The emissary’s fingers finish unfolding the parchment Mifune handed over. The broken wax seal lies split on the table, and the temple crest is plain for all to see.
Names run down the page in a hard clerk’s hand, each marked for execution. The local lord is among them. So are several men who have friends in this town.
The tavern seems to hold its breath. Even the guards stay still, glancing from the list to Mifune, then back again.
The Emissary
Now you see why the temple wanted this kept closed. You are no longer a passerby, monk, you are a witness.
The Tavern Owner
A witness to murder, under holy ink? Gods preserve us.
The emissary folds the parchment once more, but his eyes stay on Mifune, cold and measuring, as if weighing whether to bargain or silence him.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what the temple intends to do with the condemned names
✓ Quest Accepted
Survive the emissary’s judgment
“What do you intend to do with the condemned names?”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +0)
Miyamoto Mifune
What do you intend to do with the condemned names?
The Emissary
Use them. Some will be traded, some buried, some read aloud as examples. The temple likes obedience that can be counted.
The Tavern Owner
Counted like livestock, you mean. In holy ink and a lord's blood.
The Emissary
Careful. Your courage is becoming expensive.
The answer lands cleanly. Mifune now knows the list is not a warning, but a tool for executions and leverage. The hot wax burn on his hand stings as he shifts his grip.
The Emissary
You have learned enough to be troublesome. That can buy you a place at the table, or a blade in the dark.
The Tavern Daughter
If he is already a witness, why are you still talking?
Quest Complete
Learn what the temple intends to do with the condemned names
“My skill with these swords assures me a place at any table.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Melee Weapons, rolled -3)
Miyamoto Mifune lets the silence answer first, then settles his stance with calm certainty. His burned hand flexes once, and the sting barely draws a breath.
Miyamoto Mifune
My swordwork is enough to earn me a place at any table.
The emissary’s eyes flick to the katana, then back to Mifune’s face. The refolded warrant rests in his hand like a sealed verdict.
The Emissary
Confidence is useful. It can also make a man careless.
The tavern owner bristles at the tone, but the emissary ignores him with practiced contempt, as if the room contains furniture and witnesses, not people.
The Emissary
If you stay alive, you may yet prove useful. If not, you become one more loose end I must bury.
The Tavern Daughter
He is not afraid of speaking his mind. That is rarer than a clean blade.
For a moment, the table between them feels like an opening in a duel, and Mifune has made the emissary respect that opening. The night air still creeps through the door, cool against the burn on his hand.
“I leave the tavern.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +1)