The route beyond the Borrowland descends through wet alder groves and opens onto the fogbound Chionthar. Behind Mara, Phandelver, Slaan, and Nhal remain beyond the witnessed return sign.
Old ward-marks glimmer along the riverbank, guiding her toward Baldur’s Gate. At a stone arch stands an elderly woman with a sturdy build, weathered brown skin, white braids, and a blue-gray custodian’s cloak.
the river custodian
You followed the route without forcing it. Good. I came from the known archway when its witness-mark moved.
Beside her, a sealed deposit rests within the arch’s shallow niche. Black wax bears the unseen caller’s mark, while the custody cord names no sender.
the river custodian
This arrived through lawful passage. No name accompanies it, and the seal has not yielded to curiosity.
The first line shows through the pale parchment, legible without opening the fold: What is being protected is the right to refuse recognition.
the river custodian
The deposit waits for a witness, not an owner. You may observe its terms, decline them, or leave it untouched.
✓ Quest Accepted
Consult the sealed deposit’s fuller warning
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach Baldur’s Gate
“I study the deposit’s visible warning without opening its seal. " Why, has no one claimed it yet?" I ask”
SUCCESS (Legendary Perception, rolled +2)
Mara studies the visible warning without touching the black wax. The pale words remain unchanged, and the custody cord reveals no sender, claimant, or opening condition beyond refusal of recognition.
Mara
The warning is offered for witness, not identification.
Mara
Why has no one claimed it yet?
the river custodian
Because no lawful claimant has presented themselves, and no one may become one merely by recognizing the mark.
The elderly custodian keeps both hands visible at her sides. Mist drifts through the stone arch, leaving the sealed deposit precisely where lawful passage placed it.
the river custodian
Its protection is the right to refuse recognition. Until its bearer chooses to be known, claiming the deposit would violate the very term it announces.
the river custodian
You have studied the warning and asked its reason without opening the seal. That much is now witnessed, while the deposit remains freely unclaimed.
“I consent to consult the fuller warning”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Mara
I consent to consult the fuller warning, without identifying or claiming its bearer.
The custodian nods and touches neither wax nor parchment. She speaks the consent into the arch, and the black seal loosens without breaking, unfolding the warning’s fuller testimony.
the river custodian
It protects a bearer who chose concealment after recognition was attempted. The bearer may refuse names, witnesses, custody, and every question that follows.
Pale script rises above the deposit, visible to Mara and the custodian but revealing no face, name, location, or path. The custody cord remains unclaimed.
the river custodian
Recognition is not permission. A discovered mark, a familiar voice, or a matching memory cannot establish identity. Only the bearer may clarify who they are.
A final line appears beneath the warning: consultation ends when the witness withdraws, and refusal remains complete. The parchment folds itself, its seal restored without concealing what was freely shown.
the river custodian
You have received the fuller warning. It may be recorded as witnessed terms, but nothing here grants authority over the absent bearer.
Quest Complete
Consult the sealed deposit’s fuller warning
Skill Upgrade: Stealth Good→Great