The monastery gate stands ahead beneath the broken cloister. Peppers waits behind Dagg, while his border collie watches the road and Barbaris remains among the stones, no longer blocking the trail.
A small slate-gray kobold in carefully made traveling gear climbs toward the gate, breathless but composed. He carries a sealed writ marked with a royal device, keeping it dry beneath one arm.
Victor
My name is Victor. I found this among men searching for your trail.
Victor offers the document without crossing fully into the ruined yard. The wax bears a royal impression, but the paper is creased from hurried travel and marked with road dust.
Victor
It accuses you of sheltering a fugitive claimant and orders your immediate appearance before a magistrate. The men carrying it were searching for Dagg Nabbitt.
The collie gives a low warning growl toward the climb behind Victor. Peppers shifts her weight, and the monastery’s broken gate leaves the writ, its seal, and Victor plainly visible.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish whether the royal writ is authentic
✓ Quest Accepted
Find and kill Mara’s killers
“{Dagg looks over the writ and notices the seal is not the Same seal that Gandien uses. He now knows this is a fake seal and probably something that Pike created to slow him down.} {Dagg tells victor that it is fake and asks} Mister Kobold, you may just be the messenger here but if you are in cohoots with these Pike men, my bear friend back there will be happy to make a meal of you, you do seem plump enough to help fill his belly. If you are just here to deliver it, then i thank you but I have some men to find.”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled +2)
Dagg takes the writ from Victor and studies its margins, wording, and wax. His knowledge of official procedure catches the false impression immediately: it is not King Gandien’s seal.
Dagg Nabbitt
This seal is fake. Pike likely made it to slow me down. Mister Kobold, you may just be the messenger, but if you are in league with these Pike men, my bear friend back there will be happy to make a meal of you. You do seem plump enough to fill his belly. If you are only here to deliver it, I thank you, but I have men to find.
Dagg compares the seal against remembered royal impressions and reads the writ again, line by line. His careful habits expose the substitution, while superstition makes him inspect the paper twice for a hidden curse or royal trick.
Victor’s composure breaks. He raises both hands and takes one cautious step back from the monastery yard, glancing toward Barbaris without daring to turn away.
Victor
No. I am not one of Pike’s men, and I did not make that seal. I found the writ with the searchers after they abandoned their camp. I brought it because I thought you deserved warning.
The threat has done its work. Victor stays where Dagg can see him, plainly messenger rather than accomplice, while the false writ remains identified as Pike’s obstruction. Behind Dagg, your border collie’s growl softens.
Victor
I will not hinder you. The men went east toward the old quarry, and they carried Pike’s mark on their papers. If you pursue them, take the writ as proof of what they are attempting.
Quest Complete
Establish whether the royal writ is authentic
+ New Item Acquired
Forged writ