The eastern trail bends through the Grissey trees, and a huge grey-striped cat-man staggers into view. His plain shirt and leather breech guards are dust-streaked, his light armor hanging loose.
Whasher
Kadash. I found you at last.
Whasher braces one long hand against a trunk, nine feet of heavy frame heaving for breath. Sweat darkens his fur, and his wide eyes remain fixed on the company.
Whasher
I ran from the western paths for miles. The hobgoblins found a faster route east. They are cutting toward you.
Wor Gokk
Water first. Then a chair, a healer, and a proper account. Can you stand without falling, giant?
The nearest guards close ranks without drawing weapons. Sorn brings water, while Nella studies the trail behind Whasher and the strain in his legs.
Whasher
I can still walk, and I can still fight. But I need to know where Kadash wants me placed.
✓ Quest Accepted
Evade the hobgoblin hunters
“I welcome him and tell him we need strong ones who can lead where im not at at all times”
SUCCESS (Great Leadership, rolled +0)
Kadash
Whasher, you are welcome. Black Arrow needs strong ones who can lead when I am not there. I want you beside us.
Whasher straightens against the tree, his immense grey-striped frame still heaving. The weariness in his face gives way to a firm, searching attention.
Whasher
Then beside you I stand. If your reach ends somewhere, mine will begin there. Give me a place, and I will hold it.
Wor Gokk lowers the water skin only after Whasher finishes, then studies the giant relative with a veteran’s practical approval. Nella and Sorn remain alert nearby.
Wor Gokk
A strong answer. We can use another voice that carries, especially one that knows when to stand firm and when to move.
Whasher
Tell me the shape of your command, Kadash. I will learn it, then keep it when your eyes are elsewhere.
The nearest formation settles around the exchange. Whasher accepts the offered place without ceremony, and the road east opens before Black Arrow once more.
“I ask him if he wants armor and that our crafters and smiths can gear him up. Also he has access to our weapon stock”
SUCCESS (Great Leadership, rolled -2)
Kadash
Do you want armor? Our crafters and smiths can gear you up, and you have access to Black Arrow’s weapon stock.
Whasher looks down at his dust-streaked shirt and loose leather guards, then across the armed ranks. The offer settles over him with real weight.
Whasher
I want armor, yes. Something that lets me hold a line without slowing the ones beside me. For weapons, give me what suits my hands, not what merely looks grand.
Wor Gokk
That means fitting, testing, and a claim on our best large work. I will have the smiths measure him, but the stock will be marked against Black Arrow’s needs.
Whasher’s broad shoulders ease. Wor Gokk signals toward the crafters, and several workers begin clearing space near the carts while the troop watches its new giant take shape.
Whasher
Then I accept the burden with the gift. Fit me well, and I will repay every piece by standing where the line needs strength.
The offer is fulfilled, but its cost is plain: Black Arrow’s finest available gear is now committed to Whasher, and the company expects his strength to justify it.
“I ask him what role as a 2nd in command rank could suite him well? What are his skills to lead with.”
SUCCESS (Great Leadership, rolled +1)
Kadash
What second-in-command role would suit you best? Tell me the skills you can lead with, so I place your strength where Black Arrow needs it.
Whasher
He asks for more than my size. He wants the work I can truly carry.
Whasher studies the ranks, the carts, and the forest road before answering. His breathing steadies, and his long fingers curl thoughtfully against his leather guards.
Whasher
I suit the hard center of command. Let me be your war captain in the field, holding the line when danger presses and carrying your orders where voices fail.
Whasher
My skills are strength, endurance, close fighting, and keeping others steady under fear. I read a battle by where men hesitate, where a gap opens, and where courage needs a visible shape.
Wor Gokk
That gives us a clear division. Whasher holds the field and the fighters; I keep the supplies, craft, and wounded moving behind him.
Whasher turns toward Kadash and bows his great head once. The answer settles naturally between them, giving Black Arrow a second voice for pressure and battle without challenging Kadash’s command.
“I say, "if they persit attacking and harasing us i would be glad to have you lead revenge hunting parties with your size, speed and strong feline perception tracking and stalking"”
SUCCESS (Great Leadership, rolled +0)
Kadash
If they persist in attacking and harassing us, I would be glad to have you lead revenge hunting parties, using your size, speed, and strong feline perception to track and stalk them.
Whasher’s great head lifts. The offer gives his weariness a sharper purpose, and his broad frame turns toward the eastern trail where the enemy’s signs disappeared.
Whasher
Then I will lead them when the attacks continue. I can follow a broken trail, move without warning, and bring the hunters home before the enemy knows they were found.
Wor Gokk watches Whasher carefully, measuring the promise against the company’s safety. Around them, nearby soldiers remain quiet, listening without crowding the decision.
Wor Gokk
A hunting captain, then, used only when the enemy gives us cause. I will make sure every party has a clear return signal and enough strength to survive the trail.
Whasher
That is the right boundary. I will hunt for Black Arrow, not for pride. When you give the word, Kadash, I will make the forest answer.
The role settles into place: Whasher becomes Black Arrow’s chosen leader for retaliatory hunting parties, ready to track the hobgoblin’s forces while protecting the main company’s march.
“I ask, "most the troops have a skill or skills they use to help sustain the pack. Do you happen to have a skill, a craft?"”
SUCCESS (Great Leadership, rolled -1)
Kadash
Most of the troops have a skill or craft they use to sustain the pack. Do you happen to have a skill, a craft?
Whasher
He is asking what I can carry for Black Arrow, not merely what I can break.
Whasher glances from the troop to his loose leather guards, then rubs one enormous thumb along a cracked strap. His answer comes steadier than his breathing did.
Whasher
I know hidework. I can tan rough hides, mend leather, and make harness, straps, boots, and simple guards for large hands and heavy bodies. I learned it keeping my own gear alive on the road.
Wor Gokk
Useful craft. Then the offer has a cost, Whasher: once the company hears this, every torn strap will find its way to you. You will owe Black Arrow that labor when the hunt is quiet.
Whasher
Let it. Give me the worn leather and a place to work, and I will keep the pack fitted. My hunting command can wait while the company needs its gear made sound.
“I raise my left hand for the nearby troops to give him a social salute and i put my right arm and fist over my chest as a salute to him”
SUCCESS (Great Leadership, rolled +2)
Kadash raises his left hand. The nearby troops recognize the signal and turn toward Whasher, their attention gathering without a word.
He places his right fist over his chest in salute. Around him, Black Arrow answers together, hands and weapons lifting in a clean social salute to the towering cat-man.
For a breath, the forest road falls quiet beneath the gesture. Whasher stands straighter, his enormous shoulders settling as the company publicly accepts his place among them.
Whasher
I receive it, Kadash. I will answer it with every strap I mend and every line I hold.
Wor Gokk gives a firm nod from beside the carts, while Nella and Sorn lower their hands only after Whasher has acknowledged the honor.
Whasher
Black Arrow has named me kin and servant both. I will not make the banner regret its welcome.
The salute breaks naturally, but its meaning remains in the troop’s posture. Whasher now stands before them not as a weary arrival, but as one of their own leaders.