Ēlbālis guides Alsōrivō past the fish market and through a loading gate. Cobalt-stained runoff threads between stacked barrels, carrying the sharp scent of dye into the northern warehouses.
Beneath the gate’s awning, Meren Vask, a wary middle-aged woman with a narrow face and a chipped silver earring with a narrow build, olive skin, cropped black hair, and a blue-gray clerk’s coat, checks marks on a slate.
Ēlbālis
Meren. These cobalt batches bear a tower mark. Which shipment was sent toward the Wardens?
Meren Vask
You arrive asking about Wardens, and bring one of my old forge’s marks into my yard. That is not a harmless question.
Meren lowers the slate but keeps one finger pressed to its wet surface. Behind her, workers shift among stacked barrels while a sealed ledger rests on a raised platform.
Ēlbālis
My brother may have followed that shipment. We need its destination, and any directions carried with it.
Meren Vask
The tower batch went out three nights ago under a false consignee. If you want the route, show me what proves you belong in this matter.
✓ Quest Accepted
Obtain the shipment's destination
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the false consignee
“So, what’s a pretty soul like you doing at a harbor? Isn’t it a little rough?”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Persuasion, rolled +2)
Alsōrivō
So, what’s a pretty soul like you doing at a harbor? Isn’t it a little rough for someone like you?
The question hangs beneath the awning. Ēlbālis stiffens, while Meren studies Alsōrivō over the edge of her slate, rain ticking against the gate.
Meren Vask
Pretty souls keep ledgers, hunter. I supervise these shipments because my family owes the dye guild silver, and harbor work pays it.
Meren Vask
The tower-marked cobalt went by barge to Blackwake Pier, then inland through the old pilgrim road. The consignee was listed as Vey Orlan.
Meren slides the slate beneath her arm and steps closer, lowering her voice. Her chipped silver earring catches the gray light.
Meren Vask
You got the answer, but now half my yard thinks you are mocking me. If Vey Orlan hears of this, I will say you pressured me.
Ēlbālis
Blackwake Pier, then. We will take the road and leave Meren’s name out of whatever follows.
Quest Complete
Obtain the shipment's destination
Skill Upgrade: Persuasion Mediocre→Fair
Quest Complete
Identify the false consignee
Skill Upgrade: Persuasion Fair→Good