Matthew emerges from the forest onto a rutted road. Ahead, a royal carriage bearing Arlia’s colors is boxed in by bandits, while five guards hold the line around it.
Steel flashes beneath the swaying branches. The driver strains against the reins as the frightened horses stamp and pull, threatening to bolt into the roadside brush.
the bandit leader
Hold your ground! We are not here to steal the carriage. The princess must receive a warning!
the royal guard captain
You will lower your weapons and step away from Her Highness, or Arlia will answer this attack.
A guard turns aside a bandit’s blade, but two more attackers press forward. Behind them, the carriage door remains shut, its royal seal bright against the wood.
Amanda Chandler
Captain, do not break formation. Ask what warning they carry.
the bandit leader
At last, the princess listens. Tell your king the Dead Lands are waking, and the next sign will not stop at the border.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the princess beyond the bandits' immediate reach
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what threat is waking in the Dead Lands
“*i continue watching from the bush*”
Matthew remains concealed among the roadside brush, watching through gaps in the leaves as the standoff holds beneath the swaying branches.
The bandits keep their weapons raised but do not advance. Their leader’s warning settles over the road, heavier than the threat of steel.
Amanda Chandler
What sign? Speak plainly, and no one here needs to bleed for an answer.
The royal guard captain glances toward the carriage, then back to the bandits. His formation tightens without breaking, shields angled toward every attacker.
the bandit leader
Black fires beneath the southern hills. Dead trees standing where fields once grew. The corruption is moving north.
the royal guard captain
You expect us to carry a bandit’s tale to the king?
No one moves from the road. Matthew continues observing, unseen, while the carriage horses paw at the dirt and the sealed door stays closed.
Quest Complete
Learn what threat is waking in the Dead Lands
“*i continue to stay hidden and see what they'll do next*”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Stealth, rolled +1)
Matthew stays motionless beneath the brush, letting the leaves break his outline. From there, he catches every shift of steel, every glance between the road and the sealed carriage door.
the bandit leader
We have delivered the warning. Lower your blades, and we leave this road.
The bandits ease backward together, keeping their weapons visible. Their discipline is rough, but their retreat follows the leader’s hand signals rather than breaking into panic.
the royal guard captain
Hold formation. Do not pursue them. Princess, we should return to Arlia immediately.
Amanda Chandler
Agreed. Let them go, but remember every word. Captain, send a rider south and another to the king.
The captain gives a sharp signal. Two guards move toward the horses while the others maintain their watch, and the bandits turn toward the eastern tree line.
Amanda Chandler
If the Dead Lands are spreading, silence will cost more than caution.
“*when they are all gone, i step out onto the road* so they are starting to work again huh”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +0)
The last guard disappears beyond the bend, following the carriage toward Arlia. The bandits vanish into the eastern trees, leaving only hoofprints, scattered leaves, and cooling silence.
Matthew steps out from beneath the brush and onto the rutted road. Sunlight catches the disturbed dirt where steel and boots recently held their ground.
Matthew
So they are starting to work again, huh?
His words travel a short distance before the forest swallows them. Southward, beyond the road and distant hills, a faint gray smear stains the horizon.
Matthew
The warning matches the signs of the Dead Lands.
A breeze moves through the branches, carrying ash beneath the scents of pine and trampled earth. The road divides ahead, one track bending toward Arlia and another running south.
For now, the road is empty and the royal party is gone. Only the fresh tracks remain, pointing in opposite directions beneath the darkening sky.
“Alright, i need to head to the nearest town”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled -3)
Matthew chooses the track bending toward Arlia and follows the freshest wagon ruts, keeping the southern gray smear at his back as evening settles over the forest.
The road climbs through dark pines, then drops across a stony streambed. His pace remains steady, though a sharp stone cuts through his worn boot and leaves his heel bleeding.
Matthew
The nearest town lies beyond the next ridge.
He binds the heel with a strip torn from his undershirt and continues, spending the last of his clean water to rinse the dirt from the shallow wound.
Night has fully arrived when lanterns appear below. A palisade surrounds a compact settlement, its gate open beneath a painted sign naming it Briarwatch.
Matthew reaches Briarwatch without being stopped. Guards watch him from the gatehouse, their attention lingering on his weapon and ash-stained clothing.
Inside, shuttered homes line the muddy street, while a single tavern spills warm light across the road. The town is quiet, but awake.