The royal audience chamber falls silent as Shiro enters. Beneath banners of crimson and gold, an elderly man with a narrow crown and silver beard interrupts the proceedings from his throne.
Before him stands a tall fiend in layered charcoal robes, its ember-red eyes fixed and unreadable. One clawed hand holds a sealed document, its black wax marked with an unfamiliar sigil.
the King
Enough ceremony. If this debt is truly owed, prove it can be answered without bloodshed.
The Fiend's Emissary
Your Majesty, the bond is precise. Shiro's family debt is placed beneath the crown's authority, and acknowledgment makes its terms binding.
Courtiers turn in their carved seats. Guards shift beside the pillars, while the harp at Shiro's side seems suddenly loud against the chamber's expectant silence.
the King
Let the boy see the seal. I will not condemn a family on a fiend's assertion, nor permit a debtor to hide behind uncertainty.
The emissary steps forward and extends the document toward Shiro. Every gaze settles on him, waiting for his hand, his voice, or his refusal.
✓ Quest Accepted
Prove Shiro's credibility to the King
“"I... never heard anything about a debt my family owed, sir"”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +4)
Shiro
I... never heard anything about a debt my family owed, sir.
Shiro's quiet words carry through the chamber. The king studies his face, then the sealed document, while the courtiers' murmurs fade beneath the weight of his attention.
the King
And he speaks plainly, without evasion. That weighs more than the emissary's parchment.
The Fiend's Emissary
Plainness does not dissolve a binding, Majesty. The seal bears witness to the claim.
The king takes the document from the fiend's emissary and turns it beneath the light. His silver beard shifts as his expression hardens into decision.
the King
Then the crown shall examine the claim before it binds this elf or his family. Until that examination ends, Shiro stands under royal protection.
A guard steps between Shiro and the fiend's emissary, not threatening either one. The king breaks the unfamiliar seal himself, granting Shiro a clear chance to learn what debt has been named.
Learn what debt has been named
Quest Complete
Prove Shiro's credibility to the King