Lord Matsudaira keeps one hand on the pamphlets, the other on the table edge. The rain hammers the roof as the room waits for Arimari's answer about the gate commotion.
Lord Matsudaira
Explain it. If your arrival drew steel, I need to know whether these papers have already set my house alight.
The Steward
My lord, the gate disturbance is being checked. If there is a hand behind it, I will find it.
Arimari Tiarasan
I brought the pamphlets as ordered. The gate noise came from the delivery, not from an attack on your house.
Lord Matsudaira turns one pamphlet over, reading the seal again. His gaze sharpens, less on the paper than on the man who carried it through the rain.
Lord Matsudaira
Good. Then your message has weight. Tell me, Arimari Tiarasan, do you want my name tied to these words openly, or do you expect me to hide behind a closed door?
Arimari Tiarasan
The seal was meant to be seen. The answer decides whether these pamphlets become a rumor, or a banner.
✓ Quest Accepted
Decide whether to back Lord Matsudaira publicly
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn who caused the gate disturbance
“Is matsudaira a good lord to back”
YES (Even, rolled 25)
Lord Matsudaira
You see, Arimari, these words are not merely ink on paper. They are the foundation of a future where the common folk of this province might finally have a voice in the decisions that shape their lives.
Arimari Tiarasan
His eyes hold a genuine weight, reflecting a man who carries the burden of his people's welfare rather than just the pride of his lineage.
Lord Matsudaira
I do not seek power for its own sake, but to ensure that when the storms of this era break, our house remains a shelter for those who have nowhere else to turn.
“Offer guarded support to Lord Matsudaira”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled -1)
Arimari Tiarasan
Arimari bows his head once. He offers his support in a guarded, practical way, enough to stand with the lord, not enough to invite needless exposure.
Lord Matsudaira
Then I will count you among those who see beyond the paper itself. That is no small comfort.
Lord Matsudaira lifts one sheet from the low table and smooths its edge with careful fingers, as if weighing both the words and the risk of their passing from hand to hand.
The Steward
The gate matter can wait a moment longer. These pages matter more than panic.
Lord Matsudaira
Tell me plainly, Arimari, do you think the people will read this as mercy, or as a challenge to those who profit from silence?
Arimari sees the neat brushwork and the open spacing, a pamphlet made to be read aloud as much as seen.
Lord Matsudaira
If you have counsel, give it now. I would rather hear a candid answer than a pleasing one.
“I give Lord Matsudaira frank counsel”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +0)
Arimari Tiarasan
He answers with a low, careful counsel, saying the people will read the sheets through fear first, then hope if the words are plain and their voices are trusted.
Lord Matsudaira
Then it must be plain. If I hide mercy inside cleverness, I deserve no better than suspicion.
Lord Matsudaira lays the pamphlet flat and taps one line with a thoughtful finger, tracing the open spacing as if it were a path through reeds.
The Steward
At the gate, men fear what they cannot name. On the page, they will fear what they can name, and perhaps that is a start.
Arimari Tiarasan
The brushwork is meant for listening as much as reading.
Lord Matsudaira
Yes, and if they read it aloud in kitchens or storehouses, then the words leave my hand and enter the province.
A small, relieved smile touches the lord's mouth. The steward eases one step back from the doorway, no longer tense, only attentive.
Lord Matsudaira
Tell me, Arimari, if the people are to trust these pages, what tone should carry them, mercy, warning, or both?
Quest Complete
Decide whether to back Lord Matsudaira publicly
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Good→Great
“Tell him both”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +3)
Arimari Tiarasan
Both, my lord. Mercy gives the people a face to trust, and warning tells them the cost of cruelty. If the page only softens, it is doubted. If it only threatens, it is hated.
Lord Matsudaira
Then the sheet must breathe with both lungs. A kind hand in the first lines, and a hard truth where the eye cannot miss it.
He lifts the pamphlet from under his palm and turns it toward the lantern, reading it again as if he can already hear it in a villager's mouth.
The Steward
That balance may keep the gate men from stirring rumor into revolt. It also gives us something to answer if they ask why the lord speaks now.
Lord Matsudaira
Yes. I would rather be judged plainly than forgiven for silence. Arimari, you have a painter's eye, where should the warning fall so it is seen first?
The lord's tone stays earnest, but lighter now, and the steward watches Arimari with open interest as the room settles around the pamphlet.
