Master Kaelen snatches the map off the bench in one swift motion, tea sloshing over his sleeve as the hammering at the hidden door grows louder.
He crosses to the escape hatch, turns the iron latch, and locks it from inside. The click is final, loud in the cramped room.
Master Kaelen
You do not understand what this map opens. I will not let a thief carry it into the street.
Gamb'lynn Junior stays by the workbench as the room tightens around them. The puzzle box sits open, waiting, while the boots outside pound harder against the secret door.
Master Kaelen
If the watch takes this, more than your pockets are emptied. Help me burn it, or stand aside.
Kaelen moves to the candle flame with the map clenched in both hands, his face set hard against the door and the danger beyond it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Stop Master Kaelen from burning the map
“Grab the candlestick and blow out the flame.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +0)
Gamb'lynn Junior darts in and snatches the candlestick from the bench before Kaelen can bring the map to the flame.
She twists, and the candle goes dark under a quick breath, leaving the room in a hard, smoky dimness.
Master Kaelen
No, stop. That map is not to be burned.
Kaelen jerks back from the dead wick, the paper still clenched in his hand, while the hammering outside keeps shaking the hidden door.
Gamb'lynn Junior
The keying mark is still on the map.
Master Kaelen
If the watch forces that door, they will take everything. Tell me what you would have me do.
In the dark, the open puzzle box and the damp line of tea seem suddenly small, but the locked hatch stays firm, waiting for a choice.
Convince Master Kaelen to help protect the map
Quest Complete
Stop Master Kaelen from burning the map
+ New Item Acquired
Candlestick