Mercenaries crowd beneath Raven Abregon’s emblem, arguing over the parchment’s shimmering silver-key seal. Moxxi leans close, while Rázboi examines the guildhall doors.
Moxxi Dra'Kane
The ink is layered. Someone concealed a second message beneath the contract, and they expected a careful reader to find it.
Rázboi traces four deep gouges across the doors. Splinters still litter the threshold, matching the heavy impacts that rolled through the clearing before Ravenbrook’s gates opened.
Rázboi Tepès
These marks are fresh. Whatever struck the gates was not testing them. It was searching for a way inside.
The parchment flares. Beneath the ordinary offer, silver letters emerge: Find the key-bearer beneath the north watchtower. Bring proof of the attacker’s trail.
Moxxi Dra'Kane
North watchtower, then. But the seal concerns me more than the wording. Silver keys belong to old Ravenbrook vaults, not routine contracts.
Rázboi Tepès
We have a lead, a damaged gate, and a crowd eager to claim the reward. Rover, the guild is waiting to see what you do.
✓ Quest Accepted
Find the key-bearer
✓ Quest Accepted
Obtain proof of the attacker's trail
“Hold on my doggy nose can sniff it out”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled -1)
Rover lowers his nose to the splintered threshold. Beneath sawdust, iron, and torch smoke, a cold mineral scent threads away toward the north watchtower.
Rover Snitch
The attacker carries wet stone, crow feathers, and old vault dust.
The scent clings to the gouges, then bends across the flagstones toward a narrow alley beside the guildhall. Rover follows it with steady certainty.
Moxxi Dra'Kane
There it is. You found the trail, Rover. No ordinary beast leaves a scent like that.
A sharp, bitter spark catches in Rover’s nose. He sneezes loudly, scattering a faint shimmer of silver dust from the damaged doors.
Rázboi Tepès
That dust is proof enough for the contract. The trail runs north, and your nose has earned us a claim before the crowd notices.
Moxxi Dra'Kane
Come on, sorcerer. We follow quickly, before the scent fades. And perhaps keep your nose away from cursed doorways next time.
“*I cast a gale spell to speed us up* "Howl!!"”
SUCCESS (Superb Arcana, rolled +0)
Rover Snitch
Howl!!
Wind bursts from Rover in a spiraling gale, lifting cloaks and scattering silver dust across the alley. The current catches the three travelers and drives them northward.
Moxxi Dra'Kane
That is one way to avoid losing a scent. Hold together, both of you!
The guildhall shrinks behind them as the gale carries the company through Ravenbrook’s northern streets. Shutters bang, banners snap, and startled mercenaries leap aside.
Rázboi Tepès
Excellent casting, Rover! The watchtower is ahead, and your wind has put us there before the trail can fade.
The gale sweeps them beneath the north watchtower, where ancient stones rise over a cramped courtyard. Wet stone, crow feathers, and vault dust gather sharply around a sealed stairwell.
Moxxi Dra'Kane
The key-bearer is here. Whatever waits below, it has been expecting someone to follow.
“*I cast a light spell on us as we land to bend light away from us making us hidden as we approach* "bark"”
SUCCESS (Superb Arcana, rolled -3)
“*I cast a light spell on us as we land to bend light away from us making us hidden as we approach* "bark"”
SUCCESS (Superb Arcana, rolled +1)
Rover Snitch
Bark!
A pale globe of light blooms around Rover, Moxxi, and Rázboi. Instead of shining outward, it bends the torchglow aside, wrapping the three travelers in a wavering veil of darkness.
Their footsteps soften beneath the spell. The courtyard remains visible through the veil, but watchtower windows, passing patrols, and the sealed stairwell cannot catch their forms.
Moxxi Dra'Kane
That is not ordinary illumination. You made light hide us. Keep it steady, Rover.
Rázboi Tepès
Clever work. The dust still marks the stairwell, and now we can inspect it without announcing ourselves to Ravenbrook.
Within the concealed circle, wet stone and crow feathers sharpen around the stairwell door. A silver keyhole glints beneath old mortar, untouched and clearly visible.
Moxxi Dra'Kane
The hidden message led us here, and Rover's spell has bought us silence. Whatever the key-bearer protects, we can reach it unseen.
Quest Complete
Obtain proof of the attacker's trail
Skill Upgrade: Arcana Superb→Legendary
“*we all sneak in as they investigate and I keep an eye out*”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +1)
The three travelers slip through the concealed veil and descend the stairwell together. Rover moves first, paws silent on damp stone, while Moxxi and Rázboi follow close behind.
Rover Snitch
The patrol sounds fade above us; the stairwell is clear.
Rover keeps watch over every landing, tracking torch flickers, shifting shadows, and the faint stir of feathers below. No sentry notices their passage.
Moxxi Dra'Kane
Good eyes. The stairwell bends beneath the tower, and someone has used these steps recently.
At the bend, Moxxi kneels beside pale dust while Rázboi examines scratches along the wall. Rover circles them quietly, guarding the upper passage and the darkness ahead.
Rázboi Tepès
The trail continues below. Nothing follows us, and the watch above remains unaware. We can investigate without rushing.
The company reaches a low vault beneath the watchtower. A silver key rests in a stone basin beside a feather-marked arch, waiting in undisturbed silence.