The upper lanes give way to a furnace court of black brick and iron. Heat shimmers off the forge mouth, and the smell of ozone rides on molten metal. Draconis stands over an arcane ship component, hammer paused, eyes narrowing at the sword in Arion Touvengard's grip.
Draconis
That blade again. I know its bite. Few things make my forge go quiet, but that is one of them.
A younger smith, soot-faced and broad-shouldered, hurries in from a side rack with a tray of rivets and blue wire, then stops short at the sight of Arion. He keeps his distance, but does not flee.
Marr
Master Draconis, the coupling is ready. I, ah, did not know we had visitors.
Draconis
Stay, Marr. If the old sword is here, then this is your lesson as well as mine.
Arion Touvengard
Arion Touvengard asks Draconis whether he has seen signs of the rift-walker, and whether the smith has touched the feathers marked with frost.
Draconis
Aye. Feathers, frost, and a trail that points where it should not. Someone is baiting hunters toward the Council heights. Put the blade down an inch, and I will tell you what I know.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get Draconis to examine the sword's binding
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what Draconis knows about the rift-walker
“You are the most renowned craftsman alive, what can you tell me of the blade that is my body?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Arcana, rolled +1)
Arion Touvengard
What can you tell me about the blade that is my body?
Draconis
Plenty. It is not merely forged, it is bound, and bound badly. I have seen that kind of work before, when desperate hands try to make a door out of a weapon.
Draconis
The old magic in it is older than the Council's current fear, and far cleaner than the rot around it.
Draconis
It drinks will, memory, and shape. The blade is a hinge, or was meant to be. Someone used a vessel of oathcraft and then shackled a spirit into the lock.
Marr
He has gone very still. This is above my station, but I cannot stop listening.
Draconis
As for your rift-walker, I know the trail is deliberate. Frost, feathers, and a cut path mean a handler, not prey. If I touch your binding, I will be seen as part of that hunt.
Draconis
I will tell you what I know, and I will look at the sword's binding, but only if you understand this, Arion Touvengard, the moment I put my hands on it, the Council may decide I am your accomplice.
Quest Complete
Get Draconis to examine the sword's binding
Quest Complete
Learn what Draconis knows about the rift-walker
“I let Draconis examine the sword's binding”
SUCCESS (Legendary Arcana, rolled +1)
Draconis eases his hand to the blade and stops short, feeling the binding’s pressure hum against his palm. The forge fire gutters blue for a breath, then steadies.
Draconis
Oathcraft, yes. And a prison woven around it. Ugly work, but precise.
His talons slide once along the flat, not quite touching the seal lines, while the old runes answer with a faint teal shimmer.
Draconis
This is no common curse. It is layered, deliberate, and anchored to a will that expected the blade to outlast its maker.
Marr recoils a half-step as a pinch of frost freckles the brick beside the anvil, then vanishes in the heat.
Draconis
I can read the work. I can name the weak points. But if I speak too loudly, or pry too hard, the Council will smell it.
Sivanus
So tell us what it is before they do.
Draconis draws back at last, eyes fixed on Arion’s sword with sharpened respect, as if the weapon has answered him in a language he hates recognizing.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what Draconis can tell us about the binding
“Can the binding be turned into a power?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Arcana, rolled +3)
Arion Touvengard
Can the binding be turned into power?
Draconis
Yes. Not safely, and not cleanly, but yes. The same weave that cages a spirit can be coaxed into a circuit, if the bearer has will enough.
Draconis
If I tune it, the blade could hold charge longer, bite harder, and answer your hand with less theft from the host.
Marr stops pretending to work. He stares at the sword, then at Draconis, as if hearing treason spoken over a forge.
Draconis
There is a cost. Every use would tighten the old oath, and anything built to feed on you will notice the feeding.
He reaches for a strip of blue wire, hooks it around two fingers, and sketches a rough loop in the air above the anvil, already mapping the binding's shape.
Draconis
But that same shape gives me something useful. Whoever forged this prison left a signature in the anchor points. I know the style now, and I know where to start looking.
Quest Complete
Learn what Draconis can tell us about the binding