At the lower ravine’s edge, brush stirs. Tarin Voss, a mud-stained middle-aged man with a lean build, weathered brown face, gray-streaked hair, and a green trail cloak, steps into view with an unstrung bow held visibly away from Mara.
Tarin Voss
Easy. I followed two travelers from the marked ledge, but lost them near a shelf of pale standing stones.
He stops beyond the basin’s reach, boots caked with ravine mud. His gaze fixes on the closed-eye sign, then shifts carefully to Mara without approaching the marks.
Tarin Voss
I know that sign. Its maker has watched this route before. Not crossed it openly, watched it.
The conduit continues its quiet pulse beneath Mara’s feet. No living presence answers from the lower recess, and the pale standing stones lie somewhere beyond the upper passage.
Eren Vale remains above, traveling toward the ravine by the southern road. The dark beast stays beside the spring, leaving Mara alone below with the pathfinder.
Tarin Voss
If you’re tracing them, I can show you where their tracks ended. If you’re protecting this place, I’ll keep my distance and speak only what I saw.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish whether Tarin Voss's account is genuine or bait.
“I ask Tarin where he first saw the two travelers. And I ask him if he knows Hadrik Voss”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Mara
Where did you first see the two travelers? And do you know Hadrik Voss?
Tarin’s attention leaves the closed-eye sign. He shifts his unstrung bow against his shoulder and studies Mara with guarded recognition.
Tarin Voss
I first saw them where the southern road bends beneath the blackthorn shelf, well above your stream. They were already heading toward the marked ledge.
Tarin Voss
Hadrik Voss is my elder brother. He kept the north paths before the bell silenced the settlement. He vanished three winters ago, near the pale standing stones.
Tarin points through the upper passage, indicating a route beyond the root chamber. His finger pauses before the direction of the pale stones, then lowers.
Tarin Voss
I have not seen Hadrik since. But the two travelers stopped where his old trail begins. One carried a lantern hooded in blue cloth; the other watched the stones.
The conduit continues pulsing beneath Mara’s feet. Tarin remains beyond the basin, offering the information without stepping closer to the marks or pressing her toward the trail.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the pale standing stones.
− Scene Quest Removed
Establish whether Tarin Voss's account is genuine or bait.
Director's notewhole tale
Hadrik Voss worked for Veyra Ashhand in Kynes story the Domini Saga
“"Interesting" I say.”
Mara
Interesting.
Tarin watches Mara for a moment, then nods toward the upper passage. The conduit’s pulse continues beneath them, steady and unhurried.
Tarin Voss
Hadrik knew the pale stones better than anyone in the settlement. He marked safe approaches, old crossings, and places where the ground shifted.
His hand lowers from the passage before it reaches the basin’s direction. He keeps his distance from the closed-eye sign and the silt-bound marks.
Tarin Voss
Those two travelers were not following his old trail by accident. They studied it, then went below the ledge as if they already knew what waited there.
Tarin’s guarded expression tightens, but he does not step closer or urge Mara onward. The upper route remains open toward the root chamber and the pale stones.
Tarin Voss
I can point out the shelf and stop there. You can decide what Hadrik’s trail means, and whether it is worth following.
“" sure, describe the shelf from here." I say”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Mara
Sure, describe the shelf from here.
Tarin Voss
From here, the blackthorn shelf rises beyond the root chamber, where the passage narrows beneath pale stone.
Tarin points without crossing the basin’s reach. His gesture traces the upper route, then angles toward a darker break beneath the shelf.
Tarin Voss
The shelf is a long slab of gray rock, tilted like a fallen roof. Blackthorn grips its edges, and pale standing stones form a broken crescent beyond it.
Tarin Voss
The old trail approaches from the south, passes beneath the shelf, and splits around the stones. Hadrik marked the western side as firm ground.
His voice lowers as the conduit pulses beneath Mara’s feet. From this distance, the shelf shows no movement, while the pale stones catch a thin wash of reflected blue.
Tarin Voss
The eastern side is where the ground shifts. That is where the travelers stopped, studied the stones, and descended toward your ledge.
“" also, your brother was last seen south of daggerford, working with Veyra Ashhand." I pause, " are your with the grey gloves also?" I ask suspiciously.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -2)
Mara
Your brother was last seen south of Daggerford, working with Veyra Ashhand. I pause. Are you with the Grey Gloves also?
Tarin’s face tightens at Veyra’s name. The conduit pulses sharply beneath Mara, and cold numbness climbs into two fingers before settling there.
Tarin Voss
South of Daggerford? Then Hadrik reached farther than he told me. Veyra’s name fits the kind of work he guarded.
Tarin Voss
And no, I am not with the Grey Gloves. I know of them, but I wear no glove, carry no badge, and serve no hidden company.
He lifts both empty hands away from his bow and the basin. His denial is immediate, though suspicion remains in the set of his shoulders.
Tarin Voss
Hadrik may have worked beside them, or against them. I never saw him take their mark. The travelers carried no visible sign either.
The numbness holds without worsening. Beyond Tarin, the upper passage remains open toward the blackthorn shelf and the pale standing stones.
Director's note
Persuasion roll is no reason for magic damage
“" I see" I say plainly”
Mara
I see.
Mara’s plain acknowledgment settles between them. The conduit’s sharp pulse fades to its former rhythm, while numbness remains limited to two fingers without worsening.
Tarin Voss
Then you know what I can offer, and what I cannot. Hadrik’s trail is ahead, but his choices belong to him.
Tarin lowers his hands and steps no closer to the basin. Behind him, the passage toward the blackthorn shelf remains open, its reflected blue light faint across the stone.
Tarin Voss
I will wait here if you want the route described again. I will not touch your marks or follow without permission.
The lower chamber returns to stillness. No hidden presence answers, no institution speaks through the conduit, and the way out remains safely available.
“" suit yourself." I make my way to the pale standing stones leaving tarin behind.”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled -3)
Mara
Suit yourself.
Mara turns from the basin and follows the upper passage, leaving Tarin behind without another explanation. Her journal stays tucked beneath her robe, and the blue reflection fades behind her.
Tarin Voss
Understood. I’ll keep the chamber undisturbed.
The route rises beneath the blackthorn shelf. A thorn catches Mara’s sleeve and tears a narrow strip of cloth before she frees herself, leaving a small thread snagged on the branch.
Beyond the tilted gray slab, pale standing stones form a broken crescent in the ravine. Their surfaces hold old weathering and faint reflected blue, but no active working answers her arrival.
Mara
The western ground is firm; the eastern side shifted recently.
Mara reaches the pale standing stones, with the blackthorn shelf behind her and Tarin separated below. The old trail divides around the crescent, while the stones remain silent and undisturbed.
Quest Complete
Reach the pale standing stones.
Skill Upgrade: Athletics Good→Great