Sir Silas Mori arrives in the Ashlands beneath a sky the color of old iron. Blackened stone stretches in every direction, veiled by drifting ash.
An immense dragon lies broken across the scorched valley, its dark scales glowing faintly between cracks. Each labored breath stirs embers beneath its armored hide.
the fallen dragon
Do not mistake this silence for surrender, death-priest. The land still remembers my fire.
The dragon's fading presence presses against the world. Ash hangs motionless, stones tremble without sound, and distant pillars of smoke bend toward its failing heart.
the fallen dragon
Something waits beneath the cinders. It has fed upon my ending, and now it reaches for what follows.
A faint pulse travels through the ground, carrying heat and a low, mournful resonance. The dragon's vast golden eye turns toward Sir Silas, dim but watchful.
the fallen dragon
If your god claims the dead, then come closer when you are ready. I will not cross alone.
✓ Quest Accepted
Guide the dragon to a peaceful death
“I approach the dragon and gently rest a hand on it's muzzle, telling it that "What awakens below is none of my concern. I am here to help you go in peace. I will not mistake this quiet as kindness or weakness from you. I know what you were capable of before your fall. You were a powerful and majestic beast."”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Sir Silas crosses the ash-dark valley and kneels beside the fallen dragon’s head. He rests one hand gently against its immense muzzle, warm as banked coals.
Sir Silas Mori
What awakens below is none of my concern. I am here to help you go in peace. I will not mistake this quiet for kindness or weakness.
Sir Silas Mori
I know what you were capable of before your fall. You were a powerful and majestic beast.
Heat bites through Silas’s glove and leaves his palm stinging, a small burn earned by the dragon’s failing warmth. Still, his hand remains steady against the scale.
the fallen dragon
Then you speak to me as I was, not merely as I am. Few possess such courtesy at the edge of death.
The dragon’s eye closes. Its vast body settles by a fraction, and the trembling stones fall silent beneath Silas’s touch.
the fallen dragon
Very well, death-priest. I will meet the ending you offer, and I will not mistake your gentleness for weakness either.
“I keep my hand resting on the dragon and begin to pray, "May the Reaping Angel guide you safely to the beyond so that you may live a new and better life in his domain."”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Sir Silas Mori
May the Reaping Angel guide you safely to the beyond, so that you may live a new and better life in his domain.
Sir Silas keeps his hand upon the dragon’s muzzle and prays. The words pass through heat and ash, settling into the valley like a bell heard beneath deep water.
the fallen dragon
I hear him, death-priest. Not as a judge, but as a guide. That is a gentler road than I expected.
The dragon’s breath leaves him in a long, warm exhalation. The glow beneath his scales softens from ember-red to a quiet gold, and the stones cease their trembling.
the fallen dragon
Tell your Reaping Angel that I come willingly. Let the Ashlands remember my fire without making a prison of it.
The immense body grows still beneath Silas’s hand. Ash lifts around the fallen dragon in a slow spiral, then drifts away, leaving the ancient form peaceful and unburdened.
the fallen dragon
The darkness opens, and it is not empty. I will cross.
Quest Complete
Guide the dragon to a peaceful death
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Good→Great