The Merchant's Daughter
Thank you, Misty. I am going, before I look back and lose my nerve.
She hugs her shawl tight and hurries for the road, boots striking the stone hard once, then quicker. The courtyard feels larger without her fear in it.
Bram watches her leave with a detached, tired look. Then he turns, sets his lantern on a stone pedestal, and the green flame pulses over the dark thread caught inside it.
Bram
You saw what remains after the spirit passes. That residue is the pattern I have been chasing.
Bram
Help me read it, and I will share everything I have found about the thing that haunted this gate.
The road wind moves through the courtyard in a soft rush. The gate stands quiet now, no longer bent to the spirit's will, while Bram waits for Misty's answer with careful patience.
+ Story Quest Added
Help Bram read the residue in his lantern
+ Story Quest Added
Learn everything Bram found about the gate-haunting
“Is Bram hiding something about the residue?”
YES (Likely, rolled 21)
Misty
The residue in the lantern is not just a remnant of the spirit, it is pulsing in sync with the faint, rhythmic hum of the inscribed pendant at my side.
As Misty focuses on the lantern, she notices a subtle, unnatural shimmer within the green flame that Bram seems to be shielding with his own shadow. The residue is not merely a passive trace, but a tether that Bram is actively manipulating to keep the spirit's influence anchored to the lantern.
“Bram, have you made a pact with a demon?”
NO (Likely, rolled 68)
Bram
I have made no such pact, Misty. My work is born of study and observation alone.
Bram shakes his head firmly, his expression devoid of any hidden malice or infernal influence. The lantern flame flickers steadily, confirming the absence of any dark bargain.
“I show Bram the pendant's inscription”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled -1)
Misty lifts the pendant between two fingers and turns it toward Bram, letting the inscription catch the lanternlight.
Bram
That script... yes. It matches the residue's pattern exactly.
The green glow threads along the carved letters, then leaps to the lantern glass like it recognizes a twin mark.
Bram
The binding is not random. It is keyed, deliberately keyed.
Bram steps closer, one hand hovering near the pedestal as though he can feel the answer through the stone.
Bram
This tells me the spirit was tethered by a sign, not just trapped by force. Someone knew what they were doing.
The lantern steadies in Misty's grasp, its flare settling into a clear, readable pulse.
Quest Complete
Help Bram read the residue in his lantern