The Counterfeit Caps
You're counting your caps at a food stall when the vendor snatches one from your palm and holds it up to the light. She bites it, then flicks it onto the counter with a look of disgust.
"Fake. Lead core with a tin wash. Seen three of these today." She pushes it back toward you. "Somebody's flooding the market. You didn't get this from me, and you're not paying with it."
Escolhas
- 1
Apologize and pay with a different cap. Not your problem how it got into your pouch.
sem requisitoSucessoThe vendor accepts your replacement and hands over your food without further comment. You pocket the fake cap - might be useful as a conversation starter, or evidence.
Falha - 2
Ask around the market about where the fakes are coming from. If someone's devaluing the currency, everyone suffers.
sem requisitoSucessoAfter an hour of questions and suspicious looks, a junk dealer quietly points you toward a recent batch of caps that came through a specific trader. You pass the information along to a grateful local enforcer.
FalhaNobody wants to talk. Either they don't know or they're afraid of whoever's behind it. You wasted an hour and have nothing to show for it.
- 3
Examine the fake cap closely. The metallurgy might tell you something about who made it.
SucessoThe alloy composition is sloppy - too much antimony, not enough tin. Whoever cast these had access to scrap lead but no proper crucible. You describe the setup to a local smith who recognizes the technique. The information is worth something to the right people.
FalhaThe alloy is unusual but you can't place the technique. Too many variables - scrap sources differ across the region and without a proper assay kit you're guessing. You hand the cap back to the vendor with a shrug.
UUID