The guarded lower room of the Lantern Rest settles into midnight quiet. Medica’s packed alchemical supplies stand ready, while Sella’s route sketch rests beside the dying hearth, her absence deliberate as she draws watchers elsewhere.
Tavia Reed
Before we move, what do you expect to find in Dawnspear? A ledger, the poison’s source, or proof of the working beneath the town?
Tavia Reed
And the king’s illness, as you understand it, is the poison binding his blood to that hidden working?
Tavia turns the Consortium cloak-pin beneath her fingers, checking its fastening and dull metal sheen. Her questions remain careful, practical, and aimed at what might change their route.
Maelin returns with wrapped bread, dried fruit, and folded cloths warmed near the hearth. She sets them beside the route sketch, then lowers her voice.
Maelin Tern
Eat before you go. The records hall has a second watch hidden above the western stair, and they listen for footsteps below. Do not trust the obvious entrance.
Tavia Reed
Sella staying behind may keep the watchers occupied, but it also means we cannot rely on rescue. Tell me what matters most if we reach Orven Pell’s records.
✓ Quest Accepted
Tell Tavia what matters most about the journey
+ New Item Acquired
Travel provisions
“I trust Tavia enough at this point to be truthful. I tell her about my investigation thus far, how I distilled the poison vial given to me by the conspiracists and am currently trying to track down who recently purchased the ingredients used to create the poison. I'm hoping that Tavia might be able to fill in some holes in my knowledge, and also wondering why she herself is also headed to Dawnspear”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -2)
Medica Valkyrie
I trust you enough to be truthful. I distilled the poison vial given by the conspirators and identified blood salts, Dawnspear sunstone, and ghostmint.
Medica Valkyrie
I am tracing who recently purchased those ingredients, hoping the buyers and suppliers reveal the poison’s creator. I also need to know why you are headed to Dawnspear.
Tavia listens without interruption. The hearth settles with a soft crack, and her fingers stop turning the cloak-pin as the investigation’s shape becomes clear.
Tavia Reed
That fills the largest holes. The ingredients were not bought for ordinary quarry medicine, and the split-sun faction is hiding a connected supply chain.
Tavia Reed
I am going to Dawnspear because my older brother, Corin, worked as a tally clerk for the Sunward Consortium. He vanished after reporting shipments that did not match the ledgers.
Tavia Reed
I came seeking his last records and whoever silenced him. If Orven Pell handled receiving, his ledger may identify both the poison’s buyer and what happened to Corin.
As Tavia finishes, Maelin’s wrapped bread slips from the table when a floorboard creaks beneath the western stair. No one enters, but the quiet watch has heard something, and one warming tincture is spent when Medica’s satchel shifts against the bench.
Find out what happened to Corin
Quest Complete
Tell Tavia what matters most about the journey