The headwoman fills the hall's open doorway, one hand hovering beside the iron-banded ledger chest. Behind Azamaria, Iven keeps their injured side guarded as villagers cluster around the well.
The Headwoman
Inside, both of you. Quickly. If the cord-marked hunters are searching this village, I would rather know what they seek before they reach my door.
She draws the ledger chest open, revealing pages crowded with names, road marks, and dates. A fresh entry has been cut from the binding, leaving a ragged strip of parchment behind.
Iven Marr
That is the mark. The ash-gray cord's knot, beside a route toward the high woods.
The Headwoman
It was written three nights ago. A lone traveler matching your brother's description took the high woods track. The entry was removed this morning.
From the well, a villager steps back and quietly drops a coil of ash-gray cord into the dust. Every watching face turns toward it, and the route to Azamaria's brother becomes a trail already touched by the kidnappers' network.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get the headwoman to reveal the missing ledger entry
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the villager aiding the kidnappers
“I ask the headwoman about the missing entry”
SUCCESS (Fair Persuasion, rolled +0)
Azamaria
What did the missing entry say, and who removed it?
The Headwoman studies Azamaria, then reaches beneath the ledger's loose binding. She draws out a narrow scrap of parchment, its edge blackened where the page was cut away.
The Headwoman
It named a destination, not a village: the old watchtower above Briar Pass. Your brother was marked as traveling under guard, though the record gives no captor's name.
As she unfolds the scrap, the iron-banded chest shifts and strikes the stone floor with a loud crack. Conversation dies outside; several villagers turn toward the hall.
The Headwoman
I removed the entry myself this morning. The cord-marked visitor demanded it, and I feared refusal would bring hunters through my door. The scrap is yours now.
Iven Marr
Briar Pass is two days by the high woods, if the old paths still hold. That is where their trail leads.
The Headwoman presses the scorched scrap into Azamaria's hand. Outside, the dropped ash-gray cord remains in the dust, while wary villagers begin edging away from the hall.
Quest Complete
Get the headwoman to reveal the missing ledger entry
+ New Item Acquired
Scorched ledger scrap