Before Anja can sort the packet’s fragments, Iven Rusk enters from the gatehouse, rain darkening his cloak. Mara stands beside Octavius while Patter remains near the office threshold.
Iven Rusk
Reeve, a sealed summons was intercepted from an authorized courier. It bears Mara’s former name and orders her to appear at a place neither she nor I recognize as a lawful Dunmere office.
Iven sets the sealed summons beside Mara’s opened papers without breaking its wax. Beyond the door, two guards hold the courier, a young adult human man with a lean build, a rain-darkened brown coat, short black hair, and a narrow, anxious face under watch while the messenger insists the order came through an official channel.
Mara Venn
That is my former name. Whoever sent this wants me to believe Dunmere itself has called me out, or wants the person carrying it to believe that.
Reeve Anja Vey
Iven, keep the courier guarded and untouched. No one opens that summons until we establish the channel it traveled through and who authorized its seal.
Iven gives a sharp nod and remains by the desk for further orders. Anja studies the unfamiliar destination, while Mara keeps her attention on the summons and Octavius stands beside her, with Patter close at hand.
“Iven." I'm surprised to see him. "I assumed you were a wildcard, not part of the Reeve's employ. Why were you being so sketchy the last time we saw you?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +2)
Octavius
I am surprised to see you. I assumed you were a wildcard, not part of the Reeve’s employ. Why were you so sketchy the last time we met?
Iven studies Octavius for a quiet moment, then glances toward the guarded door. Mara remains beside the desk, listening without interrupting, while Patter watches from the threshold.
Iven Rusk
Because I was not part of the Reeve’s employ then. I was a Greenwarden scout, working under old contacts and surviving on caution. If I approached openly, I risked leading the men watching Edrin and Mara straight to you.
Iven Rusk
I needed to know whether your party was compromised before I gave names or showed my face. Once I confirmed the danger, I warned you and brought what I knew to Anja through safer channels.
His answer carries no evasion now. Iven keeps his hands visible, accepting the question as a fair accounting rather than a challenge to his loyalty.
Reeve Anja Vey
That account matches what I later verified. Iven was protecting his sources and testing the road, not serving Hadrik or concealing a betrayal from Dunmere.
✓ Quest Accepted
Expose the person searching for Mara
“Lady Reeve," I glance towards her. "I'm likewise surprised in you. You expressed such a distaste for the Greenwardens... Has something significant changed there since we last spoke at length?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -2)
Octavius
Lady Reeve, I am likewise surprised. You expressed such distaste for the Greenwardens. Has something significant changed since we last spoke at length?
Anja’s gaze moves from Octavius to Iven, then settles on the sealed summons. The question draws a measured silence, not anger, but the room’s attention tightens around her answer.
Reeve Anja Vey
What changed was evidence. I judged the Greenwardens by old rebellion and incomplete reports. Then their warning saved Mara, Edrin, and your party from an ambush, while Dunmere’s lawful channels were being misused.
Reeve Anja Vey
I still do not endorse every Greenwarden action, nor can I erase their history. But I can distinguish unlawful rebellion from useful truth, and judge conduct rather than inherit suspicion.
Iven lowers his eyes, accepting the distinction. Mara watches Anja carefully, while the reeve turns fully toward Octavius, making the next burden plain.
Reeve Anja Vey
Your question also carries a cost, Octavius. By asking it here, you make my revised judgment part of this room’s record. I will need you to stand by it publicly if challenged.
Iven Rusk
That is fair, Reeve. He asked for the truth, and you gave him the part Dunmere can defend.
“I see no flaw there." I lift my hands, palms open and fingers spread to show nothing concealed. "But why should it be challenged? Any leader worth the burden of responsibility should be capable of recognizing reason and ruling based on individual needs rather than a lump punishment for anything the wrong person touched.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Octavius
I see no flaw there. Any leader worth the burden of responsibility should recognize reason and rule by individual conduct, not punish everyone touched by the wrong person.
Octavius lifts both hands, palms open and fingers spread, making his agreement visible to the room. Anja studies the gesture, then the witnesses beyond her desk.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then you will stand by that principle when Dunmere is challenged. I do as well. Authority must protect judgment, not replace it.
The statement settles over the office with the weight of a public record. Iven remains silent, but his posture eases, and Anja’s expression loses its last guarded edge.
Iven Rusk
That is a position a Greenwarden can respect, even from outside Dunmere’s walls.
