The hidden path swallows the group in damp dark. Behind them, the satchel throbs with a violet pulse that the salt can only muffle for a breath.
Mara's travel charm answers at once. Light blooms from the cord at her throat, beating in the same rhythm as the satchel, bright enough to paint the grotto walls.
The Child
That charm was never a gift.
The Child freezes, staring at Mara as the glow turns their face to ash. The echoing water seems to hush around the revelation.
Mara
No, wait. I did not know.
The charm flares harder, and a faint line of light runs from it to the satchel, as if some unseen hand has tied them together. The trap is not in the path ahead. It is already on the group.
COOL ARROW keeps moving, the satchel vibrating against him, while the charm and seal keep singing the cruel lord's signal into the stone dark.
✓ Quest Accepted
Decide whether to confront Mara over the charm or use the connection to mislead the hunters
“I grab Mara's arm and demand she rip that traitorous charm from her throat. And hand it to me. I dont wait I take it from here and shot it out of the area with my bow”
SUCCESS (Good Strength, rolled +0)
COOL ARROW seizes Mara’s arm and wrenches her close. The charm at her throat jerks under his grip, its violet beat faltering.
COOL ARROW
Rip it off. Give it here.
Mara grabs at the cord, then lets it tear free in COOL ARROW’s hand. The glow snaps bright, angry and exposed.
Without slowing, COOL ARROW nocks and looses. The charm leaves Mara’s reach in a streak of violet and vanishes deeper into the grotto dark.
The Child
It is gone... for now.
Mara
Wait, listen to me, that may not have been just tracking us.
The line between satchel and throat goes slack. The pulse through the tunnel wavers, and every face turns on Mara, the question of trust hanging open in the wet air.
Quest Complete
Decide whether to confront Mara over the charm or use the connection to mislead the hunters
+ New Item Acquired
Mara's charm