The Miller hauls the moss-slick trapdoor wide under the willow canopy, and the hidden cellar breathes up cold mud and stale fear. Below, Namal sits bound and gagged on a crate, pale eyes snapping to Baseva as the river mist drifts in behind her.
The Miller
There. I kept him alive. The Watcher is running, but the village cannot hold its breath forever.
Namal
Baseva. At last.
The Baron jerks against his ropes, terror breaking into desperate recognition. Far off, the fleeing Watcher’s steps fade into the reeds, leaving only the river and the creak of willow branches.
The Miller
Choose quickly, paladin. Untie him and the trail survives. Chase the Watcher and this hole stays a grave for his name.
Baseva
The cellar is real. So is Namal.
The damp little room waits on the edge of disaster, the Baron trapped below, the river path open above, and Tillworth Village hanging on Baseva’s next move.
+ Scene Quest Added
Untie Baron Namal
+ Story Quest Added
Chase the Shadowed Watcher
“I untie Baron Namal”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +0)
Baseva drops into the cellar mouth and cuts the knots with one swift pull of her dagger. The rope gives, and Namal’s hands come free with a rasp of hemp against stone.
Namal
My thanks... I can stand.
He sways as Baseva hauls him upright, and a folded sliver of waxed paper slips from his sleeve to the damp floorboards.
Baseva
A note. Someone hid it on him.
The Miller
Then the Watcher marked him after all. Hurry, before that trail goes cold.
Namal flexes his wrists, breathing hard, while the river mist curls down the stairwell behind them. A bootprint, fresh and muddy, cuts across the cellar dust toward a rear wall.
Namal
Baseva... there may be a passage. I heard stone move, just once.
Quest Complete
Untie Baron Namal
Quest Complete
Find the hidden Baron
Attribute Upgrade: Agility Great→Superb