SYLVARETH
Veythorn Estate — Dusk
The forest exhales as night begins to settle.
Lanterns glow along the stone path leading up to the Veythorn estate, their light warm and steady against the encroaching dark. The house itself is sturdy rather than grand — stone foundations, heavy timber beams, and a wide hearth chimney promising heat and rest.
For a place on the edge of the wilds, it feels… safe.
For now.
The Household
Elara Veythorn meets you at the threshold.
She’s composed, sharp-eyed, and accustomed to weighing strangers quickly. An old emissary by trade, she carries herself with quiet authority — the kind earned through negotiation, not force. Her offer is straightforward: help, in exchange for shelter.
Behind her stand her daughters.
Sylvia, restless and coiled like a drawn bowstring, fingers already brushing the fletching at her hip. She wants action, movement, proof.
Liara lingers closer to the hearth, runes etched faintly into a slate tablet at her side. Her smile is small but sincere, concern written plainly across her face.
They watch you with different eyes — curiosity, caution, hope.
The Trouble
A few days ago, a small trading caravan vanished.
It was bound for the Ethereal Market, following the forest road that skirts Elara’s lands. Nothing valuable enough to tempt major powers — grain, tools, casks of ale — but important all the same.
The caravan’s leader, Toren, is known to Elara. Honest. Careful. Not the sort to disappear without reason.
Bandits are possible.
Beasts from the Shadowed Reach, more likely.
Either way, an empty road helps no one.
The Offer
Elara doesn’t overstate it.
A modest purse.
Room by the fire.
Meals while you stay.
In return, she wants answers — and, if possible, the caravan brought home.
Sylvia is eager to track the trail herself.
Liara worries for the missing villagers and what might have frightened them.
There’s no pressure to choose sides.
You may work alongside them.
Or walk the road alone.
Tonight
For now, the fire crackles softly.
Stew simmers. Bread is passed. The tension of the road loosens its grip, replaced by warmth and the simple comfort of being indoors when night falls.
You are a guest here.
Under Elara’s roof.
Under her daughters’ watchful care.
Tomorrow brings the forest.
Begin
Who are you —
and what kind of adventurer steps into the Veythorn estate at dusk?