Reeve Anja Vey
Good. Then let the record show that Octavius affirms my judgment, and that Dunmere’s protection will follow evidence and conduct rather than inherited suspicion.
Anja turns back to the sealed summons, but the room has changed. Octavius’s support is no longer private advice; it is a declared alliance with lawful, measured judgment.
“Lady Reeve, I have one more request to make of your time." I follow up her thoughts on the Greenwardens with the thought of my own risks. "Would we be able to speak privately after this?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Octavius
Lady Reeve, I have one more request to make of your time. Would we be able to speak privately after this?
Octavius keeps his voice warm and measured, asking without diminishing the public agreement just made. Mara watches Anja, while Iven remains attentive beside the desk.
Reeve Anja Vey
Yes. We will finish securing the summons, then speak in my private chamber. You have earned that courtesy, and I would welcome your counsel without an audience.
Anja’s answer is immediate, and her expression makes clear that privacy will not mean dismissal. She turns the sealed summons toward herself, keeping the office’s formal business contained.
Iven Rusk
I can take the summons and the courier’s statement to the records clerk when you are ready, Reeve. That should leave the private discussion undisturbed.
Mara Venn
I will remain with the evidence until you call for me. Whatever you need to discuss, Octavius, I trust you to raise it with her directly.
Anja nods, accepting the arrangement. The summons remains secure on her desk, while the promised private meeting now waits only for the office’s immediate duties to conclude.
“Do we have a plan for what to do with this new information?”
YES (Likely, rolled 52)
The immediate duties conclude without reopening the summons. Anja leads Octavius into her private chamber, while Mara remains with the papers and Iven takes custody of the courier’s statement.
Reeve Anja Vey
We have a plan. We will not send Mara to the named place, and we will not announce that the summons was intercepted.
Anja unlocks a narrow cabinet and removes three blank notices, each bearing different routing marks. She sets them beside a map of Dunmere’s lawful offices.
Reeve Anja Vey
I will send separate, harmless fragments through trusted channels. Each fragment will suggest a different safe destination for Mara’s next movement.
Reeve Anja Vey
The courier remains guarded and untouched. Iven will trace who authorized his route, while Mara identifies which mark or name would matter to her former associates.
She places one finger on the intercepted seal, then withdraws it without disturbing the wax. The plan protects Mara, preserves the evidence, and gives the hidden searcher a reason to reveal its reach.
Reeve Anja Vey
Your part is counsel, not bait. Help me judge what information can move safely, and if the trail points beyond Dunmere, we will meet it lawfully and together.
“If you seek my councel, then I think that each lead should state directly, not suggest. 'Mara WILL be here', 'Mara WILL be there', etc. Keep an eye on those locations, and see who comes sniffing around. If each place has some 'clue' meant perhaps for me or a guard stating that she's been moved to some unnamed 'location B', then they won't necessarily realize it's a trap at all... Only that they were not fast enough.”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled -1)
Octavius
If you seek my counsel, make each lead direct: “Mara will be here,” and elsewhere, “Mara will be there.” Watch every location for whoever comes sniffing around. Leave a clue saying she was moved to an unnamed place, so they believe they arrived too late rather than realizing the trail itself is a trap.
Anja studies the three routing marks, then shifts the map so the lawful offices and likely watchers can be compared at once. The scheme is clear, but its details demand careful checking.
Reeve Anja Vey
Yes. Direct contradictions will make the searchers choose speed over suspicion. Each site will hold a believable notice that Mara has already been moved, with no destination named.
Reeve Anja Vey
I will assign watchers to every site and separate the information channels. Whoever comes looking may reveal which fragment reached them, while believing they merely missed her.
Anja writes three explicit destination statements instead of suggestions and marks the observation posts beside them. The plan is adopted, though verifying the channels consumes the afternoon and leaves one courier route uncertain until checked.
Reeve Anja Vey
Your counsel gives us a trap that does not endanger Mara or rely on a false accusation. I will have the notices prepared, and the uncertainty will be investigated rather than guessed away.
