Halven's Darkwood
Along one wall of the Carpentry Shed rests a separate stack of carefully selected finished darkwood, noticeably better prepared than the ordinary lumber elsewhere in the camp. The boards have been planed, trimmed, and set aside rather than mixed with the general stock.
These are the pieces Halven Dorr came to Reiver's Right to inspect on behalf of Orvik Brasshand. Orvik's previous shipment had contained an unacceptable infestation beneath the grain, so Halven was instructed to personally examine the replacement stock before approving it for transport back to Old Macridi.
Several boards bear small chalk marks, measurements, and inspection symbols made by Halven. A few have been rejected with a simple X, while others have been marked as acceptable. His abandoned inspection work shows that he was still evaluating the shipment when conditions at Reiver's Right deteriorated.
Against the far wall lies a neat stack of unusually dark timber, each board planed smooth and separated by narrow wooden spacers. Fine chalk marks run along the edges: measurements, short notations, circles around knots, and several decisive X marks.
One board has been partially scraped along the grain, exposing a thin dark discoloration beneath the polished surface.
A character examining the boards can determine that the darkwood itself is valuable and professionally prepared. The troubling feature is not obvious surface rot, but fine discoloration and residue occurring beneath the grain in several pieces—the same sort of defect that caused Orvik to reject the earlier shipment.
This does not by itself prove that the darkwood caused Halven's condition. It does establish that corruption had reached finished timber being prepared for export from Reiver's Right.