Adventure of Tuiwen 2

Tuiwen reaches Rhosgobel with the three preserved proclamations secured separately. The russet hedge shimmers in tightening waves as pressure gathers from the southern forest, bending leaves without wind.

Radagast the Brown waits inside the warded gate, his weathered face grim beneath his pointed hat. An exhausted young man, lean-built with weathered brown skin, a narrow face, dark trousers, worn boots, and a scar through one eyebrow kneels nearby, wrists bound in woven root, while fresh scratches mark the earth beneath him.

The bound herald lifts his head. Dust whitens his dark hair, his blue travel cloak is torn at the shoulder, and fear has hollowed his young adult face. Beneath his bindings, scratched warnings name settlements marked for emptying before the next assault.

Radagast crouches beside the scratches without touching them. Beyond the hedge, branches groan toward Rhosgobel, and a dim red glimmer pulses between the southern trunks.

Tuiwen kneels beside the exhausted herald. Corruption Sense finds the shadow’s residue clinging to the woven roots, while Radagast’s presence steadies the work as a trusted ally.

She draws the Elven blade and cuts only the bindings, honoring her Oath-Bound restraint by refusing to harm the frightened bearer or disturb the warnings scratched into the soil.

The roots loosen and fall away. Tuiwen cleanses the bruised wrists, eases the herald’s breathing, and guides warmth through his strained limbs until he can sit upright unaided.

Radagast brings water and a folded blanket. The young man drinks cautiously, then wraps himself against the morning chill while the wizard examines the freed skin without reopening the wounds.

Tuiwen carries the three proclamations through Rhosgobel’s warded gate and into Radagast’s warm, crowded hall. Behind her, Meren remains wrapped in the folded blanket, safely seated near the hearth.

The hall smells of crushed herbs, damp wool, and woodsmoke. Radagast clears a space beside his maps, while Meren watches the black seals from beneath the blanket.

Tuiwen lays the proclamations flat without opening them. Their dark wax catches the firelight, each mark whole and identical, while the scratched warnings remain outside beneath the hedge.

Tuiwen lifts one hand above the three sealed proclamations. Revealing Light gathers in a pale column, passing over each black seal without breaking wax or disturbing the papers.

Eyes of the Unseen catches fine magical threads beneath the ink, while Corruption Sense identifies the shadow’s residue as deliberate persuasion rather than a binding command.

The light reveals hidden writing beneath every promise: the settlements are to empty their homes, surrender their stores, and abandon the roads before Dol Guldur’s host arrives.

A second layer appears within the seals, repeating the same instruction in altered script. The marks imitate lawful authority, but no true source or custody is carried in them.

Tuiwen’s Oath-Bound restraint keeps the light narrow and exact. It exposes the deception without claiming more than the proclamations show, leaving their seals unbroken and their evidence intact.

The revealed words settle across the hall like ash. Radagast reaches for fresh parchment, while Meren lowers his eyes, now seeing the proclamations as a warning rather than a promise.

The seal does not establish lawful authority.

Radagast turns the nearest proclamation toward the firelight, keeping the three documents apart. The hidden evacuation order remains visible beneath the false promise, plain enough for any careful reader.

He begins drafting the warning at once, stating separately what the proclamations promise, what their hidden writing orders, and what their altered seals cannot prove. The imposture remains preserved, but its authority is gone.

The seal does not establish lawful authority.

Radagast sets his quill beside the copied warning. The altered wording and broken custody leave the black seals without lawful authority, whatever respect their wax once commanded.

Outside, the russet hedge settles as the southern pressure fades. Within the hall, Radagast seals the warnings for the Woodmen, while the false proclamations remain preserved as evidence of a promise that cannot command obedience.

When the messengers have departed, the hall grows quieter. Radagast’s sealed warnings rest by the hearth, while Meren remains safely wrapped near the fire, listening without interrupting.

Radagast folds his hands over the copied warnings. Beyond the russet hedge, the southern forest is dark and watchful, but no pressure reaches the house now.