The healer holds the parchment beneath the Hall’s open light. Fresh ink finishes the second line, curling into a name neither wind nor hand disturbs.
the healer
It formed when the gateway closed. I have not opened the fold, Mara. I thought you should decide whether anyone sees what lies within.
The split silver arch on the seal glimmers in answer to Mara’s token. Kynes watches from beside the Hall steps, while Slaan remains near Mara, staff lowered.
Kynes
The mark recognizes the offered testimony, but recognition is not permission. No one here should cross that boundary for you.
Curious townsfolk gather at a cautious distance. Some whisper behind raised hands; others remain silent, their attention fixed on the parchment and the healer’s waiting grip.
Slaan
The name has surfaced into witness, not ownership. If it is examined, the examination must remain visible, voluntary, and limited to what the parchment reveals.
Beyond the closed gateway, Ilyd’s preserved pattern remains with the veiled names and untouched threshold. Nothing from that chamber follows Mara into Phandelver.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have the townsfolk acknowledge the parchment as testimony
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn whom the parchment’s name belongs to
“I ask the healer to read the name aloud without opening the fold.I invite the townsfolk to witness the parchment before anyone examines it.”
SUCCESS (Fair Persuasion, rolled +1)
Mara
Read the name aloud without opening the fold. Let everyone here witness the parchment before anyone examines what it contains.
Mara’s request carries across the square. The healer turns the sealed parchment outward, keeping the fold closed as the gathered townsfolk draw into a wider, quieter circle.
the healer
Then hear it together. The name written beneath the silver arch is Sael.
The ink settles after the spoken name. No other letters appear, and the seal remains unbroken beneath the Hall’s open light.
Kynes
Witnessed aloud, and still unopened. That keeps the name visible without claiming whatever truth waits inside.
Slaan
No one needs to touch it yet. Let the record show who heard the name, and that the fold remains under the healer’s keeping.
The townsfolk hold their distance, but their attention steadies. Some repeat the name softly; others simply watch the sealed parchment, now witnessed by the square.
Quest Complete
Have the townsfolk acknowledge the parchment as testimony