Fourteen days after Dunmere’s court settled Hadrik’s crimes, Octavius sits in a quiet records house beyond the busiest streets. Dusty ledgers and rain-muted windows make the room feel removed from the town’s guarded bustle.
Mara Venn enters without an escort, travel cloak still damp at the shoulders. She carries a sealed packet in one hand and a narrow strip of parchment in the other, her guarded expression sharpened by urgency.
Mara Venn
I completed the first stage of protected travel, then came here before anyone could assign me another escort. I needed to speak with you privately.
She places the parchment beside the packet. It bears a copied description of Mara, her former name, and a fresh notation from an innkeeper who was asked whether she had passed through.
Mara Venn
This is proof that someone connected to my former life has been searching for me. The inquiry began after Hadrik was confined, so I do not think it belongs to his conspiracy.
Mara Venn
The packet contains names and one old mark I recognize. I want to know whether the danger is real before I report it to Reeve Anja Vey and set Dunmere moving again.
Mara Venn
Will you help me test what I have found, Octavius? Quietly, and without treating suspicion as proof.
The sealed packet remains between them, its wax unbroken. Outside, a cart rolls past and fades into the narrow street, leaving Mara’s question suspended in the records house.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish safe protection for Mara
“Miss Mara, truthfully I think you should bring this to the Reeve immediately. I will help you either way, but if you trust her then.. Trust her." I hesitate and study Mara's face closely. "Unless you think there's a reason not to trust her with this...”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Octavius
Miss Mara, truthfully, I think you should bring this to Reeve Anja Vey immediately. I will help you either way, but if you trust her, trust her.
Octavius
The hesitation in her face matters more than the packet’s seal.
Octavius studies Mara closely, then leaves the silence open for her answer. His caution does not weaken the recommendation; it makes the offer of help plain.
Mara Venn
I do have a reason to hesitate. Anja’s office was breached once, and I feared bringing this there would announce that I still possess it.
Mara Venn
But you are right. That is a reason to tell her carefully, not a reason to hide it. I will take the packet to her now, and ask for her protection rather than assume it.
Mara breaks the seal only enough to confirm the packet remains intact, then gathers both papers. Together, you leave the quiet records house for Reeve Anja Vey’s office.
Reeve Anja Vey
Bring it inside. We will examine the names, preserve the evidence, and decide what protection you need before anyone else is told.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have Anja assess the threat in Mara’s packet
“Lady Reeve," I open, "Miss Mara was concerned that there could be a secondary conspiracy that hunts her. Now that you know, this may be a situation that should remain off-record.. At least temporarily. If there is a second leak in our house, we can find it faster if those involved believe it is still undiscovered completely.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Octavius
Lady Reeve, Mara feared a secondary conspiracy may still hunt her. Now that you know, this should remain off-record temporarily. If there is another leak in your house, those involved may reveal themselves if they believe it remains undiscovered.
Anja does not reach for the packet. She studies Octavius, then Mara, weighing the danger of secrecy against the danger of announcing that Dunmere has found another thread.
Reeve Anja Vey
Agreed. This matter will remain outside the ordinary record until we know whether the leak is real. Only the three of us will know the packet exists.
Mara Venn
Then I will trust the silence, provided it has a purpose. I want the person searching for me exposed, not merely frightened away.
Anja draws a clean sheet from a locked drawer but leaves it blank. She places the packet upon it without opening the seal, preserving both evidence and the appearance that no report has arrived.
Reeve Anja Vey
We will create a harmless trail and watch who follows it. Mara, you will appear to continue ordinary protected travel. Octavius, you will help me choose what information can safely move.
The packet remains sealed, but its danger now has a guarded place within Anja’s plan. For the moment, the possible conspiracy believes itself unseen.
“Little of this means anything to me." I admit, "But if you can tell me what this means to you, perhaps we can think of something together more than any of us could have alone.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Octavius
Little of this means anything to me. But if you can tell me what it means to you, perhaps we can think of something together that none of us could find alone.
Mara’s guarded posture loosens. She looks from the sealed packet to Anja’s blank sheet, then breaks the wax and unfolds the papers across the desk.
Mara Venn
To me, this means someone is not searching for the woman Dunmere protected. They are searching for the person I was before I changed my name, and they know enough to ask the right questions without showing themselves.
Mara Venn
The old mark belonged to a courier circle I used years ago. It means the inquiry may come from someone who knew my work, not merely someone paid to find me. The innkeeper’s note confirms the search is active, but not who directs it.
Anja reads the copied description without touching the original packet. Her expression sharpens as the scattered details become a question that can be tested rather than a danger that must be guessed at.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then we build the harmless trail around that distinction. We offer different fragments to different trusted channels, and Mara helps us judge which detail would matter to someone from her former life. Together, we can identify the leak without exposing her.
Mara Venn
Yes. I can explain which names, routes, and marks would attract attention, and which would mean nothing. I was afraid this evidence would only demand another guard. With your help, it can become a way to learn who is looking.
Quest Complete
Have Anja assess the threat in Mara’s packet
New Gift: Reads Dangerous Signals