Three days after the crown’s ceremony, morning light spills across Bliss’s throne room. Kael sits beneath the seven-starred banners as the great doors open and Mila enters with sealed reports in hand.
Mila
My lord, I bring the Black Hand’s account from the mortal realm. Your hidden worshippers, branded witches by fearful authorities, have not been abandoned.
She crosses the polished floor and kneels before the throne, laying several wax-sealed names and reports upon the lowest step. The seals bear marks from distant forests, villages, and forgotten shrines.
Mila
Our agents protected them where they could. Informants vanished from their trails, raiders lost their courage, and officials who sought to expose or kill the faithful were neutralized before they reached the covens.
Mila breaks one seal and unfolds a narrow parchment. Its final pages record villages that now shelter the faithful openly, lighting black candles without disguising their prayers.
Mila
Several communities have chosen courage over concealment. Yet one surviving power continues the hunt. Its agents leave no crest, but their movements are disciplined, funded, and directed from beyond the local authorities.
She places the unsigned report atop the others and raises her watchful gaze to Kael. The throne room remains quiet, awaiting his judgment on how the Black Hand should proceed.
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect the threatened worshippers
✓ Quest Accepted
Uncover who directs the hunt against Kael’s worshippers