Veyra steps into the utility room, and the tunnel seal hisses shut behind her. Harsh fluorescent light turns the cramped space into a box of metal shelves, pipework, and damp concrete.
The Hooded Courier
The plate. Now.
The Hooded Courier stands by the maintenance door, one hand out, the other braced on the frame like they have been waiting too long to stay polite.
Veeran
This room is a trap if they decide it is.
Veeran shifts closer to Veyra, shoulders squared toward the courier, ready to cut off the door or the stranger, whichever moves first.
Veyra Thornveil
You want it, start by telling me who you are.
The Hooded Courier
I am the reason you are still standing in a room with a way out.
The overhead light buzzes. Somewhere beyond the door, water drips in a steady, impatient rhythm, and the courier does not lower their hand.
“I place the brass plate down, still touching it. I look at the man, making sure he doesn't make sudden moves”
SUCCESS (Good Psychology, rolled +2)
Veyra lowers the brass plate to the damp concrete, but keeps two fingers on it. The metal clicks softly under her touch, and her eyes stay on the Courier’s hands.
Veyra Thornveil
The plate is in reach. So is the door.
Veeran eases half a step back, giving her room without taking his guard off the Courier. The fluorescent light buzzes harder, making the room feel even smaller.
The Hooded Courier
Good. Don’t move it yet. I need to see what it wakes up.
The Courier’s hand stays open, but their shoulders drop a fraction, less threat than strain now. The stamped letters beneath the dragon mark catch the light as Veyra’s fingers hold the edge steady.
The Hooded Courier
That vault ledger is older than the story your family told you. I did not come here for the plate alone.
The Hooded Courier
I came because it names people who vanished, and because somebody else is already looking for it.
“I ask who is already looking for it, where they are”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Veyra Thornveil
Who is already looking for it, and where are they?
The Hooded Courier
People with money, people with maps, people who never touch the thing they’re hunting. Right now? One of them is close enough to notice if I fail to bring it back.
The Hooded Courier
I am trying to keep it from reaching the wrong hands. That is why I am here instead of running.
They glance down at the brass plate, then back to Veyra, as if measuring whether honesty is still worth the room between them.
The Hooded Courier
The ledger names the vanished, but it also names the route. If you want the truth, I can take you to the first place it points to.
The Hooded Courier
I am not asking for blind trust. I am asking for a minute longer with the plate, and your answer after that.
Veeran stays quiet beside her, eyes on the Courier, while the fluorescent buzz and the faint metal click from beyond the seal keep the room taut but still.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn the first place the ledger points to
“I stand up and gesture for the courier to lead the way out of this utility room.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +2)