The chalk ring glows hard around the lead inquisitor, and the vault beneath the floor hums like a warning held too long. Dust turns in the air above him, caught in Slaan’s spell.
Slaan
Who ordered the purge? Names. Now.
The Lead Inquisitor
You think this changes anything? The archives are already being scrubbed. You are asking the wrong room.
At the threshold, Kaelith tightens his grip and peers into the dark corridor. The inquisitor’s eyes flick that way, then back to Slaan, measuring escape and failing.
The Lead Inquisitor
Markul was never the only one. There are names above him, sealed names, chapel names. If the ring breaks, you lose them with the record.
The vault’s hum rises a note. Ink beads on the scattered ledger pages, and one margin line fades as if swallowed by pale flame. Slaan has only moments to pull the truth free before the archive erases it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Force the lead inquisitor to name the higher conspirators
“" I'm going to give you a crash course on two things at once. Because I now control your circle, I can reach into it like this and move your hand out of the circle" I drag his arm so his wrist is outside causing excruciating pain up his arm. I address the High Chapel Inquisitor " that's how magic works, now part of an assassin's job is the acquisition of information " I look between the two " see. People just think assassin is all stabbing all the time, no we have to get ahead of the game" I explain matter of factly. " See I am going to start removing digits starting with his pinky tip. Until I hear names. And I know this circle. if either of you lie he gets shocked because of the circle." I say in a casual tone”
SUCCESS (Good Intimidation, rolled -1)
Slaan shifts the circle with a precise tug, and the trapped inquisitor's arm jerks past the chalk line. His face twists as the seal bites through him, the vault pulse answering in the floor.
Slaan
That's how magic works. An assassin learns information first, stabbing second.
She angles his wrist farther out, casual as a lesson, while the pale flame keeps licking through the archive shelves behind them. Kaelith stays at the threshold, blade ready, eyes flicking between the corridor and the ring.
Slaan
I'm starting with the pinky. Names, or I keep going.
The lead inquisitor goes rigid, then glances up at the ceiling with frantic disbelief. The chalk flashes once around his chest, warning him that a lie will carry the ring's shock back through him.
The Lead Inquisitor
Enough. Sealed names, chapel names, all right... Veyran, Sable Writ, and High Confessor Lareth. They answer above Markul.
The archive crackles as the line on the ledgers fades another shade, but the names land cleanly in the chamber. Kaelith's grip tightens at the doorway, and the inquisitor's breath comes in ragged bursts as he waits to see whether Slaan keeps pressing.
Quest Complete
Force the lead inquisitor to name the higher conspirators