Banco Valdieri Investigation

Briefing: Banco Valdieri Investigation #

Distribution #

Joint Task Force personnel only. Do not copy. Do not annotate. Do not discuss outside authorized rooms.

Situation summary #

Banco Valdieri has suffered a major theft of refined magic jars. This threatens public confidence in the Banking Guild’s promissory-note system and, by extension, the calm the Crown is selling to the city.

This occurs during The Royal Games (solstice week). Hochsilvar is overcrowded: rival supporters roam drunk and loud, cargo traffic surges, and every empty bed is already occupied. Expect delays, distractions, and incidents that look “random” until they don’t.

The City Watch has established a three-day magical quarantine while forensic wizards examine the scene. Expect rumors, opportunists, and attempts to seize control of the narrative masquerading as “help.”

This matter is politically sensitive. The Banking Guild is demanding results. The Crown expects calm.

Your status and authority #

You are assigned to a Joint Task Force comprised of:

• Hochsilvar City Watch (scene control, arrests, public order)
• Der Kronenschild (domestic intelligence arm; authorized by agreement with the Crown to operate across the feudal states)

You are expected to:

• coordinate with the City Watch, not fight them,
• minimize public disturbance,
• keep the Banking Guild cooperative without allowing them to seize control of the investigation,
• produce actionable leads within the quarantine window.

Quarantine rules (effective immediately) #

• The crime scene perimeter is controlled by the City Watch.
• No personnel may enter the perimeter carrying magical items. Violations will be confiscated and logged.
• Divinations and active spellwork inside the perimeter require the Watch forensics team’s approval.
• Quarantine is scheduled for 3 days, extendable at the Watch’s discretion.

Known facts #

• The vault and its mechanisms show anomalous arcane interference consistent with a sophisticated breach.
• Initial witness accounts contain inconsistencies in timing and sequence.
• Banco Valdieri’s owner and ward staff are conducting their own internal review under Banking Guild pressure.
• The incident occurred at noon on the solstice (Royal Games week), when the city’s attention is split and crowds provide natural cover.

Immediate tasks #

1. Report to Captain Ensio Silbermark for access protocols and the current forensics schedule.
2. Secure and review Banco Valdieri’s public-facing records relevant to custody-chain and promissory-note exposure.
3. Establish a preliminary list of personnel with vault access, including emergency procedures and watch rotations.
4. Identify any external pressures already being applied (guild militia presence, legal representatives, court couriers).

Conduct expectations #

• Keep your cover clean. You are here as the Crown’s domestic stability partner, not as an independent power.
• Avoid unnecessary violence. Avoid public scenes. Avoid creating martyrs.
• If you must break a rule to obtain a lead, be prepared to explain the political cost.