Before sunrise, Daria wakes the fugitives and Petar extinguishes the last damp embers. They leave the dry recess, carrying the jug and bundles into the covered ravine.
Petar
The ravine remains quiet. Keep close, and watch the stones beside the spring.
Julia walks with Sofia’s support, favoring her injured ankle but keeping her footing. Daria closes the line while Makeda scouts the bends ahead beneath dripping firs.
The ravine opens onto a roofless stone waystation beside the old mule road. Its hearth is dry, a broken trough leans against one wall, and two routes descend toward the eastern valleys.
Daria
We inspect before resting. A dry hearth can mean safety, or it can mean someone expects to return.
Petar examines the hearth and roadward entrance without disturbing the ash. Angela checks beneath the trough, while Sofia steadies Julia near the wall.
Julia
The ankle hurts, but it holds. Let us learn which path keeps us from the road before we spend more strength.
✓ Quest Accepted
Find a safe eastern route onward
“"I'll have a look at the road ahead."”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled -2)
Makeda slips past the waystation’s eastern wall and climbs the low slope beside the mule road, keeping her bandaged palm protected beneath her cloak.
From the rise, she sees the road descend through open scrub before dividing around a wooded ravine. No riders or patrols are visible.
The nearer branch bears several recent mule tracks, their edges softened by rain. The farther branch is narrower, fir-lined, and shows only scattered boot marks.
She studies the bends until the eastern light strengthens, confirming no waiting men, fires, or movement among the trees. The inspection costs precious morning time.
Daria
What do you see? We cannot linger in the open.
Makeda returns to the wall and points out the two descents. The narrow branch offers cover, but its boot marks leave their travelers unknown.
Daria
Then we take the covered branch. Petar leads, and we move before anyone comes along the road.
“They continue.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +2)
Makeda signals once, then slips onto the narrow fir-lined branch. She places each foot on the firmer stones, keeping her bandaged palm beneath her cloak as the group follows.
Petar
The boot marks continue east, but they are old enough to have softened. I see no fresh sign ahead.
Petar leads beneath the trees, testing the wet ground before each step. Daria closes the line, while Sofia supports Julia and Angela keeps the jug covered.
Daria
Stay within reach of one another. The road is hidden now, and that is worth more than speed.
The covered branch bends around the wooded ravine and descends between dense firs. From the road, the fugitives vanish completely, leaving no visible line to follow.
Julia
The ground is kinder here. I can keep walking if we pause before the next rise.
They reach a sheltered bend beside a trickle of clear water. Makeda checks the eastern path from cover, finding it open, concealed, and free of riders.
Quest Complete
Find a safe eastern route onward
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Superb→Legendary