The charcoal keeper leaves the shelter with Iris, barring the door behind them. He leads her through damp pines toward the fork, while the iron token warms against her palm.
At the fork, the three-tailed seal surrounds a split flame carved into a leaning stone. Beyond it, the northern trail descends beneath black branches toward the hidden refuge.
the charcoal keeper
This is where my authority ends. The first keeper stone lies beyond the bend. Show the token, but do not mistake permission for passage.
Footsteps disturb the leaf mold. Sella, a young charcoal runner with a lean build, dark braided hair, and a weather-brown cloak, a woman, emerges carrying a strapped canvas pack.
Sella
Father. So this is the traveler you warned me about.
the charcoal keeper
Sella, this is Iris. She carries my permission. Take her to the refuge, if you judge the road will have her.
Sella
The token may open the first ward, but the keeper stone demands more than iron. It asks what you are willing to leave behind.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the hidden refuge with Sella
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep Sella safe while traveling with her
+ New Item Acquired
Iron token
“"I'm willing to leave behind a life of luxury, like I had with the shrine." Iris says to Stella as they walk, before trying to find the hidden refuge along the path.”
SUCCESS (Fair Survival, rolled +3)
Iris
I am willing to leave behind a life of luxury, like the one I had with the shrine.
Sella
Then you understand the price better than most. Luxury teaches the feet to miss soft floors.
Sella leads Iris beneath black branches, following faint charcoal marks hidden on roots and stones. The northern trail bends sharply, vanishing into a wall of thorn and shadow.
Iris
The refuge is concealed by living growth, not merely distance.
Sella presses the iron token against a split-flame mark. Thorns withdraw without sound, revealing a narrow stair descending into the hillside and a lantern-lit timber door below.
Sella
You found the road because you knew what to surrender. The refuge is open to you, Iris.
Inside waits a dry chamber, a spring-fed basin, and shelves of preserved food. Beside the entrance, Sella reveals a keeper's map showing three routes beyond the shrine's boundary, including one that reaches a distant market town.
Quest Complete
Reach the hidden refuge with Sella
Quest Complete
Keep Sella safe while traveling with her