The stench of death follows Xarsthos away from the graveyard as he slips through the thickening tree line. He reaches the silent edge of the Whispering Stream, where the water runs dark and sluggish against smooth grey stones.
Xarsthos
The mud here is undisturbed.
A hooded figure waits by the bank, hunched over a small, sputtering fire that produces no smoke. He turns, revealing a face mapped by deep, violet-stained veins.
The Hooded Figure
You bring the scent of the tomb with you, warrior. It clings to your armor like a shroud.
The Hooded Figure
The warlord does not care for borders. He will burn this forest just as he burned your village gate.
The Hooded Figure
If you seek to stop the tide, you must look beneath the roots of the Old Oak before the moon reaches its zenith.
+ Story Quest Added
Look beneath the roots of the Old Oak before the moon reaches its zenith
“I look beneath the roots and mythical blades of chaos that give me godly powers”
SUCCESS (Fair Perception, rolled +1)
Xarsthos steps to the Old Oak and parts the hanging roots with one gauntleted hand. Cold water whispers below, and the earth gives way to a narrow hollow, hidden from the path.
Beneath the roots lies a stone slab marked with a spiral cut through by three clawed slashes. Moss clings to its edges, but the carving is fresh, as if the forest itself has not had time to forget it.
His fingers find a seam in the stone. It shifts with a rough grind, releasing a breath of damp air from below.
The Hooded Figure
Good. You see it now. The rootway opens when blood and oath are both near enough.
From the dark gap, a faint amber glimmer rises, catching on carved steps descending into the earth.
The Hooded Figure
Listen carefully, warrior. If Oakhaven is to stand, you must go under the oak before the warlord’s hounds reach the stream.
The stream murmurs louder now, as if warning him to choose quickly, while the opening under the roots waits, half-lit and cold.
Quest Complete
Look beneath the roots of the Old Oak before the moon reaches its zenith