The newly opened stair winds beneath the trial chamber, each step warm beneath Lucidus’s feet. Red light deepens with every turn, staining the stone like sunset trapped underground.
Caelan
The chamber has sealed above us. Nothing follows yet, but I will keep watch on the upper passage while we descend.
Caelan remains near the rear, shield raised toward the stair’s fading entrance. The frost-stiffened woman accompanies Lucidus, one hand pressed over the black vellum beneath her coat.
Maereth
That resonance is not merely the dragon’s breathing. Something below recognizes the summons, and it is answering carefully.
The summons-mark burns across Lucidus’s palm with each turn. Far beneath them, an enormous pulse travels through the stair, making dust tremble from the carved walls.
Maereth
Do not answer it with magic yet. Whatever lies below Valkonias is measuring the mark, and it may be measuring you through it.
The stair bends around a vast hollow, revealing distant golden arches below and a sealed gate bearing Valkonias’s sigil. The next pulse rises through the stone, awaiting Lucidus.
“I will approach the gate holding up my own mark towards it as I wait to see if the gate registers it.”
FAILURE (Great Perception, rolled -3)
Lucidus approaches the sealed gate, holding their marked palm toward Valkonias’s sigil. Red light gathers beneath their skin as the gate’s ancient lines awaken.
The sigil registers the summons, but not as a key. Its silver carvings turn dark, and a cold pressure closes around Lucidus’s hand without touching it.
Maereth
It recognizes the Court’s claim, not your right to enter. Withdraw before it binds the mark deeper.
The gate rejects the offered mark with a low resonant note. Crimson light peels away from Lucidus’s palm and sinks into a narrow groove beneath the dragon sigil.
Caelan
The gate has separated the summons from the bloodline. It will not open for that mark, but it showed us where the true release lies.
The groove hardens into a black spiral, while the gate’s central sigil fades completely. Lucidus’s mark falls numb, unable to answer the sealed entrance again.
Maereth
Do not try it again. The blood seal is closed to you now. The spiral is the only path this gate has left.
✓ Quest Accepted
Open Valkonias's sealed gate
“"Well what do you recommend then?" I ask, looking at the woman while pulling my hand away from the gate.”
FAILURE (Good Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Lucidus
Well, what do you recommend then?
Lucidus pulls their marked hand from the gate. The numbness recedes, but a thin crimson filament remains caught in the black spiral, tugging faintly toward its center.
Maereth
I recommend we stop treating this as a blood gate. Let the spiral take the severed summons, then use the release it reveals without offering your blood again.
The spiral turns once beneath the lingering filament. A narrow seam appears beside the gate, revealing a recessed passage marked with an older, silver version of Valkonias’s sigil.
Caelan
That is an opening, not an invitation to force the gate. We can follow the older release and leave the Court’s claim trapped here.
Maereth
The gate has taken the summons’s attention, but not all of it. If we move carefully, the severed thread may remain behind.
“I will sit down as I ask, sounding annoyed "Soo... how do you suppose we do that? I'll remain here either way for anything I do could trigger something."”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Lucidus lowers themself onto the warm stone beside the gate, keeping their marked palm away from the black spiral. The crimson filament tugs faintly within it.
Lucidus
Soo... how do you suppose we do that? I’ll remain here either way, for anything I do could trigger something.
Maereth
Then remain still, and let the spiral finish taking the severed summons. We should not touch the gate while it is separating the claim.
The spiral turns another quarter-circle. The crimson filament thins without entering Lucidus’s skin, while the older silver sigil beside the gate brightens.
Caelan
Your caution is sound. I will watch the upper stair, and she can observe the spiral. Neither of us will ask you to risk another trigger.
Maereth
When the thread goes dark, the silver release should be safe to use. Until then, your stillness is the correct action.
“For now I'll lay down and try to rest for it looks like the sprial will take a few hours with the rate it's going.”
Lucidus lowers themself fully onto the warm stone, curling their tail close and keeping the marked palm turned away from the black spiral. The gate remains still.
The crimson filament continues thinning within the spiral at its slow, measured pace. No tremor answers from below, and the older silver sigil holds its quiet glow.
Lucidus
The spiral is taking the summons without drawing it back into me.
Maereth
Rest, then. I will count the turns and watch for any change in the thread. Nothing requires your attention while it continues this way.
Caelan settles near the stair with his shield across his knees, maintaining a clear view of both the upper passage and the resting heir. The woman remains beside the gate.
Caelan
Take the time you need, Lucidus. I will keep watch, and we will move only when the severing is complete.
Minutes lengthen into quiet beneath the mountain. Warm stone supports Lucidus as the spiral turns by slow degrees, drawing the crimson thread ever thinner without resistance or pain.
“Does anything happen while we wait for the sprial?”
NO (Even, rolled 69)
The spiral continues its slow turning beneath the sealed gate. The crimson filament thins by imperceptible degrees, and nothing else stirs in the mountain.
