As Vyce studies the matching blue grit, a loose floorboard shifts beneath the mayor's desk. An oilcloth-wrapped purse lies in the hollow, its seal stamped with the mayor's household mark.
The office door opens before anyone can reach it. A pale, rain-streaked middle-aged man steps inside, clutching a soaked ledger beneath one arm, his narrow face sharpened by suspicion.
Seldo Rusk
Do not touch that purse. It was stolen from me this morning.
The mayor rises so quickly her chair scrapes the floor. Tovin shifts beside Vyce, placing himself between the desk and the newcomer without reaching for a weapon.
The Mayor
Seldo Rusk. You entered my office uninvited, and now claim my household seal marks your property?
Tovin
That purse was hidden beneath Marra's desk. If it belonged to you, why was it under her floorboards?
Seldo Rusk
Because someone wanted suspicion pointed at the assessor. I came for evidence, not an argument. Hand it over, and this can remain orderly.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the sealed purse
Director's note
I try to remain calm and peaceful, not sure which side is actually telling the truth
“Why don't we look at it together? There's no reason to make assumptions, but if you come in peace then we should ALL want this sorted out, right?”
FAILURE (Great Persuasion, rolled -2)
Director's note
I try to remain calm and peaceful, not sure which side is actually telling the truth
“Why don't we look at it together? There's no reason to make assumptions, but if you come in peace then we should ALL want this sorted out, right?”
SUCCESS (Great Persuasion, rolled -1)
Vyce
Why don't we look at it together? There is no reason to make assumptions. If you came in peace, we should all want this sorted out.
Seldo studies Vyce for a long moment, then lowers the soaked ledger. Marra remains rigid behind the desk while Tovin eases half a step aside, still watchful.
Seldo Rusk
Very well. We examine it here, together. But your word now stands beside the purse, Vyce. If this is staged, you have made yourself part of the matter.
The assessor crosses the room without touching anyone and gestures for Marra to retrieve the oilcloth. She does so, placing it on the desk between them.
Seldo Rusk
Break the household seal yourself, Mayor. I will identify what was taken, and you can witness what was planted.
Marra cuts the cord. Inside rests a brass office key, three folded witness statements, and a narrow strip of parchment bearing fresh blue grit. Seldo's expression tightens.
Seldo Rusk
Those statements were not mine. The key was. Someone copied my seal, then hid the evidence where Marra would find it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish who planted the purse evidence
Director's notewhole tale
I scowl, realizing that my new friends, including Seldo Rusk, are being manipulated
“So, we're in this together then. A third party is trying to manipulate us for their own gain.. What can I do to help find the truth?”
SUCCESS (Great Persuasion, rolled -2)
Director's notewhole tale
I scowl, realizing that my new friends, including Seldo Rusk, are being manipulated
“So, we're in this together then. A third party is trying to manipulate us for their own gain.. What can I do to help find the truth?”
SUCCESS (Great Persuasion, rolled +0)
Vyce
So we're in this together, then. A third party is manipulating us for their own gain. What can I do to help find the truth?
Vyce scowls at the purse and its contents, then deliberately eases his expression. He remains seated beside Tovin, calm and open-handed despite the accusation hanging over the room.
Seldo Rusk
Start with the key. It opens my records cabinet at the River Assessor's Office. Bring me its contents, and I will show you which entries were altered under Odran Pell's authority.
The Mayor
And the witness statements? If Hessa, Branik, and Vale were deceived, I want the chance to confront them before they destroy what remains of their credibility.
Tovin
I can come with you. Someone forged the assessor's seal, and I want to see whose hand is behind it.
Seldo turns the brass key between two fingers, then places it beside the parchment. The three of them now have a shared trail: the assessor's cabinet, the councilors' statements, and Odran's authority.
Vyce leaves cramped riverside office behind and arrives at Seldo's office.
“I'll take the key and start with the records cabinet at Seldo's office. That's our best best. From there we can follow up with Hessa, Branik and Vale. Tovin, you're help is more than welcome. Bring a weapon in case we run into trouble.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +1)
Seldo's office occupies a cramped stone room above the river archives, smelling of wet wool, dust, and lamp oil. Tall shelves crowd a brass-bound records cabinet beneath a map of the bridges.
Vyce
I'll take the key and start with the cabinet. That's our best bet. From there, we follow up with Hessa, Branik, and Vale. Tovin, your help is more than welcome. Bring a weapon in case we run into trouble.
Tovin
Gladly. I left my patience at the river, but I brought steel.
Tovin unfastens a plain sword beneath his torn green cloak. Vyce fits the brass key into the cabinet, and the lock yields cleanly under his practiced hand without disturbing the dust around it.
Seldo Rusk
Efficient. The middle drawer holds levy copies. The bottom drawer contains restricted assessments, and Odran's authorization marks should be there.
The middle drawer reveals duplicate ledgers, but the bottom drawer hides a second compartment. Inside lies a fresh register, three stamped payment receipts, and a council seal bearing Vale's name beneath an unfamiliar signature.
Seldo Rusk
That signature is not Vale's. More importantly, the receipts place the forged levy money in a private account at the Old Bridge countinghouse.
“We found this in a hidden compartment in Rusk's sealed drawer. Are they actually guilty of forging the seal? Are the y the bad guy?”
YES, AND MORE (Unlikely, rolled 4)
The fresh register is no innocent record. Its pages match the altered levy figures, while the receipts carry the same blue grit and a copied version of Seldo's seal.
Seldo Rusk
Yes. Whoever prepared this forged the seal, altered the levy, and routed the money through the Old Bridge countinghouse. Odran Pell authorized the fraud.
Seldo turns one receipt toward the lamp. Beneath the false levy notation sits a private withdrawal order, countersigned by the countinghouse clerk and dated for tomorrow morning.
Tovin
So Pell meant to collect the debt, move the money, and leave Marra holding the blame. Tomorrow gives us a trail before he can bury it.
The Mayor
Then Hessa, Branik, and Vale may be accomplices, or merely signatures he purchased. Either way, this finally gives us something stronger than suspicion.
Seldo Rusk
More than suspicion. The clerk's countersignature is a witness we can summon, and the withdrawal order names the account holder plainly: Odran Pell.
For the first time, Seldo's guarded expression gives way to certainty. The hidden compartment has not merely exposed the forgery; it has placed the conspirator's money, witness, and next move within reach.