The cloaked archivist leads Posh into the catalogue room, leaving the bellkeeper behind at the oak desk. Dusty shelves curve around a central table where bone-white tabs await inspection.
The room remains quiet until a concealed panel clicks open. Dain Vell slips through, dust silvering his green hood and shoulders, then closes the panel without a sound.
Dain Vell
There you are, useful curiosity. I hoped the Bell would receive you before impatience did. Has our archivist shown you anything worth coveting?
the cloaked archivist
Only the threshold of the bone entries. I have named ossuary keys, saintly remains, marrow charms, and stranger instruments. The catalogue itself remains unopened.
Dain brushes dust from one sleeve and glances toward the archivist’s ledger. His expression carries amusement, but the quick check of the door suggests the meeting has a sharper purpose.
Dain Vell
I wanted you here tonight because the Widow’s Index received a new bone listing, and its owner is asking questions about the people who might buy it.
Dain Vell
So tell me, fox, what has he told you, and how much trouble have you already decided this invitation is worth?
““Well I got one artifact already, and I’m just so happy that you decided to lead me to another in just one night. Dain right?””
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled -2)
Posh
Well, I already got one artifact, and I’m just so happy you decided to lead me to another in one night. Dain, right?
Dain’s amusement deepens, though the cloaked archivist’s quill pauses above the ledger. The question lands lightly, but the room records her eagerness with professional caution.
Dain Vell
Dain Vell, indeed. And yes, fox, your enthusiasm has brought you precisely where I promised, though you make dangerous curiosities sound like sweets.
the cloaked archivist
The listing is yours to inspect. No touching until I say so, and no binding bargains within this room.
The archivist opens the Widow’s Index at a fresh page. A charcoal sketch shows a small vertebra carved with silver runes, sealed beneath a glassy black resin.
Dain Vell
There. The Marrow Bell, recovered from a sealed ossuary. Its owner wants a buyer who understands bone magic, and now he knows your name.
Dain Vell
She is delighted before hearing the price. Useful, certainly, but her excitement may make her careless.
✓ Quest Accepted
Assess the Marrow Bell
““So, what does it do? Amplify bone related rituals?””
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled -3)
Posh
So, what does it do? Amplify bone-related rituals?
The cloaked archivist turns the page toward Posh without touching the sealed vertebra. Silver runes glimmer beneath the black resin, answering the question with a faint, bell-like vibration.
the cloaked archivist
Precisely, though amplification is the simplest description. The Marrow Bell strengthens rituals involving bone, ancestral remains, and structures built from the dead.
Dain Vell
It can wake a buried skeleton, ask a saint’s relic to remember, or make a bone charm carry across a whole district. Subtle, it is not.
The vibration deepens as the cloaked archivist traces a notation beside the sketch. A hairline crack appears in the resin, and the nearest shelf answers with three soft knocks.
the cloaked archivist
That is the cost of demonstrating its nature. The Index has heard you, and recorded your interest beside the listing. Any keeper consulting these pages will know you asked.
Dain Vell
She wanted knowledge and received it, but the catalogue now remembers her curiosity. Useful people should learn what follows them.
Quest Complete
Assess the Marrow Bell
““Well I definitely want that Bell, how much?””
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +1)
Posh
Well, I definitely want that Bell. How much?
The archivist’s quill resumes its measured scratching. Dain leans closer to the open Index, while the sealed sketch gives another faint, resonant tremor.
the cloaked archivist
The owner asks three hundred silver crowns, paid before inspection beyond this room. He will accept a lesser sum only for an equivalent bone relic.
Dain Vell
Three hundred is his hopeful price, not his final one. He fears the Bell’s reputation more than he values its weight in silver.
the cloaked archivist
There is also a condition. The buyer must demonstrate knowledge of bone magic, or provide a guarantor recognized by the Index.
The archivist turns the page, revealing cramped notes about the Marrow Bell’s former keepers and the ossuary where it was recovered. Dain watches Posh for her response.
