The common hall doors burst open. The young villager from Briarhollow staggers inside, exhausted, clutching a damp strip of parchment wrapped around a jagged shrine fragment.
the young villager
Ordan never sent me. I came alone. This message appeared in my pack after sunset, and I did not dare leave it behind.
Tessa rises sharply behind the counter. The rescued travelers remain in Briarhollow with Ordan, while the villager’s muddy boots leave dark prints across the Guild floor.
Tessa Vale
Set it down carefully. Do not unwrap the fragment farther until Maelis can examine it. Coco, stay back from the writing for now.
The villager lays the parchment on the counter. Moisture beads across the ink, but the angular letters remain clear, naming the Ashen Knight beneath a crooked closed-eye symbol.
the young villager
It says one of the six restored travelers remembers Coco from before his awakening. Then it ends with this warning: the Knight remembers too.
Vael
The shrine fragment carries dormant Eidolon resonance. The message may be genuine, but something nearby is listening for Coco’s answer.
“Is the message bait from the Ashen Knight?”
YES (Likely, rolled 34)
The crooked closed-eye symbol darkens as the parchment drinks the moisture around it. A thin green line creeps toward the shrine fragment, then stops short of Coco.
Vael
It is bait. The message carries no memory of the restored traveler, only a lure shaped to make Coco seek confirmation from the wrong source.
Tessa Vale
Then the Ashen Knight knows the reliquary opened, and knows enough about Coco’s missing memories to make this warning sound personal.
the young villager
I did not hear anyone follow me. But after the words appeared, every bell in Briarhollow rang once, beneath the ground.
The Guild’s ordinary noise fades. Beneath the counter, Tessa’s sealed report trembles against the wood as a faint pulse answers from the parchment.
Vael
The Knight is listening for a response, not merely watching. Silence denies the bait its purpose, but the fragment still marks a channel.
Tessa Vale
We will preserve the message, warn Maelis, and send word to Ordan. No one returns to Briarhollow until we know what answered from below.
“Can the Ashen Knight alter restored memories?”
YES (Likely, rolled 42)
The green line reaches the fragment at last. Its light twists into silver threads, briefly mirroring the six restored travelers before one thread blackens and snaps.
Vael
Yes. The Ashen Knight can alter memories after restoration. Returned memories are not beyond his reach if he can touch their pattern.
Tessa Vale
Then the merchant’s testimony may already be compromised. We cannot treat every recovered recollection as false, but neither can we accept it without comparison.
the young villager
Could he change what they remember about Coco? Could he make one of them believe the warning came from the shrine?
Vael
He could alter sequence, meaning, or recognition. He may not erase the reliquary’s truth completely, but he can place a false shape over it.
The parchment curls at its edges. Beneath the Guild floor, a distant bell answers once, and the sealed report’s tremor passes into Tessa’s waiting hand.
Tessa Vale
We preserve every account in duplicate, compare handwriting and dates, and warn Ordan that restored memories require protection. The Knight has given us a weakness, but also a trail.
“"ok this to dangerous the Ashen Knight might be close I need to leave Tessa do you know where I can buy a horse? I must leave I do not want to put any of you in danger"”
SUCCESS (Fair Persuasion, rolled +2)
Coco
This is too dangerous. The Ashen Knight might be close. Tessa, do you know where I can buy a horse? I need to leave before I put any of you in danger.
Coco’s words quiet the hall. The young villager grips the counter, while Vael’s mark cools from green to a watchful ember beneath the Guild’s trembling floor.
Tessa Vale
The Southgate stables, two streets east of here. Ask for Master Pell and show him your Guild token. He keeps sturdy trail horses for couriers and adventurers.
Vael
Leaving may draw the Knight away from these people, but do not mistake isolation for safety. His trail may already cling to the reliquary’s channel.
the young villager
If you go, take this warning with you. I do not want Briarhollow to become the reason he finds you.
Tessa Vale
I understand why you want to protect us, Coco. I will send the message to Maelis, secure the fragment, and keep the Guild ready. Go to Southgate, and return if you need allies.
Tessa marks the stable’s location on a scrap of parchment and presses it into Coco’s hand. The route is clear, and the Guild’s south doors stand open toward Aurelia’s evening streets.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the Southgate stables
+ New Item Acquired
Stable Route
“I head through the south doors toward the Southgate stables.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +1)