The group settles beneath the ridge, where fir roots and fallen branches conceal them from the shepherd’s path. The hemp bundle, clay jar, and gathered fruit remain close at hand.
Petar
Samsun is mostly ruin beyond its harbor. The old castle still stands in broken parts, but Turkish sailors and hemp workers use the land around it.
Petar crouches beside the jar, speaking softly. His face has regained some color, though he keeps glancing toward the eastern trees as if expecting roads to carry trouble toward them.
Petar
There is a Janissary garrison and a law court. A stranger without papers will be noticed, especially if she looks like escaped property.
Daria
Then the city gives us hemp, food, and walls, but also soldiers. We should pass below it, unless the ruins offer concealment from the road.
Angela
A market might provide clothing or tools, but entering would expose every one of us. The hempfields east of the city may be safer than Samsun itself.
Sofia
Petar knows the coast, and Daria knows how to read a trail. We should decide whether Samsun is a destination, a landmark, or a place to avoid entirely.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine whether Petar's account of Samsun is reliable
✓ Quest Accepted
Pass safely below Samsun
“"Samsun is much too dangerous. Janissaries everywhere, and they're looking for people like us. We have nothing to sell at the market and no money to buy anything. If Daria says she can take us around it safely, I believe her."”
SUCCESS (Great Oratory, rolled +1)
Makeda
Samsun is too dangerous. Janissaries are looking for people like us, and we have nothing to sell or money to spend. If Daria can take us around it safely, I believe her.
Daria
I can. We leave the coast before Samsun, keep east through the wooded hills, and cross the roads only after dark.
Daria kneels in the damp soil and draws the route with a twig. Her line avoids the city, its harbor, and the fields where soldiers and laborers would notice strangers.
Petar
The inland track passes north of the ruined walls. It is longer, but shepherds and charcoal burners use it more often than soldiers do.
Daria
Then we take that track. We carry the hemp, keep the jar covered, and leave Samsun behind without showing ourselves to its gates.
The decision settles the camp. Angela tightens the fruit bundle, Sofia lifts the jar, and Petar turns from the coast as Daria leads them into the eastern trees.
“"Shepherds and charcoal burners are solitary people, don't trust the government, and try to stay out of other people's affairs. If you see anyone like that, don't act surprised or scared. Just wave and walk on by as if you owned the place. Chances are, they won't report us, and if the do, we will already be long gone."”
SUCCESS (Great Oratory, rolled +2)
Makeda
Shepherds and charcoal burners live apart from authority. If we meet one, wave and walk on as though we belong here. They may not report us, and we will be gone before anyone listens.
Daria studies the eastern track, then nods. The group adjusts its pace, carrying the hemp and jar plainly instead of creeping like fugitives.
Daria
Keep your faces calm. No whispering, no sudden turns, and no staring at their work.
Near midday, a solitary shepherd appears above the path with a crook over one shoulder. His weathered cloak and gray beard mark him as a man accustomed to hills, not officials.
Makeda raises one hand in greeting and continues east without slowing. The others follow her example, their bundles visible and their manner unhurried.
The Shepherd
Good day.
The shepherd gives a brief nod and turns back toward his flock. No question follows, and the survivors pass beyond the ridge with their course unchanged.
“They keep going.”
The survivors continue east along the wooded track, leaving the shepherd and his flock behind. Daria keeps the pace steady, while the others carry the hemp, jar, and fruit.
Daria
Stay together. We cross no open ground until the trees close around us again.
The path bends beneath firs and descends into a shallow hollow. Damp needles soften their footsteps, and the ridge hides them from the shepherd’s view.
Petar
This track continues east toward the higher hills. If we keep to it, we should pass above the coastal road.
Daria studies the old hoofprints, then leads them around a muddy stretch where the ground has been churned by animals. No one speaks or lingers.
Sofia
The fruit is holding, and the jar is secure. We can travel until dusk before choosing a place to rest.
They climb steadily through the eastern forest. Behind them, the shepherd’s path disappears among the ridges, while ahead the wooded hills offer distance from Samsun and its soldiers.
“They keep going.”
SUCCESS (Good Health, rolled -1)
The survivors keep east along the wooded track, climbing through firs and beeches as the ground rises. Daria leads them above the hidden coastal road.
Daria
Keep to the roots. The mud below is fresh, but this higher ground is firm.
They pass beneath a rocky shelf and descend into another fold of forest. The jar remains covered, and the fruit bundle stays secure against Sofia's shoulder.
Petar
The track still runs east. We are well above the road now, and no houses lie ahead before the hills.
Angela's sandal strap snaps on a root, forcing the group to pause. She knots it with a length of hemp cord, spending part of their dwindling supply.
Angela
It will hold for now. We should not waste another pause repairing it.
They resume before the light weakens, carrying the repaired sandal and diminished cord eastward until the track reaches the higher hills beyond Samsun's roads.
Quest Complete
Determine whether Petar's account of Samsun is reliable
Skill Upgrade: Oratory Great→Superb
Quest Complete
Pass safely below Samsun
Skill Upgrade: Oratory Superb→Legendary