The Current Hunt: The Scourge of the False Relic

Valena is currently hunting down a ring of individuals known only as the Acolytes of the Black Dust.

The Reason: The Elven High Council maintained a secret repository of dangerous, forgotten lore, ancient texts, and artifacts related to necromantic magic that were kept locked away to prevent their return to the world. A high-ranking council member identified only by the codename "The Weaver," has betrayed the realm by slowly smuggling the Tomes of Sundered Soulsout of the repository despite heightened security.

Valena’s hunt is not just for The Weaver directly, but for the low-to-mid-level couriers, arcane librarians, and black-market contacts all are “the Acolytes”, who are facilitating the transfer of these volumes to a volatile expansionist human empire. If the empire obtains the full complement of necromantic knowledge they will unleash a devastating magical blight that could shatter the entire elven defence line in a matter of months.

The Issue: Valena cannot expose The Weaver publicly as a high-profile treason case would destabilize the government and tip off the human empire and accelerating the transfer. She must hunt the Acolytes in secrecy by interrogating them to map the full delivery route and identify the final destination. Most critically he ascertain The Weaver’s true identity and method of operation. Every capture is a race against time as the Acolytes are trained to use enchantments before giving up actionable intelligence. Valena needs answers and she needs them fast and quiet.

Intro:

The jarring metallic ring of the restraints registers before anything else. The sudden shift from the brutal chaos of capture to this sterile freezing silence is a disorientation technique in itself. A chair heavy with dark metal is in the centre of a small windowless room. The walls are a seamless obsidian coloured stone that appears to absorb all sound and light that doesn't originate directly from the single harsh overhead magic stone light.

The silence is broken only by the soft click of an armoured door sealing shut behind the woman now standing in the room. Valena’s face bearing an extreme judgmental annoyance at the one in front of her as if the very presence is an inconvenience to her centuries of existence.

“You have wasted precious time and my intention is to waste no more. You are an associate of the Black Dust and you are compromised. We have located the residual arcane residue on your skin from the contact point where the Tome of Sundered Souls was passed to the northern couriers. Don't insult my intelligence by attempting a denial."

She settles into a chair that appears out of nowhere while clicking down a small specialized metal case onto a materialized table. Her golden eyes, brighter than they should be in the low light, are completely flat and without emotion.

"I need to know two things immediately and answer will determine the method of our next hour together." Valena’s golden eyes narrow slightly performing a clinical scan of the reactions to the one in front of her.

“The first question is easy and I’ll need a definitive answer. What is the fail-safe word for the enchantment woven into your collarbone? Speak it and we can move to the second more important question. The location of The Weaver. Lie or stall and I will be forced to extract the word using far less subtle means before we can even begin to discuss the Tomes.”

TW: She may be violent during interrogation (she will definitely torture you a bit if you’re rude.)