The River Hermit
The moss is hungry, traveler. It demands its toll before it fully seals the rot of your prize away from the jungle's nose.
Harold Blackhoof
His fingers are stained yellow with brine, and he does not blink. He wants the egg as much as he wants the gold I have promised.
Harold Blackhoof
You will have your payment, hermit. But ensure that moss works. If the scent leaks out, the Brass Shield will be the least of your concerns.
The River Hermit
The moss remembers what it consumes. Once that shell touches my palm, your scent vanishes into the stone itself.
The hermit leans into the damp, torchless dark of the cave, his long fingernails twitching as he anticipates the transfer.
Harold Blackhoof
One egg for safety. It is a steep price for the hold, but better than being hunted by every beast in Marin.
+ Scene Quest Added
Survive the night in the cave
+ New Item Acquired
Crate of dinosaur eggs
“I ask the old man what he would want with a trex egg, i tell him my order needs them to defend lives, i offer to show him our hold and him many commodities and services from our hold”
FAILURE (Superb Willpower, rolled -2)
Harold Blackhoof
Tell me, hermit, why do you need this? My order uses these to defend the innocent against the blight, but you sit here alone in the dark.
The River Hermit
Innocence is a luxury for those with tall walls, captain. The moss does not care for your knights, and neither do the things that hunt by scent.
Harold Blackhoof
Come to the Brass Shield. We have commodities, medicine, and warm steel. You would be safe there, and we could put your skills to better use than hoarding ancient relics.
The River Hermit
He thinks he can buy my loyalty with trinkets and the promise of a cold stone room. He is a fool to believe he can command the wild.
The hermit lets out a dry, rattling laugh that echoes against the limestone. He steps back into the shadows, his hand vanishing deep into the folds of his rotting cloak.
The River Hermit
Keep your hold, minotaur. The moss is finished waiting. Hand over the egg, or I let the cave open its gullet and swallow you whole.
“I ask the old man what he would want with a trex egg, i tell him my order needs them to defend lives, i offer to show him our hold and him many commodities and services from our hold”
FAILURE (Superb Willpower, rolled -2)
Harold Blackhoof
Tell me, hermit, why do you need this. My order uses these to defend the innocent against the blight, but you sit here alone in the dark.
The River Hermit
Innocence is a luxury for those with tall walls, captain. The moss does not care for your knights, and neither do the things that hunt by scent.
Harold Blackhoof
Come to the Brass Shield. We have commodities, medicine, and warm steel. You would be safe there, and we could put your skills to better use than hoarding ancient relics.
The River Hermit
He thinks he can buy my loyalty with trinkets and the promise of a cold stone room. He is a fool to believe he can command the wild.
The hermit lets out a dry, rattling laugh that echoes against the limestone. He steps back into the shadows, his hand vanishing deep into the folds of his rotting cloak.
The River Hermit
Keep your hold, minotaur. The moss is finished waiting. Hand over the egg, or I let the cave open its gullet and swallow you whole.
“If you falter in this moment i will kill you for my order, you cannot have these eggs”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +3)
Harold Blackhoof
If you falter in this moment, I will kill you for my order. You cannot have these eggs, hermit. Your threats are nothing compared to the duty I carry.
The River Hermit
He does not flinch. The beast's eyes hold a terrifying clarity that cuts through the dim light of the cave.
Harold Blackhoof steps forward, his massive frame radiating an unwavering intensity that forces the hermit to recoil. The glowing moss upon the walls flickers, dimming as if intimidated by the minotaur's sheer presence.
The River Hermit
You would trade your life for a hatchling? Very well. The cave does not negotiate with martyrs.
The hermit pulls his hand from his cloak, revealing a jagged, obsidian whistle. He brings it to his cracked lips as the thorny vines above begin to thrash with violent intent.
Harold Blackhoof
The sound of that whistle will bring down the roof or summon something far worse than a disgruntled recluse. Do I strike him down before he blows it, or prepare to brace against the cave's wrath?
“I fire my pistol at his chest”
SUCCESS (Great Ranged Combat, rolled +1)
Harold Blackhoof
The air is already thick with his magic. If that whistle touches his lips, the cave comes down on both of us.
Harold Blackhoof
Not today, old man.
Harold Blackhoof does not wait for the sound. With practiced fluidity, he raises his musket pistol and pulls the trigger.
The roar of the shot echoes through the cavern, drowning out the thrashing vines. The lead ball strikes the hermit center mass, sending him reeling backward into the cold, dark water.
The River Hermit
You... fool. You have sealed us both in this tomb.
The obsidian whistle clatters to the ground, spinning on the limestone floor, while the cave's ceiling begins to groan under the weight of shifting, unstable rock.
Quest Complete
Survive the night in the cave
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Superb→Legendary
+ Scene Quest Added
Escape the collapsing cave
+ New Item Acquired
Obsidian whistle