The split relief yawns open around the handhold, revealing a cramped archive chamber sunk behind the palace wall. Red light pulses from its deepest inscription.
Minsc
There. The throne's sigil. Do not touch anything until I know what drowned it.
Minsc steps across the threshold, keeping his boots between the sealed jars. Their wax-dark surfaces tremble whenever the red glow beats.
Minsc
The marks are not a warning. They are a record, preserved by the same water that took the palace.
The inscription brightens. Beneath the familiar sigil, ancient letters resolve into a scene of the royal throne opening like a gate, while black water pours upward around it.
Minsc
Hyrule was not struck from outside. Someone used the throne to call the deep into the kingdom.
A final line ignites beneath the image: THE OATH-BEARER OPENED THE WAY. Below it, a fresh red mark points toward a clay tablet sealed in the chamber's center.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the marked clay tablet
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the Oath-Bearer
“I study the inscription for a name or title identifying the Oath-Bearer.”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled -2)
Adamos studies the red-lit letters, tracing their faded strokes with his eyes while the tablet's mark pulses in time with the inscription.
A hidden line emerges beneath the throne's image: THE OATH-BEARER OF THE LAST CROWN.
Minsc
The title is clear. The Oath-Bearer was no invader. They held the last royal oath.
The sigil flares as Adamos finishes reading. Heat bites across his searching hand, leaving a narrow red welt, and the central tablet cracks free of its seal.
At once, the archive groans. Red lines race through the floor toward the palaceward passage, and a curtain of dark water folds across the safest route without disturbing the evidence.
Minsc
We have the truth's first name, but the safe way onward is sealed. Choose quickly, Adamos. The archive will not remain open.
Quest Complete
Discover what caused the red sigil beneath Hyrule's throne
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Great→Superb
Quest Complete
Identify the Oath-Bearer
“Is Devin the wizard still in the chamber?”
NO, AND WORSE (Likely, rolled 94)
No. Devin is gone from the archive, and the worse truth is plain in the disturbed dust beside the revealed handhold: he left before the chamber sealed, taking his copied knowledge with him.
Minsc
He abandoned us. And he may already be ahead of us.
“Can I call Devin back?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 70)
No. Devin does not answer the call, and the archive gives no sign that he turns back.
“Can I cast a spell to teleport Devin back here?”
NO, BUT (VeryUnlikely, rolled 17)
The spell finds no tether strong enough to reach Devin, and the attempt cannot draw him back. The archive remains unchanged, with the safest passage still sealed.
“I seize the marked clay tablet”
SUCCESS (Good Strength, rolled +1)
Adamos reaches through the red glow and closes his hand around the marked clay tablet.
The cracked seal gives way beneath his strength. The tablet comes free, its carved mark pulsing once against his palm.
Minsc
There. The proof is yours. Keep it dry, and keep it hidden.
The archive floor shudders. Red lines race from the empty seal toward the relief of the descending shape.
Minsc
The passage is closing for good. We have one moment to choose where we go next.
Beyond the relief, the black water presses against the sealed route while a narrower stairway opens beneath drifting dust. Minsc points toward it, waiting.
Quest Complete
Secure the marked clay tablet
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Superb→Legendary
+ New Item Acquired
Marked Clay Tablet