the outlaw captain
Rifles to the stairway. Guard the opening, but nobody enters it. If anything climbs, give warning before you give lead.
The riflemen spread around the open stair, weapons trained downward without crossing the threshold. Two remain by the wagons, watching the dark camp and the road beyond.
The captain steps beyond the cleared circle and comes to Nost's side. Behind them, the alchemist arranges small ridges of grave-salt along the stair's upper stones.
the snake-oil alchemist
We prepare here, not below. The salt may keep the doorway honest, but it will not stop anything that already knows our names.
the snake-oil alchemist
Those carvings are not decoration. They may record every person who served the buried bargain, each name worn smooth by feet, time, or something passing over them.
the outlaw captain
Then we learn what the bargain remembers before we offer it another name. Keep watch, alchemist. Tell us every risk.
Nothing emerges. The pale glow below holds steady, and cold air moves up the steps without carrying dust, voices, or the smell of earth. The guarded camp waits for questions and preparation.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the camp's cooperation for the descent
“I ask the riflemen to hold the stairway while we study the carvings.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -2)
Nost
Hold the stairway while we study the carvings. Warn us before anything climbs.
the outlaw captain
You heard him. Keep your barrels trained below, and do not fire without warning.
The riflemen settle into a guarded line. Nost and the captain examine the worn steps while the alchemist's salt ridges catch the pale underground glow.
the snake-oil alchemist
These marks are names reduced by passage. Not servants, exactly. Each person carried the door's claim upward, then left part of themselves behind.
Nost finds a repeated carving beneath the dust: Elias Vane's name, followed by dozens of shallow strokes. The final mark points down, identifying the bargain's remaining anchor.
the outlaw captain
That is my name, but those scratches are not mine. What took the others left a count behind.
As the alchemist brushes the inscription clear, a salt ridge collapses with a sharp hiss. The doorway stays open, but the riflemen flinch and aim deeper into the stairwell.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what the carved count means