“I should press him for the pamphlet timing”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +3)
Arimari tips two fingers toward the pamphlet and marks the lower half. Place the warning there, after the promise, where the eye lands only after trust is built.
Lord Matsudaira
After the promise, yes. Then the reader feels the turn instead of bracing for it.
The Steward
That order would let the village hear mercy first, and the blade second.
Lord Matsudaira lowers the sheet and folds it once, slower now, as if testing the weight of the words.
Lord Matsudaira
Print them tonight. If we wait, the gate men will keep feeding the rumor.
The Steward
Then the disturbance is no longer just noise at the gate. Someone was watching for delay.
The steward turns from the table and points toward the doorway, where rain-silvered light still leaks in from the hall. One of the outer men waits there, breathless, with news on his face.
“I ask who was at the gate”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +1)
Arimari Tiarasan
Who was at the gate?
The Steward
A ragged courier in a wet cap, Lord Matsudaira. He came with no crest, only urgency.
The Steward
He said the Hachiman Gate men had seen strangers on the road before dawn, then he vanished from the hall.
Lord Matsudaira stills his hand on the folded pamphlet. The outer retainer in the doorway swallows hard, rainwater darkening his sleeves.
The Steward
Not a simple rumor then. Someone timed that cry to hide a messenger's arrival.
The steward steps aside and lets the breathless retainer in. He clutches a mud-smeared strip of cloth in one fist, eyes fixed on Arimari.
The Steward
He dropped this at the gate. He says it was tied to the messenger's pack.
“I question the retainer about the cloth strip”
SUCCESS (Fair Investigation, rolled +1)
Arimari takes the cloth strip with two fingers and turns it to the rainlight. Mud clings to one edge, but the knot-work is plain enough to read.
Arimari Tiarasan
A torn sleeve binding, dyed at the hem.
The retainer leans in, watching Arimari's face for recognition. His breathing is still ragged, but he is no longer empty of purpose.
The Steward
Well? Does it mean anything to you?
Lord Matsudaira
Speak plainly, Arimari. If this came from the road men, I need to know who marked it.
Arimari studies the weave, then the caked mud, and finally the frayed end where a seal once rubbed away. The cloth is not a banner scrap. It is a tie from a messenger's pack, cut or torn off in haste.
The Steward
That courier carried more than news. He was seen by someone who wanted him gone.
The retainer swallows and points toward the hall. 'He said the road men were not random,' he mutters, 'and that one of them wore a sleeve knot like a house servant.'
“I show the cloth to the Steward”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled -2)
Arimari extends the cloth toward the Steward, holding it level so the knot-work catches the rainlight. The Steward takes one step in, eyes fixed on the frayed hem.
The Steward
This knot... I have seen it on servants bound to the outer storehouse. Not a road man's mark.
Lord Matsudaira
Then someone inside my walls sends messages outside them.
The Steward's mouth tightens. He does not look surprised, only ashamed, as if the thought has been waiting for him.
The Steward
If the pack was cut, the hand that cut it knew the route. That leaves a narrow circle.
Lord Matsudaira
Who among my household still frets at the gate, and who speaks too freely with couriers?
The retainer glances from one man to the other, then lowers his gaze. The room feels quieter now, but heavier.
The Steward
Give me the names you trust least, my lord. I will start with the hands that know the outer doors.
“I ask which servants knew the outer doors”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +3)
Arimari Tiarasan
Which servants know the outer doors well enough to move unseen?
The Steward answers at once, naming the doorkeepers, the storehouse hands, and the men who carry trays to the side corridors. His voice is tight, but precise.
The Steward
Old Kiyona at the east passage. Saburo in the outer storehouse. Two runners who take meals to the gate room. And anyone ordered to help with rain cloaks on a day like this.
Lord Matsudaira's fingers flatten on the pamphlet as he listens, then he nods once, sharply.
Lord Matsudaira
Then it is not a stranger's trick. Someone with a key to my house made the move.
The Steward bows his head deeper, and with it comes a name he does not want to speak.
The Steward
Saburo was stationed near the outer doors before dawn. He is gone now.
“Is Saburo the one who opened the gate?”
NO (VeryLikely, rolled 89)
Arimari Tiarasan studies the Steward's face, noting the genuine confusion that replaces the man's earlier shame. The realization settles that Saburo is merely a convenient scapegoat, not the architect of the breach.
