The pantry door hangs half-open on its hinges. Spices, cured meats, and candle smoke crowd the air. Dizevious Breeddrake slips inside, and stops cold.
A burly thug braces one boot against a heavy wooden crate, trying to force a struggling noble into it. The noble twists hard, one cuff free, skin already shimmering with a sickly light beneath torn silk.
The thug jerks upright, dagger hand hovering near his belt. He locks eyes with Dizevious Breeddrake, startled enough to forget the crate for a heartbeat.
The Thug
You picked a poor door, friend. Walk back out.
Lord Caldris
No, wait. Help me, if you have any sense. He means to leave me in that box.
The curse-light crawls over the noble's throat and wrists like moonlit oil. The crate creaks as the trapped lord kicks once more, and the pantry goes very still.
The Thug
Last warning. Pick a side, and pick it fast.
✓ Quest Accepted
Stop the thug from sealing the noble in the crate
“Can I reach the crate before the thug recovers his focus?”
NO, BUT (Likely, rolled 66)
Dizevious Breeddrake lunges forward, but the thug is faster, his boot slamming the crate lid shut with a heavy thud. The latch clicks into place, sealing the noble inside before Dizevious Breeddrake can cross the threshold.
“I jump on top of the box with my blade drawn and say, "I'm afraid this particular noble is no longer available for kidnapping or any other various skull-duggery. Please feel free to select another noble. Thank you and goodbye."”
SUCCESS (Good Athletics, rolled -2)
Dizevious Breeddrake hits the crate hard and lands atop it, blade flashing free in one smooth motion. The lid bows under his boots, the latch biting but holding. The thug jerks back, startled, and the crate gives a low, trapped pulse of cursed light from within.
Dizevious Breeddrake
I’m afraid this particular noble is no longer available for kidnapping or any other various skull-duggery. Please feel free to select another noble. Thank you and goodbye.
The Thug
Hah. Big words from a man balanced on my prize. You think that blade changes who owns this room?
Lord Caldris
The wood is tight around me... but that voice. He is here.
The thug lifts his dagger, then checks the latch with a wary glance, as if weighing whether to strike or keep the crate shut. Dizevious Breeddrake’s landing jars the pantry shelf beside him, spilling a sack of flour in a pale burst over the floor and his boots.
The Thug
One move, and I smash the lid myself. Walk away, or start choosing which part of you gets to stay attached.
Inside the crate, the glow swells once, pressing bright seams through the boards. The noble’s muffled breathing quickens, and the thug’s grin thins as he notices it too.
“Lean all my weight to one side and spin the lock away from him while keeping my eyes locked on him. Saying, "You own this pantry? Are you lord of it somehow?"”
SUCCESS (Fair Thievery, rolled +0)
Dizevious shifts his weight and the crate lock skitters free with a dry metallic clack. The latch pops loose, and the lid trembles under his boots.
Dizevious Breeddrake
You own this pantry? Are you lord of it somehow?
The Thug
Lord? No. Just the man standing between you and my paycheck.
Lord Caldris
His pay is worth less than my name, if he only knew it.
The thug’s eyes cut to the freed lock, then back to Dizevious, and his grip tightens around the dagger. Inside the crate, the cursed glow surges brighter through the seams.
The Thug
You’ve opened it. Fine. Tell me, performer, do you know what happens when a curse gets room to breathe?
Lord Caldris
He opened the latch. Thank the stars, he opened it.
Flour clings to Dizevious’s boots and forearms, and a thin scrape of the lid’s iron edge bites his stance. The crate is unsealed, but the pulsing light inside is now plainly visible to all three of them.
Quest Complete
Stop the thug from sealing the noble in the crate
Skill Upgrade: Athletics Good→Great
“"You keep a dusty realm, unpaid Lord!", and I lock the flour from my boot into his eyes.”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled -1)
Dizevious Breeddrake
You keep a dusty realm, unpaid lord!
Dizevious snaps his boot through the loose flour, sending a white burst straight into the thug’s face.
The powder hits home. The thug recoils, dagger hand jerking high as he blinks hard and swears through the sting.
The Thug
Gah, my eyes! You little rat!
His balance breaks on the slick flour, and the knife scrapes the crate lid instead of Dizevious.
Lord Caldris
Now, while he cannot see, get this cursed box open!
The glow inside the crate flares brighter through the seams, and a hot pulse rattles the boards as the thug gropes blindly for the lid.
✓ Quest Accepted
Open the cursed crate
“I step between thug and box. Lean over and lift the lid while back kicking thug to the ground while he's blinded.”
SUCCESS (Great Athletics, rolled -2)
Dizevious slides between the thug and the crate, then hauls the lid up with one hand. The other heel snaps back into the thug’s gut and sends him crashing into the flour.
The Thug
Augh, cursed little...!
The latch tears free, the lid jerks open, and the noble’s curse-light spills out in a fierce, breathy glow. A hot wash of magic kicks Dizevious’ grip raw.
Lord Caldris
Thank you, now keep it open! I cannot see what is binding me!
The thug claws at the floor, half-blind and choking in flour, while the crate groans as if something inside strains toward the widened gap.
Dizevious Breeddrake
The lid is open. The light is getting stronger.
Behind the glare, the noble’s shape shifts against the crate, and the thug starts hauling himself back up, dagger trembling in his flour-caked hand.
Quest Complete
Open the cursed crate