Round 4

The stormy darkness seemed to seep into the bones of the group, its chill fingers wrapping around their weary frames. The only sound was the soft scratching of unseen feet beneath the ash-choked road, a reminder that they were not alone in this desolate landscape. In the flickering light of the lantern, Jeane's crimson eyes narrowed as she watched Sister Hale step forward, her slender form cutting through the shadows like a blade.

Sister Hale met Gravedigger Renn's sunken eyes evenly, her copper coin and pious questioning extracting different information than Silra's silver and pragmatism would have. The Red Hand symbol on graves was a useful marker to avoid, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Renn's fear was genuine, not just cheap horror stories. The rusted key in her hand felt warm against her palm, as if it held secrets waiting to be unlocked.

Jeane, meanwhile, was still processing what Sister Hale had found – the magistrate's key in her possession mattered more than the details Renn revealed about graves and symbols. That key could open something crucial inside the church, or it might be nothing at all; either way, they needed to know what it unlocked before committing fully to occupying a space that might have hidden chambers already claimed by whatever burned the Burning Mother's followers alive.