The cellar door slams open, and bootsteps cut through the damp dark. The rogue flinches back by the crate, still clutching the half-burned scrap, while Kahrdoom faces the stair with her dagger ready.
A tall armored stranger descends in wagon-master colors, helm tucked under one arm. He ignores the rogue at once, pale eyes fixing on Kahrdoom with cool, measuring patience.
The Stranger
Easy. I am not here for the rat in the corner.
Kahrdoom
What do you want?
The Stranger
A relic changed hands on this road, and someone in this cellar knows more than they should. I mean to leave with the truth, and preferably with my life intact.
The rogue shifts toward the shadowed wall, eyeing the open door. Kahrdoom blocks the stair, the seal in plain sight near the crate, while the candle bends low between all three of them.
The Rogue
If they start talking, I can slip.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get past the stranger
✓ Quest Accepted
Kill the stranger
“Throw dagger at Stranger”
FAILURE (Superb Agility, rolled -1)
Kahrdoom's hand snaps toward her belt, but the expected dagger is absent. Across the cellar, the rogue suddenly raises it, its point wavering toward the stranger.
The failed throw becomes a new threat as the rogue backs against the wall, clutching Kahrdoom's weapon. The stranger shifts aside, keeping both fugitives in view.
The Stranger
So that is your bargain, rat? You steal her blade and hope I face the consequences.
The Rogue
I found an opening. That is more than you offered me.
The candle flares against the dagger's pommel, revealing a tiny north-road sigil stamped beneath the grime. It matches the route seal beside the bounty notice.
The Stranger
Look closely, dark elf. That mark was cut into the wagon master's tools only for the convoy carrying the relic.
The rogue's escape route is blocked by the stranger, but the stolen dagger now points toward the hidden proof: the convoy's marked tools and its north-road departure.
“Activate a globe of darkness over the stranger”
SUCCESS (Great Arcana, rolled +0)
Shadow spills from Kahrdoom's raised hand, gathering into a dense globe that settles over the stranger and swallows his armor, face, and pale eyes.
The Stranger
A darkness spell. Efficient, if discourteous.
The candle still burns beyond the sphere, but its light cannot pierce the magical blackness. The stranger's boots scrape once against the stone as he reorients.
The Rogue
You blinded him. Good. That gives us a chance.
The rogue lowers Kahrdoom's dagger a fraction, attention darting between the dark globe and the open stair. The north-road sigil remains bright beside the notice.
The Stranger
Do not mistake obscurity for helplessness. I can still hear every breath in this cellar.
Within the globe, metal shifts and leather creaks. The stranger remains contained in darkness while Kahrdoom controls the cellar's immediate advantage.
“Slip past the stranger and disappear into the alley”
SUCCESS (Great Stealth, rolled +1)
Kahrdoom moves through the darkness she cast, keeping her steps soft against the cellar stones. The stranger turns toward the faintest shift of air, but she is already beyond his reach.
The Stranger
Leaving already? Sensible, perhaps, but the road remembers every shadow that crosses it.
She slips past the armored figure and reaches the open stair. Above, cold night air replaces the cellar's damp breath, carrying the distant murmur of the town.
The Rogue
Wait. The north road is watched. Take the alley behind the cooper's yard.
Kahrdoom emerges into the alley and disappears between leaning walls, rain-dark barrels, and crooked rooftops. The cellar door falls behind her, muffling the stranger's voice.
The Stranger
Run, dark elf. You have the lead, but not the whole truth.
Moonlight catches the greyish tattoos and glittering trinkets only once before shadow takes her completely. The north-road sigil remains fixed in her mind, pointing toward dawn and the relic.
Quest Complete
Get past the stranger
Skill Upgrade: Arcana Great→Superb