The eastern road ends at a dry stone wall and a neglected field. Rain beads on dead grass, while the old well waits near the center beneath a sagging cover.
A marked wooden box rests over the well mouth, surrounded by burial cloth, salt, candles, and a small spade arranged beneath a rain-dark cloth.
the village woman
These were prepared for one final human act. Not a bargain, not an offering. Someone meant to put a person to rest.
Kaelus
Then the question is who was meant to lie here, and whether the well accepted the work.
The wooden box bears Saint Orra’s crossed-threshold mark, but its lid has been nailed shut and scored with shallow, deliberate lines.
the village woman
The old families called it burial preparation. After the names vanished from the board, no one would say whose remains belonged inside.
Behind them, the village fades into rain. Elias remains below with Elian’s testimony, while Kaelus stands beside Imogen at the wall, listening as something knocks once beneath the covered well.
“I examine the box and burial materials”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +0)
Imogen kneels beside the well and lifts the rain-dark cloth. The burial materials are deliberate: salt for a boundary, candles for witness, and clean cloth for a body.
She examines the wooden box without disturbing the nails. Its Saint Orra mark is older than the notice board, while the scored lid bears five shallow lines and a sixth crossed through.
Imogen
The box was prepared for a named burial, then altered to deny the name.
Under the box, Imogen finds a folded scrap sealed in wax. The wax carries the same crossed-threshold mark, and the paper lists the four erased witnesses beneath a blank final entry.
the village woman
That cloth was meant to cover a face. My grandmother said the dead were never to be looked at after the well was closed.
The spade’s handle is worn smooth, but its blade has never touched earth. The candles are unused, and the salt remains dry beneath its paper wrapping.
Kaelus
The burial was planned, but never completed. Someone stopped before the body reached the well, and erased the final witness instead.
“I examine the sealed scrap for Nalia’s name”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled -2)
Imogen turns the sealed scrap beneath the shelter of her cloak, angling it away from the rain. The wax mark matches Saint Orra’s crossed threshold.
She warms the seal beside an unused candle and eases the fold apart without breaking the paper. The softened wax clings to her fingertips, raising a sharp burn.
Imogen
Nalia’s name is written beneath the four erased witnesses.
The blank final entry is not blank after all. Faint strokes appear beneath the lifted wax: NALIA, followed by the words, “the one carried from earth.”
the village woman
That is her. My grandmother said the final name was never to be spoken beside the well.
A second line emerges as the paper dries: “Her burial was refused, and the witness was made a door.” Beneath it, a fresh drop of red wax seals the old sentence.
Kaelus
The well was not prepared to receive Nalia. It was prepared to keep her between the living record and whatever waits below.
✓ Quest Accepted
Give Nalia a rightful burial
+ New Item Acquired
Saint Orra's scrap
“I prepare the salt, candles, cloth, and spade for Nalia’s burial.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +3)
Imogen lays the salt in a clean ring around the well, sets the candles at its four quarters, and folds the cloth beside the marked box.
She places the spade within reach and arranges the remaining salt, cloth, and candles for Nalia’s burial. The rain cannot disturb the careful preparation.
Imogen
The burial materials form a boundary as well as a rite.
the village woman
That is how my grandmother described it. The living stand outside, and the forgotten dead remain named within.
When Imogen completes the circle, the crossed-threshold mark on the box darkens. A narrow seam opens in the well’s wooden cover, revealing a dry stone stair descending inside.
Kaelus
The well has yielded a way down. Your preparation made the boundary recognize Nalia’s burial, not the old bargain.
The candles kindle without flame-touch, their steady light falling down the newly revealed stair. The burial place is prepared, and the descent now stands open.
“I descend to complete Nalia’s burial”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +2)
Imogen descends the revealed stair with Nalia’s box held close. The stone steps are dry beneath the well, and candlelight follows her into a narrow burial chamber.
At its center rests a shallow grave lined with clean earth. A carved lintel bears Nalia’s name, while five crossed marks surround it like silent witnesses.
the village woman
There. That is where the name was meant to rest. Set her down as a child, not as what they made her.
The woman remains at the stair’s mouth. Kaelus enters behind Imogen, carrying the candles, while the well above seals itself against the rain.
Kaelus
The earth is waiting. No bargain is spoken here, and no witness is taken. Only the burial remains.
Imogen places Nalia’s box into the prepared grave and covers it with the clean cloth. The crossed marks fade from the lintel, leaving her name clear and undisturbed.
The candles burn steadily around the grave. From somewhere below the stones comes one final knock, then silence settles over Nalia’s resting place.
Quest Complete
Give Nalia a rightful burial
Skill Upgrade: Occult Lore Superb→Legendary