The skiff grinds onto a muddy bank beneath a low, vine-covered shrine. The five men scramble ashore, leaving the second enforcer and his injured companion behind on the distant stairs.
The current catches the loosened boat almost immediately. The five men haul themselves beneath the shrine’s cracked stone roof while Blazen remains with them, soaked, scraped, and breathing hard.
the reaching man
We are clear for the moment. Quickly, monk. What happened in that alley cannot be allowed to vanish with us.
He drops to one knee beside a mossy altar and pulls free a concealed oilskin bundle. Inside lie folded names, stamped seals, and carefully preserved scraps of testimony.
the reaching man
The captain has been taking prisoners, falsifying charges, and selling seized property. These records connect him to every order.
The others crowd close, still shaking from the chase. One man keeps watch through the hanging vines as the empty skiff spins away downstream.
the reaching man
You saved us twice, monk. Now tell us whether you will help carry this evidence, or leave us to the river.
✓ Quest Accepted
Accept the evidence and learn the fugitives' next destination
“"Why was the captain chasing you five specifically?"”
Blazen
Why was the captain chasing you five specifically?
The reaching man studies Blazen across the mossy altar. Rain ticks through the cracked roof, and the folded records remain spread between them like a second map of the city.
the reaching man
Because we were witnesses, monk. Each of us saw a different part of the captain’s operation, and together we can prove the whole pattern.
the reaching man
He ordered arrests, forged the charges, and claimed the property. Then he sold what he seized through merchants who paid him quietly.
One of the men points to a stamped seal while another checks the vines. The marks match across several names, dates, and confiscation orders.
the reaching man
We were meant to testify before the magistrate tomorrow. The captain learned our names first, so he sent his men to erase the testimony before it reached the court.
the reaching man
That is why he chased these five specifically. We are not merely prisoners who escaped. We are the proof he cannot afford to leave alive.
“"Then where should I carry this evidence? And will we go together? "”
Blazen
Then where should I carry this evidence? And will we go together?
The reaching man gathers the stamped seals and testimony into the oilskin bundle, folding each page with practiced care as rain taps the shrine roof.
the reaching man
To the magistrate’s old records hall, across the eastern market. The court clerks there can receive it before the captain reaches them.
He ties the bundle shut and presses it into Blazen’s hands. The oilskin is slick with rain, but the seals remain dry and firm beneath it.
the reaching man
We go together. Two witnesses will carry the names, two will guard the testimony, and one will find the magistrate’s clerk. You will not walk alone.
The five men rise beneath the vines, steadier now. One checks the riverbank, another settles the shrine’s loose curtain, and the group prepares to leave by the covered path.
the reaching man
Keep the bundle close, monk. If anyone asks, you are carrying tavern debts and five very nervous debtors.
✓ Quest Accepted
Bring the evidence to the magistrate’s clerk
Quest Complete
Accept the evidence and learn the fugitives' next destination
+ New Item Acquired
Oilskin evidence bundle
“"Prepare yourselves. If you know how to use weapons or armor or ki, ready them, and we will go.:”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +0)
Blazen
Prepare yourselves. If you know weapons, armor, or ki, ready them, and we will go.
The five men move at once. One tears shrine boards into short clubs, two wrap their forearms in leather belts, and the others hide the testimony beneath their coats.
the reaching man
I know a little breath discipline. Not enough to fight like you, but enough to keep my legs under me.
The reaching man kneels, slows his breathing, and guides the others through a compact exercise. Their shoulders settle, their grips firm, and their fear becomes usable attention.
Blazen tightens the oilskin bundle against his chest and checks the group’s improvised defenses. The cord bites into his scraped palm, reopening the shallow cut and spotting the wrap with blood.
the reaching man
The covered path reaches the market wall. Stay close, and let us look like frightened debtors following their loudest creditor.
They file beneath the vines, clubs hidden under sleeves and breathing controlled. Rain muffles their departure as the shrine falls behind them, and the eastern market waits ahead.
✓ Quest Accepted
Lead the five witnesses safely out of the shrine
“Is there a lot of money in this purse?”
NO, BUT (Unlikely, rolled 37)
The covered path opens beside a shuttered market stall. Blazen’s purse knocks against his belt as he moves, but the weight feels disappointingly light.
Blazen
Not enough coin to buy five witnesses, let alone a magistrate.
At the market wall, a loose board reveals a narrow service passage. Beyond it, lanterns burn around the records hall’s rear entrance, guarded by two city clerks and a locked iron gate.
the reaching man
The purse will not bribe anyone, monk. But look at the stamp on its clasp.
He points to a tiny merchant mark pressed into the leather. It matches one of the confiscation seals in the oilskin bundle, linking the purse to the captain’s buyers.
the reaching man
That mark belongs to a warehouse beside the records hall. Its owner may have the captain’s payment ledger, and a back door into the court.
The five men draw close beneath the rain-dark awning. The guarded gate remains ahead, but the marked purse has opened a second route through the merchant’s warehouse.