Maereth
No change. The severing holds, and the thread remains outside Lucidus. We wait until the spiral finishes its work.
The older silver sigil keeps its quiet glow. No summons answers from below, no pressure reaches through the gate, and the warm stone remains undisturbed.
Caelan
The upper stair is silent as well. Nothing has followed us, and nothing is forcing the gate.
Another measured turn draws the crimson filament thinner. The black spiral accepts it without flare, pain, tremor, or sound, leaving the companions’ vigil unchanged.
Maereth
The Court has not found this place. Patience is still protecting them.
Time passes beneath Valkonias’s sleeping sigil. The gate remains sealed, the release remains safe, and the severing continues without interruption.
“"Gods it's been almost six hours and that thing isn't done yet how much longer is this going to take?!" I snarl out starting to get irritated.”
FAILURE (Fair Willpower, rolled -1)
Lucidus
Gods, it has been almost six hours. How much longer is this going to take?
Lucidus’s snarl breaks the chamber’s stillness. The black spiral halts mid-turn, and the crimson filament tightens sharply without returning to their palm.
Maereth
I cannot give you a measure. The severing no longer follows time, and your interruption has stopped its final turn.
The older silver sigil brightens in response. A hairline seam opens beside the gate, revealing a narrow passage descending toward the golden arches below.
Caelan
The claim is trapped, but not fully severed. We have another route now, and the gate itself need not be disturbed.
Maereth
That passage is the gate’s keeper’s way. It may lead around the sealed entrance, but leaving now will abandon the final turn and whatever protection it provides.
The spiral remains motionless, holding the severed thread at its center. Beside it, the silver seam stays open, offering a choice between waiting and descending by the newly revealed path.
“I stare at the new route as I state "Don't, it's off there wasn't a route there before it's most likely an illusion. If we have to wait fine I'll remain asleep until it opens." As I finish I lay my head back down on my tail as I attempt to go back to sleep.”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Lucidus
Don't. It's off. There wasn't a route there before, so it's most likely an illusion. If we have to wait, fine. I'll remain asleep until it opens.
Lucidus turns from the silver seam and lowers their head onto their coiled tail. The effort leaves their marked palm numb and their awareness heavy.
Maereth
Then we will not trust the opening. I will watch the spiral and keep the vellum closed.
Caelan
Sleep. I will guard the stair and wake you only if the Court reaches us or the gate changes.
Lucidus’s breathing settles into sleep. Hours pass; the black spiral completes its final turn, consuming the crimson thread and spending the protection it offered.
The silver seam widens into a solid keeper’s passage, its golden arches reflected consistently in the stone. The false route has become an open way, while the sealed gate remains undisturbed.
Maereth
It has opened, and the summons is severed. Lucidus was right to distrust its first appearance, but the keeper’s way is real now.
“Do I manage to sleep peacefully until the gate opens?”
YES, AND MORE (VeryLikely, rolled 10)
Lucidus sleeps without disturbance, their breathing even as the mountain’s pulses fade into distant warmth. No summons, tremor, or pursuing presence reaches the chamber.
The black spiral completes its final turn before dawnless hours have passed, consuming the crimson filament and leaving Lucidus’s palm quiet for the first time since the mark appeared.
Maereth
The severing is complete. The Court has lost its hold on the gate, and the keeper’s passage now bears a true route beneath the eastern crown.
The silver seam widens into a solid passage of golden arches. Along its walls, dormant carvings awaken and reveal a clear descent toward Valkonias’s inner chamber.
Caelan
The gate opened while Lucidus slept, and nothing disturbed them. Better still, the passage has marked the safe way forward.
The frost-stiffened woman studies the awakened carvings, then folds the vellum away. The keeper’s way offers shelter from the Court’s sight until the final descent.
Maereth
Wake them gently when ready. Their rest was undisturbed, their summons severed, and the path ahead now favors us.
“I awaken as Caelan shakes my shoulder as I mutter, sitting up "What? Oh... the sealed gate finally opened."”
Caelan gently shakes Lucidus’s shoulder. They awaken on the warm stone, blinking beneath the golden arches as the quiet chamber returns around them.
Lucidus
What? Oh... the sealed gate finally opened.
Caelan
It did. The summons is severed, and the keeper’s passage now shows a safe descent beneath the eastern crown.
Lucidus sits upright and draws their marked hand close. The palm remains quiet, free of crimson light, while the newly opened passage glows steadily beyond the gate.
Maereth
Your rest was undisturbed. The Court has lost its hold here, and the awakened carvings reveal a clear route toward Valkonias’s inner chamber.
Caelan
Take a moment to rise. When you are ready, we can follow the keeper’s way without disturbing the sealed gate.
Enter Valkonias's inner chamber
Quest Complete
Open Valkonias's sealed gate
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Good→Great