The shimmering silhouette of the Elder coalesces, casting a cold, judgmental pallor over the fractured pasture. Beyond the spectral figure, a hooded scout steps from the treeline, her hand resting on the hilt of a hunting bow.
Elowen
Elder You carry filth in your hands, exile. That blade belongs in the deep earth, not in the grip of a shadow-tainted wretch.
Yllamaris
She tracked me this far. The exile never ends, it only follows.
Yllamaris
My business here is my own. Leave me to finish what your council started, or find out why they feared this steel.
Elowen
Elder Your arrogance is as sharp as your stolen runes. I am not here to argue. I am here to reclaim what was never yours to hold.
Elowen draws her bow, the wood humming with a pale, fae resonance. She shifts her stance, ignoring the unconscious Malakor as if he were mere refuse, her eyes locked onto the glowing violet runes of the warlock's sword.
+ Scene Quest Added
Survive the confrontation with Elowen
“"Elowen, I will not fight you... No matter how many times I get rid of it, it comes back... Watch." I sheath the sword and toss the sword and sheath, respectfully, towards her. The blade and sheath disappear then reappear at my hip. "leave and leave me alone..."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Yllamaris
Elowen, I will not fight you. No matter how many times I discard this burden, it returns. Watch.
Yllamaris draws the runic blade with a rhythmic rasp, his movements fluid and calm. He casts the weapon toward the scout, the metal spinning end-over-end through the fractured air. Before the steel can bite into the dirt, it dissolves into a wisp of violet smoke, materializing instantly back against his hip.
Yllamaris
The curse is a leash. She needs to understand that I am as much a prisoner as she is a jailer.
Elowen
Elder You dare perform parlor tricks in the presence of the Elder? Your blasphemy only confirms the council's decree.
The spectral light around the Elder pulses, turning a sickly, agitated indigo. Elowen’s fingers whiten as she pulls the bowstring back to her cheek, the fae energy crackling around the arrowhead like a swarm of angry wasps.
Elowen
Elder The blade returns because it hungers for your soul, exile. Let us see if it remains attached to your belt when you are dead.
“"do as you wish, but I won't hurt you. Good luck." I don't want to harm her, but I can break her bow... I'll call the shadows to me and make myself invisible”
SUCCESS (Good Arcana, rolled +1)
Yllamaris
Do as you wish, Elowen. I will not strike back, but I will not let you destroy that bow.
Yllamaris chants a low, gutteral syllable, snapping his fingers. The violet wisps clinging to his blade explode outward, not as fire, but as a hungry, suffocating shroud of darkness. He steps backward, his form fraying at the edges until he vanishes into the shifting gloom.
Yllamaris
The shadows are mine to command. Let them try to hunt a ghost.
The darkness snakes forward with impossible speed, coiling around the wood of Elowen's bow like black vines. With a sharp, crystalline crack, the bow snaps into two useless pieces in her grip. Elowen staggers back, her eyes wide, staring at the empty air where the warlock stood only a heartbeat ago.
Elowen
Elder He has vanished into the weave! Elder, he is using the corruption to mask his escape!
Quest Complete
Survive the confrontation with Elowen
Fault Removed: Feared Reputation