Doku Nohara enters the royal audience chamber as overturned goblets and torn banners testify to the ceremony's collapse. Beneath the throne dais, a fugitive stands ringed by drawn swords.
The fugitive is a lean young adult woman, with sun-browned skin, a narrow wary face, and a small scar through her left eyebrow with ash-brown hair, a mud-streaked green cloak, and a sealed black vessel clutched against her chest. Pale runes pulse beneath its wax.
the silver-nobled lord
Seize her! She stole Lady Merrow's soul and fled before the royal guard.
A broad-shouldered middle-aged lord in silver-trimmed crimson armor points from the foot of the dais. Three armed nobles advance, their blades bright beneath the chamber's blue witchflame.
the fugitive
They stole her soul first. This vessel is the only thing that can call it back before the kidnappers return.
the fugitive
If you break the seal, she is lost. If you delay, the ones who took her will finish what they began.
The chamber falls silent around the vessel's faint heartbeat. Every armed gaze shifts toward Doku, newly arrived beneath the shattered royal crest.
✓ Quest Accepted
Recover Lady Merrow's soul
✓ Quest Accepted
Help the guards capture the fugitive
“I would quickly use my Parasol (Rapier) to stab te kneecaps of the fugitive.”
SUCCESS (Good Melee Weapons, rolled +0)
Doku’s plum parasol snaps open with a whisper of silk, then its hidden rapier flashes beneath the blue witchflame. She crosses the distance before the nearest sword can turn.
Both precise thrusts strike the fugitive’s kneecaps. Her legs buckle, and she drops hard against the dais, still clutching the sealed black vessel against her chest.
the fugitive
You could have taken the vessel. Why cripple me?
The impact jars the wax-sealed container loose enough to chime against the stone. Pale runes flare, and the chamber hears its faint heartbeat clearly.
the silver-nobled lord
Shadow witch! You have maimed the thief and endangered the soul. Guards, disarm her!
The three nobles—three young adult human men in dark formal coats, each gripping a sword hesitate, blades wavering between Doku and the fallen woman. The attack has succeeded, but its sharp crack has turned every witness against her.
the fugitive
If you mean to save Lady Merrow, keep them away from the seal. I cannot hold it steady like this.
“"I am not here to save you. I am giving the guards back what you stole. Give back what you stole or I will aim at your troat."”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +1)
Doku Nohara
I am not here to save you. I am giving the guards back what you stole. Return it, or I will aim this at your throat.
Doku angles the parasol’s rapier toward the fugitive’s throat. Its polished tip steadies beneath the blue witchflame, while the vessel’s pale runes pulse against the woman’s chest.
the fugitive
You would hand Lady Merrow’s soul to the people who sold it? Fine. Take it, then.
The fugitive carefully extends the sealed black vessel toward the nearest guard. He steps forward, accepts it with both hands, and retreats beneath the lord’s sharp gesture.
the silver-nobled lord
At last. Secure the vessel and bind that witch before she causes further harm.
The guard locks the vessel inside a silver-lined coffer brought from the dais. Its heartbeat dulls behind the metal, but the chamber remains taut around Doku’s drawn blade.
the fugitive
There. You returned what I stole. Pray your masters know how to keep it alive.
“"Arrest the thief. We're done here." She uses a napkin to clean the blood off her Rapier.”
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Doku Nohara
Arrest the thief. We're done here.
Doku folds a square napkin around the rapier’s slender blade and wipes away the blood in measured strokes. The plum parasol remains open above her.
the silver-nobled lord
You heard her. Bind the thief and remove her from the royal chamber.
The three young guards, young adult human men in matching dark-blue tabards over chainmail, with close-cropped hair and square helmets, lower their swords, seize the fugitive, and fasten iron cuffs around her wrists. Her sealed cloak falls still as they haul her upright.
the fugitive
Then remember this, shadow witch. Lady Merrow’s soul will not forgive the hands that locked it away.
Doku finishes cleaning the rapier and folds the stained napkin into her gloved palm. The guards carry the fugitive through the western arch, while the silver-lined coffer remains secured beneath the lord’s watch.
Quest Complete
Help the guards capture the fugitive
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Good→Great