With Alexios’s testimony sealed into the royal record, the threshold guard and corridor guard take custody of him. They escort him and Titano to a nearby palace tavern.
volcanon
Alexios, join me for a drink.
Titano’s immense frame fills the tavern entrance, quieting several conversations. The tension loosens when the keeper, a young adult woman with a sturdy build, warm brown skin, short black hair, and a plain ochre apron over a cream blouse serves cold drinks, and the guards remain discreetly nearby.
Alexios
After facing the queen, I will gladly accept something colder than a court’s judgment.
Across the room, an adult female Argentinosaurus watches him. Her pale back contrasts with a crimson underbelly, an inverse to Titano’s coloring, and a silver collar catches the hearthlight.
Seressa
The Bulwark is larger than the stories claimed. And that coloring... I wonder whether he notices the resemblance.
She raises her chilled cup slightly, neither calling out nor looking away. Alexios follows Titano’s gaze and gives a knowing, amused tilt of his snout.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn why the Argentinosaurus woman is watching Alexios
“alexios and I sit down to have a drink, or maybe five”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +2)
Titano crosses the tavern and lowers his immense frame onto a reinforced bench beside Alexios. The wood groans, but holds beneath the commander’s weight.
The tavern keeper brings two broad chilled cups, borrowing a deep stone basin from the cellar for Titano’s portion. Frost beads across its rim.
Alexios
To Ithaca’s survival, and to the Bulwark who made certain I could explain myself before its queen.
Titano settles into the tavern’s warmth with Alexios at his side. Nearby guards remain watchful without interrupting, while the room’s conversation gradually returns.
Seressa
Five drinks, perhaps? The first two clearly failed to loosen either of your tongues.
The Argentinosaurus woman lifts her silver-collared throat toward the keeper, her pale and crimson coloring glowing in the hearthlight. Alexios glances toward her, amused.
Alexios
Careful, stranger. He may accept that challenge before he accepts another question from the court.
“that i would, and i'd still be able to walk myself home afterwards, unlike someone i know. i say as i gently elbow Alexios in the arm and break into a laugh”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
volcanon
I would, and I would still walk myself home afterward, unlike someone I know.
Titano gently elbows Alexios in the arm and breaks into deep, booming laughter. The reinforced bench groans beneath them, while several nearby cups tremble.
Alexios
I walked here perfectly well. The road merely became unusually persuasive on the way back.
The Argentinosaurus woman laughs into her cup, clearly entertained. She gestures toward the tavern keeper, and the tavern’s attention settles warmly around their table.
Seressa
Then five drinks it is. I want to see whether the famous Bulwark keeps that confidence past the third.
The Tavern Keeper
Five chilled cups coming up. I will need the stone basin again for the commander.
The tavern keeper returns with fresh drinks, arranging them across the table. Alexios accepts his cup with a wary grin, while the Argentinosaurus woman raises hers toward Titano.
“I invite her to join our drinks”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
volcanon
Join us. There is room at the table, and these drinks are better shared.
Titano raises one immense cup toward the Argentinosaurus woman. His invitation carries across the tavern with confidence, but no command, leaving the choice plainly hers.
Seressa
A gracious invitation from Ithaca’s Bulwark. I accept, though I warn you, I drink as boldly as I speak.
She carries her chilled cup to the reinforced table, silver collar glinting as she settles onto a broad bench opposite Titano. The keeper clears space among the stone vessels.
Alexios
Excellent. I was beginning to fear Titano’s hospitality would leave me outnumbered only by his drink.
Seressa
Then you must be Alexios, the exile who returned beneath royal escort. I have heard enough to know this table needs interesting company.
The Tavern Keeper
Another basin, then. At this table, ordinary cups are clearly surrendering before the evening begins.
“pls, call me titano, and if you don't mind me asking, why is it that you were looking at me when we walked in”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -2)
volcanon
Please, call me Titano. And, if you do not mind me asking, why were you looking at me when we walked in?
The table quiets around the question. Hearthlight catches the woman’s pale scales and crimson underside as she studies Titano openly, her silver collar gleaming.
Seressa
Titano, then. I was looking because your coloring mirrors mine, only reversed, and because a figure your size rarely enters a room unnoticed.
Seressa
I wondered whether you noticed the resemblance. Now I wonder whether the Bulwark always asks direct questions, or only when he finds someone interesting.
Her answer wins a warmer smile from Alexios, but the woman’s raised brow makes the exchange a public measure of Titano’s character. Nearby guards listen without pretending otherwise.
Alexios
Careful, Titano. You asked for truth and received it, but now she will expect the same honesty from you.
Seressa
I have answered you plainly. In return, tell me whether you see the resemblance too, and I may stop calling you only the Bulwark.
“i did see the resemblance, i just didnt feel it was the right time to approach you”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
volcanon
I did notice the resemblance. I simply did not feel it was the right time to approach you.
