The iron bars slam shut, and the cold in the cell block deepens. Kamakulzar corners the Captain beside the stone wall, the cut on his knuckle pulsing with a sickly green glimmer that makes Old Tusks turn its skullward gaze toward him.
Kamakulzar
I want my due for bringing these captives in. Pay for the capture, and for the trouble.
The Captain
He fumbles his coin purse, eyes flicking between Kamakulzar and the shining cut. Then he nods sharply toward the cells. Fine. The prisoners go in, and your share comes with them.
Old Tusks
There it is. The blood-mark wakes the bones. Good. The roamer pays the old toll without meaning to.
The bound captives stiffen as if the scent of Kamakulzar's blood pulls at them by a hidden string. The guards hurry them deeper into the fortress, uneasy now, while the Captain finally counts out coin with a tight jaw.
Old Tusks
Keep the cut open to the cairns, roamer. Blood calls to bone, and bone remembers the path. Return when you want the dead to listen.
✓ Quest Accepted
Inquire peacefully with the Captain
“I refresh my demeanor to normal with a none threating tone and poster. I ask for large overly weighted training bracers, weight trainers and armor in one, for both wrist/forearm, long, comfortable, overly heavy”
SUCCESS (Great Persuasion, rolled +2)
Kamakulzar eases his posture, letting the staff rest lower and his voice go plain. The cell block keeps its cold breath, but the tension loosens a fraction as he names a need instead of a threat.
Kamakulzar
I want heavy training bracers, for both forearms and wrists. Overly weighted, comfortable, something I can wear a long while.
The Captain studies him, then looks at the blood-mark on the knuckle and back again. His coin purse goes still in his hand, and unease turns to grudging attention.
The Captain
Weight trainers, then. I have smith-made bracers in the armory, built for drill and punishment. Not cheap, and not meant for a temper like yours.
Old Tusks
Heh. The bones like a roamer who asks for iron rather than favors. That is a cleaner sort of hunger.
The Captain gives a short, unwilling nod and signals one of the guards. The nearest guard turns toward a side passage, already moving to fetch the gear while the others keep their eyes on Kamakulzar's cut.
The Captain
You speak plainly, so I will too. If that blood of yours keeps troubling the old stones, I want to know before it turns into trouble inside my walls.
Quest Complete
Inquire peacefully with the Captain