Judge arrives at the old petitioners’ hospice with Logan and Tomoka, the transfer ledger and altered records secured beneath his robes. Corren remains under Voss’s custody at The Final Edict, with the two guards.
The hospice corridor smells of bitterroot, lamp oil, and damp stone. At its end, a sealed door hangs crooked in its frame, its wax broken and replaced.
Logan Scarborough
The room was opened recently. Dust is disturbed along the threshold, and the same M.T. mark appears beside the replacement seal.
Tomoka raises her guild ledger beneath the wavering lanternlight. The abbreviated mark matches the hospice deliveries, the final purchase, and Merek Thane’s recorded hand.
Tomoka
No lawful clerk would leave the seal like this. Someone entered and searched the room in a hurry.
Judge
The seal was broken after the last recorded delivery.
From behind the sealed door comes a faint rasp, followed by a careful shift of weight against wood. Logan freezes, while Tomoka’s tail coils tightly behind her.
Logan Scarborough
Someone is inside. The movement is deliberate, and the room may still contain the witness or whoever guarded it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the hidden witness’s survival
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify who entered the hospice room
“I knock on the door, making our presence known. "By the authority vested in me, I declare that whomever is behind this door, to open it and leave it ajar."”
SUCCESS (Superb Intimidation, rolled +1)
Judge strikes the crooked door with his knuckles. The replaced wax trembles, and his command carries through the hospice corridor with quiet, unmistakable authority.
Judge
By the authority vested in me, I declare that whomever is behind this door, open it and leave it ajar.
The rasping movement stops. After a measured pause, the latch lifts, and the door opens inward, remaining ajar as ordered.
Halven Rusk, a gaunt adult man with sallow skin, hollow cheeks, and close-cropped gray hair, stands within the dim room. A faded blue robe hangs over his narrow frame, and one wary eye is clouded by an old scar.
Halven Rusk
...
The open doorway reveals a cot, emptied medicine jars, and scraped dust around a locked chest. Logan keeps his hands visible, while Tomoka records the opened room.
Logan Scarborough
He is breathing steadily, but the room has been searched. I will examine only what is in plain sight unless you direct otherwise.
“"Halven Rusk. It is said that you had witnessed the events of the murder that took place three moons ago. Is that right?"”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled +1)
Judge
Halven Rusk. It is said that you witnessed the events of the murder that took place three moons ago. Is that right?
Halven’s wary eye fixes upon Judge’s mask. His fingers tighten around the edge of his faded robe, then release as the quiet question settles over the open room.
Halven Rusk
Yes. I witnessed it. Three moons ago, I was in the sealed room when the victim was brought inside, and I saw who entered afterward.
Logan lowers his gaze to the cot and empty jars, listening without touching anything. Tomoka’s quill moves swiftly across her guild ledger, preserving Halven’s admission.
Halven Rusk
Merek Thane came first with the supplies. He carried the seal-bearer’s authority, but he was not alone. Another official arrived after him.
Halven Rusk
The masked magistrate asked plainly, and the truth is safer in the open than beneath another broken seal.
“"Has Voss issued any order for you to remain silent? Furthermore, has he issued said order under duress?"”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled -1)
Judge
Has Voss issued any order for you to remain silent? Furthermore, has he issued that order under duress?
Halven’s clouded eye flicks toward the locked chest, then back to Judge. His guarded posture loosens, as though answering aloud is less dangerous than preserving another official’s secrecy.
Halven Rusk
Yes. Voss ordered me to remain silent about the victim, Merek Thane, and the official who followed him. He sent the order through Thane’s seal.
Halven Rusk
And yes, it was under duress. Thane told me silence would preserve my protection. If I spoke, that protection would end, and Voss would let the people who searched this room find me.
Logan’s expression tightens at the plain admission. Tomoka records each answer, but her quill pauses when Halven’s gaze settles on Judge with renewed caution.
Halven Rusk
I have answered you, Judge. Now my safety depends on whether your authority can reach me before Voss’s order does.
“"I presumed as much. His corruption knows no bounds. The court will appreciate your act of honesty, and I will see to it that you are protected." I gesture for Logan to investigate the room. "Logan, search the room to see what you can find. And Tomoka, is it possible to keep Halven stay at the guild until the trial has concluded?"”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled +0)
Judge
I presumed as much. His corruption knows no bounds. The court will appreciate your honesty, and I will see that you are protected. Logan, search the room. Tomoka, can the guild shelter Halven until the trial concludes?
Judge gestures toward the cot, jars, and locked chest. Logan enters carefully, while Tomoka closes her ledger and faces Halven with a clerk’s measured resolve.
Logan Scarborough
I will search only for evidence connected to the room’s use and preserve every item where I find it.
Logan examines the cot, then the scraped dust around the chest and the empty jars. Beneath the cot, he finds a folded scrap bearing Merek Thane’s angular mark.
Tomoka
Yes. The guild can shelter Halven through the trial, but I must place my name on the request. The clerks will know I chose your protection over silence.
Tomoka writes Halven’s transfer into her guild ledger and seals the entry with her clerk’s mark. The arrangement is secured, but her standing now depends on defending it before the registry clerks.
Halven Rusk
Then I will go with her. I have protection, and I will keep answering plainly while the record remains open.
Quest Complete
Secure the hidden witness’s survival
Skill Upgrade: Persuasion Good→Great