Titano’s deep voice carries across the table without force. The tavern grows quieter for a moment, leaving the hearth’s crackle and the clink of chilled cups.
Seressa
That is a more thoughtful answer than I expected from a commander known for breaking through walls.
Alexios
He does possess restraint, though he prefers to display it after the danger has passed.
The Argentinosaurus woman turns her cup between her claws, studying Titano with open amusement rather than suspicion. Her silver collar flashes as she leans nearer.
Seressa
Then we have both noticed something worth discussing. I am Seressa. Will you tell me what else you noticed, Titano?
“I noticed your size, I mean your height”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
volcanon
I noticed your height, I mean. You are taller than most Argentinosauruses I have met.
Titano clarifies without retreating from the question. His deep voice settles over the table, and Seressa’s amused expression warms as the tavern’s attention drifts back toward them.
Seressa
A careful correction, Titano. Yes, I have always stood above most of my kind, though beside you, even my height seems modest.
Alexios
Modest? You have found the one word in this tavern that does not belong anywhere near either of you.
Seressa laughs, a low resonant sound that joins Alexios’s grin. She lifts her chilled cup toward Titano, her silver collar catching the hearthlight.
Seressa
Then tell me, Commander, was it my height that drew your notice first, or the resemblance in our colors?
Alexios
He has faced queens and ancient fire with less care than he is using at this table.
“can it be both equally?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
volcanon
Can it be both equally? Your height caught my notice, and our reversed colors held it.
The direct answer settles over the table. Seressa’s silver collar glints as she studies Titano, while Alexios hides a knowing smile behind his chilled cup.
Seressa
It can, and I appreciate the honesty. Most notice one resemblance and pretend the other is invisible.
Alexios
A diplomatic answer, Titano. Precise enough for a queen, and dangerous enough to interest a tavern companion.
Seressa raises her cup toward Titano. Hearthlight warms her pale scales and crimson underside, the inversion of his own coloring made striking by the table’s broad stone vessels.
Seressa
Then I will answer in kind. Your size drew my eye first, but the colors made me wonder who you were.
Seressa
Now I know you are direct, duty-bound, and capable of sharing a drink without hiding behind the title Bulwark.
“the bulwark is the title that was given to me at war, but not the name my mother gave to me, I accept both, but prefer when friends call my by my name, and not my title”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +3)
volcanon
Bulwark is the title given to me at war, not the name my mother gave me. I accept both, but friends may call me Titano.
Titano’s deep voice carries without force. The invitation is plain, yet the table hears the distinction between a commander’s honor and a friend’s familiarity.
Seressa
Then Titano it is. I would rather know the name beneath the armor than salute a title across a table.
Alexios
There. You have survived the queen, the sapphire flame, and now Seressa’s questions. I believe friendship may be the greatest trial yet.
Seressa laughs and lifts her cup. Around them, the tavern’s attention returns to its own conversations, leaving the three companions a warmer circle of privacy.
Seressa
For what it is worth, Titano, you have my friendship already. I keep a broad courtyard near the eastern gate, and your size would not make you a spectacle there.
She gives him a place where his stature will not crowd a room, an unasked-for courtesy made tangible. Frost gathers along the stone basin as the evening settles into easy company.
“I may command Ithacas armies now, but i unlike most i was not born here, i was born far to the west, where many of my size and stature choose to reside”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
volcanon
I may command Ithaca’s armies now, but I was not born here. I was born far to the west, where many of my size and stature reside.
Titano’s deep voice settles across the table. The distinction expands his story beyond Ithaca, while the tavern’s hearth paints warm light across his crimson back and pale face.
Seressa
Far to the west? Then your coloring and stature come from a homeland built for giants. I confess, that makes you more intriguing, not less.
Alexios
I knew he was not born beneath Ithaca’s walls, but I never asked where the western road began. You have kept that history close, Titano.
Seressa leans forward, silver collar glinting above her chilled cup. Her attention is open and steady, no longer merely amused by the commander’s unusual size.
Seressa
What is that western place called? And do those who live there welcome an outsider who now commands Ithaca’s armies?
Alexios
Seressa is not measuring his title anymore. She wants the road behind him, and perhaps the people who shaped the Bulwark.
✓ Quest Accepted
Tell Seressa the name of Titano’s western homeland
− Scene Quest Removed
Learn why the Argentinosaurus woman is watching Alexios
“I leaved in place know as the valley of titans, aptly named if you ask me, but i left for a reason, it never felt like home to me, so once i came of age i left and came here to Ithaca, and I have now been here for 15 good years”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
volcanon
I was born in the Valley of Titans, a place aptly named for those who live there. I left because it never felt like home. When I came of age, I departed for Ithaca, and I have lived here for fifteen good years.
Titano’s deep voice carries steadily across the table. Hearthlight glides over his crimson back and pale face as he speaks of the western valley without claiming it as his own.
