The adjournment barely settles before a Crown officer appears beyond the screen. He bows to Beatrice and Arrus, then gestures toward the royal corridor, where sealed authority awaits.
Edwin Harcourt
Master Gandon, Lady Halewick, the Royal Court summons you both. The evidence has survived its final scrutiny, and the judgment against Josiah Vane is ready to be entered.
Edwin leads them through guarded passages into the royal chamber. The sealed intelligence cache rests beside sworn testimony and Vane’s confession, each seal unbroken and each custody mark recorded.
The senior examiner stands at the long table with the judgment folio open. Thomas Ainsley watches from among the courtiers, his attention fixed on the moment private service becomes public honor.
The Senior Examiner
The cache, confession, and testimony have endured examination. Josiah Vane’s guilt is sufficiently established for judgment, while the wider network remains subject to continued Crown inquiry.
The Distinguished Courtier
Let the record show how the evidence reached this table. Recognition is owed not merely to the papers, but to the envoy who carried them through danger and scrutiny.
The clerk raises his pen. The chamber falls silent around Arrus and Beatrice as the senior examiner turns the folio toward the royal seal, leaving the final presentation before the Court.
“I will stand to raise a gesture of thanks and a nod to the acknowledgment from Thomas. Then I will sit back down and await the decisions of the examiner to be announced.”
Arrus rises with measured ease, lifts a hand in thanks toward Thomas Ainsley, and answers the acknowledgment with a formal nod before resuming his seat.
The gesture passes cleanly through the chamber. Thomas Ainsley returns the nod, while Beatrice remains composed beside Arrus and the clerk steadies his pen above the judgment folio.
The Senior Examiner
Let the Court record Arrus Gandon’s service in the recovery and lawful delivery of the evidence. The judgment against Josiah Vane is entered.
The senior examiner signs beneath the ruling and passes the folio to the clerk. Wax receives the royal impression, fixing the judgment in the Court’s record.
The Distinguished Courtier
A fitting acknowledgment, Master Gandon. Your name will stand beside the service it made possible.
The chamber’s attention settles into approval rather than suspense. Arrus remains seated as requested, while the Court prepares the remaining notices and formal honors arising from the judgment.
“I will ask Thomas, "I'm afraid I'm terribly unknowledgeable about these kinds of Royal Court proceedings... What is usually next to occur? Do they need me to be ready for any formalities that I should be prepared for?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Intrigue, rolled -1)
Arrus Gandon
I am afraid I am terribly unknowledgeable about Royal Court proceedings. What usually happens next, and should I prepare for any formalities?
The Distinguished Courtier
You have already passed the gravest formalities. The clerk will read the judgment, the senior examiner will confirm the record, and the royal seal will make it final.
Thomas bends slightly toward Arrus, speaking beneath the chamber’s approving murmur. The clerk arranges the judgment folio while the senior examiner prepares the concluding language.
The Distinguished Courtier
When called, stand and acknowledge the Court. You may offer thanks, but do not make another argument. Afterward, accept the recognition and answer plainly if anyone addresses you.
He indicates the royal seal, the signed folio, and the place where Arrus will stand if summoned. His quiet instruction turns ceremony into a sequence with no surprises.
The Distinguished Courtier
If a formal honor is offered, receive it with dignity and name Viscount Falmouth’s trust as its foundation. That will serve both your reputation and Cornwall’s interests.
Thomas withdraws as the clerk rises. The chamber quiets, and the senior examiner turns the judgment folio toward the waiting royal seal.
✓ Quest Accepted
Accept the Court’s formal recognition
“I will do as Thomas suggested, and wait to be summoned.”
Arrus remains seated as the distinguished courtier advised, hands composed and attention fixed on the judgment folio. The clerk reads the ruling while the chamber holds its formal silence.
The senior examiner confirms each clause, and the clerk compares the written judgment with the royal seal before presenting the folio for final authentication.
The Senior Examiner
Arrus Gandon, stand and acknowledge the Court.
Arrus rises when summoned. Around him, courtiers and officers turn their attention toward the envoy, while the distinguished courtier watches with quiet approval and the broad-shouldered court woman remains poised nearby.
The Senior Examiner
The Court recognizes Arrus Gandon’s service in preserving the evidence, securing lawful testimony, and delivering both to the Crown. Let the acknowledgment stand.
The clerk records the acknowledgment beneath the judgment. The royal seal is pressed into fresh wax, and the chamber’s restrained approval settles into a durable public recognition.
The Distinguished Courtier
You followed the ceremony precisely, Master Gandon. Now accept what the Court has granted, and let Cornwall’s service speak through you.
Quest Complete
Accept the Court’s formal recognition
“I will stand and scan the room's eyes with confident conviction. "Thank you, my lords and ladies and fellow loyal servants of the Crown. It was by the wisdom of his lordship, The Sheriff of Cornwall, Viscount Falmouth, that approved the efforts that led to the apprehending of this traitor to the realm! And thanks to the visionary leadership of Lord Falmouth, as long as I serve him in his efforts to serve the Crown, you may all trust that this will not be the last enemy of the King sent to you in chains from faithful Cornwall."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Intrigue, rolled -2)
Arrus Gandon
Thank you, my lords, ladies, and fellow loyal servants of the Crown. By the wisdom of his lordship, the Sheriff of Cornwall, Viscount Falmouth, these efforts brought this traitor to justice. While I serve his lordship in the Crown’s cause, faithful Cornwall will send more enemies of the King to you in chains.
Arrus’s confident address carries across the chamber, crediting the Viscount so completely that several officers turn toward the royal table rather than toward Arrus himself. The acknowledgment succeeds, but his promise also binds Falmouth publicly to future victories.
The Distinguished Courtier
A loyal and generous presentation, Master Gandon. You have made Cornwall’s service impossible to overlook, though the Court will remember that promise of further chains.
The distinguished courtier’s approval is genuine, yet his warning travels beneath it. The clerk records Arrus’s praise and prediction together, giving the Viscount greater standing while making any quiet failure politically visible.
The Broad-Shouldered Court Woman
He has spoken as Cornwall’s servant, not as a man seeking the laurels alone. That distinction will serve the Viscount, though it leaves Master Gandon little room to retreat from his confidence.
The Senior Examiner
The Court accepts the tribute and records the service under Viscount Falmouth’s authority. Master Gandon, your words have strengthened his standing before the Crown.
The royal chamber answers with restrained approval. Arrus has secured the recognition he sought for his patron, but the public pledge now follows him as a demanding expectation rather than a private flourish.
✓ Quest Accepted
Conclude the royal ceremony and depart the chamber