Steam drifts across a geothermal pool hidden beneath the mountain, softening the edges of black stone and damp earth. Narath kneels beside a track far too large for any cat he knows.
The print sinks deep into the mud, its broad pads sharply outlined. Water trembles nearby, and mineral warmth rises through the soles of his worn boots.
Narath
The track is fresh.
A thin crack races from the pool's rim beneath Narath's weight. The earth gives a quiet, brittle pop, then a slab of stone drops away.
Darkness opens below the steaming ground. Loose stones rattle into it and vanish without an immediate sound of impact.
The rim shifts again, widening around the enormous print. Warm air breathes from the hollow, carrying a damp mineral scent and something faintly animal.
For one suspended moment, the track, the pool, and the hidden dark balance together. The next movement will decide whether the opening reveals a passage or takes the ground with it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Escape the collapsing ground
✓ Quest Accepted
Find the animal that left the enormous track
“I study the enormous print and the hollow for signs of where it leads.”
SUCCESS (Fair Perception, rolled +0)
Narath studies the deepest edges of the print, where mud clings differently beneath each broad toe. The weight settled forward, toward a low passage beyond the pool.
Narath
It went through the warm passage, carrying water and the mineral scent with it.
Along the passage floor, flattened grit and faint fur marks follow the same direction. A shallow scrape in the stone shows where the great cat's flank brushed the wall.
Narath shifts closer to inspect the hollow's edge. The unstable rim collapses beneath his hand, and sharp stone scores his palm before he pulls back.
The falling fragment strikes the pool with a hard crack. Ripples spread across the steaming water, then fade into the passage's reflected darkness.
Beyond the opening, the trail is clear: the enormous feline entered the low passage recently, leaving damp impressions that lead deeper beneath the caldera.
“I retreat from the unstable rim”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +1)
Narath draws back from the broken rim, planting his boots on solid stone and keeping his weight away from the fractured ground.
The unstable edge settles behind him without another collapse. Steam curls between him and the pool, veiling the fresh scar in the earth.
Narath
The stone is sound here.
His scraped palm stings, but the cut is shallow. He folds his fingers, checks the grip, and keeps the knife secured at his side.
From the safer ground, the low passage lies fully visible beyond the pool. Damp tracks and scattered fur lead into its warm darkness.
Behind him, the hollow exhales mineral-scented air. Ahead, the great cat's trail continues beneath the caldera, undisturbed and recent.
Quest Complete
Escape the collapsing ground
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Fair→Good