Before Elizabeth finishes copying the recurring initials, a sealed summons slides beneath the records chamber door. The wax bears the Viscount’s private seal, and the corridor beyond falls silent.
Elizabeth Billings
That seal admits no delay. Mara, gather the pages. Arus, we will answer together, unless his lordship specifically commands otherwise.
The three carry their notes to the private council room. The Viscount Guard admits them, then remains outside as Elizabeth and Mara take positions beside the evidence table.
The Viscount
Arus, ordinary courier work no longer suits the authority you have earned. I offer deniable errands, profitable seizures, and useful men who need never know their patron.
His professional gaze moves from Arus to Mara’s sealed protection, then to the copied initials. It reads less like appraisal now than ownership, making the bargain’s hidden terms unmistakable.
The Viscount
Mara’s protection remains secure, but continued access to it will depend upon the usefulness of your service. I will not pretend otherwise, nor will I compel you without naming the price.
Elizabeth’s copied page rests between them, while Mara’s hand closes over her sealed document. The Viscount waits across the table, leaving Arus to answer whether protection is partnership, employment, or ownership.
“I acknowledge the unusual nature of the formation of our investigative partnership and it's extraordinary resources now poised to grow and expand it's reach extensively, but that I fear not what challenges it must now face, because I am more than ever certain that it is the most capable hands his lordship could ask for remarkable service in such times. "Command us in a cause that is just, and it shall be done."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Intrigue, rolled -1)
Arrus Gandon
The formation of this partnership, and the resources now poised to expand its reach, are extraordinary. Yet I do not fear the challenges ahead. I am certain this is the most capable service your lordship could command in such times. Give us a just cause, and it shall be done.
Arus’s pledge settles over the table without flourish. Mara’s hand leaves her sealed protection, and Elizabeth lifts her chin as the promise becomes a shared undertaking rather than a private bargain.
The Viscount
Then hear my answer plainly. I accept the service of all three of you, under law and under my authority. This partnership is recognized, and its resources will be placed at your disposal.
The Viscount draws the copied initials toward himself and writes a concise order beneath his seal. His decision gives the investigation a formal mandate without surrendering its discreet character.
The Viscount
Your first cause is the chapel’s concealed supply route. Discover who receives those provisions, who pays for them, and whether the traffic threatens this household or the Crown. Use judgment before force.
Elizabeth Billings
Then we have our direction. Mara and I will trace the household side, while Arus follows the money and the hidden route. This cause is just enough to deserve our best work.
Mara Trevithick
And if the unseen recipient has friends, they will learn that three investigators are harder to mislead than one. I accept the assignment, my lord.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the hidden recipient and payer behind the chapel supply route
“"We must indeed be the masters of all secrets within our own walls if we are to ever reliably expect to project authority beyond them for long... This is our first and solitary pursuit until the information about the secrets of to whom the misallocated provisions are going, who's paying for them and by what means are the funds coming from. Who altered or misled the chapel records to obfuscate the rerouted provisions? We have questions that require answering. Then the Viscount can decide how to respond, in possession of all of the knowledge needed to control fates."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +1)
Arrus Gandon
We must master every secret within our walls before projecting authority beyond them. This is our sole pursuit until we know who receives the provisions, who pays, how the funds move, and who altered the chapel records. Then you may decide with all the knowledge needed to control its consequences.
The Viscount seals the council room and orders the household ledgers, chapel keys, and delivery books brought under scrutiny. Elizabeth traces the vestry route while Mara compares suppliers, dates, and receiving marks.
By dusk, the false entries yield to patient comparison. The provisions pass through a cooper’s account, paid with drafts drawn on a dormant Billings charity fund and collected by a chapel clerk.
Elizabeth Billings
The recipient is not a household at all. The vestry passage feeds a concealed lodging beneath the old sacristy, where three discharged sailors and a former clerk have been kept supplied.
Mara Trevithick
The payments originate in a charity account established under Sir Alfred’s authority. The chapel clerk altered the duplicate books, but the funds were released through a steward’s countersignature.
The three investigators recover the altered pages, the draft stubs, and the hidden lodging’s names. Their evidence identifies the recipients, the payer, the route of funds, and the clerk who falsified the records.
The Viscount
You have answered every question before me. The evidence will be secured, the hidden occupants questioned lawfully, and the chapel accounts placed under my direct seal. Now I can choose who falls, who testifies, and who remains useful.
Secure the chapel evidence under lawful authority
Quest Complete
Identify the hidden recipient and payer behind the chapel supply route
Quest Complete
Learn the full extent of the Billings estate’s hidden dealings
Skill Upgrade: Stealth Great→Superb