Imperial Guard Captain
Then produce the record, Magistrate. If the tally belongs to inquiry, we read it here, before the market.
Wei lifts the ward paper and the smudged ribbon together, keeping Kareem and the tally visible as one lawful bundle of evidence. The captain’s gaze drops to the seal, then to Kareem, waiting for the next name to be spoken.
“I let Wei read the record aloud”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Wei begins to read, his voice steady enough to carry over the market hush. He names Kareem as a lawful guest under ward duty, entered by seal, witnessed by scribe, and protected from summary seizure.
Magistrate Wei
Let the record speak plainly. This man is not concealed, not seized, not smuggled. He stands under my writ.
The guard captain’s hand leaves his seal case. His eyes stay hard, but they move from the tally to the ward paper, then to the smudged ribbon, weighing each mark like a stone on a balance.
Imperial Guard Captain
A guest under ward duty, then. Speak the office, the witness, and the bell.
Inspector Lian
Gate office, Gate Scribe, first bell. All entered in ink before he crossed your threshold.
Wei does not hurry. He reads the seal line by line, letting the brass tally pulse in open air while the lantern reflections shiver on the wet stone.
Magistrate Wei
The audit writ binds this matter. If you challenge it, you challenge the ward office before the market, and I will have every name copied.
The captain studies Kareem at last, not as prey but as a problem already filed. The pressure loosens, though no one steps aside yet.
Quest Complete
Avoid imperial arrest
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Good→Great