The guards leave the reception yard, closing the inner barrier behind them. Two clerks carry the signed review toward a records window while the group remains together, packs closed and Maya's release copy secure in her hand.
Fin
Let me check the bite again. The review says no progression, but the swelling should not be ignored.
Fin gently inspects the bruised skin without disturbing its dressing. Her mismatched eyes flick between the wound and Maya's face, searching for fever, confusion, or any change the medic missed.
Robin
Those routes lead deeper inside, but this one points toward an outer access road. If they let us choose, I want the road with fewer checkpoints.
Robin studies the posted map beyond the yard, tracing faded lines between reception, storage, housing, and the western road. She keeps glancing toward the clerks as they sort the paperwork.
Sara
Safer than the road, perhaps. Safer than trusting them, not yet.
Sara stands near the barrier, watching the settlement beyond it: fences, watch positions, and people moving with practiced caution. For the first time, no examiner interrupts the group's silence.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the western access road together
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn who controls access to the western road
“I ask the clerks who controls access to the western road.”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +2)
Maya Gonzales
Who controls access to the western road?
The two clerks pause over the signed review, then carry it to the records window. One checks the access ledger while the other studies the route map.
New Hope Clerks
The western road is controlled by the outer gate watch. Records can approve your route, but the gate watch controls passage and may close the road for undead activity.
The clerk taps two entries on the map: the records office authorizes travelers, while the outer gate watch verifies the authorization and opens the road barrier.
New Hope Clerks
Your group’s release is valid for the reception yard. Ask the records desk to mark the western route, then present that mark at the outer gate.
The clerks add the route requirement to the visible map and return the signed review to its folder. The western road’s authority is now clear: records first, gate watch afterward.
Quest Complete
Learn who controls access to the western road
“I ask Sara what she fears about staying”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +0)
Maya Gonzales
Sara, what do you fear about staying here?
Sara studies the inner barrier and the watch positions beyond it. Her posture stays loose, but her attention moves across every gate and marked boundary.
Sara
Not the dead. New Hope can handle the dead. I fear being useful enough to keep, but never trusted enough to leave.
She keeps her voice low, glancing toward the reception yard rather than the people inside it. The answer comes without hesitation, as if she has carried it for years.
Sara
Staying means every promise can become a condition. A review becomes another review, and safety becomes permission someone else can withdraw.
Sara
If I stay, I need an exit that remains mine.
“I ask Sara to help plan our exit”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled -2)
Maya Gonzales
Sara, help me plan an exit that stays ours. Which route, checkpoint, and timing give us the best chance to leave?
Sara
Use the western route. Get the records desk to mark it, then leave through the outer gate before the next watch change. We stay together, packs ready, and keep the release copy visible.
Sara points from the reception map to the western road, then traces the outer gate and the narrow approach between the fences. The plan gives the group a complete route out.
Fin
I can carry the treatment record and release copy. If the gate watch questions us, I will keep the papers together and answer only what I witnessed.
Robin
I will watch the map and the gate. But we still do not know when that watch changes, so we may have to wait and observe.
The missing watch schedule costs them time. Sara settles on the fence line where she can see both the records window and the outer approach, while the others prepare to wait for a clear opening.
“I observe the watch change from the fence line”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +1)
Maya holds position along the fence line, using the reception yard’s angles to watch both the outer approach and the gate platform. The afternoon light shifts across the wire.
The outgoing watch signals from the platform. Two guards secure their rifles, exchange a brief route update, and step aside as the incoming pair takes position.
Maya sees the change clearly: the western gate is checked by the new watch, while the departing guards leave through the inner barrier without stopping the road process.
Sara
There. The change is orderly, and the new pair is watching the western approach. We move before they settle into a longer inspection.
Robin
I saw it too. No extra patrol came in with them, and the gate stayed open during the handoff.
The timing is no longer uncertain. Maya and the others have a clear watch-change window, with the western route visible and the outer gate staffed by the incoming guards.
“I get the western route marked at records”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +0)
Maya crosses the reception yard during the watch-change window, keeping the intake review copy visible. At the records desk, she presents it and indicates the western route on the settlement map.
New Hope Clerks
The release is valid. We are marking the western route for your group now.
One clerk writes the route authorization beside the signed review while the other checks the destination, timing, and outer gate authority against the ledger. The mark is clear and legible.
Sara
Good. Keep that mark with the release copy. We go straight to the western gate while the new watch is still settling.
Fin
I will carry both records together and show them at the gate. Nothing gets separated.
The clerks return the marked review copy to Maya. The western route is authorized in writing, and the group turns toward the outer approach with packs closed and papers ready.
“I lead everyone to the western gate”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled -2)
Maya leads Fin, Robin, and Sara along the marked western approach, keeping the release copy raised as the group crosses the yard during the watch-change window.
She moves quickly between the fences, catches her worn boot on a broken edge, and scrapes her knee against the gravel. The pain slows her for one breath, but the papers stay visible.
Sara
Keep going. The gate is open, and they have seen the route mark.
Maya reaches the western gate with the others intact behind her. The incoming guards turn toward the group, rifles lowered but ready, as the outer barrier stands open.
New Hope Guards
Stop at the gate line. Show the release copy and the marked western route.
Fin
Both records are together. The route is authorized for all four of us.
The guards inspect the marked copy, then wave the group to the western gate line. Maya has led everyone there, though her scraped knee burns beneath her camo pants.
“I show both records to the gate guards”
FAILURE (Superb Reasoning, rolled -4)
Maya holds out the intake review copy and the marked western route. The guards compare both pages, then stop at the route mark, unable to match its notation to the gate ledger.
New Hope Guards
The release is valid, but this route mark is not legible against our current entry. We cannot authorize passage on these papers alone.
One guard keeps the copies raised for the other to inspect while the western barrier begins sliding inward. The open crossing narrows, ending the watch-change window without anyone passing through.
Sara
Then do not send us back through intake. Record the mismatch and have the gate office verify the route from its own ledger.
Fin
The release copy still proves the medical decision. Keep it with the route paper while the gate office checks the authorization.
The guards retain both documents at the gate desk and mark the group as awaiting route verification. Passage is denied for now, but the records remain in official custody instead of being discarded or returned for another failed presentation.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get the route authorization verified by the gate office
− Scene Quest Removed
Reach the western access road together
“I ask the gate office to verify our route mark against its ledger.”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +0)
Maya Gonzales
Please have the gate office verify this route mark against its ledger before deciding passage.
The gate guards carry the marked route and release copy to the records window. The barrier remains held while clerks compare the notation with the western access entries.
New Hope Clerks
The route mark matches the western access authorization in our ledger. It is valid for this group and this departure window.
One clerk adds a confirming notation beside the original mark and signs the ledger entry. The other carries the verified page back to the gate desk.
New Hope Guards
Verification confirmed. The western route is authorized. Keep the papers visible and proceed through the gate together.
The guards return both documents and pull the western barrier fully open. Sara, Fin, and Robin gather close as the passage clears beyond the gate.
Quest Complete
Get the route authorization verified by the gate office