Armored boots hammer down the spiral stair. A lantern glow spills into the chamber, catching on dust, stone, and the open breach beneath the arch.
The Watchman steps into view, tall and broad-shouldered, then freezes when he sees Dotti Nightshade and the proof lying on the floor.
The Watchman
Hold, now. I am not here to raise a blade at you. That light called me down, and I think it was meant to.
He lowers the lantern a little, careful, and his gaze flicks from the glowing arch to the folded paper in the dust.
The Watchman
If that is the truth you found, then you should not stand alone with it. Let me see it, and I will help keep the stair quiet.
The Stranger remains close to Dotti, silent but relieved, while the chamber waits for her answer.
✓ Quest Accepted
Evade the Watchman’s scrutiny
“Does the watchman have bad intentions?”
YES, AND MORE (Even, rolled 1)
The Watchman's eyes narrow, the lantern light casting long, jagged shadows across his face as he steps closer. His hand drifts toward the hilt of his blade, his expression hardening into a cold, predatory mask that betrays his earlier promise.
Dotti Nightshade
His grip on the lantern is too tight, and his eyes are not looking at the paper, but at the exit.
The Watchman
You were never meant to leave this room with that secret, Dotti. It is far too heavy for someone like you to carry.
“I grabbed the stranger's hand and pulled them to me and we run out of the tavern into the night”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +0)
Dotti Nightshade hooks the Stranger by the hand and yanks them toward the stair. Dust skitters under her boots as both of them lunge for the doorway, the folded proof snapping once in the draft behind them.
Wolf King Theodore
Wait, I have it.
The Stranger fumbles the document against their chest while keeping pace, shoulders tight. Behind them, the Watchman starts forward, lantern raised, but the open arch throws a pale glow across the floor and steals his certainty.
The Watchman
Stop. Both of you.
Dotti clears the chamber threshold first, pulling the Stranger into the narrow black of the stair. The chill night air reaches them in a thin blade, and the faint breath from within the arch follows like a whisper at their heels.
Above, the tower stones swallow the Watchman’s footsteps, leaving only the scrape of his boots and the hard tremble of his lantern light at the doorway.
Quest Complete
Evade the Watchman’s scrutiny