A blue-gray skinned drow mage emerges from the concealed ravine path, her white hair stirring around a travel-stained mantle. She moves directly to Kynes’s side, red eyes fixed on the captured swordsmen.
Mara
House Domini recognizes the hunters’ mark. One of my former masters survived, and he is already moving toward this valley.
The disarmed swordsman’s composure fractures. One companion turns toward the eastern ridge, while the other grips his blade and stares at Mara as though her arrival has changed the terms of surrender.
The Disarmed Swordsman
You brought her here? Then the mark was not meant for Kynes alone.
Kynes
Mara, name the authority. If he commands the valley, we have less time than we thought.
Mara
The authority is Vhalzren, survivor of Domini’s old circle. He does not pursue to negotiate. He comes to reclaim what escaped him.
The two standing swordsmen exchange a sharp glance. Violet magic tightens around the passage behind them, while the first distant stones begin to tumble from the ridge above.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish the truth of Mara's claim about Vhalzren