Guard Tessa leads Octavius, Mara, Edrin, and Patter through a narrow door adjoining the gatehouse office. A long table waits beneath wavering lamplight, buried under route ledgers and watch reports.
Reeve Anja Vey follows with a tied packet of papers, while Pell remains behind under guard and Hadrik remains confined. The adjoining office door closes, muting the court’s activity.
Reeve Anja Vey
This is Dunmere’s practical picture. The southern road is watched, the lower ferry is compromised, and the eastern checkpoint reports have gaps exactly where Mara and Edrin were tracked.
Anja spreads three marked sheets across the table. Red strokes follow the roads, blue circles identify ferries and checkpoints, and small notations show reports altered after filing.
Guard Tessa
The pattern is not random. Someone used official seals and reporting routines to learn where Mara traveled, then placed Edrin’s cart where watchers could find it.
Mara Venn
Then the warning we received still matters. If the safe roads are the ones outside their records, we need more than a guard at the front of the cart.
Reeve Anja Vey
Agreed. We will plan a protected route by layers: guarded lodging, trusted crossings, and reports delivered directly to me. Octavius, your knowledge of the road may tell us which gaps are genuine.
“"I can make educated guesses based on what you have here, Lady Reeve, but anything provided from that alone will be little more than best guesses. I wouldn't feel confident on putting my name to anything from it." I run a hand over my head, smoothing (or plucking) some of the fly-away hairs that have escaped the braid over the last few hours of discussion. "If you have a sure footed trail horse, and a few days, I could personally look over some of the more likely places myself. Bring back an accurate account faster than a unit of soldiers could do by half and again."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Octavius
I can make educated guesses from these reports, Lady Reeve, but I would not put my name to them. Give me a sure-footed horse and a few days, and I can inspect the likeliest places myself, faster than a unit of soldiers.
Octavius runs a hand over his head, smoothing stray hairs loose from his braid. The gesture is casual, but his offer lands with deliberate confidence across the crowded table.
Reeve Anja Vey
You are asking for a horse, provisions, and authority to examine the roads without a military escort. In return, you promise an account sooner and more accurately than soldiers could provide.
Mara Venn
If Octavius can travel quietly, that may reveal which routes are truly watched and which only appear compromised in the altered reports.
Edrin Vale
He knows how to read a road without announcing himself upon it. I would trust his account, provided the reeve sets the limits clearly.
Reeve Anja Vey
Granted. Tessa will provide a sure-footed mare, provisions, and the written authority to inspect the southern road, the lower ferry, and the eastern checkpoints. You will report directly to me.
Guard Tessa immediately gathers the route sheets and begins arranging the horse and supplies. Reeve Anja Vey marks the selected roads in ink, turning Octavius’s conditional offer into an authorized assignment.
“Lady Reeve, if you aren't confident, I believe I can be just as effective with a second. A third would be too many to pass quickly and quietly, but would you feel more comfortable if someone you trust to speak as your authority.. Preferably someone comfortable off the trail, but I would not deny you your right as lord of this region.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +3)
Octavius
Lady Reeve, if you are not confident, I believe I can be just as effective with a second. A third would be too many to pass quickly and quietly. Would you prefer someone you trust to speak as your authority, preferably someone comfortable off the trail?
Anja studies the marked roads, then Tessa, weighing the proposal without mistaking it for a challenge to her authority. Tessa straightens beside the table, already understanding where the question points.
Reeve Anja Vey
Yes. Two will remain quiet, and Tessa is trusted to speak for me. She knows the gatehouse routes, the watch customs, and enough of the country beyond the road to recognize a false trail.
Guard Tessa
I can do that, Octavius. I have traveled the southern tracks during patrols, and I know a disused charcoal path that avoids the first checkpoint entirely.
Anja adds Tessa’s name to the authority writ and seals it with her own mark. The second rider is no longer merely an escort, but a lawful voice empowered to verify orders and open guarded crossings.
Reeve Anja Vey
Tessa will accompany you. She may speak in my name, inspect records, and demand cooperation where my authority is recognized. Bring me the truth of those roads, and return before either of you becomes a story in someone else’s report.
✓ Quest Accepted
Depart Dunmere with Tessa on the authorized road inspection
“Truthfully," I crack the closest thing to a relaxed smile as I can though my face is somewhat unused to the casual expression, "I am relieved. I won't have to be concerned if I am acting in a way you would approve, I can simply be certain that Tessa approves in your stead.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Octavius
Truthfully, I am relieved. I need not worry whether I am acting as you would approve; I can trust Tessa to judge in your stead.
Octavius manages a relaxed smile, though the unfamiliar expression sits awkwardly on his face. He gives Tessa the trust Anja has just placed between them.
Guard Tessa
Then you may rely on my judgment, Octavius. I will speak for the reeve when authority is needed, and I will tell you plainly when caution is wiser.
