Morning light slipped through the shutters of the Lucky Griffon as **Vade Manus** gathered around a scarred wooden table, breakfast growing cold while their attention stayed fixed on the task ahead. [[Ellette]] had given them a job. A relic had been found in ruins between [[Neverwinter]] and [[City of Alexandria]]. It had once belonged to a member of Sordia Vignti. [[Quintin]]’s contribution to their preparation, when [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] had asked for advice, had been brief and unhelpful in equal measure. “Don’t fuck it up.” They knew enough to understand the risk. People who had touched the relic in the past had changed. Some had died. Others had begun speaking languages they had never known. Three members of Sordia Vignti had already visited the site once before. A Death Tyrant had lived there at some point in the past. It had since been removed, but no one felt reassured by that fact. Fifty gold each for the job. Anything else they found was theirs to keep. Their equipment waited by the front gate on a cart. They gathered rations for what would be a three-day journey and made a short stop at Fizzle’s stall. [[Béibhinn]] bought four potions—white, brown, yellow, and gold—while [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] loudly insisted swords were more reliable than anything sold in glass. [[Vaerilyn]] quietly bought a bedroll and said nothing. At the gate, a guild member reminded them that once the caffor was sealed, it must remain sealed. No one asked what that meant. No one wanted to. They named the bay mare pulling the cart Michael within minutes. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]], [[Béibhinn]], and [[Dallea]] grew oddly attached to the horse. [[Vaerilyn]] climbed silently into the back of the cart. [[Dallea]] and [[Béibhinn]] joined her. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] took the reins. They passed through Luskan first. [[Béibhinn]] leaned forward and warned [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] not to offend anyone. For once, he listened. As the road stretched on, conversation drifted into the strange honesty that only comes from long travel and shared boredom. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] admitted he had once believed he would grow into a humble knight of the Axe of Mirabar. When asked what he would wish for, he said he would bring his family back to life. [[Dallea]] told him she had expected him to wish not to be a coward. [[Dallea]] confessed her greatest fear was dying poor. [[Vaerilyn]] said that if she were dying, her last words to them would be, “You might as well kill yourselves.” [[Dallea]] demonstrated her useless talent of balancing her dagger on the tip of her finger. To everyone’s irritation, they were impressed. [[Béibhinn]] admitted that if she had never become an adventurer, she would likely be married, with a child, helping the poor with her family. [[Vaerilyn]] spoke quietly of Luskan, of a fight where she had distracted her father and watched him be impaled instead of her. She did not look at anyone as she spoke. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] believed the first impression he left on people was that he smelled bad. When asked why they kept travelling instead of going home, their answers were simple. [[Dallea]] wanted enough stories to tell before she died. [[Béibhinn]] wanted to help people. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] wanted to rebuild his house. [[Vaerilyn]] wanted to build a life, because she had no family left to return to. They camped without issue that night. [[Béibhinn]] and [[Dallea]] gathered wood for the fire. [[Vaerilyn]] took the watch so the others could rest. Distant howls carried through the darkness, but nothing came close. Morning brought paranoia. [[Dallea]] accused someone of rummaging through her bag during the night. [[Vaerilyn]] informed her that she had spent most of the night cuddling it and calling it “John.” The argument escalated immediately into accusations about faith, armour, murdered women, and whether the gods had laughed while villages burned. [[Béibhinn]] and [[Dallea]] began mocking each other’s parents. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] finally lost his temper and ordered them into the cart. They obeyed. [[Vaerilyn]] slept through most of it. Later, [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] spotted blood trails along the roadside. The party debated stopping. Instead, [[Béibhinn]] and [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] argued over the price of a health potion until she paid him twenty-four gold. He remembered they cost twenty-five and decided that was close enough. They reached the ruins by late afternoon. Four human bodies lay outside. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] examined them. Sword wounds. One heart missing. Pouches already looted. Only one entrance. [[Vaerilyn]] had only managed four hours of rest. A long tunnel led inside. [[Dallea]] took the lead, lighting wall torches with Fire Bolt as they advanced. The chamber beyond was ruined and open, two chests flanking the entrance and a fallen pillar in the centre. By the pillar, half buried in dust and rubble, lay the relic. [[Vaerilyn]] inspected one chest and found a trap. She disarmed it carefully and opened the lid. Inside, resting on a cushion, was a heavy golden crown set with gems. [[Dallea]] worked on the other chest. The lock seemed ordinary. She forced it with her dagger. The blade snapped. The chest opened. Click. Arrows struck her. Inside was a bag. She picked it up. Click. More arrows. She opened the bag and found fine glittering powder like mineral sand. [[Vaerilyn]] rubbed it between her fingers. Grainy. Metallic scent. Interesting. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] circled the pillar. He found the war pick. Astral-blue metal, faintly glowing, impossibly clean for its surroundings. The handle jutted upward as if inviting his hand. The material felt wrong for this world. He didn’t recognise it. Greed moved faster than thought. He grabbed it. A piercing screech filled the chamber. Lightning cracked toward the ceiling. When the others turned, [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] was on the ground, the war pick clutched in his hand. [[Vaerilyn]] walked over and kicked his leg. His fingers twitched. His eyes opened. He stood. He swung the weapon experimentally, and it moved as if it belonged to him. [[Undead]] erupted from the ground around them. [[Béibhinn]] hurled sacred flame. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] pointed the war pick at one of the undead and a blast of purple energy tore it apart instantly. [[Béibhinn]] noticed his shadow did not look right. They destroyed the remaining undead and turned back to [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]]. He claimed he had fallen and accidentally grabbed the weapon. No one believed him. The argument grew heated until, in a voice that did not sound like his own, [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] growled at [[Dallea]] and called her a half-breed. He smashed a wall in rage. [[Vaerilyn]] cast Sleep. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] collapsed. They tied him, dragged him outside, and shoved him into the anti-magic box provided for transporting the relic. The field broke whatever hold the pick had on him. He woke in the dark and panicked until [[Vaerilyn]] opened the box and hauled him out before sealing it again. She took the reins for the journey home. The others bickered in the back. During the night, while they slept, she quietly dealt with three bandits without waking anyone. By the time they reached Alexandria, she was exhausted. “You can handle dropping this off. I’m going to bed,” she said, jumping from the cart and walking away before anyone could argue. At the keep entrance, [[Ellette]] was waiting. They stood within a Zone of Truth. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] admitted he had touched the war pick. Isolde arrived as [[Ellette]] summarised the events. Once she understood, she dismissed the spell. [[Isolde Veythar]] retrieved the box and placed it before them. [[Béibhinn]] opened it carefully while they watched [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] for signs of lingering influence. There were some. They were paid eighty gold and given a diamond. [[Dallea]] sold the strange mineral dust to Isolde for four hundred gold. They discussed being allowed to train on the keep grounds. Then [[Wen]] appeared and punched [[Béibhinn]] directly in the knee. Isolde silenced her cry before it could echo. Grubble handed [[Béibhinn]] a present. It exploded in her hands in a burst of fireworks. Tiddle attempted to pick [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]]’s pockets. [[Lucan of House Easeden|Lucan]] caught him, lifted him off the ground, and shook him until gold and jewellery spilled from his clothes. Ellette calmly instructed Middle to take it to [[Derek Wulvenhaus|Derek]] so it could be returned to its owners. And with that, **Vade Manus** returned from their first job for Sordia Vignti with a relic secured, tempers frayed, and a story none of them would forget.