The chamber groans as Tuiwen stands amid broken roots and falling dust. Her blade still hums. On the floor, the black grime left by the Entity begins to pulse with a sickly light.
The glow answers the old marks in the stone, the same ritual pattern hidden beneath the shelter. It is not waste. It is a trail, a fingerprint of corrupted craft.
Eldred goes very still. His pale hands tremble over his bow, and his eyes fix on the shining stain as if he recognizes a name he never wanted to hear.
Eldred
That is not wild rot. It is a binding spoor. This thing was made somewhere, and I think I know by whose hand.
He swallows hard, fear breaking through his training at last. Whatever he meant to tell her before, whatever bargain or secret drove him here, now weighs on him like a stone.
Eldred
I came hoping to prove it was only a rumor. I was wrong. If this reaches Dol Guldur, we are already late.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn the origin of the binding spoor
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify who made the corruption
“"I think we may have some time. It's at least a week's travel to Dol Guldur. Rather than running recklessly into danger, it would be wiser to consult with one of the Istari. Luckily, there is one not far away."”
SUCCESS (Fair Lore, rolled +0)
Tuiwen
If it takes a week to reach Dol Guldur, we have time to think. We do not need to rush blind. There is an Istari nearby, and wisdom is better than haste.
The words hang in the ruined chamber like a lamp lit against storm-cloud. The green pulse crawls over the broken floor, and the ritual pattern sharpens beneath the grime.
Eldred
Radagast the Brown. Yes. He is near enough, if we can bear the road.
Eldred
He looks to the shattered basin, then away, as if naming the wizard costs him breath.
Eldred’s grip slips on the bowstring. A strand of dyed cord tears free, and his hand jerks back with a hiss, the bow still held fast.
Eldred
That stain is old craft. Not Orc work. Not a woodland whim. This spoor is bound to the dark servants of Dol Guldur.
The chamber answers with a deeper groan. Dust rains from the ceiling, and the blocked doorway shifts under the weight of settling stone, forcing the two elves to look up from the glowing mark.
Eldred
If Radagast still keeps his roads and birds, he may know what made it. We must decide quickly, before this pit swallows the proof.
Quest Complete
Learn the origin of the binding spoor