The hideout groans under the rain. Mud stains the floor, straw clings to Baseva's boots, and the broken doorway rattles with each gust.
The door swings wider, and Jilko steps in, robes soaked dark at the hem. His gaze locks on Baseva, then darts past her to Karr.
Jilko
Baseva. I found you at last. The Baron is not where you expect. He is moved, hidden, somewhere the knives cannot reach.
Karr
Moved? I knew the threat was real, but not this quick.
Jilko lifts one damp hand, magic flickering pale in his fingers like trapped lightning. A neutral-faced courier in a rain-caked hood lingers behind him at the threshold, waiting without speaking.
Jilko
This one brings word from Namal's people. The secret place stays secret. Even I am only told enough to keep the trail shut.
Rain ticks through the rafters as Karr falls silent, watching Baseva for her answer while the hooded courier keeps his distance.
+ Story Quest Added
Find the hidden Baron
+ Story Quest Added
Protect the Baron of Vanel
“I question the hooded courier at the door”
FAILURE (Mediocre Persuasion, rolled -1)
The courier shifts at the threshold, one gloved hand lifting to block the rain and the question alike.
The Hooded Courier
No names at the door. If you want the Baron’s trail, you earn it from the one who can vouch for you.
Jilko’s spelllight gutters once, then steadies as he turns a hard look toward the courier.
Jilko
She is with me. Say what you mean, or let her pass.
The courier hesitates, then pulls a rain-slick strip of waxed paper from inside the cloak and presses it into Jilko’s hand instead of answering Baseva.
The Hooded Courier
The hiding place is shifting. If the Baron moves again tonight, only those already in the chain will know where.
Karr’s jaw tightens. Jilko folds the note shut, his eyes cutting back to Baseva as the courier stays planted in the doorway, waiting for her to choose whether to trust the message or force the issue.
“I ask Jilko who knows the Baron’s trail”
FAILURE (Fair Reasoning, rolled -3)
Jilko keeps the note tucked against his palm and gives Baseva a long, troubled look before he answers. The rain taps the open doorway behind the courier like impatient fingers.
Jilko
Not the Baron himself. His chain of keepers knows the trail, and they answer only by turns. If I tell you one name, I may expose three.
Karr
And if the chain is broken, the Baron vanishes clean into the dark. That is why this stays narrow.
The courier shifts their weight, still refusing to step fully inside, but no longer hiding that they are listening for Baseva’s reaction.
Jilko
I can give you the first hand on that chain. After that, you choose how much noise to make.
Karr’s shoulders ease by a hair, and Jilko holds the sealed note out where Baseva can take it or press for more.
“I take the sealed note”
Baseva takes the sealed note from Jilko’s hand. The courier watches without speaking, while rain freckles the threshold and the hideout settles into a brief, wary hush.
“I take the sealed note”
Baseva tucks the sealed note away, and no one stops her. The hideout stays hushed, rain ticking overhead while the courier waits for the next move.
“I take the sealed note”
Baseva already has the note. The moment settles, simple and sure, with rain still tapping the hideout roof.
“I ask Karr what the chain means”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +2)
Karr rubs his jaw and gives Baseva a crooked, tired grin. Jilko watches him, rainlight striping his hood as the hideout breathes around them.
Baseva
What does the chain mean?
Karr
It means no one person knows enough to betray him cleanly. Each keeper knows only the next hand, and the next place.
Jilko
If the Baron is pressed, the chain bends. If it breaks, the trail dies with it.
Karr
And if you reach the right keeper, you get the next name, then the next. Right now, Baseva, that name is enough to begin.
Jilko
He glances at the note tucked away on Baseva, then back to her face, as if weighing whether she understands what trust costs.
Karr
You asked for the truth, so here it is. The Baron is hidden by people who can afford to be forgotten.
Quest Complete
Protect the Baron of Vanel
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Fair→Good