✓ Quest Accepted
Confirm the intercepted summons’s authorizing source
“Are there many in your trust who might share miss Mara's build, from a distance? If I were looking for her myself, I would be asking around the area first... And any building that's seen no foot traffic of anyone matching her description or anyone bringing supplies or guarding the place... That will stink of a trap before anyone ever knocks on any door. If we can't recreate her, then we should place poorly disguised guards around. Ones that will stand out just enough to prove that the place is being 'guarded', bringing enough food for themselves and their pretend ward.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Octavius
Are there many people you trust who could resemble Miss Mara from a distance? I would search nearby first, and notice any building with no ordinary foot traffic or supplies.
Octavius
If we cannot recreate her, place guards who are poorly disguised enough to look obvious, with food and supplies for themselves and their supposed ward. A truly empty site will smell of a trap before anyone knocks.
Anja considers the map again, then marks each proposed destination with a questioning circle. Her attention shifts from the written notices to the ordinary life each site must convincingly display.
Reeve Anja Vey
You are right. Contradictory notices alone invite suspicion if the locations remain lifeless. I can identify trusted women of similar build, or use visible guards whose presence suggests a protected household rather than an abandoned lure.
She adds provisions, routine errands, and plausible watch rotations to the plan. Each site will show signs of recent occupation without placing Mara anywhere near the danger.
Reeve Anja Vey
I accept the change. We will make the decoys active, imperfect, and distinct from one another. Anyone watching will have to choose which detail mattered, and whoever approaches will reveal what they were told.
“The decoys don't need to be perfect. They just need to keep their cloaks up and their heads down so anyone asking about someone with her height, complexion, or hair will hear that someone like that WAS around.. but isn't anymore.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Octavius
The decoys do not need to be perfect. Keep their cloaks up and heads down, so anyone asking about Mara's height, complexion, or hair hears that someone like her was here, but has already gone.
Anja studies the marked destinations, then removes the elaborate details from each proposed notice. Her plan shifts toward the ordinary impression of a guarded traveler who passed through without inviting a second look.
Reeve Anja Vey
Yes. We need resemblance only at a distance, and a believable departure afterward. Cloaks, lowered faces, and simple questions will carry more truth than a rehearsed performance.
She marks each location with a brief description rather than a likeness: a woman of Mara's coloring was seen, kept her head down, and left before inquiries became persistent.
Reeve Anja Vey
The decoys will answer consistently, reveal nothing beyond what was noticed, and appear gone before anyone can learn more. I accept your method, Octavius.
Anja assigns the quiet instructions to her trusted channels and adds watchers who can observe without crowding the sites. The harmless trail now promises presence, departure, and no clear destination.
Quest Complete
Establish safe protection for Mara
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Great→Superb
“Do you have any other matters that you wish my mind on? Or may I borrow your ear for something more private?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +3)
Octavius
Do you have any other matters that wish my mind, Lady Reeve? Or may I borrow your ear for something more private?
Reeve Anja Vey
The decoy plan is my only immediate matter. You may have my private attention now, and you need not soften what you came to say.
Anja closes the cabinet and turns the key, placing it beside the map. The chamber falls quiet beyond the muted sounds of clerks and rain in the outer offices.
Reeve Anja Vey
Before you begin, know that I have already drafted a standing road-observer writ for you, with a regular Dunmere stipend. I intended to offer it after this investigation was settled.
She draws a folded parchment from the same cabinet but keeps it sealed, setting it within Octavius’s reach. Its presence turns private counsel into an opportunity with lasting authority.
Reeve Anja Vey
Speak freely. If your private concern affects Dunmere’s safety, I would rather hear it from you now than discover it after the road has carried you beyond my reach.
“Lady Reeve," I start again, always with the respect she is owed by her position and, frankly, my own high regard for her temperament and reason thus far. "I have not been entirely honest with you. Or rather, I have not told you the whole truth on a matter that I feared would put me in chains before the day was over. I first beg for your forgiveness in that. I know your heart on Greenwardens, and I did not tell you from the start that I am one. I do not wish to enter your confidence without letting you make that choice with full knowledge of who I am.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Octavius
Lady Reeve, I have not told you the whole truth. I am a Greenwarden. I feared honesty would put me in chains, and I ask your forgiveness for withholding it. I will not enter your confidence without letting you choose, knowing fully who I am.
Anja remains still, one hand resting beside the sealed writ. Rain whispers beyond the chamber, while her expression weighs neither betrayal nor surprise, but the trust Octavius has placed before her.
Reeve Anja Vey
I forgive the withholding, Octavius. You feared a judgment I had not yet learned to temper, and your caution was reasonable. You have now given me the truth freely, before accepting my writ.
