SCENE TWO — RETURN TO KERESKA’S FAVORTime: 7:13 AMWeather: Fog lifting, spring sun peeking inStatus: Party victorious; reality slightly less brokenNarrative Thread: “Rewrite” sigil obtained
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Exterior – The Walk Back
The streets of Waterdeep look normal again — almost too normal. The cobblestones gleam with drizzle. A street bard pys something vaguely upbeat on a harp that’s definitely missing two strings.
Daka insists on walking with his arms outstretched like a victorious gdiator, shirt still off, the Pirate Hat now somehow holding three bread rolls.
“SO.I propose we celebrate with… shirtless soup wrestling.”
Krummar: “No.”
“Midair pastry duel?”
Mel: “Absolutely not.”
“…Flirting contest judged by pigeons?”
Melodia (tilting her beret):“Only if they’re certified.”
They reach the weather-worn tavern sign — Kereska’s Favor, carved from pale wood and gilded with silver, the draconic sigil glowing faintly.
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Interior – Common Room, 7:16 AM
The tavern is warm now, a haven from the eldritch strangeness outside.? Risotto hands Daka a towel and three warnings.? Linguini offers Mel a fresh feather someone left on the bar.? Lorin, still in her earth-toned apron, greets them with raised eyebrows.
“Let me guess… Daka insulted a spirit, Mel neutralized it, Krummar purified the aftermath, and Melodia emotionally unraveled the fabric of the world using a song she doesn’t remember learning?”
Krummar: “That’s… disturbingly accurate.”
Daka (winking): “I did a suplex.”
Lorin slides a tray across the bar:? A cup of mint tea (for Mel)? A strong dark roast with three sweeteners (for Krummar)? A bowl of strawberry-gzed pastry chunks (for Daka, who cheers)? A warm, honey-filled croissant and a napkin embroidered with tiny stars (for Melodia)
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Systemic Downtime Initiated — Party Rest, Optional RP
Current Subsystems Online:? Codex Rest Phase — emotional yers cool, party tension resets? Tavern Simution Layer — background activity auto-triggers? Faction Fg Trigger Pending — a new visitor approaches
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Tavern Details (Life Simution Active):? The firepce crackles with illusion-fed fme.? Two halfling travelers in the back booth py cards, cheating openly.? A cat you didn’t adopt sleeps on Mel’s chair like it owns the pce.? Melodia writes quietly in a vender notebook, choker pulsing gently.? Daka uses Mage Hand to try to steal pastries from Risotto’s pockets.? Krummar’s book, “Business for Dummies: Tax-Free Faith Edition”, sits open and unread.
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7:22 AM — The Door Opens
Footsteps. Boots. Cloak. Familiar silhouette.
Renaer Neverember, noble rogue, sometimes patron, known ally, and enemy of boredom, steps inside, gloved hands tucked behind his back.
He looks around.
Smirks.
“Let me guess… you fixed something you weren’t even hired to touch.”
Then — more seriously — he produces a sealed scroll. The wax bears the Harpers’ crest, but the ribbon is… wrong.
“This one didn’t come through normal channels.”
He pces it on the counter.
“This came through a mirror.”
Codex Tag: Questline — “The Mirrorbound Accord” Initiated.
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SCENE TWO CONTINUES — KERESKA’S FAVOR, 7:23 AMNarrative Status: Codex Rest Layer (Active) | Mirrorbound Accord Questline: InitializedCamera: Fixed Wide, Tavern Interior | Soundtrack: Lute & Teacups
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The Scroll on the Counter
The ribbon isn’t just wrong. It’s mirrored — inked backward, as if folded through dimensions. The wax seal pulses softly, like it remembers being watched. Codex Signature: Temporal Echo Layer Detected.
Mel, sitting cross-legged near the hearth, tucks the offered feather into her sketchbook, next to one beled “Not My Fault, Probably.” She eyes the scroll once — then stands, casual but deliberate.
She walks barefoot across the tavern floor. Her forest-toned garb shifts gently with her movement, Gulthias Staff clicking once against the floor. The cat in her seat blinks.
Mel (to Renaer):“It followed you here. That’s not a message. That’s a leash.”
Krummar closes his book slowly, setting it aside. His navy-blue shield leans against the wall. His vender-scented breath steadies as he steps forward, one gloved hand brushing the scroll without opening it.
“It’s not evil. But it remembers pain.”
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Daka, Already Over It
Daka, meanwhile, has turned an entire corner booth into a makeshift wrestling pit using towels, chair cushions, and sheer orc confidence.
“Who wants to bet I can pin a bowl of hot soup and not get burned?”
Linguini (deadpan): “We’re not insured for food-based injuries again.”
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Melodia Watches the Scroll
She doesn’t move to touch it. She watches. Her crystal-blue eyes shimmer with refracted candlelight. Her corset ces shift with her soft breath. She holds her croissant like it’s a shield.
“It’s humming… the way my lyre does, when something wants to be sung into truth.”
Her fingers drift toward her Lyre of Stars, which lifts faintly on its enchanted strap. Not yet pyed — just ready.
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7:25 AM — The Scroll Opens Itself
Without anyone touching it — the ribbon unravels backwards.The parchment unfolds in the air, ink sketching itself live in dark mirrored strokes.
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MESSAGE READS:
“TO THE ONES WHO WROTE WITHOUT PERMISSION —
The Mirrorbound see your thread.Your choices have unspooled their plot.The Editor demands a redraft.
Come to the Hall of Forgotten Lines.Midnight. Dockside Reflection Pool.Bring your true selves. Not your masks.Or we come to rewrite you ourselves.”**
The scroll catches fme from the inside. Burns without heat. Turns to ash that glows softly… then folds itself into a tiny origami raven and flutters to the rafters.
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Silence.
Even Daka stops flexing.
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Renaer (low): “This… this is new. Even for Waterdeep.”
Krummar: “It knows our magic. Our gods. And our fws.”
Mel (quiet): “It saw us when we didn’t know we were watching.”
Melodia (softer still): “It remembers things I haven’t sung yet.”
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Codex System Update: Mirrorbound Accord Questline Engaged
Party Effect:? Codex Tension Score: +2 (City-Wide)? Emotional Axis Bonding (Internal):? Melodia → Mel: Comfort +1? Krummar → Melodia: Trust +1? Daka → Krummar: Obsession +1 (“Bro-level rivalry initiated”)? Tavern Reputation Shift: Kereska’s Favor is now unofficially haunted by lore.
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Next Narrative Fork:1. Investigate the Dockside Reflection Pool early (pre-midnight recon).2. Prep the Tavern for noon guests, act normal — see who shows.3. Send Lorin, Risotto, or Linguini to gather local rumor intelligence.4. Split the party — two stay, two scout.
