Madd One and the Bard push through the narrow gap and into a mossy clearing behind the shrine. Cold damp clings to the stone, and the Inquisitor's shouts fade to the far side of the wall.
The Bard
Listen carefully. This curse was not cast in anger. It was designed.
He lifts a hand, stopping Madd One before the ruined altar. His eyes flick to the torn strip of cloak snagged on the pillar, then back to Madd One as if measuring how much the truth will cost.
The Bard
Someone built it to mark you, bend choices around you, and draw others into the net. The Inquisitor is not chasing a rumor. He is following a trail made on purpose.
The Bard
If he understands this now, he may survive long enough to use it.
A sharper shout rises beyond the wall. The Bard turns toward it, then lowers his voice, grave and urgent.
The Bard
If you want the hand behind it, we stop running and read the design.
“I keep quiet and let him speak first”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Madd One keeps still and lets the silence do the work. The Bard studies him for a heartbeat, then exhales as if a weight finally finds the ground.
The Bard
Good. Then hear the part I have not said aloud. The curse wears craft, not fury.
The Bard
It is layered to steer witnesses, bruise memory, and make every witness think they arrived there by choice.
He reaches toward the torn cloak on the pillar, but stops short, fingers hovering beside the snagged cloth like it might confess on its own.
The Bard
I can tell you the shape of the hand that made it. I can even tell you where it learned the shape.
His gaze returns to Madd One, grave but steadier now, as if the listening itself has earned something.
The Bard
If I speak the architect's name, I speak against someone with reach. Will you let me finish, or do you want the safer lie?
“I let the Bard name the architect”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Madd One lets the pause stand. The Bard’s shoulders ease a fraction, and the wet hush of the ruins seems to lean in around them.
The Bard
Very well. The name is not kind, and it is not small.
He draws back his hand from the torn cloak at last, as if choosing speech over proof.
The Bard
The architect is called Severin Wrye.
The name lands between the stones. The Bard watches Madd One closely, measuring what the silence does now.
The Bard
He learned his craft in court circles, then sold it to quieter masters. Your curse is one of his elegant cruelties.
For a moment, he glances toward the torn strip on the pillar, then back to Madd One, grave but less guarded than before.
The Bard
I have told you the name. Will you hear the rest?
Quest Complete
Secure the Bard's help
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Great→Superb