The fugitives settle in a dusty loft above the dyehouse. Rain taps the roof, while grain bells sound beyond shuttered windows and blue-dyed cloth stirs below.
The scarred wolfkin woman washes Raedwulf’s swollen ankle with warmed water and binds it in layered cloth. Theon opens the stolen sack and divides grain, fruit, and hare into careful portions.
Veyra
We should name Willowmere as our destination if questioned. A clear answer may earn shelter before suspicion grows teeth.
Sava
And if the wrong ears hear it, every road beyond this loft becomes a trap. We reveal only what the council must know.
Krae
Quiet. Someone followed us from the lane. I heard three steps below, then the pause of a listener.
Krae eases toward the shuttered loft door and peers through a narrow gap. Rain blurs the dyehouse lane, but a dark figure stands beneath the opposite awning.
Veyra
Then the town has found us before we found its keeper. No one leaves this loft until we know whether that watcher serves the council or Trisyran.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish a shared escape plan with the fugitives
Director's notewhole tale
the scarred wolfkin woman
“I quietly inspect the loft for another way out. And relay the information to Galwyn”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled -1)
Raedwulf moves silently through the dusty loft, testing warped boards, roof supports, and the blue cloth bundles stacked along the rear wall. Behind them, he finds a narrow service hatch descending into the dyehouse’s covered courtyard.
The hatch opens onto a cramped passage leading beneath the neighboring eaves, offering a concealed way out. One floorboard clicks under his weight, and the listener below shifts in response.
Raedwulf
Galwyn, we are watched from the opposite awning. The loft has a service hatch leading into a covered courtyard and a hidden passage beneath the neighboring eaves.
The message passes through the quiet contact, carrying the watcher’s position and the escape route. Raedwulf eases the hatch shut, but the single board’s click has sharpened the danger below.
Veyra
A way out is worth more than a perfect silence. We can use it if the watcher comes upstairs.
Krae
The figure has moved beneath the dyehouse awning. I hear weight on the lower stair.
The loft now holds a concealed exit, though the watcher has grown alert. Rain and dye fumes veil the courtyard below, giving the fugitives a narrow advantage.
“I tell Theon and Krae to remain put. Me, Veyra and Galwyn will to talk the watcher, and assets who they are. I let Veyra talk first”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Diplomacy, rolled +4)
Raedwulf
Theon, Krae, remain here. Veyra, Galwyn, come with me. We will speak to the watcher, and learn who they are.
Theon and Krae stay among the blue cloth bundles as Raedwulf leads Veyra through the service hatch. Galwyn joins them from the covered courtyard, a lean middle-aged man in a rain-dark gray cloak, with silver at his temples and a brass key-ring at his belt.
Together they pass beneath the neighboring eaves. Rain veils the lane, while the watcher remains beneath the opposite awning, posture guarded but no longer concealed.
Veyra
We know you followed us from the lane. We have come openly to ask who you serve, and whether you seek trouble or a conversation.
The watcher lowers their hood, revealing a young adult elf woman with copper-brown skin, tightly braided black hair, and a dark green traveling coat fastened with a council pin.
the elf watcher
I serve Willowmere’s council. The pin proves it. I watched because Trisyran agents arrived at the east gate this morning, asking after fugitives.
Galwyn
Then you have found the people they seek, but not the allies they expect. The old dyehouse has a sealed cellar passage, and the council can hear their petition before the agents learn where to look.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have the council hear the fugitives' petition
“I ask the the watcher, do they know whom I am?”
FAILURE (Mediocre Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Raedwulf
Do you know who I am?
The elf watcher studies Raedwulf through the rain, her council pin catching a dull glimmer. Her guarded expression tightens, but recognition does not come.
the elf watcher
No. I know only that Trisyran agents seek a wolfkin fugitive traveling with others. I was given no name.
The answer fails to identify Raedwulf, but it sharpens the danger: the agents carry enough of a description to make his appearance a liability at Willowmere’s gates.
Galwyn
Then names are a poor shield. The sealed cellar can hide you while the council hears the petition, before those agents learn more.
the elf watcher
I cannot vouch for your identity, only your immediate safety. Come inside, surrender no weapons, and let the council decide what protection it can grant.
