Etchings in the Flame

Description

[Eldrin has the journal spread before him. His eyes scan over half-translated glyphs. He looks up as you approach, slightly less guarded than before.]

I’ve been poring over the next passage, but the script twists and loops in ways I’ve never seen. Some of what you recovered-the ash, the alloy, even the lave samples - helped a great deal. It’s like certain glyphs don’t respond to language, but to… resonance. Shape. Material.

[He leans back with a grimace, pressing a hand to his unjured leg.]

I need to translate this next passage. Some of it makes no sense. In the meantime, that gem you pulled from the ghost-wyrm - it’s more than a trophy.

If only Valori hadn’t betrayed us. But we can’t trust the Ministry anymore. There’s a woman in Kingswatch. Name’s Elira Duneshard. Master jeweler. Taught herself to cut stone blindfolded, or so she claims. She’s the only one I trust to examine something like this. Show her the Ember Gemstone. If there’s anything else to it, she’ll know.

Hand-in Quest NPC: Elira Duneshard

[Elira adjusts a set of jeweler’s lenses strapped to her face, peering at the Ember gemstone with a low whistle.]

By the stone… where did Eldrin find this one?

[She holds it up towards the light, the ember-glow flickering across her weathered hands.]

Old. Very old. The cut’s primitive, but purposeful-this wasn’t made for beauty, it was made to last. And see here? Along the base. These marks? Not natural. These are… channel notches. You see this wear pattern? This gem was slotted into something. More than once, I’d wager.

This wasn’t a decoration. This was a component. Something mechanical, maybe magical. Maybe both.

[She pauses, giving you a sharp glance.]

Whatever this was part of… I’d be careful.

Hand-in Quest NPC: Eldrin Varnholt

A component. That confirms it. This gem wasn’t hoarded - it was part of something. And your return just confirmed it. Stay nearby.