Dusk falls over the village of Oakhaven. Derick Force steps into the Golden Tankard, his red heeler trotting faithfully at his side.
Derick Force
The air inside is thick with the scent of unwashed wool and old ale.
The tavern keeper, a man with calloused hands and eyes that dart nervously toward the boarded windows, stops wiping the counter.
The Tavern Keeper
You should not have come inside, traveler. The doors were locked for a reason.
The Tavern Keeper
Do you hear that scraping sound against the roof? It has been circling the inn since the sun dipped below the horizon.
A heavy thud shakes the ceiling beams, causing dust to drift down like gray snow. The canine companion lets out a low, vibrating growl, ears flattened against her head.
The Tavern Keeper
It is not a beast of these woods. Tell me, do you have the steel to kill a nightmare?
+ Scene Quest Added
Defeat the nightmare circling the Golden Tankard
“Ask about the beasts identity”
FAILURE (Good Persuasion, rolled -3)
Derick Force
What are we dealing with exactly, friend? Give me a name for this thing.
The Tavern Keeper
He looks at my sword like it is a toothpick. He thinks he can talk his way through a shadow.
The Tavern Keeper
Names have power, and that thing does not deserve the dignity of one. You speak like a man who has never seen the sky turn black in the middle of a calm night.
The innkeeper huffs in frustration, his grip tightening so hard on his rag that the fabric tears. He turns his back on Derick Force to shove a heavy bolt into the side door.
The Tavern Keeper
You are a fool, swordsman. A loud, clanking fool who will only draw its attention further down.
A screeching tear of wood echoes from directly above the bar. The canine companion lunges forward, snapping at the air as a massive, obsidian claw pierces through the ceiling planks, pinning the tavern keeper's apron to the floorboards.
“Attack the claw pinning the tavern keeper”
SUCCESS (Superb Melee Combat, rolled +2)
Derick Force moves with practiced fluid ease, his hand finding the grip of his great sword as he pivots toward the pinned man.
The Tavern Keeper
By the gods, help me.
The massive steel blade whistles through the air, finding the exact joint of the obsidian claw with a bone jarring impact.
The dark limb shatters into fine black dust under the force of the strike, releasing the tavern keeper from the floorboards.
Derick Force
The claw lacks the density of real bone.
Above the bar, the roof structure groans as a hulking, shadow blurred shape begins to pull itself through the widening hole.
“Tell the innkeeper to take cover while defending from any incoming attacks”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled +1)
Derick Force
Get behind the counter now. Stay low and keep yourself out of sight.
The Tavern Keeper
Right. Yes. Thank you, traveler!
The innkeeper scrambles away, diving behind the thick oak bar as the ceiling rafters buckle and snap under an immense, unseen weight.
Derick Force
The dog is growling, his fur bristled and eyes locked on the ceiling.
A second, even larger claw crashes down, nearly missing Derick Force as it rips a jagged gap through the wooden support beam.
The shadow entity shrieks, a sound like grinding stone, and begins to squeeze its bulk through the compromised roof.
“Attack the entity to try and force it back”
SUCCESS (Superb Melee Combat, rolled +1)
Derick Force
The creature is vulnerable as it forces its way through the narrow timber.
Derick Force lunges upward with a roar, driving his great sword into the shadow mass with masterful precision.
Steel bites into the ethereal hide, sending shards of obsidian and darkness scattering across the floor like rain.
The Tavern Keeper
By the gods, you actually struck it!
With the momentum of the strike, the creature loses its footing, screeching in agony as it is shoved back through the splintered roof.
The Tavern Keeper
Look out, Derick! It is not finished with us yet!
“Recall the dog to safety and prepare for any retaliation from the entity”
SUCCESS (Superb Animal Handling, rolled +2)
Derick Force
The creature's descent left a clear path for the dog to retreat.
Derick Force whistles sharply, a clear, commanding note that cuts through the tavern's groaning timbers.
The red heeler immediately breaks from its defensive stance, bounding behind the heavy oak bar with practiced discipline.
The Tavern Keeper
Keep your guard up, swordsman! The roof is bowing even further, it is coming back!
Derick Force plants his feet firmly, the iron cuirass catching the flickering candlelight as he centers his weight.
Above the breach, the shadows coalesce into a swirling vortex, and a colossal, jagged mandible begins to force its way downward, dripping thick, pitch-black ichor onto the tavern floor.
“Attack the mandible in an attempt to cut right through”
SUCCESS (Superb Melee Combat, rolled +1)
Derick Force
The mandible is exposed and overextended, its momentum is its own undoing.
Derick Force lunges, his muscles coiled like springs as he drives his great sword upward in a blindingly fast arc.
Steel bites into the dark, stony chitin with the sound of a shattering bell, shearing cleanly through the thick mandible.
The severed segment thuds heavily against the floorboards, black ichor spraying outward as the creature emits a distorted, hollow wail that vibrates through the tavern walls.
The Tavern Keeper
You cut it! Look, it is recoiling!
The roof timbers snap upward, released from the creature's immense pressure, but the shadow-blurred mass does not flee entirely. It hovers just outside the jagged hole, its remaining limbs clawing at the thatch, waiting for a opening.
“Pursue the entity, attacking and keeping pressure on it”
SUCCESS (Superb Melee Combat, rolled +2)
Derick Force
The creature is reeling from the blow, but it is not yet defeated.
Derick Force does not grant the beast a moment to recover. He leaps onto the sturdy oak table and vaults toward the gaping breach in the roof with his great sword held high.
The Tavern Keeper
Wait! Don't go up there, you'll be shredded!
Ignoring the warning, Derick Force clears the rafters in a single, fluid motion and strikes the shadow entity's center mass with a legendary force that sends splinters of obsidian flying like hail.
The Tavern Keeper
He actually did it. By the gods, he is climbing right into the maw of the nightmare!
The creature lets out a high, piercing shriek as Derick Force's blade pins its core to the roof support beam, forcing the entity to drop its hold on the thatch and tumble back into the night.
Quest Complete
Defeat the nightmare circling the Golden Tankard