The Hall of Welcome is hushed, lit by hearthglow and a soft wash of reflected gold. Sable bends over the Soul-Cutter, coaxing its shifting edge into a steadier shape with a new clay brace beside the cup.
Nezznar leans in from the table, hands folded, eyes narrow with careful curiosity. Bren stands near the threshold, one shoulder against the wall, keeping watch without breaking the room’s calm.
Kynes watches the blade-form settle. The construct’s work is delicate, almost reverent, as if it is learning how to hold weight without fear of breaking.
Sable
The brace helps. The shape remembers itself better when it has something to lean on.
Nezznar
A sound principle. Support is not the same as restraint. Many mistake one for the other.
Bren
It already looks steadier. I did not expect clay to teach patience this well.
Kynes
The cup is holding. So is the room.
Sable eases back from the work, dusting clay from their hands, while the Soul-Cutter’s wavering outline rests in its brace. For a moment, no one moves to fill the silence.
✓ Quest Accepted
Help Sable stabilize the Soul-Cutter’s form
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn whether the Soul-Cutter’s brace hides a flaw
“I examine the Soul-Cutter and Sable's brace without touching either. I ask Sable, ‘How will you know whether your support is helping the blade hold itself, rather than simply holding it in place?’ I let her decide how she wants to test her work.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled -1)
Kynes leans in just enough to study the blade and brace, keeping his hands back. The Soul-Cutter holds its shape, but the edge still shivers where the clay supports it.
Kynes
How do you know the support is helping it hold itself, and not just trapping it there?
Sable lifts their gaze from the work, proud but thoughtful, as if the question fits the lesson better than praise ever could.
Sable
By removing the brace in pieces, not all at once. If it leans back into its own shape, the support did its work.
Nezznar
And if it collapses, then the form was never ready to stand alone. A useful distinction.
Bren
That sounds suspiciously like something we should try before anyone starts calling it finished.
Sable nods once, then slides one clay wedge a finger-width outward without touching the blade. The Soul-Cutter steadies instead of sagging, its glow settling into a cleaner line.
Sable
Then that is the test. One support at a time, until it proves what it can keep on its own.
“I watch Sable remove another brace piece”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled +2)
Kynes watches as Sable eases another clay piece free. The brace does not slip, and the Soul-Cutter keeps its line, calm and bright.
Kynes
The support is actually carrying the strain.
Sable pauses with one hand hovering over the brace, then withdraws the clay cleanly. The blade holds its shape without the extra pressure.
Sable
That part is holding on its own now.
Nezznar
Then the form understands the difference between balance and dependency.
Bren's shoulders ease at the doorway as the cleaned glow settles across the blade. The ledger's pale memory light still lingers above the page, cold and patient.
Sable studies the freed edge, proud but suddenly more serious, as if the test has revealed more than success.
Sable
If one brace changes nothing, then the next should too. If not, the blade has a hidden weakness.
Quest Complete
Help Sable stabilize the Soul-Cutter’s form
New Gift: Soul-Cutter Stabilizer Insight