At Vellstead’s stone-floored kitchen, Mara Vell sits, a young woman with a slender build, warm brown skin, a round face, and dark hair braided over one shoulder, sits opposite Dagg and the mud-spattered royal justice. Her mother’s name, the inheritance date, and the sword’s journey lie open in the mud-spattered royal justice’s notes, while the dwarf smith remains behind at the forge with the blade.
Halric Dane
Tell us what your mother said about the sword, Mara. Begin with her last instructions, and distinguish what you heard from what you merely believe.
Mara Vell
She told me the blade was not to be sold or pledged. She said its true history was written elsewhere, in a message she expected to reach me after her death.
Hoofbeats stop outside. The mud-stained pilgrim enters beneath a travel-worn hood, carrying a narrow sealed packet against his chest. Road dust and rain mark the folds of his gray cloak.
The Mud-Stained Pilgrim
This came from Hanor through three towns under my pilgrimage’s protection. I was charged to deliver it unopened, and only in Mara Vell’s presence.
Halric Dane
Who gave it to you, and where was each handoff recorded? A sealed message proves nothing if its chain of custody cannot be examined.
The Mud-Stained Pilgrim
The seal is my concern only until Mara sees it. I kept the names and marks of every keeper in my pilgrim’s book. Open it here, and let her judge whether it bears her mother’s hand.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine whether the sealed message supports Mara’s inheritance
“{Dagg is smitten over Mara's beauty and struggles to get his words out} Well go on and open it miss Vell”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +2)
Dagg Nabbitt
Well, go on and open it, Miss Vell.
The request catches in Dagg’s throat, and his pause stretches longer than the simple instruction requires. He steadies himself by returning to the record: Mara’s name, her mother’s warning, and the packet’s chain of custody.
Mara Vell
Yes. I will open it now, and I will keep the seal and writing visible for the record.
Mara accepts the packet from the mud-stained pilgrim. She examines the red wax, then breaks it carefully while the mud-spattered royal justice bends over his notes and Dagg watches every mark.
The Mud-Stained Pilgrim
The seal has not been disturbed since I received it. The marks of each keeper are written in my book.
Mara Vell
This is my mother’s hand. She wrote that the sword belonged to our family, but that its first claim was held in another record.
The opened message lies flat beside the mud-spattered royal justice’s notes. Its handwriting, date, and reference to the sword are now available for comparison, giving the inquiry a new document and Mara a direct account from her mother.
Quest Complete
Determine whether the sealed message supports Mara’s inheritance
“I would like Miss Vell to accompany us. {Dagg says while uncontrollably smiling at her, her beauty has him stunned} It would be best if she stay with us until we solve this, someone could try and harm her and I would not want that to happen.... because the sword of course, no other reason.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +3)
Dagg Nabbitt
Miss Vell, I would like you to accompany us. Until this is settled, someone may try to harm you because of the sword, and I would not want that. Because of the sword, of course.
Dagg’s smile lingers helplessly as he addresses her, and the practical explanation takes an awkward pause before he finishes it. He returns to the open message and the evidence instead of adding anything further.
Mara Vell
I will go with you. If the sword has made me a target, staying here alone would be foolish, and I would rather hear the matter settled in person.
Halric watches Mara’s face, then records her agreement as voluntary testimony. Dagg’s questions follow the habits of an examiner: who wrote the message, what date it bears, and what record her mother meant.
Mara Vell
My mother named the old parish archive at Saint Orra’s. She said the first claim was copied there before the sword entered our family’s keeping.
Halric Dane
That gives us a lawful next stop and a surviving record to compare against Pike’s filing. Mara will travel under crown protection, and I will enter her consent exactly.
Mara folds her mother’s message into her bodice and gathers a weathered traveling cloak. The inquiry now has its willing witness, a named archive, and a protected road ahead.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn the sword’s first recorded claim
“My war horse, named Peppers, is just outside Miss Vell, you are more than welcome to ride her, I will walk. {Dagg says bashfully} My dog could use a walking partner anyway. {He says as he nods towards his dog.} Is there anything you need to grab from your home before we leave... I will carry it for you”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +0)
Dagg Nabbitt
Peppers is just outside, Miss Vell. You are welcome to ride her while I walk. My dog could use a walking partner, too. Is there anything you need from home before we leave? I will carry it for you.
Dagg nods toward the doorway, where Peppers waits saddled and calm, an adult mare, a broad-chested bay war horse with a white star. Your border collie rises at once, tail sweeping the stones.
Mara Vell
I need only my mother’s shawl, a spare dress, and the family papers. If you carry the papers, I can keep the shawl close.
Dagg asks which papers she means, checking dates and seals before accepting the packet. His questions keep the journey’s record clear, though his easy pace makes the packing less hurried than it might be.
Halric Dane
I will witness the inventory. Her mother’s message, the parish reference, and any family paper must remain together under the crown’s account.
Mara returns with the shawl, spare dress, and papers secured in a small leather case. Dagg takes the case, and she mounts Peppers while your border collie falls willingly into step beside her.
Mara Vell
Thank you, Dagg. I am ready for Saint Orra’s, and I will tell you anything else I remember on the road.
+ New Item Acquired
Leather case
“I would love to hear everything about yourself {Dagg says shyly} Just to pass the time i mean, no other reason.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +1)
Dagg Nabbitt
I would love to hear everything about yourself, Miss Vell. Just to pass the time, I mean, no other reason.
The road unwinds beneath Peppers’s steady hooves. Dagg walks beside her, asking one careful question at a time, though his relaxed pace lets silences linger while your border collie pads nearby.
Mara Vell
I grew up here at Vellstead, mostly with my mother. My father died when I was small, so she taught me the fields, the accounts, and the family stories herself.
Dagg checks her words against the dates in his journal, then asks about each change of ownership. His questions keep witness and belief separate, even as the road’s quiet invites an easier conversation.
Mara Vell
My mother said the sword came to her from her grandmother, who received it from a soldier named Corvin Vell. She never claimed he forged it, only that he carried it home after serving the crown.
Mara Vell
She believed the first claim was older than our family’s possession. That is why she sent me to Saint Orra’s archive. She wanted the truth recorded before anyone could purchase a more convenient history.
Mara’s account gives Dagg a soldier’s name, a family chain, and a clear reason for the parish record. Ahead, the road bends toward Saint Orra’s wooded hill.
“Here we are at Saint Orra's. here let me help you down Miss Vell {Dagg tries not to touch her inappropriately and tries to look away so she does not know he is crushing on her} {After Miss Vell speaks Dagg then says} Is there anything else I can help you with Miss Vell?”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled +2)
Saint Orra’s hill rises ahead beneath beech trees, crowned by a weathered stone chapel and a low archive house. Dagg takes Peppers’s reins and approaches at an unhurried rancher’s pace.
He offers Mara his hand and steadies her descent from the saddle, keeping his touch careful and brief while looking toward the chapel steps. His relaxed manner makes the help slower than necessary, but his balance is sure.
Mara Vell
Thank you, Dagg. I am safely down. The archive should be through that side door, if the old markings have not faded.
Mara gathers her cloak and checks the leather case at her side. Your border collie sniffs along the chapel wall, while Peppers lowers her head and waits beside the mounting stone.
Dagg Nabbitt
Is there anything else I can help you with, Miss Vell?
Mara Vell
Please carry the family papers until we reach the archive. After that, I may need your help reading the older entries and comparing them with my mother’s message.
She places the leather case in Dagg’s keeping, then looks toward the archive door. A faded parish symbol remains carved above its lintel, and the quiet hill holds no sign of anyone waiting outside.