Elian jerks the scroll case closer on the table, keeping his eyes on the tavern door. Wind and smoke spill in together as a disheveled deserter drops to his knees by the threshold.
The Deserter
Brann’s guards are changing. Not swapping shifts, changing. Something worse is sweeping the market.
He gulps hard, wild-eyed, and points back toward the docks. His sword hangs forgotten at his side.
Elian
He is terrified enough to kneel. That makes him worth hearing.
Elian
What is it, exactly? Say it plain.
The deserter swallows, then shakes his head at the dark windows, as if afraid something hears him through the glass.
The Deserter
I do not know its name. I only know the men at the market stopped acting like men.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what is changing the guards
“I ask what changed the guards”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Raven
What changed them? Tell me plain.
The Deserter
I saw one of the marshals touch a guard on the throat, then the man just went blank. After that, they walked in pairs, stiff as puppets.
Elian
Pairs. That is not a drill, and not fear either.
The Deserter
They started pulling people aside by the nets. Asking for names, asking who had seen the scroll.
The deserter’s hands tremble as he talks, but he keeps kneeling. The tavern door creaks on the wind, and the room goes very still around the table.
The Deserter
I came here because I thought you might still be inside the law. If you mean to live, do not go back to the market alone.
Elian
Then the guards are being turned against their own district. Raven, we need to know who is doing it.
Quest Complete
Learn what is changing the guards