Madd One slips between two fallen pillars and comes up breathing hard, the shrine ruins slick with moss and old rain. The Bard waits by a gnarled oak beyond the broken wall, half in shadow, watching him without moving.
The Inquisitor steps into view at the ruin’s edge, sword bare, eyes fixed on the torn strip of cloak snagged high on the stone. He tracks the trail, then slows as if sensing he is no longer alone.
The Bard
You move like a man already hunted. That is a poor habit in a place like this.
Madd One
The Bard is not here by chance. He wants something before the Inquisitor closes in.
The Inquisitor
Step away from him, minstrel. If you shield a cursed man, you answer for it.
The Bard
I do not shield him. I offer him a cleaner choice than your knife.
He pushes off the oak and takes one slow step forward, still empty-handed, while the Inquisitor’s sword point lifts toward both of them. The ruin tightens into a three-way standoff, each man waiting to see who blinks first.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what the Bard knows about the curse
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the Bard's help
“I keep my eyes on the inquisitor while moving toward the bard's position.”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +2)
Madd One glides out from the pillar’s cover and closes the distance to the Bard, never taking his eyes off the Inquisitor’s blade. The torn strip of cloak flutters between stone and moss as the shrine holds its breath.
The Inquisitor turns with him, sword tracking the movement, but he does not lunge. He is forced to choose between the shadowed man and the one already speaking.
The Bard
Good. Keep him busy, and I may yet keep us alive.
The Inquisitor
You stand too near a cursed man for comfort. Tell me what you know, or I take it from you by force.
The Bard
I know the curse is not a stray sickness, and not a simple hex. It was set with intent, layered and watched. Someone wants him shaped, not slain.
The Bard’s gaze flicks once to Madd One, then back to the sword. His hand stays open, but his stance softens by a fraction, like a door unlatched but not yet opened.
The Bard
If you want the rest, step where I can speak it without his knife finding my throat.
Quest Complete
Learn what the Bard knows about the curse