Three weeks after the lower archive fell silent, Vesuvius and the hell hound reach the reedlands beyond Loric’s outer walls. The capital’s towers haze the horizon.
The freed testimony’s names travel with them, guarded beneath the Flame Crown’s ember glow. Beneath a ruined milestone, fresh black paint forms a coin with no face.
Ashkar
A mark for hidden doors, exile. Someone expects those who know how to look.
Reeds whisper as a hooded gatekeeper steps onto the muddy path. They keep both hands visible, while distant patrol bells answer from the imperial road.
Maelin Voss
Stop there. Loric watches its roads, and I do not open the guild’s way for imperial eyes.
Maelin Voss
Give me proof you seek the thieves guild, not the Empire’s attention. A name, a token, or a truth worth carrying underground.
The gatekeeper’s gaze settles on the black halo, then the Crown’s concealed fire. Beyond the reeds, another bell tolls, leaving the hidden meeting suspended in quiet.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure a covert route into Loric
“i ask the hell hound to name himself before we talk to the gatekeeper as he has earnt it by being by my side”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Vesuvius
Hell hound, before we answer the gatekeeper, name yourself. You have earned that much by standing at my side.
The reeds bow beneath a sudden warm wind. The hell hound turns from the hooded gatekeeper, ember-bright eyes settling on Vesuvius as the distant bells fade.
Ashkar
Then hear the name buried beneath chains and commands. I am Ashkar, born where the last fires of the pit consume their own shadows.
The name passes through the reedlands like a coal carried on breath. Even the black mark beneath the milestone seems darker, as though the hidden guild recognizes it.
Maelin Voss
Ashkar. That name has crossed Loric’s underways in older whispers. You are no common hound, exile, and your company is stranger than I was told.
Ashkar
I walk beside Vesuvius by my own choosing. Open your way, gatekeeper, and ask your questions where imperial bells cannot overhear.
“i ask the gatekeeper who he is and does he know of the thieves guild”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +2)
Vesuvius
Who are you, gatekeeper, and do you know the thieves guild?
The hooded figure studies Vesuvius beneath the hovering black halo. Ashkar’s ember eyes remain fixed on the reeds, listening for patrols beyond the muddy path.
Maelin Voss
I am Maelin Voss, once a courier for Loric’s underways and now their keeper at this crossing. Yes, I know the thieves guild.
Maelin reaches beneath the cloak and draws a dull iron token stamped with the same faceless coin painted beneath the milestone. The token bears a hidden notch along its rim.
Maelin Voss
The guild calls itself the Veiled Hand. It trades in secrets, stolen relics, and routes beneath every wall the Empire believes it controls.
Maelin Voss
Ashkar’s name opens one door. Your testimony opens another, though it will make every divine watcher in Loric take notice.
Ashkar
Then stop measuring the danger, Maelin Voss. Show us the door, and let the guild decide whether it fears heaven more than exile.
“Will Maelin open the guild's route for us?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 58)
Maelin’s guarded expression hardens into decision. She turns the iron token twice, then presses its notched rim against the faceless coin beneath the milestone.
Maelin Voss
The Veiled Hand will open its route. But understand this, Vesuvius: the guild admits danger, not obedience.
The painted coin sinks into the mud with a soft click. Roots withdraw beneath it, revealing a narrow stair descending into darkness between the reeds.
Ashkar
At last, a door worthy of the name. Let those below decide whether they welcome the exile or test him.
Maelin Voss
Once inside, no imperial bell reaches you. Neither does divine sight, unless someone below chooses to summon it.
A cold draft rises from the hidden stair, carrying wax, wet stone, and the faint scent of old incense. Far beyond the reeds, patrol bells begin to fade.
Maelin Voss
Come. The route is open, and the guild is waiting to learn what truth travels beneath your Crown.
“I descend the hidden stair with Ashkar”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +1)
Vesuvius descends the hidden stair with Ashkar at his side. The roots close overhead, sealing away the reeds, patrol bells, and open sky.
Cold stone receives his weight step by step. The Flame Crown’s concealed ember glow stains the walls, while his black halo casts a darker ring above.
Ashkar
The guild has buried its road well, exile. No mortal patrol follows us below.
Ashkar pads ahead, claws silent against the stair. Wax candles awaken in wall niches as they pass, their small flames bending toward the Crown.
Maelin Voss
Keep moving. The first gate lies beneath the old cistern, and the Veiled Hand waits beyond it.
The stair opens into a broad chamber beneath Loric. Veiled figures watch from balconies carved into the stone, their masks reflecting firelight without revealing faces.
Ashkar
There is your hidden court, Vesuvius. Let them look upon the exile who carries heaven’s stolen names.
Quest Complete
Secure a covert route into Loric
Skill Upgrade: Survival Good→Great