Daylight seeps between the black pines. Ash crouches beside the roots, stolen spear and sword nearby, while her ruined binding drips blood onto the needles.
The hollow remains hidden beneath tangled roots. The search fires have vanished, and the forest holds only damp silence, birdcall, and Ash’s uneven breathing.
Memory surges back through her. Ash retches onto the needles, shoulders heaving, then stays crouched with one hand braced against the earth.
A lone village witness stands beyond the trees, an elderly woman with a narrow frame, silver hair beneath a faded blue shawl, and a crooked walking staff.
the village witness
I followed the blood trail after the search was called off. I did not come to fight you.
Her gaze moves from Ash’s wounded arm to the hidden hollow, then returns to Ash’s face. She keeps both hands resting visibly atop her staff.
the village witness
The headwoman says you murdered two searchers. Is that what happened, or is there another truth you want carried back?
✓ Quest Accepted
Convince the village witness to carry Ash’s truth back
“I show her the stolen weapons and tell her how the searchers attacked.”
FAILURE (Mediocre Reasoning, rolled -2)
Ash draws the stolen spear and sword from beside the roots and lays them across the needles, keeping her bleeding arm visible as proof of the struggle.
Ash
The searchers attacked me. I disarmed them, and they kept coming. I took these weapons after they fell.
The witness studies the weapons, then the dark hollow beyond Ash. Her fingers tighten around the crooked staff, and she takes one careful step backward.
the village witness
You say they fell, but their bodies are hidden. To anyone following my trail, this looks like an ambush and a confession.
She points her staff toward the road without turning away. The gesture is not an attack, but it places distance between her and Ash’s evidence.
the village witness
I will not carry your account while you hold their weapons. Leave them here, or come before the council and speak where others can hear.
“I ask her to carry the truth of the ambush back to the council.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Ash
Carry the truth of the ambush back to the council.
Ash keeps her hands away from the stolen weapons and faces the village witness across the roots. Her bleeding arm remains plainly visible in the gray morning.
the village witness
I will carry it. I saw the searchers pursue you, and I will say you were attacked before you took their weapons.
The village witness lowers her staff. She studies Ash’s wounded forearm, then the weapons lying apart on the needles, and her wary expression settles into resolve.
the village witness
Leave these here, as you have done. I will tell the council where they lie and what I found on this road.
She turns toward the distant village trail, gripping her staff in both hands. Her footsteps begin slowly, then strengthen as she carries Ash’s account toward the council.
Quest Complete
Convince the village witness to carry Ash’s truth back
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Mediocre→Fair