The blue runes settle into a precise pattern around Lord Vaelen. Beneath the broken rite, an older mark emerges, carved deep into the sacred stone.
Lord Vaelen
That is my family’s oath seal. It was hidden beneath the circle, beneath every later inscription.
The wounded guards remain beyond the ring, watching in wary silence. The charlatan priest stays near the shattered altar, powerless but unwilling to flee.
Lord Vaelen
Do not open it. The seal binds an ancient debt, and opening it may summon the claimant who has waited beneath this valley.
the charlatan priest
The mark has a forgotten name. The Oath-Eater’s Gate. I found it in a forbidden genealogy and mistook its warning for an invitation.
At the priest’s words, the hidden mark answers with a faint blue pulse. Dust slips from the standing stones, and something far below knocks once.
Lord Vaelen
The claimant knows we are here now. Whatever you intend, little mage, choose carefully.
✓ Quest Accepted
Confront the Oath-Eater
✓ Quest Accepted
Uncover the truth of Lord Vaelen’s ancestral debt
“"Allow me, if you would?" *i hold my hand out*”
SUCCESS (Good Etiquette, rolled +0)
Dere
Allow me, if you would?
Dere holds out his hand toward the oath seal. Blue radiance gathers beneath his palm, while the standing stones answer with a low, resonant hum.
Lord Vaelen
I would. Take the oath into your keeping, little mage, and let the circle judge your purpose.
The seal accepts Dere’s offered hand. Its carved lines flare around his palm, granting him authority over the hidden gate, but a sharp heat leaves a luminous mark across his skin.
the charlatan priest
Fool! The oath does not serve the hand that claims it. It brands every bearer for the claimant below.
The ancient mark opens like a blue eye beneath Dere’s hand. A breath of cold rises from the earth, and the buried presence knocks again, louder this time.
Lord Vaelen
It has accepted you. Whatever waits below now knows your name.
“*i cast a divine spell "Seer of The Heavens" to bestow my authority over what is before me*”
SUCCESS (Superb Divine Magic, rolled +0)
Dere invokes Seer of the Heavens. Divine radiance descends through the clouded sky, gathering around his small figure without heat or sound.
The oath seal answers at once. Its blue eye widens beneath his hand, and silver constellations spread across the stone, naming Dere as its rightful authority.
Lord Vaelen
The heavens have witnessed your claim. The seal is yours, and so is the judgment of whatever waits beneath it.
The ground opens within the ancient mark, revealing a descending stair of blue stone. Beyond it lies a vast chamber, its pillars carved with kneeling kings.
the charlatan priest
No. The claimant cannot deny the oath. You have given that child dominion over the gate itself.
Dere
The seal recognizes divine authority.
Far below, the buried presence falls silent. Then a voice rises through the stairwell, old as the valley and bound by the oath.
the Oath-Eater
Bearer of the heavenly sign, enter and speak your judgment. I am subject to the authority you have claimed.
Quest Complete
Confront the Oath-Eater
Skill Upgrade: Etiquette Good→Great