The farmhouse door bangs open before the final bundle is tied. Peter Fellows, a short young mousefolk man with light brown fur, green eyes, and a tufted head, hurries inside clutching a wrapped loaf and a smudged page.
Peter Fellows
Fiona! I heard you were leaving. Carts have been vanishing along the Sea of Trees, but I know a lesser-used footpath toward the eastern shoreline. It might keep you clear of the road.
Peter thrusts the page forward, nearly dropping the loaf with it. The ink is blurred, but a sketched line branches east from the familiar dirt path. His ears flatten as he glances toward Desdemona.
Corrin
A hidden path is useful only if it is real, lad. We cannot trade one danger for a legend scribbled in old bakery ink.
Maddie Deerbrush
Peter has always read more than he says. Let him finish, Corrin. Fear may have kept the important part behind his teeth.
Peter Fellows
The book belonged to my grandfather. The path reaches an old charcoal-burner's track before the thieves' road. I have not walked it, but I know where it starts, and I can show you.
Desdemona Blackwood
Then the question is not whether the path is certain, but whether its uncertainty is safer than the road. Corrin, how much time would this detour cost us?
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure Peter's help for the journey
Desdemona Blackwood's turn“I ask Peter to show Corrin exactly where the footpath begins.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Desdemona Blackwood
Peter, please show Corrin exactly where the footpath begins. A clear route will let us judge the detour without wasting time.
Desdemona frames the request as practical cooperation rather than a command. Her Skilled at Debate makes the purpose unmistakable, while Noble Bloodline gives the courteous appeal enough authority to settle the room.
Peter Fellows
Yes, I can do that. The beginning is beyond the north pasture, where the old boundary stones form a crooked line. I will take you there and point out the first turn.
Peter folds the smudged page carefully and tucks it beneath one arm, clutching the wrapped loaf with the other. His nervousness eases now that his knowledge has a useful place.
Corrin
Good. Show me the exact stones, not merely the direction. If the path is sound, I can judge where it leaves us exposed.
Peter leads Corrin through the orchard gate and across the north pasture. At the crooked boundary stones, he stops and indicates a narrow grass track vanishing between the trees, the footpath’s beginning plainly marked.
Corrin's turn“I inspect the boundary stones and grass track for fresh signs of passage.”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled -3)
Corrin crouches beside the crooked boundary stones, examining crushed grass, damp soil, and the gaps between roots. His Keen Senses let him see clearly into the trees’ deep shade, where ordinary light loses detail.
The stones bear no fresh tool marks, but the grass track shows several recent passages: boot heels, a narrow cart rut, and hoofprints leading east. The signs are less than a day old.
Desdemona Blackwood
The footpath is real, recently used, and leads toward the charcoal-burner’s track.
The inspection takes longer than Corrin wanted. By the time he finishes sorting the overlapping tracks, the sun has climbed, costing them valuable travel time before the eastern road grows busy.
Peter Fellows
Those marks are newer than the page’s drawing. I have seen carts use the main road, but I did not know anyone still took this way.
Corrin can now judge the route with confidence: the track is genuine and active, though the overlapping traffic leaves its final destination uncertain until they follow it.
Desdemona Blackwood
Then we have a usable route and a clear reason to leave promptly. I will tell Maddie what the signs show.
Corrin's turn“We should leave now. You wouldn't want to cause them trouble, right?”
FAILURE (Fair Persuasion, rolled -1)
Desdemona Blackwood
We should leave now. You would not want to cause them trouble, right?
Corrin keeps his voice mild, but his usual talent for making a game of every skill turns the appeal into a polished little performance. Keen Senses catch Peter’s glance toward the farmhouse before anyone else notices it.
Peter Fellows
I know you mean well, Corrin, but I cannot simply vanish while Fiona and Granny are here. If trouble follows, they should not be left wondering where it went.
The charm misses its mark. Peter’s ears flatten, yet his refusal changes the problem: he points beyond the pasture, where a faint second track slips east beneath the trees, hidden from the farmhouse.
Peter Fellows
But there is another way. That narrow track joins the charcoal-burner’s path sooner, and it keeps travelers away from the orchard. I can show you the turn, then come straight back.
Desdemona Blackwood
Then we should accept the safer route and spare this household further exposure. Peter, show us the turn, and return before anyone notices your absence.
Peter nods, still unwilling to leave his friends for long. He leads Corrin and Desdemona along the pasture’s edge, toward the concealed track and its promising shortcut.
Quest Complete
CorrinSecure Peter's help for the journey
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Superb→Legendary
New gift: Reliable Negotiation