Reeve Anja Vey
That is precisely the arrangement. Tessa’s judgment carries my authority, and your confidence in her makes the partnership stronger, not less accountable.
Tessa accepts the responsibility with a firm nod. The writ between them now feels practical rather than ceremonial, giving the assignment two trusted voices instead of one.
Guard Tessa
Then we understand each other. I will keep faith with Anja’s authority, and you may spend your attention reading the road instead of second-guessing mine.
“"Yes ma'am." I answer, with no hint of sarcasm or anything less than plain words and open intent. "When do we leave?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Octavius
Yes ma'am. When do we leave?
The plain acknowledgment settles cleanly between them. Tessa’s authority is accepted without reservation, and Anja’s sealed writ remains ready on the table.
Guard Tessa
We leave within the hour, once the mare is saddled and the provisions are tied down. The charcoal path will give us a quiet start.
Tessa folds the writ carefully and reaches for the route sheets. Her movements become brisk and purposeful as the assignment shifts from planning to departure.
Reeve Anja Vey
You have your answer, and my authority travels with you. Return when you have inspected the roads, not when haste merely makes you tired.
Guard Tessa
I will have the mare brought to the south yard. Meet me there in half an hour, Octavius, and we will ride under the reeve’s seal.
“Will guard Tessa's horse be of similar caliber to the one I will be provided?”
NO (Likely, rolled 79)
Half an hour later, the south yard reveals the difference. Tessa’s assigned mare is sound and steady, but plainly bred for patient gatehouse work rather than swift, silent travel over rough country.
Guard Tessa
She will carry us safely, but she is no trail-bred runner. Her pace is dependable, her footing good, and her endurance ordinary.
The mare stands broad through the shoulders, with a calm eye and a worn saddle mark beneath the tack. She does not dance at the reins or strain against the yard, yet nothing about her suggests exceptional speed.
Guard Tessa
The reeve chose reliability over brilliance. If the road demands a burst of speed, you will need to plan for it rather than expect the mare to provide one.
Reeve Anja Vey
Tessa’s mount is sufficient for inspection and authority. I understand it is not the equal of the horse you hoped to receive, Octavius, but it is the horse Dunmere can spare today.
Tessa checks the girth and provisions without embarrassment. The assignment remains practical, though the pair will sacrifice some speed and stealth for a mount chosen to be safe, available, and obedient.
“If our horses are not equal, is the one meant for me at least trained to handle off-trail travel?”
NO (Likely, rolled 81)
The mare, an adult bay horse with a white blaze and black mane, lowers her head and follows Tessa’s lead without protest, but when Tessa guides her toward the yard’s rough edge, she hesitates at the uneven stones. Her calm is obedience, not trail confidence.
Guard Tessa
There is your answer. She will manage a firm road and familiar crossings, but off-trail travel is outside her training.
Tessa leads the mare across a patch of broken ground beside the yard. The gatehouse mare places each hoof carefully, then looks back toward the smoother packed earth when the path narrows between stacked timber.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then the assignment carries a limitation I should have stated plainly. You may inspect the roads, but this mount will not safely imitate a trail-bred horse.
Guard Tessa
We can use the charcoal path where it remains broad, and dismount for the worst ground. If the route demands speed or quiet passage through rough country, we will have neither.
The writ, provisions, and route sheets remain ready, but the practical promise has narrowed: the pair can investigate, not range freely over every hidden approach. The gatehouse mare waits patiently beside Tessa.
“Lady Reeve, Lady Tessa," I glance over the animals, brow knitted. "I will speak plainly. I had assumed this task would require that we be able to move away from the road to scout the area. Find those who will not be camped along the road side, because they wish to ambush those who do such things. There will be large portions of this task that I fear these horses will not be capable of. I fear we may have an easier time of it on foot, after a point, than to ride animals who cannot handle that.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Octavius
Lady Reeve, Guard Tessa, I will speak plainly. I assumed this task required leaving the road to scout for ambushers, and Merris cannot safely manage much of that ground. After a point, we may work more effectively on foot.
Octavius gestures toward the broken stones and the mare’s careful footing. His concern is practical rather than dismissive, and the proposed change leaves the sealed writ and inspection authority intact.
Guard Tessa
You are right. Merris can carry us to the road approaches, but forcing her through rough ground would make noise, slow us, and risk her footing.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then the assignment changes accordingly. Ride where the road and charcoal path permit, secure the mare, and continue on foot whenever scouting beyond them gives us the better chance of finding concealed watchers.
Anja draws a fresh line across the route sheet, marking dismount points and places where the mare can be tethered safely. Tessa immediately studies the terrain beyond each mark.
Guard Tessa
We will leave Merris concealed and watered, then scout in pairs on foot. I will carry the writ and watch our return route while you read the ground ahead.
