The river bucks over its stones beneath a darkening sky. An elderly woman stands ankle-deep in the churning water, her gray braid plastered to a red mayoral sash, clutching a sealed leather purse.
The Mayor
Ferryman! By the old bridges, where is the ferryman? I have coin, and a debt that must be paid before sunset!
Across the water, a narrow road vanishes into rain and reed beds. No boat answers. Two abandoned poles lie in the mud while the last guards retreat toward the distant trees.
The Mayor
My sibling is stranded beyond there. The dragon rumors emptied every boatman from the crossing, and every heartbeat steals the chance of reaching them.
The purse trembles in her fist, though whether from cold or fear is unclear. Behind her, the fleeing guards glance back at the river as if expecting scales beneath the foam.
The Mayor
Please. If you can cross, I will settle the debt myself. If you cannot, tell me now, and I will find another impossible answer.
Thunder rolls upriver. The current surges against the mayor's boots, and somewhere beyond the reeds, a distant horn gives one short, desperate call.
✓ Quest Accepted
Rescue the mayor's sibling
Director's notewhole tale
I laugh kindly, assuring the mayor I will help her.
“Calm down, Mayor. Everything should be alright. I'm Ezrin Vyce, THE Mad Magus. I'll simply use my magick to teleport to the other side of the river, grab your sibling and teleport him right back. We'll all be drinking ale by the fire in no time!”
SUCCESS (Legendary Arcana, rolled +0)
Vyce
Calm down, Mayor. Everything should be all right. I'm Ezrin Vyce, the Mad Magus. I'll fetch your sibling, and we'll all be drinking ale by the fire soon enough.
Vyce laughs kindly, and wild gold light folds around him. The river, rain, and thunder collapse into a single ringing note as magick carries him across the churning water.
He emerges beside a soaked young adult man with a narrow build, mud-streaked brown hair, and a torn green cloak, crouched beneath the reeds with one hand raised against the storm.
Tovin
By every lantern in Sangara, you are not the ferryman.
Before the horn can call again, Vyce catches the man's arm. The second Blinkstep tears open like a golden wound, and they land safely beside the mayor in the river shallows.
The spell succeeds, but its cost bites deep: every nearby sound arrives doubled, thunder layered over whispers, while the magic leaves Vyce's golden irises burning painfully bright.
The Mayor
Tovin! You brought him back. Gods preserve me, I truly owe you an ale, a purse, and perhaps an entire brewery.
Quest Complete
Rescue the mayor's sibling