Dain Vell
You have the curiosity, perhaps the nerve, and now the price. The question is whether you have three hundred crowns, or something interesting enough to make him forget them.
“She pulls a book out that was clipped to her waist seemingly as an accessory “well I do have some information on Necromancy, would that interest them?””
SUCCESS (Good Arcana, rolled +1)
Posh unclips the slim, dark-bound book from her waist, where it has passed as an ornamental accessory, and raises it beside the open Index.
Posh
Well, I do have some information on necromancy. Would that interest them?
The cloaked archivist’s quill pauses. Dain’s amusement sharpens into attention as the book’s worn cover catches the candlelight, revealing a faded bone sigil.
the cloaked archivist
It would. Accurate necromantic knowledge is acceptable consideration, particularly if it concerns bone magic or the Marrow Bell’s former keepers.
Dain Vell
Now that is a better opening offer than three hundred crowns. What sort of information does your little accessory contain, fox?
The cloaked archivist turns the Index toward the book. The sealed vertebra sketch answers with a low vibration, and he writes knowledge offered beside the owner’s price.
the cloaked archivist
Give me its subject and its source. If the account proves useful, I will present it to the owner as payment toward the Marrow Bell.
““How about information on a bone melding ritual? And no I’m not giving you my book, this is my personal journal.””
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +1)
Posh
How about information on a bone-melding ritual? And no, I’m not giving you my book. This is my personal journal.
Posh keeps the dark-bound journal in her grasp. The faded bone sigil catches candlelight while the archivist studies her with newly measured respect.
the cloaked archivist
A bone-melding ritual is precisely the sort of knowledge the Marrow Bell’s owner values. Your journal remains yours, and your offered information is accepted for consideration.
Dain Vell
Sensibly guarded, fox. A personal journal is a poor thing to surrender, especially when its owner can recite the useful pages instead.
The archivist writes a new entry beside the Marrow Bell’s sketch: bone-melding ritual, source retained by petitioner. The sealed vertebra gives one approving chime.
the cloaked archivist
Describe its purpose, limits, and provenance. If the account is sound, I will mark it as a substantial contribution and reduce the owner’s demand accordingly.
Dain Vell
She offers dangerous knowledge without surrendering the book. That is caution dressed in enthusiasm, and worth considerably more than silver.
““Well the name is very apt, it’s all about melding bones together and can actually work to bind them together without having to use cord or enchantments to do so. Although it does make it so the bones can’t move independently of each other. Plus the only ingredient it needs are bones, preferably from similar sources.””
FAILURE (Good Arcana, rolled -2)
Posh
The name is apt. It melds bones together without cord or enchantment, though the joined bones cannot move independently afterward. It needs only bones, preferably from similar sources.
The archivist records each limitation, but the silver runes beneath the resin remain dull. When he compares the notes to the Index, several old annotations refuse to align.
the cloaked archivist
The principle is sound, but this account lacks the joining sequence and provenance. I cannot call it a substantial contribution, nor reduce the price by much.
Dain Vell
A useful outline, fox, but not yet a ritual someone could safely perform. Still, you have given the owner a reason to listen rather than dismiss you.
The archivist turns back through the former keepers’ notes. One marginal mark now catches his attention: a similar-source requirement beside a vanished ossuary school.
the cloaked archivist
This is the opening your summary provides. The Bell’s last teacher belonged to the Ossuary of Saint Vey, whose surviving tablets may preserve the missing sequence.
the cloaked archivist
I will credit your information as a preliminary contribution. Bring the sequence or a tablet bearing it, and the owner may treat your journal’s knowledge as worth the remainder.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get the archivist to accept the bone-melding knowledge as substantial consideration
““Oh, well just give me something to write on and with””
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +3)
Posh
Oh, well, just give me something to write on and with.
The cloaked archivist reaches beneath the table and produces a cream vellum sheet, a sharpened charcoal stick, and a small inkwell. He sets them before Posh beside the open Index.
the cloaked archivist
Take these. The vellum will hold a working transcription, and the charcoal will not stain the Index if your hand wanders.
