Pipe smoke hangs low over the tavern, turning lanternlight into a bruise-colored haze. Verner sits alone at a corner table, his red cloak impossible to ignore.
Near the hearth, three guild enforcers crowd a bench and laugh too loudly. Their eyes keep sliding to the silver-hilted rapier in the middle of the table.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
Look at it shine. Fancy steel for a dead elf-taught fool.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
He came dancing in like a minstrel and left on the floor. That blade belongs to better hands.
The broad-shouldered one rolls the rapier across his knuckles, slow and deliberate, while nearby patrons pretend not to listen.
Then the sharp-faced enforcer turns, finds Verner watching, and the laughter thins into a testing silence.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
You there, red hat. If that sword means something to you, come claim it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Claim the silver-hilted rapier
“I stand up slowly, keeping my hand near my belt. Where did they get that blade, could it have been my father's?”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +1)
Verner rises slowly from the corner chair, one hand still near his belt, and the tavern seems to tighten around him. The silver hilt catches the hearth glow as the enforcers watch his every move.
Verner
Where did you get that blade? Could it be my father’s?
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
Your father’s? That is a neat little story.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
We took it from a corpse with better manners than yours. If it matters to you, step closer and ask properly.
A few nearby patrons lower their gazes. The broad-shouldered man eases the rapier from his knuckles and lets it settle flat on the table, as if offering a dare instead of a weapon.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
If it is the one you seek, come prove it.
The sharp-faced one tilts his chin toward the blade, smiling thinly, while the room waits for Verner’s next move.
“I ask who killed the corpse they took it from”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Verner’s question lands cleanly, and the broad-shouldered enforcer’s smugness thins at the edges. The room stays hushed around them, but the man’s glance flicks to the blade, then to the fire, as if weighing how much of the truth costs him nothing.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
A sellsword, by the look of it. Down in the alleys off the Dock Ward. He died with that steel in his belt and no one left to mourn him.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
Not a merchant. Not a noble. A duelist, maybe, if the hilt is any sign. Better questions are who sent him, and why it mattered.
The broad-shouldered man lifts the rapier by two fingers and turns the silver hilt toward Verner, letting the hearthlight flash along its curve. For a breath, the tavern feels less like a den and more like a witness stand.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
You want the corpse’s name, you ask in the right taverns. You want the blade, you reach for it.
He gives a small, taunting shrug and holds the weapon just out over the table, not yet surrendering it, but no longer pretending the answer is hidden.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
So. Do you know the dead man, or only the steel he wore?
“Was the dead duelist killed in a fair duel?”
NO (Even, rolled 81)
The broad-shouldered enforcer lets out a dry, humorless laugh that does not reach his eyes. He shakes his head slowly, the silver hilt catching the dim light as he tilts it away from Verner.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
Fair? There was nothing fair about the way he went down. It was a gutter job, plain and simple.
+ New Item Acquired
silver-hilted rapier
“Did they steal the rapier from a corpse?”
NO (Likely, rolled 90)
The enforcer's smirk falters for a fleeting second, his gaze darting toward his companion before he scoffs at the suggestion of a corpse. He leans back, his fingers drumming a rhythmic, dismissive beat against the wooden table surface.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
A corpse? You have a morbid imagination, mage. We found this blade abandoned in a gambling den, left behind by a coward who couldn't pay his debts.
“Is it my adopted father's blade, Valkir the Bladesinger”
YES (Likely, rolled 36)
Verner
The pommel is worn exactly where Father used to rest his thumb, and the faint etching of the singing bird is still visible beneath the grime.
The realization hits Verner with the weight of a physical blow, confirming the blade is indeed the heirloom of Valkir the Bladesinger.
“Verner asks the men to surrender the blade”
NO, BUT (VeryUnlikely, rolled 19)
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer merely chuckles, his fingers drumming a slow, rhythmic beat against the wooden table as he refuses to relinquish the steel. His companion mirrors the gesture with a cold, dismissive smirk, making it clear that no amount of pleading will part them from their prize.
“I take the rapier from the table”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled +2)
Verner's hand flashes in, swift as a struck note, and the rapier is gone from the table before either enforcer can snatch it back. The silver hilt catches the hearthlight as it changes hands, then settles with Verner.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
So, the little mage does have teeth.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
Careful now. You only prove you can move fast.
A few patrons lift their eyes for a heartbeat, then look away again as the balance in the room shifts. The enforcers stay seated, but their smugness tightens into something harder.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
That blade has a story. You want it, you can pay for the tale.
The rapier rests with Verner now, light in his grip and undeniable in the smoke-thick air. Across the table, both men watch for his next move.
