The locked chest remains beneath the witness tablets. Beside it, the separately sealed petition rests with a copied list of every folio title it named, each item marked for comparison.
Maereth
A archive bearer, compare the custody marks, access entries, and copying hands without opening the restored originals. We must find the first lawful custodian exposed to this list.
A archive bearer enters carrying a narrow ledger board and several loose witness slips. She bows to the tablets, then places her materials beside the petition without touching its seal.
Archive Bearer 1
The copied list follows the restricted folios in archive order, but its hand changes after the third title. I will begin with the access entries, then test each custody mark.
She aligns the copied titles with the sealed register, separating entries written by the same hand from those merely imitating its slant. One access mark appears lawful, yet its witness line is absent.
Maereth
A lawful mark without its witness is not a complete custody chain. Record the omission precisely, and show us where that entry first passed beyond the archive.
A archive bearer turns to the older access slips. A narrow trail emerges through copied initials and dates, leading toward the first custodian who could have exposed the restricted list.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the first lawful custodian exposed to the restricted folio list
“I will identify the first custodian named by the copied initials and dates.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Tuiwen compares the initials against the archive’s dated access slips, then follows the matching hand through the custody marks. The first lawful entry belongs to a single custodian, not the later copyist.
The absent witness line is beside Lethwen’s access mark., identifying Lethwen as a young adult woman with a slender build, dark braided hair, and a russet wool dress, Her entry records the restricted list before it appears in any copied folio request, establishing where the unauthorized exposure began.
Tuiwen
Lethwen was the first custodian exposed to the restricted list, and her access entry is the point to examine.
The conclusion rests on the aligned initials, dates, and custody sequence: Lethwen received the list lawfully, but the missing witness line marks the first unverified passage beyond the archive.
Archive Bearer 1
The first custodian is identified. I will preserve Lethwen’s access entry separately from the later copies and record the missing witness line without altering it.
Maereth
Then Lethwen’s testimony must be sought before the later hands are questioned. The archive will show what she received, and the inquiry will distinguish that from what followed.
The copied list is sealed beside the access slips, with Lethwen named as the first custodian responsible for the exposed record. The inquiry now has its starting point.
Quest Complete
Identify the first lawful custodian exposed to the restricted folio list