The three restored emblems descend toward the sunken circle. A shallow pool of black radiance forms there without disturbing the sealed gate, reflecting no face or star.
Ser Caldris Vey
This is a memory testimony. The court will show what was preserved, but beware. The throne may have permitted only the parts that served its lie.
Caldris remains beside Lurien, blade lowered, while the other chambers and their forgotten guardians stay behind beyond the pale archway. The pool ripples beneath the descending emblems.
Ser Caldris Vey
If the court concealed their names, it may conceal their courage as well.
An image rises from the black radiance: a crowned royal ancestor stands before the First Eclipse, drawing luminous fragments from their own memory and binding them into its starless hunger.
Three witnesses stand opposed across the ritual circle. Their faces remain clear, but the testimony strips their voices away, leaving only raised hands and gestures of refusal.
Ser Caldris Vey
There. The binding began before the witnesses were branded traitors. Watch closely, royal heir. The court may reveal what they opposed, but not why they dared.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn how the royal bargain feeds the First Eclipse
“*Lurien steps directly into the black pool, ignoring Caldris's warning. Silver light erupts from his signet ring, binding his consciousness to the memory before the court can distort it further.* **Lurien:** “If my bloodline fed this thing, then let it show me what they sacrificed—and what they took in return.” *He reaches toward the crowned ancestor, allowing the Eclipse to sense his royal blood. The starless radiance surges around him, clawing at his memories.* **Lurien:** “Show me the bargain in its entirety. I would rather lose a memory than inherit another lie.””
SUCCESS (Superb Magic, rolled -1)
Lurien steps into the black pool. Its radiance climbs around him, but the enchanted signet ring answers first, erupting in silver fire that anchors his consciousness to the testimony.
Lurien
If my bloodline fed this thing, then let it show me what they sacrificed and what they took in return.
Lurien
Show me the bargain in its entirety. I would rather lose a memory than inherit another lie.
The Eclipse surges through his royal blood. The court’s false silence splits apart, and the crowned ancestor’s ritual becomes whole: royal memories were offered willingly, while the Eclipse returned power to preserve the kingdom’s failing stars.
The three witnesses opposed not the binding itself, but its hidden price. The throne had begun taking memories from living subjects without consent, feeding the Eclipse beyond what the oath required.
Ser Caldris Vey
By the first oath, they discovered the theft. The throne called it necessary, then erased them when they refused to witness another offering.
The spell succeeds, but one precise memory is taken as payment: the layout of Lurien’s childhood library vanishes, leaving its books and lessons intact, while the complete bargain remains clear.
Quest Complete
Learn how the royal bargain feeds the First Eclipse
“*Lurien staggers as the memory of his childhood library disappears. He catches himself against the dais, blood trickling from his nose, but instead of retreating, he grips his signet ring and turns toward the Eclipse.* **Lurien:** “You have taken something from me. Now, I shall take something from you.” *He presses his palm against the black radiance, deliberately opening the royal bond wider than before. Silver constellations ignite beneath his skin, threatening to consume him from within.* **Lurien:** “Show me who sits upon the throne now. Show me whether my family still feeds you.” *He forces his own memories into the connection—not as an offering, but as bait—searching for the living source of the stolen memories, even if the Eclipse follows the bond back into his mind.*”
SUCCESS (Superb Magic, rolled +1)
Lurien catches himself against the dais, blood bright beneath his nose. He grips the signet ring and turns toward the black radiance instead of retreating.
Lurien
You have taken something from me. Now, I shall take something from you.
Lurien
Show me who sits upon the throne now. Show me whether my family still feeds you.
His palm meets the pool. Silver constellations flare beneath his skin as he opens the royal bond and casts his memories into the Eclipse as deliberate bait.
The hunger follows the offered trail, but the signet anchors Lurien’s mind. A living thread answers from the kingdom above, leading to the occupied throne.
The testimony reveals the reigning sovereign seated beneath a crown of dim stars, a living adult human man in a dark ceremonial mantle with silver trim, his face obscured by the crown’s dim glare, receiving streams of stolen memory through the bloodline seal. The court shows no face clearly, but the connection is unmistakably alive.
Ser Caldris Vey
The throne still feeds it. Not the dead dynasty, not some ancient echo. Someone living has continued the theft, and the Eclipse knows your name now.
✓ Quest Accepted
Break free from the Eclipse’s memory pull
“*The black radiance coils around Lurien's wrist, then climbs beneath his skin. His staff slips from his fingers as stolen memories crash into his mind. Faces he has never seen whisper his name, while his own memories begin to blur.* **Lurien:** “No... get out of my head—!” *He tries to sever the bond, but the Eclipse tightens its grip. His knees strike the stone. Silver light flickers violently across his skin, and blood trickles from the corner of his mouth.* **Lurien:** “Caldris... don't let me—” *His voice falters. For one terrifying moment, he cannot remember Caldris's name. He reaches desperately for his signet ring, clinging to the one truth the darkness has not yet stolen: he must not let the kingdom pay for his failure.* **Lurien:** “I am Lurien... heir of—” *The royal name catches in his throat. The Eclipse pulls harder, and the stars beneath his skin begin to go dark.* **Lurien:** “Please... I know who I am. I know who I am!” *For the first time in his life, the royal”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
The black radiance coils beneath Lurien’s skin, dragging stolen faces and blurred memories through his mind. His staff slips away as his knees strike the stone, blood marking his mouth.
Lurien
No... get out of my head—!
The signet flares against his grasp. Silver fire follows his royal bloodline inward, dividing the Eclipse’s hunger from his thoughts instead of allowing it to consume them.
Lurien
Caldris... don't let me—
Ser Caldris Vey
Lurien! Hold to the ring. You are the witness, not the offering.
The forgotten name returns before the darkness can take it. Lurien’s severing command passes through the signet, and the bond snaps with a soundless burst of silver light.
Lurien
I am Lurien... heir of— Please... I know who I am. I know who I am!
Quest Complete
Break free from the Eclipse’s memory pull