Trial at the Judgment Stone
Anywhere in the sky
From a chance meeting
6 scenes. Choices with a requirement only appear when you meet it.
A Herald Without a Champion
Right away1A noble herald's skiff hails you, flying a black mourning streamer beneath her house colors. Aboard, the lone herald stands beside a corpse sewn into heavy canvas. "My lady's champion died of a sudden fever last night! Today's trial by combat at the Judgment Stone decides who holds three border farms and sixty tenant families. If no one fights for my lady before the glass runs out, she forfeits the land by default—and she will pay her champion handsomely."
- Agree to serve as his lady's champion at the Judgment Stone.He marks the Judgment Stone on your chart and explains the three lawful forms of trial: mage against mage, blade against blade, or ship against ship.
- [Noble-born] Demand the standard noble retainer fee up front.Crew: Noblecrewmate cites noble custom, and the herald stiffly pays twenty-five silver in advance before marking the Judgment Stone on your chart.+25 silver
- Decline; a border dispute between nobles is not your fight.The herald bows all the same and flies on to hail the next passing ship.The questline ends here.
The Rival Steward's Bribe
Right away2Before the herald's skiff is even out of sight, an unmarked skiff pulls up beneath your stern. A steward in a plain cloak holds up a heavy purse. "House Calder has no wish to lose three farms to a hired captain. Go ahead and stand as the lady's champion—just make sure you lose. Forty silver now, and fifty more when the clerk awards the land to us."
- Refuse his bribe and send him away.He tucks the purse away calmly. "Our red-coated battle-mage hasn't lost a duel in six years," he warns you. "Ask the herald what happened to her last opponent."
- [Surgeon] Send the briber away and have crewmate examine the dead champion's body.Crew: Surgeoncrewmate overtakes the herald's skiff and cuts open two stitches of the canvas shroud. Natural fever never leaves a man's lips stained purple like that—he was poisoned! Grim-faced, the herald pays twenty silver for the proof and has crewmate sign a formal medical affidavit.+20 silver
- Accept the 40-silver advance and agree to throw the trial for House Calder.You pocket the forty-silver advance. "See you at the Judgment Stone," the steward says. "We'll be watching to make sure you go down convincingly."+40 silver
The Judgment Stone
Sail to The Judgment Stone (2–4 passages away)3 Fight as the lady's champion at the Judgment Stone.
The Judgment Stone is a flat floating crag carved with a dueling ring, flanked by the two rival house yachts while a court clerk stands ready with an hourglass. Across the ring, House Calder's champion—a veteran battle-mage in a red coat—warms her hands lazily over a conjured fire.
- [Mage] Send crewmate into the ring for a mage's duel.Crew: Mage
- [Duelist] Invoke the older law and demand a duel with cold steel.Crew: Duelistcrewmate invokes the ancient right of steel. Unused to fighting with a blade instead of spells, the red-coated mage yields after the second cut!+1 Melee skill XP
- Invoke trial by ship combat and fight House Calder's yacht.The clerk sighs and clears the stone crag as House Calder's armed yacht powers up her guns to face you.Battle: Household ship
- Leave it for now.The clerk resets his hourglass while you hold off.
The Judgment Stone
Sail to The Judgment Stone (2–4 passages away)4 Appear at the Judgment Stone with House Calder's bribe in your pocket.
At the Judgment Stone, the two house yachts hover on opposite sides of the carved dueling ring while the clerk readies his hourglass. Calder's red-coated battle-mage warms her hands by her fire, while on the Calder yacht's deck, the cloaked steward rests the second bribe purse conspicuously on the rail.
- Demand trial by ships and intentionally throw the fight.You let the Calder yacht chase you around the crag for a full glass, firing your salvos wide while taking a few glancing hits for show. The clerk calls the match for House Calder, and your patron lady's herald turns away in disgust.−2 hull
- [Mage] Send crewmate into the dueling ring to take a convincing fall.Crew: Magecrewmate takes one glancing singe for show and drops to the stone like a felled tree. Looking almost disappointed by how easy it was, the red-coated mage steps back as the clerk awards the farms to House Calder.10 damage to the crewmate who acted
- Double-cross House Calder: keep their advance, demand ship combat, and fight to win!Realizing he's been double-crossed, the steward snatches the second purse off the rail as House Calder's elite yacht opens fire with everything she has!Battle: Household ship
- Leave it for now.The clerk resets his hourglass while you hold off.
The Champion's Forfeit
Right away5 Claim your champion's forfeit from the defeated house.
The court clerk records the three farms and sixty tenant families into your patron lady's estate roll. By the law of the ring, the losing house must also pay a forfeit to the winning champion: their steward offers either a heavy weapon from their yacht's battery or its weight in silver.
- Claim the heavy weapon from their yacht's battery.Their crew winches the heavy gun across to your deck, and your grateful patron lady adds a twenty-silver bonus.Weapon: a random weapon+20 silverThe questline ends here.
- Present the surgeon's affidavit proving House Calder poisoned the original champion to claim double forfeit!The clerk reads the surgeon's signed medical report twice and turns furiously on Calder's steward. Under trial law, poisoning a champion carries a double penalty: you claim both the yacht's heavy deck gun and seventy silver!Weapon: a random weapon+70 silverThe questline ends here.
- Take the silver reward.It takes two clerks to haul the heavy scales across as they weigh out one hundred and five silver.+105 silverThe questline ends here.
- [Lowborn] Ask the lady to forgive the tenants' rent for a year alongside your silver.Crew: Lowborncrewmate makes the request plainly. Seeing that your crew means it, the victorious lady signs a full year's rent remission for the three farms. You still collect seventy silver, and the overjoyed tenants stock your hold with eight crates of provisions.+8 provisions+70 silver−1 heatThe questline ends here.
The Second Payment
Right away6The clerk formally records the three border farms and sixty tenant families into House Calder's estate roll, and your betrayed patron's yacht departs in silence. Calder's steward boards your ship and counts out the promised fifty silver—waiting coldly to see if you dare ask for more.
- Take the 50 silver and depart quietly.He nods like one businessman to another and returns to his yacht.+50 silverThe questline ends here.
- Extort him for a third purse to keep the fixed trial secret.
- [Lowborn] Ask what will happen to the sixty tenant families—then give them the bribe money.Crew: Lowborncrewmate asks the question plainly, and the steward answers just as plainly: House Calder will hike the tenants' rents. crewmate carries the fifty-silver bribe down to the three farms to pay their tithes, and the grateful farmers load eight crates of provisions into your hold.+8 provisions+2 The Free Captains standing−1 heatThe questline ends here.
Data from Magehold Fairwinds v1.9.26. Spotted something out of date? Discord