Valornor shoulders his gear and turns for the stairs. The cellar holds its breath, violet light thudding weakly under the boards like a second pulse.
The Proprietor
Wait. Don’t go yet. If you leave it like this, whatever Harlen tied under my tavern will wake fully.
He plants himself in the exit, pale but steady, one hand on the door frame as if it is the last thing keeping the room from splitting open.
The Proprietor
Help me break the anchor. Please. I never wanted this in my floor, and I cannot face it alone.
Harlen
Careful. If you force the seal wrong, you loose the thing it is feeding. Then the whole house becomes a mouth.
The violet seam brightens at Harlen’s words, and for a heartbeat the boards shudder in answer. Valornor can see the truth plainly now, the tavern is not just marked, it is the anchor itself.
✓ Quest Accepted
Discuss wages and assignments at Harlen's Office
“I step past the Proprietor and head toward the stairs to exit this place.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled -1)