A silver line crawls through the cracks beneath Edrin, branching across the wet stone. It rises into the outline of a crowned spirit, a towering ageless warden spirit with a faceless silver visage, a crown of pale flame, and a broad mantle of ward-light trailing among its many hands with many reaching hands, each formed from pale ward-light.
The Speaking Lantern Hook
That is the old warden, bound here by the shrine's first pact. It guards the chest, and it has awakened to the survivor's return.
The Crowned Warden Spirit
The chest cannot be removed. The living survivor must answer for the theft before the pact releases its hold.
The apparition does not strike. Its many hands remain lifted around the silver outline, while the flooded passage surges behind the wedged chest and Mara keeps Edrin supported on the dry stone.
The Trapped Voice
I survived beneath this shrine, but I did not steal the chest. I was trapped here when the thieves sealed the passage.
Mara Vell
The warden asks for an answer, not a confession forced by drowning. Let him speak where the stone can hear him clearly.
The spirit's crown brightens, and one spectral hand turns toward Edrin while another points at the sealed chest. The water climbs another inch, leaving the judgment and the next answer open to Kelnozz.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have the old warden release Edrin
“I will bring her with me, to find the TRUE thieves and bring them to justice!”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled -1)
Kelnozz turns toward Edrin and offers his strength, making clear through action that the survivor will leave the undercroft with him. Mara shifts to support Edrin's unsteady side.
The crowned warden spirit lowers several ward-lit hands. Its silver outline parts around the eastern route, granting passage while the chest remains secured behind them.
The Crowned Warden Spirit
Take the survivor. The pact will follow his testimony beyond these stones, and it will not release the thieves from judgment.
Kelnozz helps Edrin onto the dry ledge and guides him toward the opened arch. His bruised shoulder swells beneath the effort, but the survivor reaches the passage beside him.
The Trapped Voice
I will go with you. I know the thieves' voices, the route they used, and where they took the true chest.
At the threshold, Kelnozz's resolve falters for one visible breath beneath the warden's judgment. Mara notices, then steadies Edrin as the moment passes.
The Speaking Lantern Hook
The eastern road is open. Follow the survivor, and the true thieves can be found beyond the shrine.
Quest Complete
Have the old warden release Edrin
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Great→Superb