The High Archivist’s projection leans out from the desk of bone, its fingers reaching for the ledger in Kynes’s hands. The violet seam behind it throbs like a living wound.
Bren
Don’t let it take the book, Kynes.
Kynes holds the ledger steady. The Archivist’s form sharpens, ink-dark sleeves spilling over the desk as the chamber beyond the archway exhales cold air.
The High Archivist
You have read enough. Return what is recorded, and I may spare your name.
Kynes
The last entry is the key. It names the thing beneath the tower.
Bren shifts to Kynes’s flank, blade ready. The ledger’s pages flare violet, and the names within begin to pull toward the archway as if something deeper is waking.
The High Archivist
Step into the heart chamber, Kynes. There, you choose what remains of you, and what the tower becomes.
✓ Quest Accepted
Decide the fate of the entity
“I take the ledger, hand it to Bren. " Keep this safe lass" then caste a superior protection spell around her. Then turn and face the high archivist. "Hello beasty, let's dance."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Arcana, rolled +1)
Kynes wrenches the ledger free and presses it into Bren's hands. The violet light catches the gilt edges as his staff lifts, and pale sigils spin out around her shoulders like a second skin.
Kynes
Keep this safe, lass.
Bren clutches the book to her chest, then blinks at the shimmering ward settling over her. The air around her tightens, bright and watchful.
Bren
I have it. Go.
Kynes turns, staff leveled, and the passage seems to draw a colder breath. At the far end, the High Archivist stands framed by violet stone, their stare fixed on the empty space where the ledger was.
Kynes
Hello, beastly. Let's dance.
The High Archivist
You seal your own ruin by standing between me and my record.
A thin crack of light splits across the Archivist's palm, answering the challenge.
Quest Complete
Confront the High Archivist
New Gift: Archivist's Forbidden Lore