He also places a thin tracing sheet over the marginal mark concerning Saint Vey, securing its corners with bone weights. The faded notation shows through clearly enough to copy.
Dain Vell
A generous allowance, archivist. That mark may be the shortest road to the missing sequence, if your hand can make sense of its abbreviations.
the cloaked archivist
Write what you know first. I will add the Saint Vey notation afterward, and together we may give the Marrow Bell’s owner something worth three hundred crowns.
+ New Item Acquired
Vellum sheet
+ New Item Acquired
Inkwell
““No need for the Saint Vey part, I already have a fully working ritual” she begins writing down rune sequences and ritual diagrams”
SUCCESS (Good Arcana, rolled +1)
Posh bends over the vellum and begins writing. Charcoal lays down linked rune sequences, measured angles, and ritual diagrams copied from her complete knowledge rather than the Saint Vey notation.
The diagram expands across the sheet in orderly rings: similar-source bones, the joining pattern, the limits of movement, and the final binding mark that prevents independent motion.
the cloaked archivist
No Saint Vey fragment, then. Very well. I will judge the ritual by its internal logic, not by the authority of an old ossuary.
Posh adds the spoken cadence in compact notation, then marks the necessary materials and every restriction. The completed ritual fills the vellum without a missing sequence.
Dain Vell
That is a complete working account, fox. You have turned a hopeful offer into something the Bell’s owner cannot dismiss.
the cloaked archivist
Confirmed. Purpose, method, limits, and provenance are sufficiently recorded. I mark this contribution against the Marrow Bell’s price in full consideration.
The archivist carefully lifts the vellum and inks a formal credit beside the Marrow Bell listing. Beneath its resin, the vertebra sounds one clear, approving chime.
Quest Complete
Get the archivist to accept the bone-melding knowledge as substantial consideration
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Superb→Legendary
“She chitter happily much like an ordinary fox would”
Posh’s ears perk, and she chitter-happily over the completed vellum, the sound bright and unmistakably foxlike in the hushed catalogue room.
Dain Vell
There is the enthusiasm I was promised. You have just made a three-hundred-crown relic considerably easier to discuss.
The cloaked archivist allows the smallest lift of one eyebrow, then sands the fresh ink and folds the credit ledger open beneath the Marrow Bell’s entry.
the cloaked archivist
The contribution is recorded in full consideration. I will send word to the owner that a qualified buyer has supplied a complete ritual account.
Dain Vell
He may accept the knowledge outright, or ask you to demonstrate it before surrendering the Bell. Either way, you have earned a conversation.
The black resin over the sketched vertebra gleams faintly. The archivist adds a second notation beside Posh’s name, while Dain studies the page with renewed commercial interest.
Dain Vell
Now, fox, while we wait for his answer, tell me whether your curiosity ends at bone, or whether you have other relics in mind.
“she pulls out the black relic from earlier “well you did help me get this””
SUCCESS (Mediocre Agility, rolled +1)
Posh
Well, you did help me get this.
Posh draws the palm-sized black relic from beneath her gothic coat and holds it over the vellum. Its minute silver markings shift like trapped moonlight.
Dain Vell
That is not merely a curious acquisition. You kept the consecrated key after the paladin identified it?
The cloaked archivist leans over the table without touching the artifact. The Marrow Bell’s sketch answers with a low vibration, and several bone weights tremble.
the cloaked archivist
A key, yes, but not to any ordinary lock. Its sigil predates the Bell’s surviving records by several centuries.
Dain Vell
I helped move it from one set of dangerous hands to another. I did not expect the second set to display it beside a catalogue of bone relics.
the cloaked archivist
The relic is answering the Marrow Bell. If the resonance strengthens, this room may reveal which lock the key seeks.
