RagNook stumbles from the settling dust of the ruin, his heavy pack laden with fresh, dripping leviathan meat. Before he can catch his breath, a gaunt, wiry man in rusted leather blocks his path, his hand resting on the hilt of a notched blade.
Varrick
That is a heavy load for a butcher, stranger. The forest has been cruel to me today, and that meat smells like salvation. Hand it over, and you might walk away from this clearing with your skin intact.
RagNook Butcher of the East
Another scavenger hungry for blood and coin. He does not know that this meat was bought with near-death. He will not take my harvest.
RagNook Butcher of the East
RagNook Step aside, little scavenger. This meal belongs to the ones who paid the price to carve it. My cleaver is sharp, and I have little patience left for thieves.
Varrick
You talk like a bard, but you look like a corpse. Give me the pack, or I will carve my own share from your hide.
Quest Complete
Survive the ceiling collapse
Skill Upgrade: Athletics Poor→Mediocre
+ Story Quest Added
Defend the harvest from Varrick
“offer the scavanger an alternative, join our party, or die by my hands”
FAILURE (Fair Willpower, rolled +0)
Varrick sneers, his rusted blade darting forward in a jagged, desperate thrust aimed at RagNook's shoulder. The Orc steps back, but his heavy pack shifts, throwing his balance off just enough to catch the rusted steel in his forearm. Blood beads dark against his red skin.
Varrick
Your meat is mine, monster. You are too slow to hold onto anything.
RagNook Butcher of the East
My footing is sloppy. This pack is a liability, but the meat inside is too precious to drop. I must end this before he finds an artery.
RagNook drops his shoulder, bracing for another strike. He needs to close the distance, but the scavenger dances just out of reach, eyes fixated on the dripping bundle on RagNook's back.
Varrick
Look at you bleeding like a stuck pig. Put the bag down, or the next one goes through your throat.
“Act as though I am going to give him the bag, then at the last moment, attack his head with the ironwood cleaver”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +2)
RagNook Butcher of the East
RagNook You want it, scavenger? Then take it.
RagNook slowly unslings the heavy hide bundle, his posture hunched and defeated. Varrick grins, lowering his guard as he steps forward to snatch the prize. Just as the scavenger's fingers brush the damp leather, RagNook’s grip shifts. The butcher pivots on his heel, the massive ironwood cleaver flashing in a brutal, sweeping arc toward Varrick's temple.
RagNook Butcher of the East
The weight of the meat served as the perfect lure. He is overconfident and open.
The scavenger's eyes widen, his blade hanging uselessly at his side as the heavy steel whistles through the air.
“did this attck finish off the scavanger”
YES (Likely, rolled 32)
The heavy cleaver connects with a sickening crunch, the force of the blow instantly extinguishing the light in Varrick's eyes. As the scavenger collapses, RagNook notices the man's grip on his own rusted blade slacken, the weapon clattering harmlessly against the stone floor.
RagNook Butcher of the East
The scavenger is finished; his reckless greed has finally met its end.
“search the scavangers remains and take anything useful before proceeding on our journey”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +3)
RagNook Butcher of the East
His pockets are thin, but this pouch looks sturdy and well-traveled. A whetstone, a bit of dried jerky, and... yes, a map of the lower trade routes.
RagNook methodically strips the scavenger of his meager belongings. The pouch contains a handful of silver coins and a small, folded scroll marked with a wax seal that reeks of stale harbor salt. The cavern remains unnervingly quiet, save for the rhythmic dripping of water onto the stone floor near the hearth. As he secures his pack, the light from the bioluminescent fungi begins to flicker, signaling a shift in the cavern's atmosphere. He catches movement in the periphery, a slight disturbance near the jagged tunnel entrance that suggests he is not alone for long.
Quest Complete
Defend the harvest from Varrick
Item Acquired: Bioluminescent Cleaver
+ Story Quest Added
Investigate the source of the movement at the tunnel entrance
+ New Item Acquired
Silver coins
+ New Item Acquired
Wax-sealed scroll
+ New Item Acquired
Map of lower trade routes