The first account waits beneath Oren’s careful hand. Edrin steps a short distance from the official table and gestures for Octavius to join him, while Mara remains within sight beside the sealed records.
Edrin Vale
Lord Rane, may I borrow Octavius for a brief conversation apart from the table? This is personal, and I would rather speak before the next account begins.
Lord Caldus Rane
Granted. Stay where Mara remains visible, and return when you are ready to give your account. No one will mistake a private conversation for a departure.
Edrin leads Octavius only as far as the side of the chamber, near enough for Mara to see them clearly. He waits until Oren’s pen resumes before facing his former traveling companion.
Edrin Vale
You have spent days putting your body between Mara, me, and every danger that found us. I know why you do it. I also know what that protection has cost you.
Edrin Vale
Friendship cannot mean you alone decide what risks everyone may face. It requires telling us when the burden is becoming yours alone, before you turn protection into another kind of isolation.
Edrin Vale
For the next account, I ask you to let us stand beside you plainly. Tell us what you need, Octavius. Do not make us guess whether helping you is welcome.
✓ Quest Accepted
Give Edrin an honest account of what Octavius needs
“Sir." I answer, bending deeply in a grateful bow towards Edrin, though my eyes raise towards his face before I'm fully upright, lending the gesture a slightly more familiar air. "Thank you. That insight is something that's been on my mind a great deal lately, and I'm grateful that you mentioned it." I fully intended to continue, but my practiced politicking does not help much in the more congenial and casual moments, and I find my mouth suddenly dry for a lack of any glib follow up. "I cannot make promises... but I will try my best to overcome my less-social habits, if only because you deserve it.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +3)
Octavius
Sir. Thank you. That insight has been on my mind a great deal, and I am grateful you mentioned it. I cannot make promises, but I will try my best to overcome my less-social habits, because you deserve it.
Octavius bows deeply, then lifts his eyes toward Edrin before straightening. His practiced politicking offers no easy follow-up in this gentler moment, and his mouth goes dry.
Edrin Vale
Aye. That is more than a promise made for comfort. I will take your effort seriously, and I will not mistake silence for refusal when you are learning to let us stand beside you.
Edrin’s expression eases, and he shifts so Mara can still see them both. The private counsel becomes something sturdier than advice: an agreement to notice when Octavius reaches for help.
Edrin Vale
For the account, I will speak first about what you have carried and what you have protected. If you lift a hand, I will stop and give you the floor. No supporting detail you noticed will be lost.
He offers the arrangement without making Octavius ask for it, giving him a clear place in the testimony and a trusted ally who will actively watch for his signal.
“Speak your truth. I will not interrupt before you cede the floor." I affirm with a nod, stuffing my hands into the lopsided pockets I stitched into my trousers. "You're as keen as I am, even if it's differently-so”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Octavius
I will speak my truth. I will not interrupt before you cede the floor. You are as keen as I am, even if differently so.
Octavius affirms with a nod and tucks his hands into the lopsided pockets he stitched into his trousers. The gesture makes his restraint visible rather than merely promised.
Edrin Vale
Aye. Differently is not lesser, and I will take the compliment in the spirit offered. You have a sharp eye for danger; I have learned to hear what people leave unsaid.
Edrin’s mouth quirks with quiet amusement. Across the chamber, Mara watches them beside the sealed records, her guarded attention easing as she sees Octavius leave the floor in his hands.
Edrin Vale
Then we understand one another. I will give the account its shape, and you will hold the details until I ask for them. If I miss one, lift your hand, and I will stop.
He turns toward Lord Rane’s table without hurrying, leaving Octavius beside him and Mara within clear sight. Oren’s pen waits above the next page.
“Does edrin leave out anything that I can add to?”
NO (Likely, rolled 73)
Edrin faces Lord Rane’s table and begins without hesitation. Mara remains beside the sealed records, while Oren sets his pen to the page and Octavius stands ready beside him.
Edrin Vale
I will begin with the journey, the warnings we received, and the attempts to divert or seize us. I will distinguish what I witnessed from what Mara and Octavius told me.
His account moves steadily through the road, the false instructions, the watchers, and the protected summons. He leaves no pause where Octavius’s observations belong, and no supporting detail is omitted.
Edrin Vale
That is the account as I know it. I have included the route changes, the threats, the courier mark, and the limits of my own knowledge. I have nothing further to add.
