Dense jungle presses close around a concealed camp. Sir jacob stands beside a rough table, his black armor dark beneath the leaves, cape gathered against the damp air.
A parchment map lies open beneath stones, marked in pencil with trails, river crossings, watch posts, and a narrow route toward the enemy capital.
Sergeant Aldren
The eastern path is watched, General. Our safest approach runs beside the flooded ravine.
Sergeant Aldren wears armor matching Sir jacob’s, though two gold stripes cross each shoulder plate and three mark his helmet. His weathered face remains uncovered.
Sergeant Mira
The southern tribes know these paths. If they remain unseen, their guides can lead us within sight of the walls.
Sergeant Mira’s narrow scarred face differs sharply from Aldren’s broad features. Her armor bears the same two shoulder stripes and three helmet stripes, dulled by mud.
Sergeant Corvin
Then we move quietly, strike the king’s household, and leave the throne without an heir.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the enemy capital
“I study the map and trace the route beside the flooded ravine.”
FAILURE (Good Perception, rolled -2)
Sir jacob bends over the rough table and studies the pencilled trails. His gloved finger follows the eastern route toward the flooded ravine, testing each crossing against the sketched banks.
A bead of jungle moisture drops from the leaves onto the parchment. The pencil line blurs beneath his finger, smearing the ravine’s narrowest crossing and breaking the route into uncertain marks.
Sir jacob
The ravine crossing is no longer marked clearly.
Sergeant Aldren
Careful, General. That crossing was our safest passage, and now the map cannot swear where firm ground ends.
Sir jacob lifts his hand, leaving a grey streak across the parchment. Beneath the smear, an older charcoal line appears, running west from the ravine toward a cluster of unmarked huts.
Sergeant Mira
Those huts may belong to the southern tribes. Their path avoids the watch posts, though we would need a guide to trust it.
Sergeant Corvin
Then the ravine is no longer our road. We can seek the tribes instead, and leave the king’s household untouched.
“I study the map and trace the route beside the flooded ravine.”
FAILURE (Good Perception, rolled -2)
Sir jacob studies the map and slowly traces the route beside the flooded ravine with one gloved finger, following each bend toward the uncertain crossing.
The damp parchment softens beneath his touch. A thin tear opens along the ravine line, separating the crossing from the eastern watch posts and leaving the safest route unreadable.
Sir jacob
The ravine crossing cannot be judged from this map.
Sergeant Aldren
The route has failed us, General. We cannot trust a crossing whose banks are no longer marked.
As the torn parchment folds back, the older charcoal line beneath it becomes clearer. It leads west from the ravine toward the unmarked huts, avoiding the watch posts entirely.
Sergeant Mira
That western trail is still usable. The southern tribes may know its ground, and their guides could take us around the ravine.
Sergeant Corvin
Then we seek the tribes, not the king’s household. The throne need not be left without an heir.
“I study the map and trace the route beside the flooded ravine.”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +0)
Sir jacob studies the map and traces the route beside the flooded ravine, following every bend toward the uncertain crossing. His finger confirms the western approach and its turn toward the unmarked huts.
The damp parchment gives beneath his glove. A thin tear cuts through the ravine line, ruining the marked crossing and smearing charcoal across his gauntlet.
Sir jacob
The ravine crossing cannot be judged from this map.
Sergeant Aldren
The route has failed us, General. We cannot trust a crossing whose banks are no longer marked.
As the torn parchment folds back, an older charcoal line becomes clear. It leads west from the ravine toward unmarked huts, bypassing the eastern watch posts.
Sergeant Mira
That western trail remains usable. The southern tribes may know its ground, and their guides could lead us around the ravine.
Sergeant Corvin
Then we seek the tribes, not the king’s household. The throne need not be left without an heir.
“Then we approach the walls at midnight”
SUCCESS (Good Survival, rolled +2)
By midnight, the camp is cold and still. Sir jacob leads Aldren, Mira, and Corvin west along the charcoal trail, leaving the ruined map wrapped beneath a stone.
The jungle parts into wet grass and low thorn bushes. They move without torches, following faint ground marks while clouds hide the moon.
Sergeant Aldren
No voices, General. The sentries are somewhere beyond those trees.
The group reaches a rise above the enemy capital. Beyond the dark fields, the walls stand in a long grey line, their watch fires small against the night.
Sergeant Mira
We have reached the walls. The western face is quiet, and the nearest tower watches the road instead of this slope.
Sergeant Corvin
The king’s household lies within those stones. We can study the defenses from here and leave the throne without an heir.
Sir jacob and his soldiers settle among the grass at the wall’s shadow, close enough to hear a distant bell mark midnight. The enemy walls are before them.
Quest Complete
Reach the enemy capital
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Good→Great