The tea cools beside Corven’s slate while the route marks remain scattered across the table. No one rises to leave; the conversation narrows from old names to immediate arrangements.
Vaelis Thorn
I personally saw Veyra’s eastern method withdraw. I did not see Veyra herself, and I will not present inference as sight.
Corven Voss
I saw the burrower’s route and the gray-badged scouts. Hadrik told me Veyra’s purpose, but I cannot swear that purpose remains hers.
Nera
Then Elian should carry a discreet message to the northern patrol. Ask only whether anyone saw Veyra’s agents, where, and when. No names guessed, no pursuit.
Elian Voss
I can take it to the old shepherd’s shrine and return by dusk. We should meet here after, unless the road shows immediate danger.
Vaelis marks the shrine, Corven marks the ridge, and Nera folds the route map around a single question. Corven and Vaelis remain with Mara, while Elian prepares to travel alone.
Nera
Our next move depends on that answer. If Veyra’s agents were seen, we follow the evidence. If not, we choose a safer trail toward Daggerford rather than chase a rumor.
“I wait here for Elian’s patrol report”
SUCCESS (Great Health, rolled -2)
Mara waits in the safe house while afternoon light shifts across the maps. The kettle cools, the hearth settles, and Corven, Nera, and Vaelis keep their voices low.
Hours of stillness tighten Mara’s muscles. When she rises to stretch, her knee catches against the table leg, leaving a sharp bruise beneath her robe.
Corven Voss
The road remains quiet. No one entered the refuge, and no watcher approached the ridge while we waited.
Vaelis Thorn
Your patience cost you discomfort, but it gave Elian time to return without forcing the patrol into haste or danger.
Near dusk, footsteps sound beyond the concealed door. Elian gives the agreed knock, then enters alone, dusty from the shrine road but alert and unhurt.
Elian Voss
The patrol saw no Grey Gloves and no sign of Veyra’s agents. Two northern crossings were undisturbed; the old shepherd’s shrine remains clear.
Elian Voss
One rider did find fresh burrower marks farther north, moving away from the burial ground. Nothing points toward immediate danger, only a trail worth treating carefully.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the group’s cooperation for the next investigation
“I ask each of you what role you will take in the next investigation.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Mara gathers the scattered maps toward the table, keeping the fresh burrower marks separate from the old burial routes. The room settles into attentive silence.
Mara
What role will each of you take in the next investigation?
Vaelis Thorn
I will examine the workings without touching what has not been offered. I can distinguish Veyra’s craft from imitations and name only what I truly witness.
Corven Voss
I will track the burrower and compare its path with the Grey Gloves’ routes. I know Hadrik’s signs, but I will not speak for Veyra’s purpose.
Nera
I will watch for observing magic and expose any hooks or return-paths. I can speak with Ashbridge’s patrols, but I will not turn their reports into orders.
Elian Voss
I will keep the shared account clear. I can carry warnings between the patrols and this refuge, recording what they saw without guessing who caused it.
Their answers settle into distinct duties rather than a chain of command. The next investigation now has trackers, a boundary reader, a watcher, and a truthful messenger.
Quest Complete
Secure the group’s cooperation for the next investigation
“"close enough dears, a few things.ellan and Vaelis Thorn, what you said you would not do. Of course not, that is tampering the evidence, and speculation. That's no good to our investigation. Corven, that's called leading the witness, or entrapment. again no good. Nera, the only time to turn their reports to orders is if there is a direct threat to the settlement or the tribe." I smile. " Other than that sounds good."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Mara
Close enough, dears. Elian and Vaelis, do what you said you would not do: tampering with evidence and speculation serve no investigation. Corven, that is leading the witness, or entrapment. Again, no good. Nera, turn reports into orders only when there is a direct threat to the settlement or tribe. Other than that, it sounds good.
Mara smiles across the table, her approval settling the separate duties into clear boundaries. The maps remain open, but no mark is treated as authority beyond what it proves.
Elian Voss
Understood. I will carry what patrols report, not shape it into an accusation or instruction. If danger becomes direct, I will say exactly what changed.
Vaelis Thorn
Agreed. I will identify workings only by what they reveal, and I will leave uncertainty visible rather than filling it with Veyra’s name.
Corven Voss
Fair correction. I will ask open questions and let witnesses answer in their own words. The burrower’s trail will remain separate from every Grey Gloves account.
Nera
Then I will watch the settlement’s safety without turning caution into rule. If Ashbridge or Raska’s camp faces immediate danger, I will act plainly and report why.
The agreement holds without sigil or ledger. Beyond the safe house, dusk deepens over the northern road, where fresh burrower marks await comparison with the patrols’ account.