Dusk burns low over the canyon-edge inn, and a table near the hearth is already upended. Cards scatter across the floor as two dwarven miners square off against two young half-orc miners, all four red-faced and shouting over a ruined hand.
Jae. Stormland steps in beneath the sagging beam, travel-worn and watchful. The room seems to draw a breath with him as thunder mutters far off over the cliffs.
Horgar
He cheated, plain and simple! By my beard, I’ll not swallow that trickery.
The Young Half-Orc
You call it cheating because you lost. Say it again, and I’ll make you eat the cards.
One dwarf slams a fist on the table. The other half-orc snatches at the pile, while chairs scrape back hard enough to rattle tankards.
The Second Burly Dwarf
Enough. It was a clean deal until your mouth ran wild.
The Other Young Half-Orc
Clean? You heard him. He dragged our mother into it. That insult earns blood.
Then the storm hits. Wind punches through the shutters, rain hisses against the roof, and the candle flames bow nearly flat as the argument hangs on the edge of violence.
Horgar
Storm or no storm, I want his hand off that deck, now. You, ranger, are you stepping in, or watching this place split apart?
✓ Quest Accepted
Prevent the inn’s card-table brawl from turning violent
“Can I use the sudden gust of wind to douse the candles and break their focus?”
NO (Likely, rolled 70)
The wind howls through the gaps in the shutters, but the candles flicker stubbornly against the draft, their flames dancing but refusing to die. The brawlers remain locked in their heated standoff, their eyes fixed on one another as the tension in the room only tightens.
“Is either side willing to back down?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 85)
Neither the dwarf nor the half-orc shows any sign of yielding, their stubborn pride anchoring them to the conflict. The air remains thick with their mutual refusal to concede a single inch of ground.
“I step between the dwarf and half-orc,hand on my helt ready to draw if needed”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled -1)
Jae steps cleanly between them, one hand resting on his hilt, the other lifted in calm warning. The dwarf and half-orc stop short on either side of him.
Horgar
Mind your own feet, then. I am not taking one more insult from that pup.
The Young Half-Orc
And I am not bowing to a beard full of hot air.
The cards lie scattered between the three of them, forgotten for the moment as the table gives a long, protesting groan.
Horgar
He looks like he means to hold us apart all night if he must.
The Young Half-Orc
His hand stays on the sword, but he is not reaching for blood.
Horgar
Fine. Say your piece, ranger. Who was wrong, me or him?
The inn hushes around the table, rain ticking against the shutters while both rivals wait on Jae's answer.
Quest Complete
Prevent the inn’s card-table brawl from turning violent
“I suggest we settle this with cards, since how i see it, your both equally as guilty,”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +0)
Jae. Stormland
I suggest we settle this with cards. You are both guilty enough to split the blame.
The dwarf snorts first, then the half-orc lets out a rough laugh that breaks the edge of the room. A few onlookers lean closer, listening over the rain.
Horgar
Cards, then. Fair enough. If I win, he admits he pushed too hard.
The Young Half-Orc
And if I win, the beard admits he was baiting me from the start.
The Burly Dwarf drags the scattered deck back into a square pile, thumbs the edges true, and slides it to the center with more care than before.
The Young Half-Orc
He thinks the ranger has made this even. That is better than blood.
Outside, thunder mutters low beyond the canyon while the inn keeps its breath. The first hand is waiting, and both men look to Jae to cut the deck.
“I cut the deck”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +1)
Jae takes the deck and squares its edges against the table with a ranger’s neat, practiced touch. The cards slide cleanly under his thumb, and the stack settles like it belongs there.
Horgar
That is better than my own cut. I’ll admit it.
The Young Half-Orc
Aye, and now it looks honest enough to trust.
The dwarf snorts, but the sound has no bite in it. He folds his arms, watching Jae with the wary respect of a man who has just seen skill where he expected luck.
Horgar
You handle cards like a caravan scout handles a trail. Careful hands. No wasted motion.
The Young Half-Orc
And a steady eye. That matters more than bluster in a room like this.
Outside, rain taps the shutters in a soft, uneven rhythm. Inside, the first hand is dealt, and the two men wait for Jae to decide where the opening card goes.
✓ Quest Accepted
Win the card game
+ New Item Acquired
Deck of cards
“Does the dwarf seem to be hiding any cards up his sleeve?”
EXCEPTIONAL YES (Unlikely, rolled 4)
As the Burly Dwarf shifts his weight to reach for his drink, the heavy wool of his sleeve catches on the table edge and pulls back just enough. A flash of color catches the light, revealing a tucked ace of spades pressed firmly against his forearm, held in place by a leather strap.
Jae. Stormland
He is not just playing the game, he is rigging it.
Horgar
Well, are you going to deal, or are you just going to stare at my arm all night?
“I call out the hidden ace”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +0)
Jae points at the dwarf’s forearm and names the cheat aloud. The table goes still.
Horgar
You’ve got sharp eyes, lad. Too sharp for your own good.
The Young Half-Orc
So that’s your trick. I knew something stank.
The dwarf’s smugness cracks. He twists his arm away from the table, but the hidden ace is already exposed to everyone.
Horgar
Bad luck. He saw it clean.
The Young Half-Orc
What else are you hiding in that sleeve?
The inn’s hush tightens around the card table as the first outrage begins to bloom.
“Is the dwarf cheating with more than one card?”
NO (Likely, rolled 75)
Jae scans the dwarf's sleeve and the rest of his gear, but finds no other hidden cards or illicit tools. The Burly Dwarf remains tense, but his lack of further tricks is clear.
“I press for a fair showdown trying to calm tensions before things get worse”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled -1)
Jae sets the pace with a steady hand, and the room eases with him. The dwarf’s jaw works once, then slackens.
Horgar
A fair showdown, then. Hmph. I can live with that.
The Young Half-Orc
Fair means fair. I want his eyes on the cards, not his tricks.
The dwarf gives a short, embarrassed snort and scrapes the exposed ace away from the center of the table.
Horgar
He caught me clean. Best not make a fool of myself twice.
The half-orc’s shoulders drop a fraction. The hostile glare turns into a hard, watchful calm.
The Young Half-Orc
Then deal it proper, Stormland. We play plain, and we settle this in front of witnesses.
“I deal the next hand, keeping a keen eye on both of them at the slightest hit of danger”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled -1)
Jae takes the deck without a word and squares the cards in a clean, practiced line. The storm rattles the inn shutters, but the table stays still under his hands.
He deals fast, even, and exact. The Burly Dwarf leans in with a tight mouth, while the Young Half-Orc tracks every card with narrowed eyes.
Jae. Stormland
Both of them are watching the cards, and each other.
A gust hisses through a crack in the wall. Jae catches it, and catches the dwarf too, one hand twitching toward his sleeve before he stops himself.
Horgar
Easy now. I am only looking, Stormland.
The Young Half-Orc
If he reaches again, I call it out loud.
The last card lands. The dwarf’s face goes blank for a heartbeat, then he lets out a rough breath and tips his hand over, beaten fair.
Horgar
Hah. You’ve got me. The pot’s yours, and cleanly won.
Quest Complete
Win the card game
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Good→Great