Ban Hammer arrives at the Cucumber Graveyard as red sand shudders beneath the vibrating tombstones. Between them, a wavering portal strains open, its pale rim widening by the heartbeat.
Stella Nabokov
The tavern! The tavern is calling us! Somebody hold the whole doorway still!
Stella braces herself beside the portal, her tambourine rattling wildly. Rosa, a compact artificer, grips the device's battered frame while Dolly plants both feet in the sand.
Rosa Lewis
It is not a doorway, Stella. It is an overloaded escape aperture. If the frame breaks, we all go through at once!
Dolly
I would prefer going through one at a time. That seems more organized, and much less frightening.
The device gives a grinding shriek. Sand lifts in spirals around the three women, and the nearest cucumber tombstones begin leaning toward the widening light.
Stella Nabokov
Ban Hammer! Perfect timing! Help us reach the tavern before this marvelous thing swallows us!
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the portal
✓ Quest Accepted
Arrest the three women for attempting escape
“I command the three women to stand down and submit to arrest.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Ban Hammer
Stand down. All three of you will submit to arrest and surrender yourselves to my custody.
Ban Hammer's command rolls across the graveyard with the weight of law. Stella's tambourine stops mid-rattle, Rosa releases the frame, and Dolly lowers her hands.
Stella Nabokov
Arrested? Oh. Yes, of course. We surrender! Please do not let the tavern doorway eat anyone while we are being orderly.
Rosa Lewis
Understood, Ban Hammer. I am standing down, and the aperture controls are safe. I will not touch the device unless ordered.
Dolly
I submit to arrest. Is there a proper position for surrendering, or may I simply remain here with my hands visible?
The three women step away from the escape frame and gather before Ban Hammer. The portal continues to shimmer behind them, but no hand reaches for it.
For the first time since it opened, the graveyard falls still enough to hear the vibrating cucumber tombstones beneath the wind.
Quest Complete
Arrest the three women for attempting escape
“I smash the portal aperture.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +1)
Ban Hammer’s war hammer crashes into the aperture’s battered frame. The pale rim buckles inward with a thunderclap, scattering sparks of cold light across the red sand.
The portal folds shut completely. Its metal supports split and collapse harmlessly, leaving only a smoking groove among the vibrating cucumber tombstones.
Rosa Lewis
You destroyed the escape aperture. The frame is ruined, but the rupture is sealed.
Stella Nabokov
The tavern doorway is gone! Well, that is certainly one way to make sure nobody tumbles through it.
Dolly
I believe this means we are staying here. I can remain orderly, though I may need reassurance.
Rosa studies the broken frame with a tight jaw, while Stella gathers her silent tambourine and Dolly keeps her hands plainly visible. No path remains beyond the graveyard.
Quest Complete
Secure the portal
Skill Upgrade: Athletics Great→Superb