Embers stumbles out of the Dark Forest and into blinding sun. Behind her, the black trunks thin at last, and the Sea of Green rolls away in waves of grass and fern, bright as polished jade.
She grips the rough branch-club in both hands as she slows at the edge of the open land. The air smells of warm sap, crushed leaves, and far-off rain.
The Woodsman
Keep low. If Gray is still on us, the open ground cuts both ways.
The Royal Courier
There, the horizon. No sign of him yet, but he could hide in the grass for miles.
The wind combs through the Sea of Green, bending the stalks in silver ripples. Embers’ red hair catches the light as she scans the unfamiliar expanse, every rustle suddenly too loud.
The grass is taller than her shoulders in places.
+ Story Quest Added
Find a safe camp
+ Story Quest Added
Get past Gray
“At her Wit's End she turns to The Woodsman you have always guided me even though it was from afar lead me to somewhere I can be safe from The Gray Man then her stomach rumbles loudly protesting the lack of nutrients is received for she is indeed on the edge of starvation”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +0)
Embers Firestarter
You guided me before. Lead me somewhere safe from the Gray Man.
The Woodsman answers at once, turning his shoulder into the wind. He points through the grass, not toward the open horizon, but toward a shallow fold in the land where reeds shiver beside a hidden dip.
Embers follows, small steps swallowed by the tall blades. The sea of green parts around her, and a low, bowl-shaped hollow opens from sight, screened by fern and a leaning thicket.
The Royal Courier
That will do. It is sheltered, and the grass masks it from a distance.
Embers’ stomach gives a sharp, embarrassing growl, loud enough to make the Courier glance down with quick sympathy.
The Woodsman
Stay here. I will bring kindling, and anything edible I can find before dusk.
He sets a few stones in a rough ring, then presses aside the fern to show a dry patch of earth beneath it. For the first time since the trees, the place looks like it can hold a fire and hide a child.
Quest Complete
Find a safe camp
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Good→Great
