The last bandit vanishes beneath the black branches. D3rlord3 stays beside his fallen horse, one hand braced on its tack while Ember remains on the road with him.
He retrieves his scattered shield and finds a blood-marked scrap pressed into the mud beneath it. A three-eyed crown, crossed by a jagged wave, stains the parchment.
D3rlord3
Averythemayo’s mark. I found this symbol near the last trail, but never knew what it meant.
The ink glimmers faintly against the old blood. Beneath the emblem, cramped letters name a place rather than a person: Ever Fire.
the bandit leader
The clue belongs to the ruins of Ever Fire! Search there, if you dare, winged girl!
Her voice fades deeper among the trees. D3rlord3 folds the scrap carefully and slips it into his satchel, while the horse shifts and groans beside him.
D3rlord3
The ruins are dangerous, but answers rarely wait somewhere safe.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the ruins of Ever Fire
“Ask him who Averythemayo is, and why him and the bandits are looking for them.”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +3)
Ember
Who is Averythemayo, and why are you and those bandits searching for them?
D3rlord3 studies the folded scrap, then looks toward the branches where the bandits disappeared. His horse settles beneath his hand.
D3rlord3
Averythemayo was my close friend. They vanished while chasing answers tied to the King in Yellow, and I have followed every trace since.
D3rlord3
The bandits want the evidence because it points toward Ever Fire. They believe whatever destroyed your kingdom left something valuable behind.
He turns the parchment over. Beneath the bloodstain, a second line appears in fading silver ink, visible only where Ember’s arcane fire still glows.
D3rlord3
There is more. Your fire has revealed a hidden direction: beneath the old royal ash hall, something was marked for Averythemayo.
D3rlord3
I will show you the route. Whatever waits there may answer both our questions, and the bandits no longer know what this scrap truly says.
✓ Quest Accepted
Uncover what was marked for Averythemayo