The ship bumps hard against the south shore pier, wood thudding through the mist as lines snap taut. Merelia keeps the children close while the crew hauls on ropes and the deck tilts with the landing.
Tiverus
Easy now, little ones. We are here together.
The family cluster tightens at his words, a brief island of warmth against the gray harbor air. Ahead, the counting house looms on the shore, shutters closed, its door framed by damp stone and salt-stained beams.
Child 1
Is that the place?
A creak runs underfoot as the gangplank drops. Bram appears near the rail, already watching the shore, his face set with relief and nerves in equal measure.
Bram
Aye. Rear stairs will keep us out of plain sight. If Merek is there, we take him clean.
The children glance from the dark doorway to Merelia, waiting for her lead as the mist swallows the pier behind them.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep the children calm
“I will whisper a reassuring story to the children to keep them calm as we disembark.”
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Merelia lowers her voice and tells the children of a tiny gull that once lost its way in harbor fog, then found the right pier by listening for family calling its name.
The children lean in, their shoulders easing as the story turns the mist into something familiar instead of strange.
Child 1
So the fog is only hiding things, not swallowing them?
Merelia
It only seems big when we are alone.
Tiverus
Then let us stay heard, and keep close.
Bram glances toward the counting house, then back to the children with a softer look, as if the story has steadied him too.
Bram
Aye. We go in together. And if any guard asks, we are only a tired family with salt on our boots.
Quest Complete
Keep the children calm