Seressa
Fifteen years is long enough for Ithaca to become part of you, even if the Valley of Titans shaped your beginning. Do you consider this city home now?
Alexios
That explains more than your size ever did. You left a place built for giants and made your name among people who could never overlook you.
Seressa studies him with quiet respect rather than curiosity alone. Around them, the tavern’s warmth and familiar voices make her broad eastern courtyard sound like an extension of the welcome.
Seressa
Then perhaps home is not only where one is born. If Ithaca has held you for fifteen years, I would like to hear what made you stay.
Quest Complete
Tell Seressa the name of Titano’s western homeland
“home is wherever one chooses to make it, and the same goes for family, you family isnt just who you have, its also who you're with”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -2)
volcanon
Home is wherever one chooses to make it. Family is the same. It is not only who you have, but who you choose to stand with.
Titano’s words settle over the table with the weight of an oath. The tavern’s warmth seems to draw closer, while Seressa studies him in thoughtful silence.
Seressa
Then you have answered me plainly. Ithaca is your home because you chose it, and the people beside you are your family because you keep choosing them.
Alexios
That explains why you crossed the badlands for me. You were not merely obeying the queen. You were standing with someone you had chosen as family.
Alexios’s words sharpen the table’s attention. Seressa’s amusement gives way to open respect, but the nearby guards hear the admission and exchange a measuring glance.
Seressa
Then I will hold you to that belief, Titano. Come to my eastern courtyard tomorrow, and let me meet the people you call family. You may owe me their stories.
Alexios
A fair cost for such a generous philosophy. Be warned, Bulwark, once Seressa is given a place in your family, she may demand the proper welcome.
“i will hold you, to that offer my dear, and i think that's me done for tonight, i better get home and get some rest, I've got an early morning as always. I say as get up to leave”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
volcanon
I will hold you to that offer, my dear. I think that is me done for tonight. I should get home and rest, with an early morning as always.
Titano rises from the reinforced bench, lifting his great chilled cup aside before his immense frame can crowd the table. The tavern quiets as he prepares to leave.
Seressa
Then tomorrow, Titano. Come rested, and I will have the eastern courtyard ready for you and your family’s stories.
Alexios
A sensible retreat, Bulwark. Even legends require sleep before facing another morning’s duties.
The tavern keeper clears a path between the tables, while the nearby guards make room without interrupting. Hearthlight glints across Titano’s crimson back as he steps toward the entrance.
Seressa
Good night, Titano. I will remember that you noticed both my height and our colors.
Cool night air meets him beyond the tavern door. Behind him, Seressa, Alexios, and the guards remain within the warm room as Titano begins the walk home to rest before dawn.
✓ Quest Accepted
Visit Seressa in her eastern courtyard
“but before i go, a gift for the lady. I say as i raise my tail and crack it like a whip”
FAILURE (Fair Agility, rolled -2)
“but before i go, a gift for the lady. I say as i raise my tail and crack it like a whip”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +1)
volcanon
But before I go, a gift for the lady.
Titano raises his immense crimson tail behind him and snaps it through the night air. The crack detonates like thunder between the tavern walls, sending dust from the lintel and silencing the street.
The effort costs him a sharp pull through the tail’s base, and his heavy stance shifts half a step across the stone. He steadies himself without dropping his cup.
Seressa
A gift indeed. I have heard war drums with less authority, Titano.
Alexios
You promised a quiet retreat, Bulwark. Instead, you announced your departure to half the eastern quarter.
Seressa steps into the doorway, silver collar bright beneath the moon. Her amusement remains, but her gaze briefly measures the controlled strain in Titano’s posture.
Seressa
Rest that tail tonight. Tomorrow, bring it to my courtyard, and I will decide whether the gift deserves an encore.
titano leaves Palace Tavern behind and arrives at Ithaca.
“oh be quite Alexios, everybody loves the whip, when its not used to assert authority. I say as leave and head to my home just beyond the walls of Ithaca”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +0)
Ithaca’s outer walls rise behind Titano as he reaches his home beyond the eastern gate. Dawn pales the hills, and cold mist gathers around the broad stone yard.
His dwelling stands beneath the watchtower, built with reinforced arches and a roofline high enough for his neck. A fresh royal pennant hangs from the gate.
Beside the gate waits a young adult hadrosaur woman with slate-blue scales, a yellow traveling cloak, and a sealed bronze tube clutched in both hands.
The Royal Courier
Commander Titano, I was ordered to place this directly in your hands. The queen requests your presence at once.
The courier offers the tube but keeps her gaze on Titano’s towering form. Wax seals bear the queen’s mark, surrounded by a second ring of unfamiliar blue script.
volcanon
The blue script was not on the queen’s seal before.
The Royal Courier
I was told only that the message concerns the sealed coffer and the deep stone beneath Ithaca. No guard would explain more.
Beyond the walls, the city bells begin ringing one measured note at a time. The bronze tube waits between them, its strange script faintly warm in the morning chill.