The survivors rest beneath the sanctuary sigils, wrapped in blankets and candlelight. The children sleep close together while the wounded civilian watches over them, ready to soothe any frightened stirring.
Sister Maelin Vey
Remain calm, little ones. The sanctuary holds, and no harm will cross these holy markings.
Sister Maelin kneels before the altar and turns three hidden seals beneath its stone lip. A reliquary rises from the floor, bound in tarnished silver and old warding script.
Sister Maelin Vey
The cloaked wizard stayed above to delay the vault's pressure. Before he left us, he warned that this seal might explain what stirs beneath Estra.
The reliquary opens with a breath of cold air. Inside rests brittle parchment, bearing the vault's binding pattern and a partial route descending beneath several marked districts.
the wounded civilian
If the children wake, I can keep them settled. Study the parchment, healer. Whatever lies below, we need warning before it reaches another home.
Maelin lays the parchment across the altar, careful not to disturb its faded lines. The final mark points toward a sealed passage beneath the sanctuary, awaiting Logan's examination.
“I try and reason through the parchment before me. Memorizing every detail.”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +1)
Logan studies the parchment beneath the candlelight, tracing the binding pattern with his eyes rather than his fingers. He compares each angular mark to the vault’s remembered pulses.
The route resolves into a chain of underground chambers beneath several Estra districts. Logan fixes every turn, warning sigil, dead end, and junction in his memory.
Logan Scarborough
The final mark lies beneath this sanctuary, and the route connects directly to the vault’s binding pattern.
He recognizes the partial omissions as deliberate concealment rather than damage. The parchment records three ward types, the sequence for passing them, and the signs of dangerous pressure.
Sister Maelin Vey
You have read it completely, haven’t you? Tell me what the parchment teaches before we disturb that sealed passage.
Every visible detail now remains fixed in Logan’s recollection: the route, its symbols, the binding sequence, and the districts placed above the hidden descent.
the wounded civilian
Then we can warn the other homes before the thing below reaches them. The children must not face another collapse.
“Share what I know with the group then make my leave to the vault to relay the information to the cloaked wizard.”
FAILURE (Good Lore, rolled -2)
Logan Scarborough
The route beneath Estra links the vault to these chambers. Three wards guard the descent, and the sequence on the parchment shows how to pass them. Dangerous pressure will announce itself through the warning sigils.
Logan explains each junction, dead end, and marked district, then leaves the parchment's pattern fixed in the group's understanding. The wounded civilian listens closely while Maelin repeats the ward sequence under her breath.
Sister Maelin Vey
If you reach the cloaked wizard, tell him the sanctuary has the route. Do not mistake the first seal for an ordinary door.
Logan gathers his supplies and crosses to the sealed passage beneath the altar, intending to follow the route upward and relay the warning at the vault.
The moment Logan approaches, the first ward ignites across the stone. Its symbols align with the parchment, then fold inward, sealing the passage behind a translucent plane of pale force.
the wounded civilian
It will not let you through. The children are safe here, but you cannot reach the wizard that way.
Sister Maelin Vey
The seal has recognized the route and closed against movement. Your warning is shared, but the vault must wait beyond this barrier.
Open the sealed passage
“Share what I know with the group then make my leave to the vault to relay the information to the cloaked wizard.”
SUCCESS (Good Lore, rolled +2)
Logan Scarborough
The route links this sanctuary to the vault beneath Estra. Three wards guard the descent. Follow the parchment's sequence, and heed warning sigils before dangerous pressure rises.
Sister Maelin Vey
We understand. I will keep the survivors here and repeat the sequence to anyone who joins us. Go, and carry the warning swiftly.
Logan gathers his herbs, bandages, and remaining draughts. The first ward brightens as he approaches, its translucent plane folding aside in response to the route he has learned.
the wounded civilian
The passage opens for you now. We will protect the children until you return.
Logan passes through the pale seal and climbs the worn stair toward the square. Candlelight fades behind him, replaced by trembling blue radiance and the distant thunder of the vault.
He emerges beside the fractured paving stones, where the cloaked wizard still holds the vault's pressure at bay. The anchored ward-band strains between them.
the cloaked wizard
You returned. Speak quickly, cleric. What did the sanctuary reveal about the descent and the wards beneath this district?
“Explain everything from the parchment.”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled -2)
Logan Scarborough
The parchment records three wards beneath the districts: a threshold seal, a pressure ward, and a binding lattice. Their sequence must be followed exactly.
Logan explains the route beneath the sanctuary, naming every junction, dead end, warning sigil, and marked district. The vault’s blue radiance pulses across the parchment’s remembered pattern.
Logan Scarborough
The first ward yields only when the route is recognized. The second announces dangerous pressure through rising sigils. The third binds the descent to the vault itself.
the cloaked wizard
Then the vault is not merely sealed. It is anchored through the districts, and every marked chamber may carry its strain.
As Logan finishes, the ward-band jerks against the vault and scorches a fresh line across his already healed palm. His supplies remain secure, but his grip weakens.
Logan Scarborough
The omissions are deliberate. The parchment gives the safe sequence and the signs of pressure, but it conceals whatever lies beyond the final binding.
the cloaked wizard
You have given me enough to proceed without guessing. I will hold this pressure while you carry the warning to every threatened district.