Oren’s pen slows, then continues. Lord Rane listens without interruption, and Mara’s guarded expression eases when Edrin’s completeness leaves Octavius no missing detail to supply.
Lord Caldus Rane
The account is complete for this stage. Octavius need not supplement it unless a later comparison reveals a contradiction or a question requiring his direct testimony.
“I have nothing to add that sir Edrin or lady Mara did not already mention, but I have a question:" I let my hands fall, rasping fingertip callouses against the coarse linin of my pants, trying to keep Patter's attention long enought to get out of the room and let him run. "I assume you plan to send correspondence to the lady Reeve Anja. May I ask how much you trust that messenger?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -2)
Octavius
I have nothing to add that Sir Edrin or Lady Mara did not already mention, but I have a question. I assume you plan to send correspondence to Reeve Anja. How much do you trust that messenger?
Octavius lets his hands fall, rasping fingertip callouses against the coarse linen of his trousers. He keeps Patter’s attention until the fox slips through the doorway and vanishes into the corridor.
Lord Caldus Rane
Oren is the messenger I would trust with the letter. He has served Harrowmere faithfully, and I trust his hands not to alter or expose what I seal.
Lord Rane’s answer is direct, but his gaze sharpens at the question. Oren pauses over the page, recognizing that his reliability has become part of the inquiry’s public burden.
Lord Caldus Rane
I do not trust the road, every hand the letter may pass, or every office that might receive it. Oren will carry it under seal, and I will tell Anja to confirm receipt through a channel she chooses herself.
Oren Valecourt
That caution is warranted. I will carry the correspondence personally, but doing so places my name beside its contents. If the message is intercepted, my office will be examined first.
The answer gives Octavius the certainty he sought and a concrete cost besides: Oren’s trust is genuine, but the correspondence will expose the seneschal’s standing if the road or receiving office proves compromised.
“As I've mentioned previously, the lady Reeve herself tasked me to make sure lady Mara and sir Edrin remain safe. I'm -certain- you understand how seriously I take that charge, as I'm sure you would have high expectations of your own if you gave someone such a command..." My feelings wouldn't change on this no matter what his answer is, but his answer will tell me a great deal about who he is as a leader and a person. And at this point, the bar is rather low, and it shows on my face as I study his. "What leader would expect less after giving an order?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +3)
Octavius
Reeve Anja herself tasked me to keep Lady Mara and Sir Edrin safe. What leader would expect less after giving such an order?
Octavius studies Lord Rane’s face, his expression making plain that this is no boast or negotiation. The question asks what sort of leader stands before him.
Lord Caldus Rane
A leader who gives that command should expect vigilance, resistance to avoidable danger, and a refusal to treat protected people as expendable. I expected no less of you.
Rane does not bristle or soften the standard. He accepts it directly, then turns toward Oren with the settled air of a decision becoming policy.
Lord Caldus Rane
Record this plainly, Oren: Octavius acts under Reeve Anja’s protective charge. He may challenge any order that needlessly exposes Mara or Edrin, and I will support that challenge while their protection remains active.
Oren Valecourt
I will enter that authority beside the sealed restrictions. Any future officer who questions his intervention will find Lord Rane’s order attached to the record.
“Are lady Mara, sir Edrin, or myself needed any further here before we excuse ourselves for the evening?”
YES (Likely, rolled 27)
Oren’s pen pauses above the protected ledger. Lord Rane studies the fresh authority, then looks from Mara to Edrin and finally to Octavius, his decision not yet complete.
Lord Caldus Rane
You are needed further this evening. Mara must give the sealed account, Edrin must compare its channel with his memories, and Octavius must confirm what he witnessed before any report travels to Dunmere.
Mara Venn
Then I will remain. I want the sealed account accurate, and I want every uncertainty marked before anyone decides what protection the channel requires.
Edrin Vale
Aye. I can compare what I remember with Mara’s account, but I will distinguish memory from witness and neither will be stretched beyond its proper weight.
Oren turns to a clean page for the sealed testimony. The evening departure is set aside, while the captive’s route, Marr’s signal, and the courier channel remain tied to the three travelers’ accounts.
Lord Caldus Rane
You will have protected lodging and guarded passage afterward. For now, stay together, answer precisely, and leave nothing essential for another office to interpret without you.
No one is ordered to surrender judgment or expose Mara’s identity. The inquiry simply continues under seal, with all three witnesses present while Harrowmere tests the danger before allowing them to depart.