Morning light washes the Academy gates as Elion, Saadia, Lydia, and Oskar leave the inn behind. The towers recede while the road opens toward the countryside.
Beyond the gate stands Kareth Voss in steel armor, his greatsword sheathed. He watches the departing company without reaching for it, his attention fixed on Saadia.
Kareth Voss
Saadia. I followed the archive signal here, but I am choosing words before violence. Hear me first.
Lydia shifts her shield into a ready position without drawing her weapon. Oskar glances from Kareth to Elion, while Saadia remains close at Elion’s side.
Kareth Voss
Someone bearing the Varkraven Compact’s mark passed toward the crossroads recently. They carried a sealed ledger, and its contents may connect Haldvar’s network to the Academy’s outskirts.
Saadia
You expect us to believe that a ledger tied to Haldvar simply crossed our path while you were hunting me?
The road remains quiet behind them, and the Academy gates stand open at their backs. Kareth waits without advancing, leaving the choice of whether to hear more with Elion and his companions.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what Kareth knows about the sealed ledger
“And why in the world should we believe you? How did you even know we were looking for Haldvar?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +3)
Elion Draemnor
Why in the world should we believe you? And how did you even know we were looking for Haldvar?
Kareth studies Elion in silence, then reaches inside his coat and produces a folded strip of black parchment. The Varkraven mark is pressed into its wax seal.
Kareth Voss
Because I can give you proof, not assurances. This was taken from a courier who served Haldvar. It names Saadia as the archive’s living key and records your protection of her.
He opens the parchment only far enough to show the ciphered lines and a crude sketch of Saadia’s signet. Lydia’s shield lowers a fraction, while Saadia’s expression hardens.
Kareth Voss
The archive signal led me to Saadia first. Haldvar’s records led me to the people traveling beside her. Your names were included before I ever reached the Academy.
Kareth Voss
The ledger is at the crossroads now. I will give you its location and the cipher key, then step aside. You can test the truth yourselves, and I will follow the signal without attacking you.
Quest Complete
Learn what Kareth knows about the sealed ledger