Delfarius stands on the rough frontier between Tremble and Cevalle, broken stone jutting through wind-bent grass. Below, Rauk and Vessa drive a mounted rider toward a narrow ravine without yet catching him.
The rider, a young adult man, lean and sharp-featured with wind-tousled black hair, dark trousers, and worn riding boots, in a dust-stained brown coat, leans low over his gray horse, a rangy gelding with a white blaze, black mane, and leather bridle. Rauk's dark bulk feints left while Vessa cuts across the grass, turning flight into a narrowing choice.
A flicker of improbable fortune appears beside Delfarius. A young adult demi-god man stands there as though chance simply remembered an empty place, copper-red hair falling in loose waves and a charming smile already forming.
Chance
You watch your creations torment the frontier with impressive patience. I am Chance, demi-god of the trickier face of luck.
Chance follows the chase with amused curiosity, one rugged eyebrow lifting as the horse skids near the ravine’s broken lip. Rauk and Vessa slow, savoring the rider’s panic without closing the distance.
Chance
And you must be Delfarius. Intriguing. Tell me, does luck belong to whoever escapes, or whoever designed the chase?
Learn why Chance has come
✓ Quest Accepted
Watch what the beasts do to the mortal
“"Chance. Hmm delighted." I say looking over to him with a small amused look on my face. "I must say that is quite a introduction. If you are here can I assume the tale for the mortal does not end well?" I say with a dark laugh as the beasts do what they can to capture their prey.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Deception, rolled +0)
Delfarius
Chance. Hmm, delighted. That is quite an introduction. If you are here, can I assume the mortal’s tale does not end well?
Delfarius turns toward Chance with a small, amused look, his dark laugh threading through the wind as Rauk and Vessa press the fleeing rider toward the ravine.
Chance
For him? The tale becomes unpleasant. For the tale itself? Oh, it improves considerably.
Chance’s smile sharpens as the gray gelding stumbles, then finds a treacherous shelf along the ravine wall. Rauk and Vessa halt above it, their prey still alive below.
Chance
You ask whether fate has condemned him. I say only that luck has noticed him, and my attention is rarely mistaken for kindness.
Below, the rider clings to his horse and looks up at the predators. The ravine offers no easy ascent, yet neither beast descends, leaving the mortal’s ending suspended beneath Chance’s pleased gaze.
“I lean closer to Chance and say quietly to him, "There is something the mortal does not know about these beasts that I and the beasts do know." The beasts use their sensory crests to hum and cause the rocks to start to tremble as the female starts to climb down the sheer wall her claws digging in deeply to the rock face. I watch nature do what nature does, even if the nature is supernature. I laugh darkly as Chance watches and remarks on what is happening.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Magic, rolled +1)
Delfarius
There is something the mortal does not know about these beasts, something they and I understand.
Delfarius leans closer to Chance and speaks quietly. Below, the new male predator and the new female predator raise their sensory crests; a deep harmonic hum passes through the ravine walls and wakes the buried stone.
The rocks begin to tremble beneath the rider’s horse. The new female predator starts down the sheer face, her claws driving into the stone, while the new male predator holds the upper path and lets the resonance do its work.
Delfarius
Nature does what nature does, even when nature is supernature.
Delfarius laughs darkly as the ravine shudders. The secret becomes plain to Chance: the predators do not merely hunt through strength; their crests can persuade the landscape itself to betray a fleeing path.
Chance
Ah. They are not chasing him toward the ravine. They are teaching the ravine to close around him. That is a much more interesting kind of luck.
Quest Complete
Watch what the beasts do to the mortal
Skill Upgrade: Survival Great→Superb
“I turn fully to Chance as the two beasts catch the rider on the horse and surround him, first killing the horse then pulling him off of the horse and feasting on him as well. I regard Chance calmly as screams and crunching noises are happening in the background. "So where did you come from, and should I be concerned that you suddenly showed up where I was?" I look him over. 'He is easy on the eyes as well, and I find his Heterochromia eyes intriguing.' I think to my thoughts alone as I regard him.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
The new male predator and the new female predator close around the trapped rider as the ravine’s resonance seals his escape. Stone and shadow briefly hide the struggle, leaving only muffled cries behind the rising tremor.
When the dust thins, the beasts remain among the broken stones, feeding beyond the worst of sight. Delfarius turns fully toward Chance, regarding the demi-god with calm attention.
Delfarius
So where did you come from, and should I be concerned that you suddenly showed up where I was?
Delfarius
He is easy on the eyes, and those mismatched eyes are intriguing.
Chance watches the predators finish their grim meal, then turns back with his charming smile undisturbed. Copper-red hair stirs in the ravine wind, framing eyes of two different colors.
Chance
I came from a neighboring realm, drawn by the fortune ley line you established. I am not here to harm you, Delfarius. Concern yourself only if I stop smiling, or if my sister arrives smiling more brightly than I am.
Chance’s answer settles plainly between them: his arrival is deliberate, but not an attack. Behind him, the ravine grows quiet as the new male predator and the new female predator lift their crests toward the next scent.
“The beasts notice my scent and both bound over to use. Chance is a bit startled even though he is a demi god and then the beasts come up to me rubbing against me purring as I reach down and scratch them both. "Sister. So there are two new demi gods. What does your sister reside over?" Chance watches the absurdly impossible scene and answers both my question and what he is seeing.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
The new male predator and the new female predator lift their crests toward Delfarius’s scent, then bound across the broken ravine. Chance startles despite himself as both predators rush past him without hostility.
The beasts reach Delfarius and rub against his legs, their immense bodies folding close as they purr. Their harmonic resonance softens into a contented vibration beneath his hand.
Delfarius
Sister. So there are two new demi-gods. What does your sister preside over?
Delfarius reaches down and scratches both predators between their crests. The new male predator presses into one hand while the new female predator rolls partly onto her side, purring with impossible gentleness.
Chance
Charm presides over the blessed face of luck: fortunate turns, welcome chances, and the doors that open before anyone knows they were searching for them.
Chance
And what I am seeing is considerably stranger. Those are not tame beasts, Delfarius. They have chosen you, and they appear delighted that you noticed them back.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish terms with Chance
“"Well these delighted beasties remember who made them. You two did so well on your hunt, yes you did." I say to them as I lower down to them and give them scritches on the chins. Chance lets me know how they are harmless without the other, and it is only when the dark eyes of both are on someone that the luck will be bad, or when the gold eyes of both are on someone that the luck will be good. I look down at the beasts and tell them to run off, and I will give them scritches the next time I see them.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Well, these delighted beasties remember who made them. You two did so well on your hunt, yes you did.
Delfarius lowers himself between the immense predators and scratches beneath their chins. The new male predator and the new female predator lean into his hands, their purring resonance warm and pleased.
Chance
For clarity, I am harmless without my sister. The bad luck comes only when both dark eyes fix on someone, and the good luck only when both gold eyes do.
Chance gestures between himself and the two beasts, his mismatched eyes bright with amusement. The new male predator and the new female predator remain gentle beneath Delfarius’s touch, their eyes shifting independently.
Delfarius
Run along now. I will give you both more scritches the next time I see you.
The predators answer with a final harmonic purr, brush against Delfarius’s legs, and bound across the broken ravine. Their immense forms vanish beyond the ridge, leaving Chance watching the empty path.
“"Harmless luck then." I say with a smirk as I walk closer to him regarding him coyly. "Seems the type I normally receive so that seems fitting."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +3)