The fire burns low as movement circles the hollow, matching the unseen presence that has shadowed the patrol. Horses stamp nervously beside Traver’s wagon.
Beyond the firelight, a lean, middle-aged man steps between the pines. His weathered face is half-hidden beneath a gray hood, and a short sword hangs at his side.
The Hidden Watcher
Stay where you are, werewolf. I have no quarrel with the elf or the girl, but you must prove you are not its ally.
Ezuri rises smoothly, one hand near her bow. Alena remains beside Belron, while the patrol captain signals his riders to guard Traver’s wagon.
The Hidden Watcher
The creature beneath these trees is being driven south. Something worse hunts it from the north, something that leaves no tracks and no scent.
Ezuri
You have chosen a bold way to introduce yourself. Perhaps explain what proof you expect before everyone reaches for steel.
The Hidden Watcher
Let Belron show his hands, speak the name of the thing he hunts, and tell us why its trail carries his scent. Then we decide whether he walks free.
“"I hunt nothing watcher. I only travel to protect Alena and help her return her brother safely home."”
FAILURE (Mediocre Persuasion, rolled +2)
Belron Valerion
I hunt nothing, watcher. I travel to protect Alena and help her return her brother safely home.
Belron holds up his empty hands, keeping his voice even. The hidden watcher studies him through the firelight, unconvinced, while the horses stamp behind the wagon.
The Hidden Watcher
Protection is what hunters call pursuit when they want frightened people to lower their guard. Your words do not clear you.
The hidden watcher’s short sword remains sheathed, but he steps nearer the fire and points toward Traver’s wagon, making the demand more immediate.
The Hidden Watcher
Have the girl speak for herself. If her brother is truly your purpose, I will show you a concealed road toward Rostrum, away from the trail ahead.
Ezuri
There is your opening, handsome. Let Alena answer, and perhaps our hooded friend will stop mistaking every protective wolf for a predator.
“"Very well, Alena you talk to him." Belron steps back beside Ezuri.”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Persuasion, rolled +2)
Belron Valerion
Very well, Alena. You talk to him.
Belron steps back beside Ezuri, leaving the firelit space open to Alena. His tense shoulders ease slightly, though his attention remains fixed on the the hidden watcher.
Alena Knight
My brother is Traver Knight, an Etheldren soldier. Belron saved him, and he is helping me bring Traver safely home to Rostrum.
Alena speaks steadily, one hand resting against the wagon’s side. The hidden watcher studies her face, then lowers his pointing hand and steps away from his sword.
The Hidden Watcher
You believe him, and you speak without fear. That is enough proof for me. I will show you the concealed road, but you must leave before dawn.
The Patrol Captain
I heard your offer, stranger. My patrol does not abandon its orders because a hidden road appears in the night.
The Hidden Watcher
Then follow the road you know and meet what hunts beneath the trees. The southern path leads toward Rostrum, and it is your safest choice.
“"Who are you watcher? You do not smell human."”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled +2)
Belron Valerion
Who are you, watcher? You do not smell human.
Belron’s senses cut through the smoke, frost, and pine. Beneath the the hidden watcher’s living warmth lies something older and emptier, without a human heartbeat.
The Hidden Watcher
A sharp nose, werewolf. I am Old Dalv, and you are correct. I am no human.
The hood falls back, revealing an elderly man with long white hair, pallid weathered features, and eyes darkened by centuries. He stands beneath the stars without breath fogging his lips.
The Hidden Watcher
I am the first vampire, and, so far as I know, the last. I have watched this road longer than your captain’s kingdom has stood.
The Patrol Captain
A vampire? Then my patrol faces more than one unnatural creature tonight.
The Hidden Watcher
You face no enemy from me, Captain. I came because the thing beneath the trees is being driven toward you, and the southern road remains your safest path.
Secure the captain's acceptance of the concealed road
Quest Complete
Identify who is watching the camp
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Superb→Legendary