The authorization tablet enters the Imperial throne chamber beneath witnessed custody. Kareem stands beside the robed examiner, while Archivist Shen and the Palace Messenger remain behind them.
Clerk Vey
Empress, this foreigner forged the gold-script trail. He manipulated household refusals, then staged these accusations to disgrace Marshgate and weaken your administration.
Vey bows deeply, but his fingers tighten around his copied statement. The original tablet rests on a witness cloth, its seal facing the throne.
Empress Xifeng
You accuse an independent witness of forgery while standing beside the authorization that bears your custody mark. State the chain plainly.
the robed examiner
Vey’s accusation is preserved without endorsement. The tablet’s seals are authentic, but authenticity alone cannot prove which authority ordered the alteration.
Archivist Shen
The record names the survey desk, Senior Copying Clerk Vey, and a higher authorization entered after the refusals. Direct examination may separate each responsibility.
Gold filaments rise from the tablet and divide across the chamber floor, linking Vey’s seal to three hidden entries. One bears an unfamiliar office mark, awaiting examination.
✓ Quest Accepted
Expose Vey’s accusation as false before the imperial court
“"First off why would j alter anything when I am the one that demand people be allowed to choose? Also the examiner from the celestial Bureaucracy examined and verified its authenticity. Unless you are saying the celestial Bureaucracy is either wrong or corrupt. Is that what you are implying?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Kareem Bishop
First, why would I alter anything when I am the one demanding that people be allowed to choose? The Bureau examined and verified this tablet. Are you saying it is wrong or corrupt?
Kareem’s challenge settles over the throne chamber. The gold filaments stop dividing and hold every connection visible, while the witness cloth remains undisturbed.
Clerk Vey
No, Empress. I am not accusing the Celestial Bureaucracy. I am saying the foreigner could have deceived its examiner before the verification was complete.
the robed examiner
That claim is unsupported. I examined the tablet’s substance, seal lineage, custody marks, and witness trace. Its authenticity is verified.
Empress Xifeng
Then Vey’s accusation contradicts the authenticated record and Kareem’s established law. Examiner, state precisely what your verification proves.
the robed examiner
It proves the tablet is genuine, the custody chain is continuous, and its authorization predates Kareem’s access. It does not identify the order’s true author.
A fourth filament rises from the tablet, bypassing Kareem entirely and fastening to the unfamiliar office mark. The accusation against him loses its support before the assembled court.
Identify the true author of the authorization order
Quest Complete
Expose Vey’s accusation as false before the imperial court