Quest Complete
Claim the silver-hilted rapier
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Fair→Good
“I ask what story the blade carries”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +2)
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer leans back a fraction, studying Verner over folded hands. The tavern noise thins around the table, as if even the mugs are listening.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
That blade traveled through bad hands before it ever reached us. Dock Ward, rain-slick stone, a dead sellsword with more pride than caution.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
He had a name, too. Not that the name bought him any mercy.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer taps the table once, then stops, seeing the interest he has given away.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
There was a duel, or something close enough to make a story. One clean stroke, one unlucky man, and that rapier left the scene with a witness who talked too much.
Verner
A witness. Not a theft, then, or not only a theft.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
If you want the rest, mage, ask properly. Stories have a price, and this one has a trail.
His gaze stays on Verner, sharp but no longer mocking, while his companion watches for the answer in silence.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn the rest of the rapier’s story
“I slide a gold coin across the table to pay for the rest of the story.”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Verner slides the gold coin across the scarred tabletop. It clicks once, spins, and comes to rest beneath the Sharp-Faced Enforcer’s hand. The broad man’s eyebrows lift, and the tension at the table eases by a hair.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
Polite of you. Much better than snatching and posturing.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
Careful, then. Coin bought the story, not your manners.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer drags the coin closer with one finger, then tips his chin toward the rapier in Verner’s hand.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
Dock Ward, three nights past. The man carried that blade like it mattered more than breathing. He lost it after a duel near the river stairs.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
Not robbed. Not exactly. He was followed, cornered, and made to pay for a feud we did not start.
Across the table, the broad man’s mouth tightens, almost apologetic now, while the sharper one watches Verner for the weight of the answer landing.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
If you know that blade, mage, then you know the name tied to it. Say it, and maybe we tell you who was waiting when the duel ended.
“This blade was owned by a elf. His name was Valkir and he was a Bladesinger, like me. He was my adopted father. *Verner tells them*”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +0)
The tavern seems to draw a breath as Verner names the blade’s first owner. At the table below, the two enforcers go still, their bargain suddenly turning into a memory with sharp edges.
Verner
This blade belonged to an elf. His name was Valkir. He was a Bladesinger, like me. My adopted father.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
Valkir... that is not the name I expected.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
An elf, then. That changes the shape of it.
The sharp one’s hand loosens from the coin. The broad one leans back, surprise replacing the last of his swagger, while the nearest patrons keep their distance and listen in silence.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
Bladesinger, you say. That explains the balance. We did not know we were carrying a dead hero’s steel.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
There was a witness at the river stairs, a woman in dock-rags who would not stop staring. She said the duel was already lost before the first blood fell.
The enforcers exchange one quick look, then the sharp-faced man pushes the coin back across the scarred wood, this time with careful fingers.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
If Valkir was your father, mage, then we have given you the wrong kind of answer. Ask what you came for.
“I ask about the woman in dock-rags”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Verner
What about the woman in dock-rags. What did she see?
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
More than she wanted, less than she said. She stood by the stairs, pale as fishbone, watching the duel from the moment the swords came out.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
She knew the losing man. Called him by a dock name, too low for pride. Said he had been hounded there all evening.
The sharp-faced man slides the coin to the edge of the table, no longer bargaining with it. Around them, cups pause halfway to mouths, then lower again.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
When the crowd broke, she did not run. She watched who followed the body. That is the part that matters.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
If you are hunting the rest of the story, mage, she is the rest of it. Dock-rags, grey scarf, quick eyes. Find her before the river tide turns.
“Verner asks, was the woman attractive? Was she petite? She may have been an elf.”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +1)
Verner
What did she look like, exactly? Was she small? An elf, maybe?
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
Small enough to vanish in a crowd, yes. Narrow in the shoulders, quick in the step. Elf? Could be, under that scarf. I only saw the shine of her ears once, and that was enough to make me stop staring.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
Pretty, if you like sharp faces and hard eyes. Not the sort taverns remember for long, except when they are frightened or angry.
The broad man taps two fingers beside the coin, then folds his hands away as if the matter has turned plain. Nearby, the listening patrons pretend very hard not to listen.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
Grey scarf, dock-rags, slim build. She watched the duel, then the body, then the feet that chased it. If you want her, ask in the River Ward before the lamps go out.
Verner
Grey scarf. Slim. Possibly an elf.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
That is all we saw, mage. Enough to point you downriver, not enough to swear an oath on.
“I ask where the witness went”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Verner
I ask where she goes after this.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
Down to the River Ward. If she is wise, she keeps moving.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
She favors the fish steps by the eastern stairs, then slips under the green awning near the cooper's yard.
The sharp one lifts a finger, tracing a route in the air between table stains and spilled light, while the broad man nudges the gold coin closer to Verner with two quiet taps.
The Sharp-Faced Enforcer
Look for a grey scarf and a habit of keeping her back to walls. She will not want company.
The Broad-Shouldered Enforcer
Unless you mean to thank us, mage, that is the last useful piece we have.
Around them, the tavern's little circle loosens at last, patrons turning back to their cups as the enforcers fall quiet and the way to the River Ward opens in Verner's mind.
“I go to the River Ward”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled -1)