Tarran stands amid the shattered village outskirts, jaws slick with the taste of her first bites. Around her, old stones glow sickly violet where the elders have carved their circle.
The ground tightens at her ankles like invisible iron, each step dragging a little harder. Beyond the spellwork, the town hall looms, and from inside it comes the dense, warm scent of hiding villagers.
The Elder
Hold the beast! Bind her legs, and the town still lives!
The chant rises sharp and brittle. Violet fire crawls over Tarran’s claws, licking up her feet in wavering chains of light.
Tarran
Food is inside.
One elder, robed in ash-gray, steps forward with a shaking staff. His eyes stay fixed on Tarran’s mouth, not her feet, as if he knows exactly what she wants most.
The Elder
Turn away, monster, and we may yet spare the hall. Keep advancing, and we seal you here.
The magic tightens with a crackle, and the town hall doors tremble in the distance, as if the people inside have just heard the elders' threat.
✓ Quest Accepted
Break free of the binding ritual
✓ Quest Accepted
Destroy the town hall to reach the villagers
“Tarran swipes a gargantuan clawed hand at the elder.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Melee Combat, rolled -1)
Tarran’s claw comes down hard. The ash-gray elder jerks sideways, staff flying from his grip as the blow sends him crashing through broken stone.
The ritual circle flares white-violet, then splinters in a web of light around her ankles. One chain snaps with a sound like thunder under ice.
The Elder
No, hold the pattern, hold it!
His shout breaks into panic as the remaining chains shudder and go slack, smoking at the edges.
Tarran
Loose.
Tarran’s foot tears free of the fading glyphs. The ground beneath her no longer grips, only glows in ragged, broken arcs.
The Elder
The binding is failing, stop her now!
Quest Complete
Break free of the binding ritual