The Seine is a black, churning ribbon under the pale moonlight. The skiff rocks violently as the boatman maneuvers them away from the shadow of the city wall, pulling hard against the river current.
The Boatman
Sit still, messieurs, unless you wish to feed the fish. These waters are treacherous tonight.
John Smith
The current is strong enough to snap an oar.
Healer Gaston
Do you have the paper, John. Please, keep it tucked away from the spray.
John feels the weight of the document against his chest, damp from the river mist. Behind them, torches flare along the docks, signaling that their departure was far from unseen.
The Boatman
They are lighting the way for us, it seems. We must reach the far bank before they find another boat.
+ Scene Quest Added
Escape the city watch
“Help row the boat after making sure the paper is safely tucked away”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +1)
John Smith checks the folded paper against his chest, finds it dry enough, and slips it deeper beneath his coat.
Then he plants his weight into the oar. The skiff answers at once, cutting straighter through the chop.
The Boatman
Well struck. There, that is the stroke, Monsieur.
Healer Gaston
Careful, the wake is thick here, but yes, that speed helps us.
The little boat surges ahead. The torchlight behind them wavers farther away, and the riverbank ahead emerges as a dark line through the mist.
The boatman glances back once, then nods at John Smith with quick approval. The paper is secure, and his pull steadies the skiff for the moment.
The Boatman
If you have strength like that, keep it ready. I hear another boat moving in the dark.
“Continue rowing”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +0)
John Smith drives the oar again, and the skiff bites cleanly into the current. The boat keeps its head straight, stubborn against the black water.
The Boatman
Yes, that, keep that pace, Monsieur. The river yields when struck properly.
Healer Gaston
Good. The bank is opening to us now, and I can see a landing ahead.
Mist parts in tatters. A narrow stretch of shore lies visible now, low reeds black against the water, while the torchlight behind falls farther away.
Beneath John Smith's coat, the folded paper stays dry and hidden, pressed safe against him as the skiff glides.
The Boatman
There, do you hear it again? Not a rumor this time, an oar, off the stern.
The skiff runs silent for a heartbeat, fast and true, while the unseen pursuit moves somewhere in the dark behind them.
“Keep paddling hard. Now is not the time to stop!”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +0)
John Smith throws his weight into the oar, and the skiff leaps ahead with a hard, clean surge. The stern wakes white for an instant, then smooths behind them.
The Boatman
That is it, Monsieur. Hold her thus, and she answers like a hunting dog.
Healer Gaston
The landing is there. We have it in sight now.
The far bank opens wide through the thinning mist, reeds bending low along the shore. Behind them, the distant torchglow breaks into scattered embers.
The paper stays tight under John's coat, dry and secure.
The skiff runs straight for the landing, a narrow tongue of dark wood and mud waiting at the water's edge.
The Boatman
Easy now, keep the bow true. I will put us in.
“Carefully but quickly guide the boat to shore and assist the healer with.disembarking”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +0)
The skiff noses into the landing with a soft scrape of wood on mud. The Boatman catches the bow-line and holds it steady while John eases the boat alongside the bank.
John rises in one smooth motion, reaches down, and lends Healer Gaston a hard, steadying grip. Gaston plants his foot on the slippery edge and steps out without losing balance.
Healer Gaston
Well caught. I would rather not meet the Seine face first.
John shifts after him and the folded paper under his coat stays dry, intact, and close. The landing offers a few crates and a low stone wall for cover, just enough to make the shore feel solid underfoot.
The Boatman
Move, both of you. The river has given you up, but the city has not.
Behind them, the last torchglow on the water thins to a distant smear, while ahead the bank opens into shadow and wet reeds.
Quest Complete
Escape the city watch
New Gift: Urban Navigator