Yuri carries the captive into the ash market without lowering him. Abandoned stalls sag beneath gray dust, their torn awnings snapping in the marsh wind.
Beyond the market, the old bell tower leans crookedly over black reeds and stagnant water. Fresh footprints, dark as spilled ink, lead beneath its cracked foundation.
The Captive
No... not there. Please, you must not—
Recognition drains what color remains in the captive’s swollen face. He twists in Yuri’s grip, reaching desperately toward the road behind them, but the torn coat holds.
The Captive
The marks mean he knows. He will hear us. He will know you came.
A bell tolls once from the leaning tower, though no hand moves in its open belfry. The black footprints continue beneath the sealed-looking stones.
The Captive
If I name what waits below, it will turn its face toward me.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep the captive alive
“"...hah." I set the man down and sit atop an old crate. "...apologies. This masked man... has taken away everything I ever held dear. Please tell me anything you know about him or this place."”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +2)
Yuri lowers the captive onto the ash-streaked ground, then settles heavily atop a warped crate. The captive folds against its side, coughing as rain beads on his torn coat.
Yuri
Hah... apologies. This masked man has taken away everything I ever held dear. Tell me anything you know about him or this place.
The captive studies her from beneath graying brows. Her apology unsettles him more than the threat did, and the leaning tower answers with a faint tremor of stone.
The Captive
I know only what smugglers whisper. He is a man, not a spirit. He wears iron beneath that mask, and never removes it where witnesses might live.
The Captive
The chapel below the tower was built over older ruins. Its bell vault keeps records, relics, and names scratched into black slate. The amulet's trail was hidden there.
The Captive
If she enters, the old stones will recognize her purpose. Perhaps that is why he feared anyone asking the right questions.
The Captive
The sealed stair opens when the bell tolls, but only from below. Find the mark of a split crown, and you will find where he went.
“"This is becoming quite a headache... fine." I drop a few coins into his palm. "Find your way back to the city, don't spend all of this in one place. May the Goddess shine her mercy on you."”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +3)
Yuri searches beneath the warped crate and finds a few tarnished coins half-buried in ash, then gathers them into her broad palm.
Yuri
This is becoming quite a headache... fine.
Yuri
Find your way back to the city, don't spend all of this in one place. May the Goddess shine her mercy on you.
She places the coins in the captive’s shaking palm. He stares at them, then closes his fingers carefully around the small mercy.
The Captive
I will. I swear it. May the Goddess guard you beneath that tower.
The captive rises stiffly and turns toward the south road, keeping one hand pressed over the coins. His uneven footsteps fade between the abandoned stalls.
Alone again, Yuri faces the leaning bell tower. Rain whispers over the ash, while the sealed stones wait beneath its crooked shadow.
Quest Complete
Keep the captive alive
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Fair→Good