Quest Complete
Acquire an undead artifact
Skill Upgrade: Arcana Good→Great
““Meh, I just wanted it because it’ll look nice in my room, I don’t care what it’ll open or what kind of dark holy treasure it leads to””
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +0)
Posh
Meh. I wanted it because it’ll look nice in my room. I don’t care what it opens, or what dark holy treasure lies beyond.
The black relic rests above the vellum, its silver markings still shifting. Posh’s blunt dismissal hangs beneath the room’s low, answering chime.
Dain Vell
A decorative consecrated key. That may be the most alarming reason anyone has given me for keeping one.
the cloaked archivist
Your indifference does not make it inert. Yet the relic’s resonance has quieted, as though it accepts that you claim no lock.
The bone weights settle. The Marrow Bell’s sketch dims beneath the resin, and the archivist adds a careful note beside the key’s older sigil.
the cloaked archivist
For the record, I will mark its present purpose as ornamental possession. That may help distinguish your interest from a claimant seeking the hidden treasure.
Dain Vell
Then keep it polished, fox. Still, if it ever opens something dreadful in your room, send word before you decorate around the consequences.
+ New Item Acquired
Vellum sheet
“She pockets the black artifact “so about the Marrow Bell?””
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Posh slips the black artifact back beneath her gothic coat. The silver markings vanish from sight, and the catalogue room’s faint resonance settles into silence.
Posh
So, about the Marrow Bell?
the cloaked archivist
The owner will receive my notice tonight. Your complete bone-melding ritual satisfies the stated price, pending his confirmation of the knowledge.
Dain Vell
Which means you have earned a proper negotiation, not merely permission to admire a sketch. I can arrange the meeting before the next new moon.
The archivist closes the Index halfway, leaving one pale tab exposed beside the Marrow Bell entry. Fresh ink records Posh as its prospective purchaser.
the cloaked archivist
If he accepts the account without demonstration, the Bell changes hands for your contribution. If he requests proof, the meeting will be held at Saint Vey’s sealed outer ossuary.
Dain Vell
Give me three nights. I will learn whether he wants your knowledge, your coin, or both, and return with terms worth hearing.
““Sounds good to me, I’ll be off then and back in 3 nights””
SUCCESS (Mediocre Agility, rolled +2)
Posh
Sounds good to me. I’ll be off, then, and back in three nights.
Dain Vell
Agreed. Return through the Bell’s rear door and show the three-eyed crow. I will have the owner’s terms ready.
the cloaked archivist
Your contribution remains recorded in full. The Marrow Bell will be reserved under your name until our meeting.
The archivist closes the Index and returns the vellum to its ledger. Dain opens the concealed panel, revealing the quiet service hall beyond.
Dain Vell
Three nights, fox. Come prepared to answer questions about the ritual, even if you refuse a demonstration.
Posh leaves through the hidden panel and passes into the rain-cooled alley behind the Crooked Bell. Three nights pass beneath changing moons, and she returns to the unbarred rear door.
the bellkeeper
Token, please. Dain is waiting upstairs, and this time he brought a sealed message from the Bell’s owner.
““Sounds good to me, I’ll be off then and back in 3 nights””
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -2)
Posh presents the brass three-eyed crow. The bellkeeper checks its stamped face, then unlocks the rear door and waves her through, her return accomplished beneath cold rain.
the bellkeeper
Still invited, then. Dain has been waiting since dusk, and the owner’s seal has not been broken.
Upstairs, Dain stands beside the catalogue table with a narrow ivory tube in hand. Its black wax bears a vertebra pressed inside a three-eyed crow.
Dain Vell
Three nights precisely. I respect punctuality, especially from someone carrying a key that might wake half the district.
He offers the sealed message. As Posh takes it, the black artifact beneath her coat turns hot enough to sting through the fabric, leaving a small red welt.
the cloaked archivist
The owner accepts your ritual account as consideration. He requests one answer before surrendering the Marrow Bell: where did you learn it?
Dain Vell
And whether that answer makes you a scholar, a practitioner, or a problem he should sell to someone else.