Reeve Anja Vey
Yes, I still wish to trust you. I will not pretend your allegiance creates no questions, but your conduct has answered the most important one: whom do you serve when authority and justice pull apart?
She breaks the writ’s seal and lays the parchment open between them, making no move to withdraw it. Her choice is deliberate: lawful authority offered with full knowledge, not granted through ignorance.
Reeve Anja Vey
If you accept this standing writ, you do so as Octavius, a Greenwarden who has chosen to serve Dunmere openly and under law. I can work with that truth, and I choose to keep your confidence.
“Truthfully, my lady, that yet stands untested. It would take a great deal, but there are lines I would not cross for either side. But right now, I cannot see a future where that choice would come.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +2)
Octavius
Truthfully, my lady, that yet stands untested. It would take a great deal, but there are lines I would not cross for either side. Right now, I cannot see a future where that choice would come.
Anja studies him in silence, weighing the candor rather than demanding a promise he cannot honestly make. The sealed writ remains open between them.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then your answer is the one I needed. Trust tested only by imagined extremes is not trust at all, and I will not ask you to invent certainty for my comfort.
Reeve Anja Vey
I accept that you have limits, and I accept that you cannot yet name the moment that would reveal them. What matters is that you will not cross those lines quietly or pretend they do not exist.
She turns the writ toward Octavius and places her signet beside the parchment, leaving the choice visible and unforced. Her expression holds neither surrender nor suspicion, but a measured confidence in the person before her.
Reeve Anja Vey
Serve Dunmere while justice and authority can stand together. If they ever pull apart, bring me the truth before you choose your course. I would rather face an honest boundary than be protected by a false oath.
The standing writ is now offered with no hidden condition and no demand for absolute loyalty. Anja waits, giving Octavius room to accept it as himself, with every uncertainty acknowledged.
“I cannot promise I will always follow every order, but I can promise that if you ever give one that I cannot or will not follow, you won't find out by surprise. I will say so to your face, as immediately as I can, and I will try to help you find an alternative that I can carry out instead.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Octavius
I cannot promise I will always follow every order. But if I cannot or will not follow one, you will hear it from me immediately, never by surprise. I will tell you to your face and help find an alternative I can carry out.
Anja listens without interrupting. When Octavius finishes, the private chamber holds only the rain beyond the shutters and the quiet weight of the offered writ.
Reeve Anja Vey
That is a promise I can accept. Immediate truth gives me the chance to change an order, defend it, or find another path before silence turns a disagreement into danger.
Reeve Anja Vey
You will not be punished for bringing me a boundary in good faith. I may still require an explanation, and I may still disagree, but I will know where we stand.
She draws the writ closer and writes a brief clause beneath the terms: disagreements must be raised promptly, with lawful alternatives offered where possible. Then she signs it again.
Reeve Anja Vey
Serve Dunmere under that understanding, Octavius. I accept your limits, your candor, and your offer to help repair an order when you cannot carry it out.
Anja turns the signed writ fully toward him. The authority remains hers, but its terms now include the honest warning Octavius has promised to give.
“You honour me, my lady." I answer, standing to give her a formal bow, bending at the spine instead of the hips to avoid aggravating my left side. The low pressure system of rain always makes it ache a little more than usual. Then I sign the writ directly under her own signature. "Thank you.”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +0)
Octavius
You honour me, my lady. Thank you.
Octavius rises and gives Anja a formal bow, bending from the spine to spare his left side. Rain pressure aches through his hip, but the movement remains steady. He takes the offered pen and signs the writ directly beneath her signature.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then it is witnessed and agreed. You serve Dunmere under a promise of candor, not obedience without judgment.
Anja sands the fresh ink and waits for it to settle before folding the writ. Her signet closes the document, preserving both the authority she grants and the boundary Octavius placed within it.
Reeve Anja Vey
Keep this with your papers. When the road brings you a danger, a dispute, or a useful truth, Dunmere will know where to find you.
She offers the signed writ across the desk. Outside, rain continues against the shutters, but the private chamber now holds a settled accord, freely entered and plainly recorded.
