The group settles in the vestry. Dust lies thick on the shelves, cold stone leaches warmth from the benches, and the empty chapel keeps its silence beyond the closed door.
the bride
The brand still aches, but it no longer feels like a chain. My patron answers faintly when I reach inward, though something blocks the full bond.
The bride loosens the torn collar of her ivory gown and shows Maurice the silver mark at her throat. Its edges are angry, but the skin around it is unbroken.
Ser Aldric Venn
The warlord's bargain gathers power from several patrons, not one. The baron was preparing recipients, then sending them onward through Saint Orra's Cross.
Mara Quill
They speak of bargains and patrons, but every answer makes the chapel less safe.
Mara Quill remains beside the vestry door, hood lowered, one hand near the latch. She watches the narrow gap beneath it for moving shadows while Ser Aldric Venn keeps his voice low.
Ser Aldric Venn
I do not know the warlord's name. I know his collectors carry the three-hooked device, and someone inside the ducal roads serves his design.
✓ Quest Accepted
Understand what blocks the bride’s bond with her patron
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the ducal agent serving the warlord’s design
“Ask the bride if the brand was the only thing placed on her, or if there is something else that may be affecting her bond”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Maurice Headsman
Was the brand the only thing placed on you, or is there something else affecting your bond with your patron?
the bride
The brand is not the only thing. Beneath it, they pressed a strip of lead against my skin and bound it with prayer wax.
She turns her head, revealing a thin grey line beneath the silver mark. The wax has hardened into the skin's crease, dulling the warmth that once answered her inward call.
the bride
They said it would keep the patron's voice contained. It is not part of me, and it is still there.
Ser Aldric Venn
Lead can blunt a divine bond, especially when fixed beneath a consecrated seal. Removing it may restore what the brand obstructs.
As the bride lowers her collar, the vestry latch gives a faint metallic click. Mara freezes, then catches the handle before it can move again, but the sound has carried beyond the door.
Mara Quill
That was not the wind. Someone outside heard the latch, though I cannot tell whether they have stopped or begun listening.
Quest Complete
Understand what blocks the bride’s bond with her patron