The woodland road narrows beneath black-boughed trees. Ahead, D3rlord3, a slim young man in a battered curved helmet and travel-stained armor, struggles beneath his fallen horse.
Six bandits ring him with drawn blades. Their leader, a broad-shouldered middle-aged woman in a patched green cloak, wears an iron mask over one cheek and points toward D3rlord3’s satchel.
the bandit leader
The evidence, knight. Every scrap you found about Averythemayo’s loss. Hand it over, or the horse is the least of your troubles.
D3rlord3
I have no proof for carrion thieves. Move, and perhaps you’ll keep your fingers.
The bandits tighten their circle. One hooks a boot beneath D3rlord3’s fallen shield while another searches the road, then notices Ember approaching through the trees.
the bandit leader
You there, winged girl. Knight, bind her hands too. If she resists, make her regret choosing this road.
D3rlord3
Wait. She is not part of this.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the knight's survival
✓ Quest Accepted
Uncover the truth behind Averythemayo's loss
“Stare down the bandits and flash my wings, call upon my magic as a show of strength. This is not my first rodeo with bandits.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Magic, rolled +0)
Ember fixes her blue eye on the bandit leader and unfurls both vast wings. Red feathers fill the road, her scarred left eye turned toward the threat.
Arcane fire gathers without smoke around her clawed hands and feathered tail, glowing gold-white beneath the trees. The air ripples, and every shadow sharpens.
the bandit leader
Hold. Nobody binds her.
The nearest bandit, a young man with a lean build, close-cropped brown hair, and a weathered gray tunic beneath a leather vest lowers his blade by inches. Another, a young woman with a sturdy build, dark braided hair, and a rust-red scarf over her brown travel leathers stumbles backward, staring as sparks crawl across the road without scorching the leaves.
D3rlord3
You heard her without a word. Take the warning and leave.
the bandit leader
A royal ember. By the old ashes, we picked the wrong road.
She keeps her wings spread and the magic burning steadily. The bandits retreat from D3rlord3, dragging their leader with them, and vanish among the black-boughed trees.
Quest Complete
Secure the knight's survival