"It's Solaric, without a doubt," Zarius said smoothly, turning the cold metallic token over between his thumb and forefinger.
He sat behind his desk in the study, his tired expression betraying the long hours he'd spent there. Across from him, Flio and Elios stood near the center of the rug, their heavy travelling cloaks still damp from the night air of the lower district.
Flio shifted his weight, leaning one hand against the carved back of an armchair. "We found it right after a heavy-set man barged into us in the alley. Elios grabbed his sleeve to demand an apology, and the man just tossed a copper coin into his hand and shoved past. When we walked a few paces further down the lane, Elios spotted this sitting in a frozen puddle."
Zarius raised the token closer to the lamp, tracing the intricate crest of the sun crowned in thorned vines with his nail. The metal was unnaturally smooth, forged with techniques distinct to the borderlands.
