The cut on Cactusthorn's finger flares again as he reaches the estate wall, the same dark pulse from the paper now answering back.
Above him, the adobe estate sits black against the stars, its courtyards quiet for one breath, then stirred by distant voices turning sharp.
The glow on his skin brightens, a thin beacon in the night. Somewhere inside, a guard calls out and boots strike hard on stone.
The Merchant
He marked you... that paper marked you.
The truth lands cold. The trail was never only for finding the Abbot, it was a net, and Cactusthorn is already caught in it.
From the estate gate, lantern light swings wide as guards hurry into place, aiming toward the exact spot where he clings to the wall.
✓ Quest Accepted
Escape the estate perimeter
“Use your stealth and smoke bombs and disappear into the shadows, hiding till the deep of the night. Then, sneak in the compound like a ninja would”
SUCCESS (Legendary Stealth, rolled -3)
Smoke blossoms from Cactusthorn's hand, thin and bitter, swallowing the wall and the lantern sweep in one breath.
He slips off the stone and into the yard's blind seam, where shadow pools beneath the eaves and the guards shout at the wrong patch of dark.
The Merchant
He is gone... no, wait, the smoke is still moving.
Cactusthorn's marked finger burns once, then the glow smears under soot and dust as he crawls low past stacked jars and a sagging corral rail.
A guard rushes the gate, but the wrongfooted commotion pulls eyes outward, away from the inner yard where Cactusthorn folds into the adobe shadows.
By the time the lanterns settle, he is already inside the compound, clear of the wall and hidden from the gate.
The Merchant
If they see you again, they will tear this place apart!
“Look for any clues about my lost brothers whereabouts and take any jewels or valuables you can find. Use your stealth and ninja skills if caught.”
FAILURE (Legendary Stealth, rolled -4)
Cactusthorn slips deeper into the compound instead of back toward the wall. The lane is narrow, the adobe close enough to brush his sleeves, and every jar and beam looks like a place a note could hide.
Cactusthorn
The cloth wrap is still tight on his finger.
He searches fast, fingers grazing a cracked shelf and a hanging reed mat. Dust, rope, broken pottery. No brother's mark, no useful trail, only the stale tang of old smoke.
Then his hand catches a small pouch under a bench. He opens it just enough to see a few green stones and a silver button, and he tucks it away without a sound.
The Merchant
Stop... the lanterns are turning back.
A beam of light slides across the inner yard. Cactusthorn freezes too late, and the glow finds the edge of his sleeve and the dust trail he has made.
The yard answers at once, boots scraping, a gate latch rattling somewhere beyond the haze. The hidden way is no longer hidden, and the only clean line left runs for the perimeter.
“Use your speed and jumping skills. Throw your smoke bombs and run for the perimeter. Once outside, jump on your mule and stealth ninja hide.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +2)