Aiden reaches the muddy riverbank, boots sinking at the edge of the water. The morning is cold enough to sting his lungs, and the current slides past in a brown, oily hush.
Ahead, a lone ferryman hauls on a rope to secure his boat against the post. He keeps glancing over his shoulder at Aiden, wary but not panicked.
The boat knocks softly against the bank. Wet timber, silt, and old fish fill the air, sharper here than any hearth smoke back at the inn.
Aiden Dryward
Need passage across.
The ferryman stills at that, one hand on the rope, the other near his pole. His eyes track Aiden’s blade, then his face, weighing coin against trouble.
The Ferryman
If you mean to cross, say it plain. The river’s hungry this morning, and I do not haul fools.
Aiden Dryward
He is deciding whether I am worth the risk.
The bank squelches under Aiden’s next step as the ferryman loosens the rope, still watching him for any sign of threat.
✓ Quest Accepted
Gain passage across the river
“I offer 2 gold in exchange for passage with a promise of no trouble.”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled -2)
Aiden stops at the bank and lets the offer hang in the cold air. The ferryman’s gaze flicks to the coin, then to Aiden’s face, then down to the mud as if measuring the cost of trust.
Aiden Dryward
Two gold for passage. No trouble from me.
The ferryman loosens his grip on the rope. The boat settles with a wet scrape, and his shoulders ease by a fraction.
The Ferryman
That is plain enough. And rare enough.
He takes the coins, tucking them away with a thumb rubbed black by rope burn. The price leaves Aiden lighter by two gold, but the man's eyes lose some of their hard edge.
The Ferryman
Orin Bell, if that is your trail, passed by here three days ago. Kept his hood up. Paid in silver. Asked after the west landing, then went on with the tide.
He gives the boat a shove from the bank and looks back at Aiden, now more cautious than wary. The river still runs hungry, but the name has landed cleanly.