She steps aside beneath the awning, revealing a narrow blue-painted door behind stacked dye casks. Beyond it, darkness descends toward the old cellar passage.
“I ask the the watcher, do they know whom I am?”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Raedwulf
Do you know whom I am?
The elf watcher studies Raedwulf through the rain, her council pin glinting faintly. His question draws her attention, but also makes his identity the center of the exchange.
the elf watcher
No. I know only that Trisyran agents seek a wolfkin fugitive traveling with others. They gave me no name.
Her answer gives Raedwulf certainty: she does not know his name or history. The cost is concrete, however, as her gaze lingers on his features and suspicion sharpens.
Galwyn
Then names are a poor shield. The cellar can hide you while the council hears your petition, before the agents learn more.
the elf watcher
I cannot vouch for who you are, only for immediate safety. Come inside, keep your weapons, and let the council decide your protection.
Quest Complete
Establish a shared escape plan with the fugitives
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Great→Superb
“I enter the cellar and seek the council hearing”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Raedwulf enters through the blue-painted door, guiding Veyra, Galwyn, and the scarred wolfkin woman into the sealed cellar. Rain and dye fumes fade behind them.
The passage descends beneath the neighboring buildings, opening into a dry chamber of old casks, ash-marked pillars, and a broad table prepared for petitions.
the elf watcher
The council is assembled beyond that arch. They will hear your petition now, before the Trisyran agents learn where you are.
The elf watcher unbars the inner arch and leads them into a lamplit chamber. Three councilors—three adult humans: an elderly woman with silver hair in a bun and a blue-trimmed robe, a broad man with a close-cropped beard in a dark blue robe, and a slim woman with braided brown hair in a blue-gray robe— sit behind the table, their robes marked with Willowmere’s blue dye.
the elf watcher
Councilors, these travelers seek refuge from House Trisyran. They carry the Sanctuary Petition and have come without violence.
Galwyn
Let them speak plainly. Willowmere can choose what protection it offers, but it must hear the danger before judging the strangers.
The council’s eldest member gestures toward the empty place before the table. The fugitives have reached the hearing, sheltered beneath Willowmere’s cellar, with their petition ready.
“I ask the scarred wolfkin woman their name in beastspeak, i show a smileto ensure its safe.”
FAILURE (Mediocre Diplomacy, rolled -3)
“I ask the scarred wolfkin woman their name in beastspeak, i show a smileto ensure its safe.”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Raedwulf
In beastspeak, Raedwulf asks the scarred wolfkin woman, “What name should I use for you?”
He offers her a quiet, open smile, lowering his gaze afterward so the gesture carries respect rather than challenge. Lamplight warms the scar across her muzzle.
Sava
You may call me Sava. It is the name I kept when House Trisyran tried to make me nameless.
Sava’s shoulders ease. Her eyes remain watchful, but the guarded distance between them thins as she answers in the same beastspeech.
the elf watcher
Sava, then. Names matter here, especially before the council. Speak plainly, and Willowmere will judge the danger rather than invent one.
The eldest councilor inclines her head toward Sava, then toward Raedwulf and the others. The chamber settles into expectant silence around the petition table.
“I ask Sava to speak for us first in beastspeak, I ensure that I trust her honesty”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Raedwulf
Sava, speak for us first. I trust your honesty, and I trust you to tell the council what we need them to know.
Raedwulf addresses Sava in beastspeech, keeping his voice low before the waiting council. He gives her the place before the table and does not reach for the petition.
Sava
I will speak. These fugitives fled House Trisyran after its power made their lives unsafe. We seek shelter, not conquest, and we will leave Willowmere no greater danger than the agents already bring.
Sava steps into the empty place before the table. Her scar catches the lamplight as she faces the councilors, shoulders square and hands open.
the elderly councilor
You speak plainly, Sava. Name the danger House Trisyran brings, and tell us what protection you ask Willowmere to grant.
the elf watcher
The agents at the east gate asked for a wolfkin fugitive and companions. If the council shelters them, it must prepare for questions and pressure.
Sava
Then hear the truth first. We need a sealed refuge, time to heal, and a fair hearing before any council decides where we may safely go.
Quest Complete
Have the council hear the fugitives' petition
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Fair→Good