Mara follows the confirmed surface route west beneath the quay, where warped timbers give way to a hidden stair. No companion follows; Sarthien’s camp remains above ground.
The stair opens into a low chamber beneath the waterline. Fresh maps cover a stone table, pinned beside silver bowls, violet lenses, chalk weights, and a copied signal-mark.
A narrow side passage exhales cold air. Veyra Ashhand has only just departed, leaving one ink-dark thread trembling above the eastern watercourse map.
Veyra Ashhand
You arrived at the endpoint, Mara. That means the signal did exactly what I designed it to do.
The thread gathers into a speaking echo rather than a body. Beneath the eastern map, a second mark glows beside a name written in Sarthien Pell’s hand.
Veyra Ashhand
Sarthien was the intended recipient. I needed him to carry the pattern openly, so I could measure who repeated it and who recognized its reach.
The observation tools turn toward a sealed bronze drain beneath the quay. The echo fades, leaving Veyra’s purpose exposed: she is testing whether the old crossing can be made visible without opening it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what danger Veyra withheld from Mara
“"aww pudden, was he to open that?" I give a snarky sarcastic response”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Mara
Aww, pudden. Was Sarthien supposed to open that, or was he merely meant to decorate it with everyone’s attention?
The sarcasm cuts cleanly through the chamber. The ink-dark thread curls away from the bronze drain, and the echo’s borrowed voice pauses.
Veyra Ashhand
He was not meant to open it. He was meant to make the crossing visible, then wait for someone more curious than cautious.
The silver bowls dim. One violet lens turns toward the copied signal-mark, revealing that its measured pauses were designed to draw attention without granting access.
Veyra Ashhand
Your objection is fair, Mara. Sarthien carried the pattern openly, but the test depended on others mistaking visibility for permission.
The echo loosens around the name in Sarthien’s hand. The bronze drain remains sealed, and the old crossing stays unexposed beneath the quay.
Veyra Ashhand
Do not open it on my account. If you return to him, tell Sarthien that his experiment succeeded, and that I will not repeat it without consent.
Quest Complete
Learn what danger Veyra withheld from Mara