The common room empties as Marrow Quill, Vey, Ilyra Voss, and Elira Thorne depart by separate doors. Cooling cups, signed pages, and fading violet traces remain around the table.
Bren stays beside Kynes, gathering the papers into a careful stack while the last remnant of his ward dissolves from the floorboards and hearthstones.
Bren
We protected Elira’s choice, gave Ilyra a path toward justice, and forced Quill and Vey to name what they did. That part is done, love.
Bren
The Gilded Compact is now an enemy, and it has money, influence, and time. They may answer through lawyers, hired blades, or quieter pressure.
Bren
But solving a crisis is not the same as owning its aftermath. Ilyra must pursue her claim, Elira must decide what happens to the vessel, and their choices remain theirs.
She leaves the signed agreement within reach, then settles into the chair opposite him. Morning traffic murmurs beyond the shutters, ordinary life continuing beneath their extraordinary bargain.
Bren
Rest, plan, or choose our next road, love. For once, nothing is demanding an answer this instant.
“"I'm going to Larloch, I want to know what this brass-bound vessel has a connection to him" I say plainly”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Kynes and Bren leave the boarding house behind, taking the road toward the haunted burial mound. By dusk, the old stones rise through the mist, silent beneath a colorless sky.
Kynes
I’m going to Larloch. I want to know what connection this brass-bound vessel has to him.
Bren keeps pace at his side, one hand near her hidden blades. At the mound, Kynes calls into the hollow earth, and black shadows gather between the standing stones.
Larloch
You return with a question about another sealed object. The brass-bound vessel is not mine, though its making bears the imprint of my court.
Larloch
Long ago, one of my archivists entrusted it to the Voss line as a safeguard. It carries a succession record written in my authority, but no claim over its keeper.
The mist presses close around the stones. Larloch’s hollow gaze fixes on Kynes, and the answer settles with the weight of an old obligation finally named.
Larloch
The vessel connects to me through that witness and seal, not through ownership. Elira may keep it, and I will not call it back. The record belongs to Ilyra.
“"is this apart of the favor I am to honor with you ?" I ask”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Kynes
Is this part of the favor I am to honor with you?
The mist stills around the stones. Bren watches Larloch’s shadowed form, while Kynes’s question hangs plainly between the living and the dead.
Larloch
No. The brass-bound vessel is not the favor I marked for you, nor does its custody satisfy that debt.
Larloch
Its connection to my court explains why its record bears my authority, but the favor remains separate. I will name it when its hour arrives.
A cold wind passes over the burial stones. Bren’s attention sharpens, recognizing the distinction as carefully drawn as any seal.
Larloch
You may protect the vessel’s keeper and help the living claimant without spending what you owe me. Do not mistake proximity for payment.
The shadows recede slightly, leaving the answer unmistakable: the vessel belongs to another obligation, while Larloch’s favor remains waiting and undefined.
“I ask Larloch what danger now threatens the vessel’s keeper.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Kynes
Then what danger now threatens the vessel’s keeper?
Larloch’s shadow leans between the standing stones. The mist draws inward, and even the dead air seems to wait for his answer.
Larloch
The immediate danger is not the vessel’s seal. It is recognition. Those who know what the record proves will seek its keeper, and they will begin with persuasion before resorting to force.
Larloch
Elira is exposed because she protects what others need. The Gilded Compact will test her allies, offer lawful-looking demands, and send watchers to learn whether she can be isolated.
Bren’s hand settles near her hidden blades, though she does not draw. The warning gives shape to the threat without turning the burial mound into a battlefield.
Larloch
Keep Elira from standing alone, and make Ilyra’s claim visible enough that seizing its witness becomes costly. If the keeper disappears, the Compact will call the disappearance lawful.
“" thank you for the insight" I bow with respect”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Kynes
Thank you for the insight.
Kynes bows with deliberate respect between the standing stones. The gesture is quiet, sincere, and leaves Larloch’s warning acknowledged without surrendering any choice.
Larloch
Respect is more useful when it survives understanding. You have heard the danger and accepted its shape without mistaking it for my command.
The shadows around Larloch settle into a thinner veil. Bren lowers her hand from her blades, watching the ancient presence with guarded attention.
Bren
Then we return to Baldur’s Gate with a clear warning, love. Elira will not face the Compact alone, and protecting her does not spend your favor.
Larloch
Correct. Guard the living, expose the hidden pressure, and preserve the keeper’s freedom. My favor remains untouched until I name its hour.
The mist loosens around the mound, revealing the road back toward the distant city. Larloch’s silhouette remains among the stones, while Bren turns beside Kynes, ready to depart.
✓ Quest Accepted
Leave the haunted burial mound with Bren
Kynes leaves haunted burial mound behind and arrives at Baldur’s Gate.
“I leave the burial mound with Bren and return toward Baldur's Gate. " Well, lest we know how that brass pain in my ass is related to this mess. Eh" i say after we're out of ear shot”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -1)
Baldur’s Gate rises ahead through river fog, its walls washed gray by morning. Cart wheels grind over damp stone, and harbor bells carry between crowded streets as Kynes and Bren approach the boarding house.
Kynes
Well, at least we know how that brass pain in my ass is related to this mess. Eh?
Bren
We do, love. Larloch’s court left its mark on the vessel, but the Gilded Compact wants the succession proof, not his favor.
At the boarding house door, Bren stops. A narrow strip of black paper has been tucked beneath the latch, stamped with a gold seal showing a closed hand around a coin.
Bren
That seal belongs to the Compact’s local leadership. Seressa Vale and Hadrien Marr have learned we returned, and they want us to know they are watching the house.
Bren lifts the paper without breaking its seal. Beneath the gold emblem, fresh ink names the hour before dusk and the old customs square, offering a meeting with no signature.
Quest Complete
Leave the haunted burial mound with Bren