S0 — The Lantern & Ledger Briefing – The Lost Mansions of House Vhalek: Ash, Glass, and Thorn (imported)

SCENE S0 · AUGINFORD · SOCIAL / PREPARATION

The Lantern & Ledger Briefing

The Lantern & Ledger smells of wax, river rain, and ink. Brass lamps burn above a dozen uneven tables, while a fire fights a losing battle with the damp at the hearth. In the back corner, a travel-stained scholar has cleared three places at a round table. Before them lie a locked folio, a cup of untouched tea, and a small brass instrument whose needle trembles whenever the wind reaches the shutters.

Your employer: Professor Policka Manderhein, a careful historian who publicly studies old architecture and practical engineering, has traced the old Vhalek experiments to three mansion relics. She cannot safely enter the estates herself. She offers a fair advance, pays on delivery, and insists that the relics must be handled—not activated—until she can compare them together.

At the table

The commissionRecover one sealed Vhalek relic from each mansion and return them intact.
The warningEach estate’s rift reacts to attention; noise, delays, and force can make later rooms more dangerous without ending the expedition.
The choiceThe party can ask for local leads, negotiate terms, inspect the brass rift-meter, or begin downtime before taking the south road.