Quests

• Bones of Saint Andral (vampires)
• Arabelle (Madam Eva’s great grandniece) missing
• Remove Izek
• Madam Eva’s divination
  
• Side Investigations:
  • We know the woman we bartered with at the abandoned windmill is feeding the poor some type of pastry. This pastry has side effects.
  • Kill Werewolves
  • The undead Knights guidance on seeking out his former leader.

Madam Eva’s Divination

The cerulean light dances across its surface, revealing an illustration of a smirking guardsman looking up at a haughty priest, the priest’s pointing fingers mere inches from the guardsman’s nose as the guardsman readies a wickedly curved dagger behind his back. “The Nine of Glyphs—the Traitor.” Her dark pupils shift from side to side, as though reading from an unseen text. “I see the ancient foe of an old and noble house. The lost soul will lead you to him.”

She moves her hand to the second card, this one at the top of the cross. As she closes her eyes and listens once more, the candlelight flares, its color bursting into a fierce, cheery yellow.

“This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope.” She flips the card.

This time, the light reveals a new illustration: an armored warrior clutching a cracked iron sword and a leather-bound wooden shield, his face obscured by a heavy iron helmet. “The Five of Swords—the Myrmidon.” Her eyes stare deep into the darkness that lurks beyond the candlelight.

“Look for a den of wolves in the hills overlooking a mountain lake. The treasure belongs to Mother Night.”

She moves her hand to the third card, at the right arm of the cross, her eyelids closing like a trance, her lips pursed in quiet contemplation. The candlelight vanishes, for a heartbeat—and then returns in a nova of fierce, burning white, so pure and strong and clean that it hurts to look at, burns to see—

Madam Eva’s eyes snap open, burning with a fierce determination.

“This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight.” She flips the card.

The light reveals a third illustration: a solemn-faced man clad in holy vestments, one hand clutching the chain of a bronze censer that billows with burning smoke. “The Eight of Glyphs—the Bishop.” The crone’s voice is strong with purpose. “What you seek lies in a prison of darkness, beyond a set of amber doors,” she intones, her eyes narrowing. “This weapon is long hidden. The house of the fallen dragon can lead you there.”

She moves to the fourth card, at the bottom of the cross, and listens once more, tracing small circles across its back as she hums a contemplative note. The magic flames leap and dance upon their wicks, now casting swirling violet embers into the air as the graves beyond shimmer with a twilit glow.

“This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness.”

She flips the card.

This time, the illustration revealed is a quiet graveyard choked with fog, its entrance sealed with a sharp iron fence. “The Mists.” Madam Eva leans forward.

“A Vistana wanders this land alone, searching for her mentor. She does not stay in one place for long. Seek her out at Saint Markovia’s abbey, near the mists.”

Finally, she moves her hand to the fifth card—and nearly recoils, her brow furrowing until the wrinkles split her forehead like a trench. Behind her, shadows encircle the candlelight until the light is very nearly swallowed by the creeping dark. When next she speaks, Madam Eva’s rasping voice is scarce above a whisper.

“Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality. When the hour of judgment arrives, this card will lead you to him!”

Her hand trembles above the card for a silent moment—and then deft, ancient fingers reveal its opposite side.

In the darkness, the fifth and final illustration is only barely visible through the smoke and unnatural murk. Upon the card’s surface dwells a depiction of a crowned, grinning emperor clad in royal finery and reaching for a goblet of wine—though his limbs are wooden puppet’s limbs, lashed to corded strings that disappear into the darkness overhead.

Madam Eva slowly exhales. “The Marionette. Look to great heights. Find the beating heart of the castle. He waits nearby.”