Dust hangs thick in the storehouse. The thief presses back against the crates, the stolen lens shaking in a dirt-stained hand, while the sealed doors keep the escape shut tight.
The Archivist
Who sent you? These shelves are not empty by accident. Tell us who is stripping the archives bare.
The thief swallows hard, eyes darting from the guards to Your Majesty, then to the lens. The grip on it loosens, just enough to show its star-cut face catching a cold gleam.
The Thief
I was paid to take the lenses, not to ask why. One name came with the coin, a court mark, a sealed token. I only know the orders keep coming, and the hiding places change.
That answer lands like a blade. The theft is not a single break-in, it is a deliberate harvest, and the missing lenses are the pieces needed to shut away the very magic Your Majesty needs to restore her sight.
Guard 1
Then speak the mark, now. If the next hiding place exists, we find it before they take another piece.
The thief hesitates, then lifts the hand with the lens as if ready to bargain, the whole room waiting on the next name.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn who is directing the archive thefts
✓ Quest Accepted
Recover the replacement lens
“"tell us, or this will become very difficult for you, who sent you on this mission?" I ask the thief. I step up to him and sheath my blade,"you said you were paid to take the lens but not to ask questions, but how much were you paid? Did they threaten you? Your family? It can't just be money for you."”
SUCCESS (Good Intimidation, rolled +2)
Your Majesty steps in close and lowers the estoc in one smooth motion. The thief flinches at the calm more than the steel.
Your Majesty
Tell us who sent you. How much were you paid, and what did they hold over you?
The Thief
Not money. Never just money. They said my sister stays fed if I keep moving the lenses, and my brother keeps his hands if I keep my mouth shut.
The Archivist
A court mark. Then this reaches beyond theft into the palace itself.
The Thief
The token bore the old sun seal, half-filed at the edge. I was told to bring the pieces to a masked patron in the river quarter. I never saw the face.
The nameless fear in the thief's voice gives way to something uglier, shame mixed with relief. The storehouse feels smaller around the truth.
The Archivist
Sun seal, river quarter. That is enough to start the chain. We can follow it from here.
Quest Complete
Learn who is directing the archive thefts
“"what if we could offer safety for you and your family in exchange for the lens and any and all information you have on the intruders who set my kingdom up for assault?" I ask the thief”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled +0)
Your Majesty
Safety for you and your family, if you give me the lens and every detail you have on the people behind this.
The thief stares at her for a long breath, then the fight drains out of their shoulders. The lens tilts in their hand as if it has grown heavier.
The Thief
You would bargain for strangers you have never met.
The Thief
If this is a lie, it is a kinder one than the court gave me.
The Archivist
Speak plainly. If there is a route into this, we need it all.
The thief swallows, then nods once. They lower the stolen lens onto the nearest crate instead of clutching it tighter.
The Thief
The orders came through seal-bearers, not merchants. Black cloaks, gloved hands, court paper folded twice. One of them said the river quarter was only the handoff. The patron wants every lens that can show a true face.
The room stays hushed. Even the Archivist seems to measure the words carefully, while the guards keep their posts and let the confession land.
“"what did they look like when they came for your family?" I ask the thief turned informant. I turn to the guards,"exit the doors to keep watch and inform us if anyone is coming down the halls"”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled -2)
Your Majesty turns the room with a small gesture, and the guards answer at once. Guard 1 and Guard 2 ease back to the door, boots soft on dust, taking their posts outside the inner room.
Your Majesty
What did they look like when they came for your family?
The Thief
The thief looks away first, jaw tight. Fear and shame flicker together before they force the memory into words.
The Thief
Not faceless. That is the worst of it. One wore a court cloak pinned with a sun seal, and the other had ink on their cuffs, like a clerk who never expects mud.
The Thief
They spoke polite as priests. They said names like they were inventory. When my sister started crying, the cloaked one did not raise a hand, just watched her until she stopped.
The Archivist
A sun seal at court means someone wants to be obeyed before they are questioned.
The thief nods once, then flinches as the words settle. The lens on the crate catches a thin stripe of light, bright against the hush.
The Thief
There is one more thing. The clerk said the river quarter handoff was not for the lenses alone. He said, if the queen still sees true, she can name them.
“"if we can get our archives back we will have the information we need to destroy them, what else were you told to do by them?" I ask the thief turned informant. "Maybe we can get you to go undercover to deliver what they asked for to them so you can be followed by my guards so we can get more information and find your family."”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled +2)
The thief swallows, then gives a short, shaking nod toward the crate. The room stays hushed around them, dust drifting in the light as if even the shelves are listening.
Your Majesty
If we recover the archives, we recover the truth. What else were you told to do?
The Thief
Only to deliver the lens and keep quiet. But... there was a second order. If anyone pressed, I was to mention the river quarter and wait for a lantern mark.
The Archivist
A lantern mark means a finder’s signal, not a thief’s whim. Someone is coordinating the handoff with care.
Your Majesty
Then help us catch the hand that guides you. You go in as promised, and my guards follow at a distance.
The Thief
They wince, then look down at their own hands. "If I do this, they may think I failed them on purpose."
The Archivist
And if you do nothing, they may keep your family hidden forever.
The Thief
...Fine. I will go. If your guards are clever, they can shadow me without being seen.
“"take the lens with you and give it to them so they don't get upset at you, my guards will follow along not far behind watching out for you and your family." I turn to the Archivist,"we need to head back to the palace panic room and look through all the archives we salvaged for any information about the sun seal the intruders were wearing and anything about the black robes wearing them. I also want to look into an enchanted item called Ersatz Eye to see if there's anything we can find on its location."”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled +1)
Your Majesty turns from the crate, and the thief’s shoulders loosen at once. He takes the lens with both hands, careful as prayer, while the guards close in to shadow his route.
Your Majesty
Take it where they can see you. My guards will be there, not far off.
The Thief
Understood. If I live through this, I owe you more than a pardon.
The Archivist gathers the salvaged papers into a tight stack, already sorting by seal and ledger mark. Dust slips from the crate tops as he draws closer to Your Majesty.
Your Majesty
Back to the palace panic room. Sort every record for the sun seal, black robes, and anything on an item called Ersatz Eye.
The Archivist
At once. If those robes passed through our shelves, the paper trail may still have a pulse.
He hesitates, then tucks the top folio against his chest, eyes flicking once to the thief and once to Your Majesty.
The Archivist
I will start with the indexes and the confiscation logs. The name may be a false lead, but the seal will not be.