The Steward
He is gone, yes, but he lacks the wit to coordinate such a precise disturbance at the gate. He is a thief of grain, not a master of shadows.
“Press the Steward for household suspects”
SUCCESS (Fair Investigation, rolled +0)
Arimari Tiarasan
Who in the household has reason to move before dawn, and enough access to the outer doors to frame Saburo?
The Steward
Two names first. Genbei in the outer storehouse, and Tamekichi, who keeps the latch keys when the pages are asleep.
The Steward counts them off on his fingers, then stops, as if the pattern has sharpened in his mind.
The Steward
And there is one more. A groom named Kikuo has been taking messages from the road staff, though no one assigned him that errand.
Lord Matsudaira lifts the pamphlet slightly under his palm, the paper creasing with his grip as he listens.
Lord Matsudaira
Then the breach was not only a gate matter. It is a household habit, passed hand to hand.
The Steward bows once, already turning the names over into a silent list of suspects.
The Steward
If Arimari-dono wishes it, I will bring Genbei, Tamekichi, and Kikuo before you at once.
“I ask to hear the road staff’s messages”
SUCCESS (Fair Investigation, rolled +0)
The Steward accepts the order at once and crosses to the side table. He gathers three folded scraps from a lacquer tray, each one tied with plain cord and marked in different hands.
The Steward
These were carried from the road staff, then set aside by the night clerk. I had them kept apart.
He lays them before Arimari, one by one, like evidence in a lesson.
Arimari Tiarasan
The cords are sorted by sender, not by date.
The first message names a late mule cart and a broken axle. The second asks whether the gate is watched after dusk. The third is shorter, and the brushwork is hurried, almost cramped.
Lord Matsudaira
Read that last one again.
The Steward leans in as Arimari studies the cramped lines. The final scrap mentions the Hachiman Gate by name, and ends with a note about the hour before dawn.
The Steward
This hand is Kikuo's. He copied road notes into his own wording.
Lord Matsudaira’s thumb tightens on the pamphlet, while the Steward turns toward the inner corridor, ready to summon the groom.
“Is Kikuo tied to the gate disturbance?”
NO (Likely, rolled 91)
Arimari traces the ink of the final note, noting the distinct lack of the specific, jagged stroke Kikuo uses for his signature. The Steward leans closer, his brow furrowing as he compares the script to a ledger kept nearby, eventually shaking his head in quiet realization.
The Steward
This is not his hand. It is a clever imitation, meant to lead us toward a man who was likely nowhere near the gate.
“Is Kikuo tied to the gate disturbance?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 52)
The ink reveals no connection to the gate, as the script is a clumsy forgery designed to misdirect. Kikuo remains entirely uninvolved in the disturbance.
“I ask whose hand copied Kikuo's note”
SUCCESS (Fair Investigation, rolled +1)
Arimari Tiarasan turns the matter over and asks whose hand copies Kikuo’s note.
The Steward
Not Kikuo’s. The stroke leans like Genbei’s brush, but the spacing is wrong. Too careful.
The Steward taps the forged line, then points to a second intercepted message, comparing the joins of each character.
The Steward
This one shares the same hesitation at the turns. Whoever wrote it is trying to hide a steady hand.
Lord Matsudaira
Then the false sender is among those close enough to know our doors, and skilled enough to imitate another.
The Steward draws a slow breath, eyes fixed on the ink.
The Steward
Genbei has the hand for ledgers and the motive to survive. Bring him in, or tell me to do it now.
“I bring in Genbei”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Arimari rises at once and signals the Steward toward the hall.
Within moments, two retainers bring Genbei in from the corridor, his sleeves pulled tight and his eyes fixed on the floor.
Genbei
This is about the notes.
The Steward
Genbei, look at me. We have your hand beside the false message, and the timing of the gate trouble.
Lord Matsudaira
If you know anything of the disturbance, speak plainly now.
Genbei finally lifts his chin, and a smear of lampblack catches on his thumb.
Arimari Tiarasan
The ink is fresh.
“I question Genbei about the gate disturbance”
SUCCESS (Fair Investigation, rolled -1)
Arimari keeps his gaze on Genbei and asks where the gate trouble began, letting the question land in the candlelit hush.
