Near dusk, Rei reaches the family forge with the elderly woman beside her. Royal Archivist Maelin Thorne remains in the Hall of Permanent Records, guarding the sealed inquiry.
The forge doors groan open. Tavian Rusk, a wounded middle-aged man with ash-blond hair, weathered features, and a torn blue cloak, his lean frame and crooked nose giving his weathered face a gaunt cast, staggers inside carrying a broken ceremonial bridle and blackened metal shard.
Tavian Rusk
Do not send for your family. I came without summons, and I will leave without asking anything of them.
The crown’s aerial-guard crest hangs from Tavian’s torn cloak, scorched but recognizable. He sets the bridle on the anvil, then keeps the shard clenched in his gloved hand.
Lady Meredyth Vale
You entered a private forge carrying royal insignia. Explain before you collapse.
Outside, an unseen gryphon cries once across the darkening roofs. The sound cuts short, leaving only settling coals and Tavian’s uneven breathing.
Tavian Rusk
The warden patrol was attacked above the western cliffs. This bridle broke before its rider did, and this fragment is all that remains of what struck us.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get back home safely
Director's note
the elderly women reveals who she is and why she has been following me
“"A gryphon is the problem likely there glorified sky rats I'll deal with it"”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +3)
Rei
The gryphon is probably the problem. Glorified sky rats. I’ll deal with it.
Rei crosses the forge yard before anyone can stop her. The unseen gryphon cries again, and the sound rolls down from the roofline through the dusk.
Her magic rises without spectacle, a quiet pressure through the stones. The gryphon descends into the yard, wings beating once before settling beneath her command.
Tavian Rusk
It is frightened, not hostile. The patrol’s mounts scattered when the thing struck us.
The gryphon lowers its hooked head, black feathers singed along one wing. Rei’s spell steadies its breathing, and the creature remains safely grounded beside the forge.
Lady Meredyth Vale
My name is Lady Meredyth Vale. I followed you because your family intended to place you under my supervision, and I refused to let them do so unseen.
The elderly woman removes her jeweled mask, revealing a stern elderly elf woman with silver-braided white hair and a narrow scar beneath one eye. Her gaze stays on Rei, no longer disguised.
Director's note
My eyes narrow
“"they overstep yet again and as always it's likely because im not a normal debutante and even more so now that my ball is coming up soon"”
Rei’s eyes narrow. The gryphon remains grounded beside the forge, its breathing steadier now, while Tavian and Lady Meredyth wait beneath the darkening roofline.
The elderly elf woman folds her mask into one gloved hand, her silver braids bright against the forge’s red glow.
Lady Meredyth Vale
I am Lady Meredyth Vale, a royal relative and former court mediator. Your family asked me to supervise your conduct before your ball.
Lady Meredyth Vale
I followed because they expected a normal debutante to accept guidance, appearances, and carefully chosen obligations. You have never fit that arrangement.
Her gaze passes over the broken bridle, then returns to Rei. She does not reach for the royal crest or ask Rei to examine the blackened shard.
Lady Meredyth Vale
Your family believes the approaching ball will restore their control. I believe it will reveal how little control they ever had.
The forge waits beyond them, its tools lined beneath the soot-dark walls. The gryphon stays quiet, and the path back to Rei’s work remains clear.