Rain settles over the firs, drumming on the lean-to roof and turning the charcoal platform to black mud. No one can safely leave before it eases.
Sofia
Hold still, Julia. The swelling has not worsened. I can bind it tighter, but you must not spend strength climbing today.
Angela
Bread for two days if we remain strict, cheese for less. The onions can flavor broth, but they will not carry us far.
Petar
Farther east, Christian households are more common, though fear remains. A charcoal burner may trade work for shelter; a priest might conceal us, if convinced.
He marks the damp board with a twig, describing scattered hamlets, charcoal camps, and mountain paths that avoid Trabzon’s garrison roads. The charcoal burner’s elder son listens beside the entrance.
Julia
Sofia knows food and wounds. Angela knows letters and languages. Petar knows these roads. Daria can guard us. What can the rest of us offer?
Daria
Makeda brought us through the wreck and kept us alive since. When the rain stops, we decide together what work, risk, and trust each person can bear.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the group's cooperation for the next journey
“"Not everything I try works out. But you may notice that I am always the one who volunteers to do scouting or talk to strangers. Petar is the only one who really knows this country, and Daria is good at tracking and woodsy lore. Let each do what he or she does best."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Oratory, rolled +0)
Makeda
Not everything I try works out. I volunteer to scout or speak with strangers because those tasks are mine to do.
Rain drums steadily above the lean-to. Makeda speaks from beside the cold hearth, assigning strength as carefully as they have rationed bread.
Makeda
Petar knows this country. Daria knows tracks and woodland lore. Let each of us do what we do best.
Petar
Then I will read the roads, settlements, and signs of patrols. I can tell you which paths lead toward people and which lead into danger.
Daria
I will choose our ground, hide our trail, and find places where the forest covers us. No one wanders alone unless the work requires it.
Daria shifts the damp board closer and marks the safer eastern line. Petar adds the hamlets and charcoal camps he knows, while Sofia and Angela sort food and Julia rests.
Julia
Then our tasks are clear. We move when the rain allows it, and each person carries the burden she can truly bear.
Quest Complete
Secure the group's cooperation for the next journey