+ New Item Acquired
signed road-observer writ
“And my lady, if my loyalties ever change," I accept the writ and tuck it away, "I promise you will know from my own lips before my hand ever moves. I may skulk about in the woods, but I am no filthy cut-throat. If we ever find ourselves on opposite sides of a line, it will be a line I walk away from- I hold too much respect for you for anything else against you.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Octavius
And, my lady, if my loyalties ever change, I promise you will know from my own lips before my hand ever moves. I may skulk in the woods, but I am no filthy cut-throat. If we stand on opposite sides of a line, I will walk away from it. I respect you too much for anything else.
Octavius accepts the writ and tucks it safely among his papers. His promise settles in the chamber without bravado, clear enough to be trusted and firm enough to be remembered.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then I know where you stand, Octavius. Not beneath Dunmere blindly, and not beyond its reach. You stand with us while justice remains something we can recognize and serve.
Anja closes the empty document case and rests both hands upon it. The sealed writ is no longer an offer awaiting proof, but a working trust carried openly into the world.
Reeve Anja Vey
If that day ever comes, tell me before you act, as you have promised. I will hear the truth from you, even when it is difficult, and answer it with the same respect.
Rain continues against the shutters. Anja rises and offers her hand across the desk, not as a formal command, but as acknowledgment of the alliance they have chosen with clear eyes.
“I cannot see a future where I would do anything else." I answer, reaching across the desk to take her hand with a steady hand, matching her grip while taking care not to squeeze her knuckles or fingers. "I am but an animal following my nature; I will bleed when cut, cry when grieved, roar when angered, and leave when conditions become unfavorable." I offer her a smile, "The same as any other.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Octavius
I cannot see a future where I would do anything else.
Octavius reaches across the desk and takes Anja’s hand with steady care, matching her grip without squeezing her fingers. The handshake is warm, respectful, and firm.
Octavius
I am but an animal following my nature; I will bleed when cut, cry when grieved, roar when angered, and leave when conditions become unfavorable.
Octavius
The same as any other.
He offers her a smile, without weakening the seriousness of his promise. Anja holds his hand a moment longer, meeting his plain honesty without asking him to become less than himself.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then I will trust the nature you have shown me, Octavius. You may be wounded, grieved, angered, or driven away, but you will not hide the truth from me.
“Does the Reeve have any other questions for me before I meet up with Edrin and Mara?”
NO, AND WORSE (Unlikely, rolled 94)
Reeve Anja Vey
No. I have no further questions for you, Octavius. Go to Edrin and Mara when you are ready. They should hear of this accord from you, not from a clerk’s record.
Before the handshake can fully end, hurried boots strike the outer passage. The door opens, and Iven Rusk appears, rain on his cloak and alarm held tightly behind his eyes.
Iven Rusk
Reeve, the guarded courier is gone. The gatehouse guards found the holding room empty, and one of them received a written order to move Mara and Edrin before dawn.
Anja’s hand leaves Octavius’s, and the warmth of the agreement gives way to immediate command. Beyond the chamber, two gatehouse guards wait under orders, one holding the suspicious instruction without breaking its seal.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then there is no farewell yet. Iven, seal the lodging and find out whether Mara and Edrin have been moved. No one follows that order, and no one opens it without me.
The standing writ rests safely in Octavius’s papers, but the promised meeting with Edrin and Mara has become a race against an unknown hand. Iven turns sharply toward the outer hall.
“Lady Reeve!" I call out sharply, no longer focused on keeping my face in socially acceptable features, the sudden swing into a threatening situation raising my lips to bare teeth as if this challenge were a bear I hoped to scare away from camp instead of something intangible. "If whoever sent that note has the same plan we do, whatever that order says to take them may be a ruse. WIth your permission, I want to see if I can follow tracks. It's been raining for hours, if they walked all together, there will be tracks. If they've been taken against their will, the weight will show on hoofprints just as clear as sun to me.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Survival, rolled -1)
Octavius
Lady Reeve! If whoever sent that note expects us to follow it, the order may be a ruse. With your permission, I want to follow the tracks. Hours of rain will not erase fresh passage, and weight will tell us whether Mara and Edrin walked freely or were carried.
Anja’s eyes sharpen at the request. Outside, the two gatehouse guards wait beneath the dripping eaves, one still holding the sealed instruction, while Iven watches the corridor.
Reeve Anja Vey
You have my permission. Iven, keep the gate secured. No one alters the scene until Octavius has read it.
Iven Rusk
Understood. I will hold the guards here and keep the courier’s disappearance from becoming another unrecorded movement.
