Betram rides into the village beneath a darkening sky, spear still in hand. Six surrendered raiders, all young adult human men with lean to sturdy builds, weathered faces, short dark hair, and mud-streaked brown-and-gray clothing beneath battered leather gear, follow on foot, weapons secured and their horses led behind them.
Mara Pell meets him beside the chapel with three village watchmen, middle-aged human men in mismatched brown and green wool coats over padded tunics, with sturdy builds, close-cropped hair, and tired, soot-marked faces,. They take custody of the prisoners, binding their wrists and guiding them toward the chapel wall, where Hadrik Sorn remains restrained under guard.
Mara Pell
You have brought back more than a warning, young dragoon. Hadrik can place them in the chain of command, and I will see none slip away.
Hadrik watches the six raiders file past, his expression tightening as he recognizes their green-dyed bridles and the red scarf among them. The prisoners offer no protest.
Hadrik Sorn
They served beneath Jorren's eastern lieutenant. Ask the rider with the red scarf who carried the orders, and he will name the next link.
Betram settles beside the watchfires after the handover, his spear across his knees. Elric Vane is still bound for Oriflamme, and Caspian waits at the ancient mountain shrine; neither has sent word.
The fires crackle low as night gathers over the village. Then Mara approaches with a sealed, untouched message tube and asks whether Betram wants it opened before the next watch begins.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what the sealed message contains
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn who carried the orders
“Betram thanks her and takes the message tube. He hopes it is the proof Caspian promised, but is prepared for the message to be more mundane.”
Betram Steelstream
Thank you, Reeve. I will take it and see whether it bears the proof Caspian promised.
Mara places the sealed tube in Betram’s hand. The wax remains untouched, its plain surface bearing only a small blue mark unfamiliar beneath the firelight.
Mara Pell
Open it when you are ready, young dragoon. Whatever it carries, the village has earned one quiet hour before the next duty calls.
Betram turns the tube over carefully, weighing its modest contents against the promises and dangers gathering beyond the village. No hidden seal breaks, and no urgent summons interrupts the watchfires.
Around him, the surrendered riders remain under guard beside the chapel wall while Hadrik watches them in silence. The message waits unopened in Betram’s hand.
Mara Pell
If it is only a routine dispatch, then routine may be welcome tonight. If it is proof, Sanbreque may yet have time to listen before it answers with steel.
The reeve returns to her watch, leaving Betram beside the low flames with the tube secured in his grasp and the village briefly at peace.
+ New Item Acquired
Sealed Message Tube
“Betram opens the tube and reads the message.”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +0)
“Betram opens the tube and reads the message.”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +0)
Betram breaks the blue-marked wax and draws out a narrow strip of vellum. The writing is cramped, but the first line bears a familiar name: Caspian.
Betram Steelstream
Caspian sent this proof.
The message states that Ser Jorren acted under a forged order, while a Veldemarke commander prepares to claim Sanbreque began the violence. It names a meeting place beyond the eastern pass.
A second hand has added three words beneath Caspian’s seal: Trust no escort. The ink matches the rest, but the cramped cipher takes precious time to separate warning from instruction.
Betram Steelstream
The meeting place is clear, but the message gives no strength or departure time for the commander.
By the time Betram finishes reading, the nearest watchfire has burned low. He possesses Caspian’s proof and a path toward negotiation, yet the missing troop details leave the danger impossible to measure.
Quest Complete
Learn what the sealed message contains