(I'll continue without the Sense Motive result for now)

The darkness creeping through this world truly is spreading everywhere. "I did hear stories of mighty beastking Kevin, possessing titanic power tempered by his kindness, as accounts of historians and the bardic community go," Thaum mentions as the topic is brought up, perhaps to conjure memories of a fonder subject to take the edge off of current events a little bit. He also remembers ferociously heated arguments between Altenan historians in regards to whether Beastking Kevin truly swam across one ocean or the other, and how quickly. Eclipsed only by the screaming about the mythical powers of the "Class Change" and in what variety Kevin embraced it, getting especially loud when the fringe theory of Kevin having ascended a third time through this power was brought up. More than one poor soul was screeched into submission and pummeled with thrown ink bottles and arcane implements. But this is neither the time nor the place to bring trivia such as this up.

"My condolensces, madam Maysel," Thaum says as the story concludes. "I can see why such darkness hangs over every mention of the Archon's name."

Still, it is a lead, if a somewhat tenuous one. "Do you believe the current king may know more about the Archon, should we be able to reach the capital?"