Octavius reaches the lodging threshold and lowers himself into the rain-dark mud. Fresh impressions lead away from the protected rooms: two ordinary boot trails, close together, with no drag marks or uneven pressure suggesting either traveler was carried.
Octavius
They left on their feet, and together.
The tracks turn toward the servants’ passage rather than the public gate, preserving their edges beneath the dripping stones. Their direction is clear, and Octavius can lead Anja and Iven after them without disturbing the evidence.
“It looks like they were alone. I only see two tracks." I look to Iven, "I thought you said someone came saying they were to be taken to a second location. There should be at least one more set of tracks. I don't think these are the trail we should be following. Is there another way out of the safehouse? Even a window big enough to climb out of?”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +2)
Octavius
It looks like they were alone. I see only two tracks. Iven, you said someone came claiming they were to be taken elsewhere. There should be another set. Is there another way out of this safehouse, even a window large enough to climb through?
Octavius points out the clean discrepancy without stepping across the paired trails. The rain has softened the ground, but it has not erased the absence of a third passage.
Iven Rusk
I said the order claimed they were being moved. I did not see the person who carried it take them. If these are Mara and Edrin’s tracks, the order may have sent someone else looking for them.
Iven turns back into the safehouse and indicates a narrow servants’ stair. At its end, a barred rear window opens onto a covered drainage court, broad enough for an adult to climb through.
Iven Rusk
There is the other way out. The window was built for moving sacks and ash, not people, but it opens wide enough. Its sill is dry, so anyone leaving there went before the rain reached it.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then we do not follow the paired tracks yet. Iven, show Octavius the court and secure both exits. I will keep the guards here until we know which route was used.
“Lets pace the outside of the building and see if there are any other tracks leading away.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Survival, rolled -1)
Octavius circles the safehouse at a careful pace, keeping to the margins of the rain-softened ground. He checks beneath the eaves, around the drainage court, and beyond the rear window without disturbing the paired trail.
At the far side of the building, fresh impressions emerge from the covered court and angle toward a narrow lane. One set is lighter and sharper than the two tracks by the lodging.
Iven Rusk
That is another departure. Whoever used the window crossed the court and left this way.
Octavius follows the single trail with his eyes rather than his feet. The rain has blurred its edges, but the direction remains plain: away from the safehouse and toward the lower service lane.
Reeve Anja Vey
Then the order and the escape were separate movements. We know which trail belongs to the people who left together, and which one belongs to the person who came searching.
Anja joins Octavius at the outer wall, while Iven secures the window behind them. The evidence now separates the safehouse’s occupants from the unknown visitor without requiring anyone to disturb the tracks.
“Can I follow Edrin and Maras tracks?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 20)
The paired trail continues beyond the servants’ lane, its impressions still distinct beneath the rain. The nearer prints match Edrin Vale’s broader stride and Mara Venn’s lighter step, confirming they left together on foot.
Reeve Anja Vey
Yes. We can follow them without confusing their trail with the visitor’s. They chose this route deliberately, or were directed along it together.
The paired impressions angle toward the lower service lane, where covered passages join the older quarter. No drag marks, scattered belongings, or sign of a struggle interrupts their departure.
Iven Rusk
Their pace was steady. Whoever moved them did not force them from the rooms, and the separate trail confirms the messenger came afterward, searching rather than escorting.
Patter slips ahead along the lane’s dry margin, pauses at the first bend, and looks back. The paired trail remains readable beyond him, leading toward the lower quarter and away from the public gate.
Reeve Anja Vey
We follow their tracks now, carefully and without calling out. Iven, keep the rear secure. If they left under instruction, we will learn whose instruction before we confront anyone.
“Respectfully, my lady, if you can provide a sure-footed horse for off-trail work, I can follow faster than the group of us could. All the more success if you have another archer who can travel with me on the same mount." I speak with urgency, fear for my friends making my voice rise accidentally. "Please, let me find them!”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -2)
Octavius
Respectfully, my lady, provide a sure-footed horse and another archer to ride with me. I can follow faster alone. Please, let me find them.
Urgency lifts Octavius’s voice above its respectful measure. Anja hears the fear beneath it, then turns toward the guarded yard as Patter watches the rain-dark lane.
Reeve Anja Vey
You have them. Take Ashstep, the bay mare in the eastern stall. Guard Tessa will ride with you and carry a bow. Bring Mara and Edrin home.
