The merchant ship moans as it kisses the Mesthelia pier, splintering wood shrieking against mossy stone. Arion Touvengard pushes the host’s stiff, puppet-like frame toward the gangplank. Teal light flickers beneath the host's skin, struggling to maintain a cohesive form as they step onto the solid, bustling harbor of the capital.
Captain Halloway
Stay back, you cursed thing. I have delivered your wreckage to the Council, now leave us to the guards.
Arion Touvengard
These mortals smell of fear and stale iron. They lack the vision to see the rot beneath their own city's feet.
A squad of Mesthelia City Guards rushes forward, spears leveled. Their leader, a stern woman in plate armor, steps onto the swaying ship deck, her eyes narrowing at the glowing, unnatural teal energy pulsing around Arion's grip.
City Guard Captain
By order of the Council of 8, identify your origin or prepare for immediate containment.
Arion Touvengard
Containment? The only thing containing me is this fragile shell of meat and bone.
+ Scene Quest Added
Escape the city guards
“Arion pulls out his adventurer badge aling with the scrip stating the mussion he was on to stop a deranged cultist from attempting to open a rift at the edge of the continent. He then explains roughly of the mishaps that led him here in this manner. "Look, it may seem strange, but I assure you, I am an official adventurer."”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -1)
Arion Touvengard
With a mechanical, jerking movement, I reach into the satchel at my waist. I withdraw a weathered adventurer’s badge and a scroll sealed with the mark of the Mages Guild. The teal energy pulses rhythmically against my skin as I extend the documents.
Arion Touvengard
I am no threat to Mesthelia. My host and I were tasked with intercepting a cultist rift at the edge of the plains. The mission... devolved. We are the sole survivors of that failure.
The City Guard Captain pauses, the tip of her spear wavering a fraction of an inch as she scans the official parchment. A bead of sweat trickles down her temple, though she maintains a rigid posture.
ID
If this scroll is authentic, you are far from the frontier. Why bring this darkness into the heart of the capital?
Arion Touvengard
I go where the blade leads. It hungers for more than just my compliance.
The Captain glances from the seal on the scroll back to the host's eyes, which seem to drift with a hollow, unnatural lack of focus.
“"If you would be so kind as to escort me to the nearest temple so they can perform the right of purification on the lingering malfesense the void stalker left on me when I cast it back to the abyss, it would be greatly appreciated." Arion says tucking away his documents while addressimg the gaurd captain.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -1)
Arion Touvengard
If you would be so kind as to escort me to the nearest temple so they can perform the right of purification on the lingering malfesense the void stalker left on me when I cast it back to the abyss, it would be greatly appreciated.
Arion tucks the scroll and badge away with a rhythmic, puppet-like click of his joints. The teal glow emanating from beneath his tunic flickers, casting long, jittery shadows against the damp wood of the pier. The City Guard Captain freezes, her grip on her spear loosening just enough to signal her hesitation. She exchanges a wary look with her subordinates, the weight of the guild seal clearly pressing against her judgment.
ID
Purification? You speak of void-taint like it is a common cold, traveler. If you are lying, the Inquisition will have your head before the sun sets.
The atmosphere thickens as the ship groans against its moorings. The Captain gestures curtly, signaling her guards to flank Arion, their eyes tracking the unnatural, rhythmic pulse of teal light that refuses to dim.
Quest Complete
Escape the city guards
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Superb→Legendary
+ Story Quest Added
Get purified at a temple