+ New Item Acquired
Ivory message tube
““I made it myself, didn’t learn it from anyone””
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled -1)
Posh
I made it myself. I didn’t learn it from anyone.
The claim settles over the catalogue table. The ivory tube remains between Posh’s fingers, while the black wax seal gives a faint, answering warmth.
the cloaked archivist
Then the ritual is original, or independently rediscovered. Either possibility makes your account more valuable, not less.
Dain Vell
You devised a bone-melding ritual alone and treated it like a bargaining note. I begin to understand why the Bell’s owner is interested.
The archivist extends one gloved hand toward the sealed tube, requesting it without trying to take it. His gaze stays on Posh’s face.
the cloaked archivist
The owner will accept that provenance, provided you answer one further question. Have you performed the ritual yourself, or only constructed its workings?
Dain Vell
Answer carefully, fox. If you have tested it, the owner may want a demonstration. If not, he may still pay, but he will price in uncertainty.
““Don’t worry I’ve tested and used it several times, made a solid bone block once. That was a fun time””
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Posh
Don’t worry. I’ve tested and used it several times. I even made a solid block of bone once. That was a fun time.
The archivist’s gloved hand remains extended, but his attention sharpens. Dain’s brows rise as the sealed tube gives another faint pulse of warmth.
the cloaked archivist
Several successful uses, including consolidation into a solid block. That establishes practical knowledge, not merely elegant theory.
Dain Vell
A solid bone block? You say that as though you spent an afternoon stacking firewood. I admit, fox, I want to hear how you managed it.
The archivist accepts the ivory tube back and turns it beneath the candlelight. Black wax holds firm, while the ledger’s fresh notation gains a second line.
the cloaked archivist
I will record the ritual as personally tested and repeatedly employed. The owner’s uncertainty is therefore removed, and his condition is satisfied.
Dain Vell
Then the Marrow Bell is yours to bargain for, subject only to his final terms. Tell us about that bone block, and I will learn what sort of practitioner he is dealing with.
““Dain, mind your own business, I will talk about it with them. They seem like a fellow bone lover””
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +1)
Posh
Dain, mind your own business. I’ll discuss it with them. They seem like fellow bone lovers.
Dain’s raised brows settle into an amused line. He lifts both hands in surrender, while the archivist’s gloved fingers close around the ivory tube.
Dain Vell
Fair enough, fox. I will leave the marrow-minded conversation to you and our solemn keeper of ledgers.
the cloaked archivist
Your assessment is not inaccurate. The owner’s interest is scholarly, though possession of the Marrow Bell remains his principal concern.
The archivist breaks the black wax seal with a narrow bone knife and unfolds the message inside. A dry scent of incense escapes from the ivory tube.
the cloaked archivist
He accepts your provenance and repeated use as proof of competence. He offers the Bell in exchange for the complete ritual account, with one demonstration requested at Saint Vey’s outer ossuary.
Dain Vell
There, fox. A meeting, a relic, and a chance to impress a fellow bone lover. Try not to turn the ossuary into furniture before he arrives.
““Oooo, well I need to prepare, by y’all. See you some other time in the future””
Posh
Oooo, well, I need to prepare. Bye, y’all. See you some other time in the future.
Posh tucks the sealed terms safely away and turns from the catalogue table, her dark coat brushing the shelves of bone-tabbed ledgers.
the cloaked archivist
Preparation is sensible. Saint Vey’s outer ossuary is sealed, but the owner expects your ritual knowledge to withstand scrutiny.
Dain Vell
And do return, fox. I would hate to miss the moment you explain how a pile of bones became furniture.
The archivist folds the owner’s message into its ivory tube and places it beside the Marrow Bell’s ledger entry, leaving the appointment recorded but not yet fixed.
the cloaked archivist
Bring no unannounced companions, and bring whatever account of the ritual you consider sufficient. The demonstration can be arranged when you return.
Dain opens the passage toward the rain-cooled stair, while the archivist watches the black relic’s hidden warmth fade beneath Posh’s coat.
