Ludwig already knew that he would be caught the moment he walked into any of the empire's checkpoints. So he used the Glamour of his lantern to completely change his appearance once he reached the gate of Tulmud.
The decision was automatic, practiced. He didn't wait until guards stared too long; he didn't gamble. The Glamour slid over him like a second skin, subtle at first, edges shifting, lines softening, then firming into a different face with different proportions.
Even the way he carried his shoulders changed slightly, as if the illusion insisted on posture as part of the disguise. The gate of Tulmud loomed ahead, wood and iron and bored men with eyes trained to look for trouble.
He walked in without much trouble, only needing to provide proof of his profession, and he already had an older adventurer's emblem that the guards needed only one look at to allow him in.