Reeve Anja Vey
Approved. Your judgment has identified a real limit before it becomes a failure. Tessa, prepare tethering gear and mark the first foot-scouting point. You leave under my authority.
“Does it take us longer than a half day to reach the tether point?”
YES (Unlikely, rolled 25)
The charcoal path remains passable only in brief stretches. By the time the ground begins breaking into steep, slick channels, the marked tether point still lies beyond several hours of travel.
Guard Tessa
The route sheet was too optimistic. Reaching that marked point will take longer than half a day, and Merris should not be asked to cross what comes next.
Merris tests the narrowing track, placing one hoof and withdrawing it from a shelf of loose stone. Tessa looks back toward the last broad patch of level ground.
Guard Tessa
We will tether her here, before the dangerous ground, not force her onward to satisfy a mark drawn from a map. The inspection continues on foot.
The chosen ground is sheltered by low trees, with firm soil for the picket and a shallow run of clean water nearby. It is earlier than planned, but safer for the mare and quieter for the work.
Guard Tessa
This changes our distance, not our purpose. We reach the first useful approach later than expected, and we return by the safest route the ground allows.
“Those who might make these roads unsafe should not know of our approach, so our 'schedule' should matter little to them." I offer her a gesture of reassurance, "Truthfully, I'm not sure this is as much of a setback as it looks. One horse would not have fared well carrying both of us far anyway, and she's a sweet girl who doesn't deserve to be nackered before her time.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Octavius
Those who might make these roads unsafe should not know of our approach, so our schedule should matter little. Truthfully, this is not as much of a setback as it looks. One horse would not have fared well carrying us far anyway, and Merris is a sweet girl who does not deserve to be worn out before her time.
Octavius offers Guard Tessa a reassuring gesture toward Merris. The mare lowers her head beside the water, calm and fresh rather than burdened, while the path waits beyond the trees.
Guard Tessa
You are right. A delayed arrival protects our secrecy, and Merris is better served by a careful tether here than by being pushed beyond her footing.
Tessa’s shoulders ease. She checks the mare’s picket, water, and feed, then folds the route sheet so its optimistic mark no longer dictates their pace.
Guard Tessa
We will leave her rested and return by the safest route. On foot, we can observe without announcing ourselves, and the lost hours will not matter to anyone who does not know our schedule.
Merris noses at Tessa’s offered hand, then settles beneath the low trees. With the horse secure, the assignment becomes quieter and more deliberate, its purpose unchanged.
“Do we make it to the top of the ridge before we need to make camp?”
NO (Even, rolled 66)
The footpath rises beneath the trees, but the ridge remains hidden beyond another long fold of wet ground. Dusk gathers before the slope gives them its crest.
Guard Tessa
We will not reach the top before dark. The ridge is farther than the map promised, and this ground will punish haste.
Tessa studies the narrowing path, then the last light above the trees. Beyond the next rise, slick stone and broken channels climb toward the unseen crest.
Guard Tessa
We make camp here, below the ridge. It is sheltered, defensible, and close enough that tomorrow’s climb begins with daylight rather than exhaustion.
Patter noses along the damp edge of the path, then returns to the waiting trail. The quiet settles without revealing watchers, while the ridge keeps its upper ground concealed.
Guard Tessa
The delay costs us nothing important. Anyone tracking the roads still lacks our position, and we gain a safer place to observe from the height.
Tessa begins choosing a level patch beneath the trees, setting the night’s boundary below the ridge instead of forcing the ascent. The day’s advance is finished.
“I think we should probably avoid making a fire unless we have to. At night, the light will catch attention. During the day, the smoke will do the same. If anything needs cooking, we should do it quickly, over a small flame, and before the black truly comes. I don't, but if you do...”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -3)
Octavius
I think we should avoid making a fire unless we must. Night light catches attention, and daytime smoke does the same. If anything needs cooking, we should do it quickly over a small flame before darkness settles. I do not need one, but if you do, we can keep it brief.
Tessa studies the trees, the darkening ridge, and the exposed spaces between them. Patter pauses at the path’s edge, ears raised, then returns to Octavius’s side.
Guard Tessa
Agreed. No fire tonight. We eat what we carried, and if tomorrow requires cooking, we use the smallest flame before first light and smother it completely.
She points out a hollow beneath the trees where darkness gathers thickly and wind will carry little scent uphill. The camp’s shape tightens around that choice.
Guard Tessa
I will record this as your field recommendation, Octavius. If our provisions prove insufficient, the responsibility for changing that plan will be shared, not quietly left to me.
The concession gives Octavius the quiet camp he wanted, but it also places his judgment visibly beside Tessa’s authority. She begins arranging the watch without striking flint.
Quest Complete
Depart Dunmere with Tessa on the authorized road inspection
New Gift: Route Assessment