Before the testimony is dismissed, Iven raises his ink-stained hand. Maereth pauses her writing, and the Court Herald keeps the witness lamps burning over the separated records.
Iven
There is one thing I withheld. I ask to speak again under witness, because I remembered the note more clearly.
Iven produces no document, only a careful recollection. He describes a narrow blue-and-silver thread wound around the sealed note’s fold, untouched beneath the wax.
Iven
The messenger warned me not to disturb the thread or break the fold. I obeyed. I saw it clearly before placing the note aside.
Hessa
That accords with what I saw. At the gate, the hooded messenger adjusted the same folded place beneath his cloak before turning south.
Maereth records Iven’s late admission and Hessa’s confirmation on separate lines. The thread becomes a preserved detail, not proof that either witness can identify the messenger.
Maereth
Enter the thread, the warning, and Hessa’s observation precisely. We will not turn a matching fold into proof of identity.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish whether Iven’s added recollection is corroborated
“"Blue and silver are the colors of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. His banner is a silver swan-prowed ship faring on a blue sea."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Lore, rolled +3)
Tuiwen
Blue and silver identify Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. His banner bears a silver swan-prowed ship upon a blue sea.
The colors settle into a precise heraldic meaning. The thread is not a random fastening but a deliberate sign pointing toward Dol Amroth and the southern sea-road.
Hessa
Then the colors were meant to be noticed, though the hood hid the messenger’s face.
Maereth turns to the maritime charter kept in Círdan’s custody, without opening it. The comparison can now test whether the thread’s southern allegiance touches the charter’s already noted mark.
Maereth
Record Dol Amroth as the significance of the colors, and preserve it as a lead toward the maritime route, not as proof of the messenger’s allegiance.
The inquiry gains a concrete southern lead: the thread can be compared against records connected to Dol Amroth and the sealed maritime charter, while every witness’s limit remains intact.
Quest Complete
Establish whether Iven’s added recollection is corroborated