The footsteps remain still beyond the doorway. Beneath Sil’Thalis’s sleeve, the severed clasp cools from its flare, while a fading violet trace divides contact from command.
Bren
The flare followed destruction, not obedience. I will compare that sequence against the cord’s placement, tightening, and response to your command.
Bren opens her vellum without writing, holding the earlier entries beside the broken clasp. Her eyes move between the scorch, the vanished branch, and the untouched doorway.
Bren
It documented contact, refusal, and changes in the room’s obedience. It did not establish who ordered the delay, nor prove that House Domini heard us.
A voice speaks from the gallery, muffled by the open door. The bronze bell answers once, and the waiting footsteps shift closer without crossing the threshold.
the head inquisitor
Inquisitor Sil’Thalis, present yourself. The guarded audience is prepared, and further delay is now an order.
Bren
That command is external and audible. I can record its existence, but not claim the cord transmitted anything before it failed.
“"Very well, head inquisitor." I say with a slight bow of respect " let us proceed".”
SUCCESS (Poor Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Sil'Thalis
Very well, head inquisitor. Let us proceed.
Sil’Thalis gives a slight bow of respect, keeping the broken clasp hidden beneath his sleeve. The gesture costs him another sharp burn across his marked palm.
the head inquisitor
Your courtesy is noted, Inquisitor. Enter, and bring your attendant and evidence with you.
The head inquisitor turns toward the guarded audience chamber., a middle-aged woman with a narrow build, close-cropped dark hair, a sharp, unsmiling face, and layered charcoal robes The bronze doors open inward, revealing a circular hall of violet lamps, seated wardens, and a raised stone table.
Bren
I will remain your attendant in appearance only. My account and the evidence remain separate.
Bren lowers her gaze and follows at Sil’Thalis’s side. They cross the threshold together, while the broken clasp stays concealed and his numb fingers close carefully around his sleeve.
the head inquisitor
The audience is begun. State what you carry, what you witnessed, and what you refuse to claim.
“I share my findings on Ilyra Voss, and how she had been an asset of House Xar. I explain her connection across the field in both Phandelver and now in Dunmire. I explain how she twisted the archive in dunmire.”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled +0)
Sil'Thalis
I carry findings on Ilyra Voss, a former cipher-mistress and asset of House Xar. Her work connects the events at Phandelver to what followed in Dunmire.
The circular hall quiets beneath its violet lamps. Wardens turn from the broken clasp beneath Sil’Thalis’s sleeve to the evidence Bren carries, while the head inquisitor watches without interruption.
Sil'Thalis
Voss adapted an older design to counterfeit witnessed consent. In Dunmire, she twisted the archive’s safeguards, gathering separate names into one false channel beneath the bell.
Sil'Thalis
The counterfeit imitated shared agreement and compelled obedience, while the true weave preserved each villager’s choice separately. Its origin was Voss’s Xar pattern.
Bren
I will confirm the distinction between what we witnessed and what Sil’Thalis inferred. Dunmire’s residents spoke separately, and the counterfeit pattern worked against that separation.
the head inquisitor
Then Voss was not merely pursuing stolen precedence at Phandelver. She was refining a method to manufacture consent and make coercion appear properly witnessed.
A warden records the claim under separate headings: Voss’s Xar affiliation, the Phandelver connection, and the Dunmire manipulation. The hall accepts the account for examination without merging its sources.
Quest Complete
Give an account at the guarded audience
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Poor→Mediocre
“" indeed " i say coldly. " I wish to pursue and to eliminate this asset." I add”
SUCCESS (Fair Persuasion, rolled +1)
Sil'Thalis
Indeed. I wish to pursue and eliminate this asset.
The word eliminate settles beneath the violet lamps. Several wardens, adult figures in dark layered armor and muted violet-trimmed uniforms, shift, but the head inquisitor remains still, weighing the request against the evidence already entered.
the head inquisitor
Granted. Ilyra Voss is now a declared hostile asset, and House Domini authorizes you to pursue her beyond Vael Turog’s immediate protection.
the head inquisitor
You may use force sufficient to prevent her escape or further coercion. Her death is permitted if capture would endanger the witnesses or preserve her method.
A warden, an adult woman with a compact build, brown skin, and tightly curled black hair beneath a dark hood, wearing charcoal robes and a violet sash, adds the authorization beneath Voss’s name, recording the order separately from Dunmire’s testimony. The ink seals with a brief violet spark.
Bren
I will witness the authorization, but not its necessity. Voss’s method must remain distinguishable from the people harmed by it.
the head inquisitor
Then pursue her as an independent witness, Inquisitor. Bring back her records if you can. Bring back proof if you cannot.
✓ Quest Accepted
Stop Ilyra Voss’s coercive method
“I ask where Voss was last traced and depart to pursue her.”
SUCCESS (Fair Persuasion, rolled +0)
Sil'Thalis
Where was Voss last traced? I am departing now to pursue her.
the head inquisitor
Her last confirmed trace lies at the abandoned wayhouse east of Phandelver. From there, her altered pattern was carried toward Dunmire, then severed.
The head inquisitor marks the route on a slate map: the eastern wayhouse, the old road south, and Dunmire’s pond. The route is placed in Sil’Thalis’s custody without merging the testimony.
Bren
I will preserve the Dunmire accounts here and carry only my separate record. Her last trace is the wayhouse, not proof of her present location.
the head inquisitor
Correct. Pursue the trace, not the assumption. Vael Turog’s riders will not impede your departure, and this authorization will open the outer gate.
A violet departure seal touches Sil’Thalis’s burned palm. It flares sharply, worsening the numbness through his fingers, but leaves the route and authorization legible in his memory.
Sil’Thalis leaves the circular hall with Bren’s evidence secured separately. The outer gate opens for the sealed order, and together they take the eastern road toward Voss’s abandoned wayhouse.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the abandoned wayhouse