Xarsthos hauls himself into the village square, every step heavy with the ward’s pulse. The air is still. No villagers watch from doorways, no feet cross the cobbles. Only the well hums, low and steady, like a heartbeat under stone.
The Hooded Figure waits at the square’s center, rigid as a post driven into the earth. He points at the well, then at Xarsthos’s glowing arm, making the connection plain. The seal and the stone are speaking to each other.
The Hooded Figure
It is ready to take more. Or you can cut it loose before it takes all of you.
Xarsthos
The well is tied to the seal.
The hum deepens. A faint amber line ghosts up the well wall, then fades, as if something below tests the bond and waits. The square feels like the edge of a blade.
Bera
Xarsthos, if that thing keeps feeding on you, Oakhaven pays for it. Decide before it decides for you.
✓ Quest Accepted
Separate the well’s power from Xarsthos
“"As I said. I will take it ALL INSIDE OF ME!" I yell. I will take this power and make it my own forever. I prepare myself and separate the power from the well. Taking it into myself and ensuring Oakhaven is safe forever.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -3)
Xarsthos
As I said, I take it all inside me.
Xarsthos throws his will against the bond. The amber seams snap bright, then rush inward, yanking the well’s pulse up through stone and into his seal.
The square flashes gold. Dust lifts off the cobbles, and the dark seams in the well’s masonry split wider before the light seals them shut.
The Hooded Figure staggers one step back, head bowed against the blast, then lifts his gaze again with clear approval.
Bera
Xarsthos... the whole square felt that. Are you still standing?
The surge ends all at once. The well falls silent, and a raw burn crawls under Xarsthos’s arm where the seal drinks deep, leaving him strained but whole.
Quest Complete
Separate the well’s power from Xarsthos