Anja moves quickly, authorizing the stablemaster to release Ashstep, a compact bay mare with sure legs and a white star, an adult horse with a sturdy body, long dark face, and black mane and tail. Tessa appears with her bow already strung.
Guard Tessa
I can follow your reading of the trail. But Anja is placing her authority behind this search, so we return with evidence, not merely conviction.
Reeve Anja Vey
Your plea persuaded me, Octavius. It also raises the cost of failure: if you disregard my orders in the field, your standing writ will face immediate review.
Ashstep stamps once beneath the stable eaves. Tessa mounts with her bow, and the pair are ready to pursue Mara and Edrin along the paired trail.
“"My lady, I want them safe possibly more than you do." Fear cracks my expression into something that shows desperation. "With all due respect, you cannot punish me more than my own conscience if I fail. Can we leave now, please?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Octavius
My lady, I want them safe possibly more than you do. With all due respect, you cannot punish me more than my own conscience if I fail. Can we leave now, please?
Fear cracks Octavius’s expression into open desperation. Anja studies him for one breath, then gestures toward the waiting horses as rain threads silver through the stable yard.
Reeve Anja Vey
Yes. Go now, and bring them back safely. Your conscience is not a weakness here, Octavius. It is why I am trusting you with this.
Anja’s permission settles the last hesitation. Tessa swings into the saddle, while Octavius mounts Ashstep and gathers the reins without taking his eyes from the paired trail.
Guard Tessa
Stay ahead and read the ground. I will guard our rear and keep anyone from following unseen.
Ashstep moves into the rain at a controlled trot, sure-footed over the slick stones. Patter darts along the lane’s margin, then vanishes beneath the dripping hedges as Octavius leads toward the lower quarter.
The paired tracks remain visible ahead, turning between old walls toward the service road. Tessa follows close behind, bow ready, while the search begins in earnest beneath Dunmere’s cold rain.
“Thank you." I do not hesitate any further and throw myself over the geldings back, immediately urging my horse into a swift canter. I don't know how far the trail will go, and I need to watch the tracks, but I also need to go as fast as my eyes can follow the trail. Tessa will catch up; both her and Lady Reeve know how much I need this to work, and have permitted my haste thus far. "All of us will return, if I have my way.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Survival, rolled -2)
Octavius
Thank you. All of us will return, if I have my way.
Octavius throws himself over Ashstep’s back and drives her into a swift canter. The mare gathers speed beneath him, following the paired tracks as rain beads across the stones.
He keeps his eyes on each darkened impression, reading where Mara and Edrin chose firmer ground through the lower quarter. The pace holds, but the saddle’s hard edge bruises his left hip.
Guard Tessa
Keep your line, Octavius. I have you in sight.
Tessa’s horse closes the distance behind him without breaking formation. Patter flashes along the hedge, then vanishes beneath dripping branches as Ashstep carries Octavius over the freshest trail.
The paired tracks lead through the lower quarter and onto a covered service way. Octavius maintains the swift canter, eyes following every turn while rain and hoofbeats close around the pursuit.
“Stay back" I call after myself to Guard Tessa, going as fast as I can push Ashstep while still being able to keep an eye on the deep mud-trod tracks of Mara and Edrin. "Close enough to hear a yell, far enough that I look like I'm alone!”
SUCCESS (Legendary Survival, rolled +0)
Octavius
Stay back, Tessa! Close enough to hear a yell, far enough that I look like I’m alone!
Octavius urges Ashstep into her fastest controlled pace, then angles across the covered way while keeping Mara and Edrin’s deep mud-trod tracks plainly visible.
Guard Tessa
Understood. I’ll stay far enough back to disappear from whoever is watching, but close enough to answer you.
Tessa checks her horse and lets the distance open. Rain softens the lane behind her, leaving Octavius apparently alone as Ashstep bears him onward.
The paired tracks cut through deeper mud ahead, their stride still steady. Octavius reads each turn without slowing, while Patter keeps pace along the hedge’s dripping edge.
Ashstep carries him beyond the last clustered houses and into a narrow service lane. Tessa remains within earshot but out of sight, exactly as he intended.
“Patter, can you scout ahead? We will follow you, find Mara and Edrin!”
SUCCESS (Great Animal Handling, rolled +0)
Octavius
Patter, can you scout ahead? We will follow you. Find Mara and Edrin!
Patter
Yip!
