The Ledger of Bitter Glass
The Ledger of Bitter Glass
“Follow the money, find the traitor, and stop the shipment before war turns commerce into a weapon.”
— Hook · investigation
“The First Charter Bank has discovered that Veyrun's Alchemical Guild holds far more money than its official business can explain. You have been hired to investigate quietly, before the bank accuses a respected wartime supplier of treason without proof. If the guild is innocent, you will protect its name. If it is not, you must uncover where the money came from and stop whatever is being bought with it.”
— Hook · investigation
Maris Vell receives the party in a locked records room beneath the First Charter Bank. She presents three contradictory figures: the guild's declared income, its unusually frequent cash deposits, and the amount of rare reagent purchased through approved vendors. She gives the party four enchanted warbound charms, one for each member, claiming they were recovered from a sealed bank vault and can mark trusted investigators to one another. She warns that the charms will react to certain alchemical residues, but does not know that the same enchantment was originally designed for covert military couriers.
Maris Vell
Maris Vell approaches the party through a discreet intermediary and asks them to meet after sunset in a sealed records room beneath the First Charter Bank. She offers a formal contract, partial payment up front, and enchanted warbound charms that allow the investigators to recognize one another through smoke, darkness, and disguise.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01The Alchemical Guild has begun buying more glass than it can possibly use.
- 02A guild wagon was seen traveling toward the canal after curfew with no visible guards.
- 03A clerk at the First Charter Bank recently purchased a house despite receiving no promotion.
- 04Some healing potions sold to soldiers have a faint bitter taste and leave a silver residue.
- 05A masked broker has been asking dockworkers about sealed cargo marked with a broken sun symbol.
If the party fails, Karth Vale receives the catalyst and can contaminate Veyrun's military reservoir. Even success may destabilize the city by exposing corruption in a respected guild and a major bank. The party must balance proof, public safety, witness protection, and the danger of revealing how deeply the conspiracy reaches.
Background Lore
The city of Veyrun has prospered despite the border war with the neighboring nation of Karth Vale. Its Alchemical Guild supplies the army with healing draughts, antitoxins, smoke bombs, and battlefield reagents. Recently, a senior bank assessor noticed that the guild's deposits are far greater than its licensed contracts and public sales could explain. The discrepancy points toward an illicit trade hidden beneath legitimate wartime production.
The First Charter Bank hired the party to investigate unexplained wealth held by Veyrun's Alchemical Guild during an ongoing war. The guild appears to be earning money through hidden sales, but the exact buyers, route, and purpose remain unknown. The party must investigate without causing a public scandal, protect any witnesses, and determine whether the guild is committing treason.
