The warded guest room remains undisturbed behind Desdemona as she slips downstairs, the borrowed assassin’s cloak fastened close despite its torn hem. Mara and the doorkeeper remain above, keeping the guild’s protection in place.
In the lower hall, a locked service passage interrupts the shelves and flower bundles. Beside it stands a young adult drow man, slim and dark-skinned, with sleek white hair, long pointed ears, vivid blue eyes, and a sly grin.
Corrin
Quiet feet, a fastened cloak, and an interest in the service passage. You are weighing an exit, aren’t you?
He rests one hand near the lock without touching it, studying Desdemona’s disguise rather than blocking her path. The hall remains calm, its only sounds the ticking ward-chimes and distant morning trade.
Corrin
Corrin. Guild locksmith, occasional rogue, and a friend to discreet departures. I can show you which doors open quietly.
Corrin
One caution, Lillia. Someone tested the outer security after you arrived. No alarm followed, but the marks were fresh.
Corrin
If you still mean to leave, tell me whether you want a route, a key, or merely a look at what waits beyond the guildhouse.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure a viable means of departure
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine whether Gideon’s reach has entered the guildhouse
Desdemona Blackwood's turn“I need a guard. Someone who can help me survive and flee this country entirely if possible.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Desdemona Blackwood
I need a guard, Corrin. Someone who can help me survive and flee this country entirely, if possible.
Desdemona keeps her request quiet and precise, revealing only the danger necessary to make it credible. Her noble bearing lends the proposal weight, while her careful omissions keep its sharpest leverage concealed.
Corrin
That is more than a quiet departure, Lillia. You are asking me to stand between you and whoever wants you caught.
Corrin’s grin fades into appraisal. Desdemona answers his concern with disciplined terms rather than pleading, shaping the request as paid guild work with a clear purpose and a defensible escape.
Corrin
You argue like someone accustomed to being obeyed, and you have offered enough proof that I believe the danger. Very well. I will guard you and get you beyond the country’s reach.
He removes his hand from the service lock and takes up his travel satchel instead. The guild locksmith has accepted the work, placing his skill and protection at Desdemona’s disposal.
Corrin
Give me a little time to arrange the route, Lillia. Until we leave, stay under the guild’s wards and let me handle the doors.
Quest Complete
Desdemona BlackwoodSecure a viable means of departure