Mara Venn, wiry and freckle-faced, with a copper brooch pinned to her collar,, a mud-streaked middle-aged woman with cropped dark hair and a rain-dark reeve’s coat, stumbles through the broken arch clutching a cracked brass town seal.
Mara Venn
Mara Venn, senior town reeve. I came from the settlement. Voices are rising from the central well.
Behind her, the freed captive and three surrendered guards remain in the yard with the subdued bandit captain. The pale tower ward glides at Adam’s shoulder, but its blue light dims.
Mara Venn
They repeat your title, Adam Carter. They demand a royal decree, and the whole town is listening.
the presence beneath the tower
A decree carries farther than a bargain, crowned wardens. The well has found a mouth for the prisoner’s claim.
The brass seal in Mara’s hands splits another hairline across its face. From far below, a red pulse travels through the stones and drains color from the ward.
the prisoner
Your kingdom has reached the surface, Adam Carter. Speak your decree, or let the well appoint its own king.
✓ Quest Accepted
Issue a royal decree that preserves the town’s freedom