The inspection hollow swallows the last echo of bells. Dry stone lies beneath their boots, a cold hearth gathers dust, and the stair descends into blackness.
The Scarred Thief
I will watch the ledge. If riders search below, they will find my knife before they find this hollow.
The scarred thief slips back beneath the hanging roots and studies the ravine. Lord Cael remains by the hearth, turning the sealed tube in his gloved hand without touching its wax.
Lord Cael
You asked what makes this contract worth your time. The ledger should hold payment, if the successor post was not stripped clean.
Cael lowers his gaze to the tube, his thumb hovering over the roadwarden mark. The blue lamps are gone, leaving his expression severe in the hollow's gray light.
Lord Cael
As for trust, I do not trust easily. You read the old marks, noticed the danger, and carried this without breaking the seal. That is enough for now.
The Scarred Thief
The road above is quiet, but not empty. Decide what you want from him before we leave shelter. The hills will not wait forever.
“I shrug. "I don' ask for much. In my range, my prices are fair, but we ain't in my range anymore." I sit on a rock as we make camp.”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +2)
Drayden
I don' ask for much. In my range, my prices are fair, but we ain't in my range anymore.
Drayden shrugs, then settles onto a flat rock beside the cold hearth as camp takes shape. He keeps the green cloak drawn close against the hollow's chill.
Lord Cael
No. This is outside any ordinary escort. I will not pretend otherwise.
Cael sets the sealed tube beside him and gathers dry twigs from a recess in the stone. His attention remains on Drayden, weighing the plainness of the demand.
Lord Cael
When we reach the successor post, you will read the ledger yourself. If it names payment, you receive your due before we descend farther.
The Scarred Thief
Fair terms, then. Better than most lords offer, and clearer than most thieves manage.
A small fire catches beneath the hearth's soot-dark stones. Its warmth reaches the hollow without revealing the camp beyond the roots, and the descending stair remains untouched for the night.
✓ Quest Accepted
Lie low for the night
“I turn to the Scarred Their. "What's your story, boy? How'd a footpad get tangled in Cael's mess?" My tone is sarcastic, but not malicious. "He being vague with your payment too, or am I the only one out tha loop?"”
FAILURE (Fair Reasoning, rolled -3)
Drayden
What's your story, boy? How'd a footpad get tangled in Cael's mess? He being vague with your payment too, or am I the only one out the loop?
The scarred thief returns from the roots and crouches near the fire, but Drayden's questions find no easy purchase. His guarded stare shifts once toward Lord Cael.
The Scarred Thief
Footpad is a broad word. I carried maps, opened locks, and took coin from men who could spare it. Cael found me where his enemies left him blind.
The Scarred Thief
As for payment, ask the lord. He promised a share of whatever the ledger yields, not a number. I stopped asking before he finished avoiding the answer.
The answer gives a history without a name or a sum. The thief's mouth tightens, making clear that further prodding will earn silence rather than candor.
Lord Cael
He is owed coin if the ledger contains it. I offered no fixed amount because I possess none to offer here.
The Scarred Thief
There. Now you know as much as I do. Let the fire die when you are ready, and take the question to the ledger.
“"This ledger, whas in it, Cael? Why you care so much?"”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +1)
Drayden
This ledger, whas in it, Cael? Why you care so much?
Cael studies Drayden across the small fire. For a long moment, only the wood's soft crackle fills the inspection hollow, then he reaches for the sealed tube.
Lord Cael
Names, tolls, route changes, and orders passed between roadwarden posts. If the channel survived, the ledger may tell us who reopened it and where the hidden road leads.
Lord Cael
I care because Veyr used those routes before the tower burned. He knew passages no army could find, and he needed loyal hands to keep them secret.
His thumb rests beside the wax without breaking it. The firelight catches the old severity in his face, but not the uncertainty beneath it.
Lord Cael
If Veyr is dead, the ledger may prove who inherited his network. If he lives, it may show the first place he intends to strike.
The Scarred Thief
And if it holds payment, ranger, it may answer the question that brought you under these hills. That makes it worth opening carefully.
“"Worth?" I scoff. "Worth is a house in Tellem. Worth is a sweet girl on your arm. This feels like a grudge." I try to smirk. It looks more like a wince. "Respectfully”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +1)
Drayden
Worth? Worth is a house in Tellem. Worth is a sweet girl on your arm. This feels like a grudge, Cael. Respectfully.
Drayden tries to smirk, but it pulls into a wince beneath the scar across his nose. The fire settles, and Cael accepts the barb without reaching for anger.
Lord Cael
It is a grudge. I would be a fool to deny that. Veyr took my name, my place, and years of my life.
Lord Cael
But a grudge alone does not explain the dead messenger, the reopened channel, or the hands moving beneath these hills.
Cael lifts the sealed tube, keeping the old wax intact. His expression remains severe, though the admission strips some armor from his voice.
The Scarred Thief
There is your answer, ranger. The lord wants revenge, and the rest of us want coin. At least the ledger may serve both purposes.
Lord Cael
Reach the successor post with us, read what it holds, and take whatever payment the ledger assigns. I will not dress that bargain as anything nobler.
“"Hate is bad for the soul." The words flowed easily, but I wondered if I even believed them. "Best get yer shut eye. Very, or his corpse, awaits."”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled -1)
Drayden
Hate is bad for the soul. Best get yer shut eye. Veyr, or his corpse, awaits.
The words come easily, but the conviction behind them falters. Drayden's voice stays steady enough to reach both men, though holding that calm costs him a quiet weariness.
Lord Cael
Perhaps. I have carried the hatred longer than I carried my title. Sleep may make tomorrow's work cleaner.
The Scarred Thief
A sensible order, ranger. I will take the roots and wake before dawn. The lord can keep the fire.
The scarred thief settles beneath the hanging roots, while Lord Cael wraps the sealed tube and places it beside his cloak. Neither argues further, and the hollow grows still.
Lord Cael
If Veyr lives, I will face him rested. If he is dead, I will learn who keeps his shadow moving.
Firelight fades to embers. Drayden remains awake a little longer, the strain of his restraint heavy behind his eyes, before the inspection hollow finally gives them sleep.
Quest Complete
Lie low for the night
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Fair→Good