Patter slips ahead beneath the dripping hedge, his dark-tipped tail vanishing between the stones. Octavius follows the paired tracks at a measured pace while Tessa keeps back in the rain.
The fox pauses at a fork where the service lane divides, then turns sharply toward an overgrown arch. His raised muzzle and fixed attention mark a fresh scent beyond it.
Patter
Here!
Octavius urges Ashstep after him. Beyond the arch, Mara and Edrin stand beneath a disused covered way, alert and unharmed beside a shuttered storehouse. Patter circles them once, then returns proudly.
Tessa arrives moments later, bow ready but lowered when she sees them. The reunited travelers exchange quick assurances, and Octavius’s successful search brings them all safely together beneath the rain-sheltered roof.
“Tessa, back!" I hiss quietly, before she steps into the clearing. "Friends!" I call out, much louder as I greet them to cover the sound of my command to Guard Tessa, "Where have you been? You've been recalled, didn't you know?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Octavius
Tessa, back! Friends! Where have you been? You’ve been recalled, didn’t you know?
Octavius’s hiss reaches Tessa before she enters the clearing. She halts behind the arch, lowering her profile, while his louder greeting carries beneath the covered way.
Mara Venn
Recalled? No one told us anything. We were brought here by a messenger who claimed the safehouse was compromised.
Edrin Vale
We thought you were following our trail, Octavius. If this is an official recall, we should hear it from Reeve Anja herself.
Mara turns toward the lane, scanning for the supposed escort, while Edrin keeps his voice steady. Behind the arch, Tessa remains concealed and ready, exactly where Octavius signaled.
Mara Venn
Come closer, but quietly. We were not harmed, though the messenger knew enough of Dunmere’s procedures to make the order sound genuine.
“I'm glad you are both safe." I step forward to embrace Edrin and Mara into a friendly, warm hug. Using it to whisper "Your messenger was false, we were afraid you had already been killed. Keep up friendly appearances in case we are being watched, but you must come back with me. Lady Tessa is in the woods, but we need to get you into cover before we make a run for it.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -2)
Octavius
I’m glad you are both safe. Your messenger was false. We feared you had already been killed. Keep up friendly appearances, but come back with me. Lady Tessa is in the woods, and we need cover before we run.
Octavius steps forward and gathers Edrin and Mara into a warm embrace, keeping his warning low between ordinary reassurances. Mara stiffens for one breath, then returns the gesture; Edrin pats Octavius’s shoulder as though greeting an old friend.
Mara Venn
Then we are delighted to see you, Octavius. We should leave this charming shelter before our hosts decide to visit.
Edrin Vale
Aye. We have missed the road, and I would be pleased to return under your watch.
Their friendly performance carries beneath the covered way. Mara’s hand briefly closes around Octavius’s sleeve, guiding him toward deeper shadow, while Edrin turns outward to make their departure appear casual.
Mara Venn
You have my trust for this, but now I owe you an explanation, and you owe me one for keeping that fear from us.
The cost of Octavius’s convincing warmth is plain: Mara’s trust now carries a debt of candor. Still, all three reach the storehouse’s deeper cover together, with Tessa concealed beyond the arch.
“"Let us away, then. I owe it to you both to cover the first shout of ale." I won't admit to lady Tessa in the trees aloud, nor her mount, so I reinforce the aspect that I have 'come alone' after them. "My one horse won't carry us all, shall we walk back?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Octavius
Let us away, then. I owe it to you both to cover the first shout of ale. My one horse will not carry us all. Shall we walk back?
Octavius keeps his tone easy and gestures toward the rain-dark lane, making his return seem solitary and his invitation an ordinary reunion. Mara understands the performance at once.
Mara Venn
A walk sounds welcome, and I will gladly hold you to that ale. Come, Edrin. Let us leave before this shelter grows sentimental.
Edrin Vale
Gladly. A quiet walk back will give us time to explain ourselves, and I will not refuse an ale bought by a friend.
Mara steps beside Octavius while Edrin takes the outer position, their relaxed pace suggesting travelers returning from a harmless errand. Patter slips from beneath the arch and keeps close to Octavius’s boots.
The three leave the covered way on foot, speaking lightly as they follow the lane toward Dunmere. Behind them, the shelter and its false summons recede without revealing the hidden support waiting in the trees.
“Alright, now that we're alone and in cover... Lady Tessa, lets all mount up together and haul arse to Dunmere, please?”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +0)