The party follows the eastern marks along a collapsed quarry road. Broken stone crowds the track, while Celia, Maurice, Elianor, Tomas, Brother Caldus, and Iven pick their way beneath the hills.
Two standing stones lean together above a dry shaft, their weathered faces furred with lichen. Old mason marks circle the rim, but fresh black residue stains one hooked symbol.
Iven Marr
This is the landmark. The burden passed beneath these stones, though I never saw the shaft open. Those marks were clean when I fled.
The black residue descends in a thin, uneven trail into the shaft. No wind rises from below, yet the dust trembles as if something deep beneath the quarry has breathed.
Maurice Headsman
Keep away from the rim. I will search the rubble first. A buried thing may be waiting for our weight, not our names.
Brother Caldus
The symbol is not merely marked. It has been reopened. Whatever touched this place has begun drawing the old path downward again.
Maurice circles the leaning stones, studying gaps between fallen blocks. Elianor holds the lampglass near the stained mark while Tomas steadies Iven and Caldus watches the shaft.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish a reliable route to the eastern source