Genbei
At the outer door, before dawn. I heard men speaking low, then the latch moved.
Genbei
I did not go out. I only carried word between the storehouse and the hall.
The Steward
You said nothing of this at once.
Genbei
If I name the wrong man, I am lost either way.
Genbei
Because I saw Saburo near the wall, and I feared that would be blamed on me.
Lord Matsudaira
Saburo at the wall, and you kept that to yourself?
Genbei swallows, then glances toward the forged note on the table, as if the paper itself might answer for him.
“Was Genbei involved in the gate disturbance?”
YES (Likely, rolled 36)
Arimari Tiarasan
The lampblack on his thumb matches the ink of the forgery perfectly.
Lord Matsudaira
Genbei, you speak of Saburo, yet your own hands bear the mark of the scribe. Tell me, did you forge these lies to protect yourself, or to serve a master who hides in the shadows of my own house?
Genbei
I... I only did what I was told, my lord. The man who paid me promised that the gate would be left open for a purpose that would not harm the clan.
“I question Genbei about the paid man”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +2)
The room goes still. Genbei swallows, then looks straight at Arimari for the first time.
Arimari Tiarasan
Who paid you?
Genbei
A man in a travel cloak, with a shaved crown. He said little. He carried a seal ring wrapped in cloth.
Lord Matsudaira
A seal ring? Whose?
Genbei
I did not see the crest clearly, my lord. Only that it was not ours, and that he knew the outer gate by name.
Genbei’s knees sag. The confession comes out in a rush, and with it a second detail, the man smelled faintly of wet leather and sea salt.
The Steward
Sea salt, at this hour, from inland roads? That narrows the hand behind him.
Lord Matsudaira
Then this is no mere servant’s theft. Arimari, you have his description, and his caution. That is more than I had a moment ago.
Genbei bows his head, shaking. Lord Matsudaira’s grip tightens around the crumpled forgery as he waits for Arimari’s next question.
“I ask who wore the seal ring”
SUCCESS (Fair Investigation, rolled -1)
Arimari Tiarasan
Who wore the seal ring?
Genbei
I could not see the face well. The cloak covered him, but he wore the ring on his left hand. Dark stone, set in silver.
The Steward
Left hand. A man accustomed to using seals and writing, perhaps, or one careful enough to keep the right free.
Genbei
When he turned, I caught a glimpse of a wet fringe at his cuff, and a scar near the thumb.
Lord Matsudaira
A seal ring, a scar, and sea-salt on his clothes. Enough to start naming houses, if we are wise.
Genbei lowers his eyes again. Lord Matsudaira uncurls the forgery on the table, pinning it flat with two fingers as if it might still move.
The Steward
If you have more to recall, say it now. What name did the man answer to?
“I press for the scarred man's house”
FAILURE (Fair Investigation, rolled -2)
Arimari holds Genbei's gaze and presses the question again, but the man recoils into himself.
Genbei
I do not know the house. I swear it. He only said I would be paid if I kept my mouth shut.
The Steward
You heard the voice, then. Not just the cloak, not just the ring. Speak carefully.
Genbei
If I name the wrong house, I am finished. If I name the right one, I may still be finished.
Lord Matsudaira's fingers tighten on the forged note. The paper crinkles hard enough to show his patience thinning.
Lord Matsudaira
Then give me something true. East, west, river road, mountain road. Anything at all.
Genbei shakes his head once, then stares at the table as if the grain itself might rescue him. The room grows still around his silence.
“I press for the scarred man's house”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +2)
Arimari Tiarasan
The scarred man’s house. Tell me the road, and I will know where to look.
Genbei flinches at the calmness of it. His eyes dart up once, then down, as if the answer has already trapped him.
Genbei
West. Past the fish market, then left before the shrine wall. A house with a black lintel.
Lord Matsudaira loosens his grip on the forged note by a finger’s breadth, while the Steward turns that new detail over in silence.
The Steward
A black lintel, and you say he smells of sea salt. That is enough to search by without delay.
Genbei
I have said all I know. He came only once, and he wore the ring over cloth.
Arimari sees the shape of the lie shrinking, but not vanishing. Genbei has given the house, and the room has turned toward action.
Lord Matsudaira
Then mark it down. We go at once, before he is warned.
“I go with Lord Matsudaira to the black lintel house”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +0)