Before Rika can cross, a masked elf man, a young adult elf man with pale skin, pointed ears, and silver hair tied at his nape above the gray robes steps from the chamber beyond Yuki. Layered gray robes conceal his lean frame, and silver thread circles his featureless mask. He approaches the viewing seam with measured authority.
Sered Vale
I am Sered Vale, keeper of this threshold’s ancient agreements. No crossing proceeds until the old account is witnessed.
He produces a narrow ledger from within his robes. Its ink rearranges itself around Rika’s name, forming clauses that crawl across the page like black vines.
Yuki
Sered, no. The agreement was sealed when I crossed. You cannot reopen it now and call the price witnessed.
Sered Vale
I am not reopening the agreement. I am correcting its omission. The ward cannot take a memory until the old account is properly witnessed.
Yuki presses both hands to the stone, alarm sharpening her face. Behind Rika, Ilyra remains in the sealed gallery, unable to approach, while the ledger’s shifting ink continues to seek a final line.
Sered Vale
Claimant, stand where the ward can see you. The account concerns what you bring, what Yuki surrendered, and who bears witness before the threshold takes anything.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure a witnessed agreement governing the crossing's price
“I step into the ward’s sight and face Sered’s ledger.”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +2)
Rika steps into the ward’s sight and faces Sered’s ledger. The pale script catches her silhouette, while the sealed gallery leaves Ilyra watching from behind.
Her Feared Reputation stirs the urge to challenge the masked keeper, but Willpower holds the impulse in check. She remains steady beneath the ledger’s searching ink.
Keen Senses detect the ledger’s concealed binding before it reaches her name. Basic Ward Reading separates the witnessing clause from the memory-taking magic.
Rika raises Yuki’s marked token beside the Payment ledger. The token’s blue mark answers the ward, while the ledger’s route notation confirms what she brings and why.
Sered Vale
Witnessed. You stand within the account, carrying Yuki’s mark and the proof of the road behind you.
The ink settles into a complete record. Sered’s ledger now recognizes Rika as the claimant’s witness, and the threshold’s agreement is properly established before its price can be paid.
Quest Complete
Secure a witnessed agreement governing the crossing's price