Steam rolls over the platform stairs as Sharp Archer and the team reach the top. Ahead, the trackside gate is blocked by a stern Station Master with a ledger under one arm, credentials held out like a blade.
The Station Master
Papers. Every passenger shows papers before the platform.
The Operative slows behind Archer, watching the queue and the mounted police beyond the gate. Mallory and Evans angle their coats to hide the tools at their belts.
Agnes Bell
If he checks us line by line, we miss the train.
Sharp Archer studies the ledger, the badges, the timing, and the ash-smear left by his earlier spell. The station master is not looking for trouble, but the air around Archer’s last interference still feels hot.
The Railway Man
That’s the platform inspector. He saw me earlier. He knows the train is special.
The Station Master’s eyes narrow toward Archer and the team, then flick once to the ash on the floor. Down the line, the locomotive hisses, ready to leave without them.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get past the Station Master
“I produce fake orders written directly from Hitler himself that state we are to get to this platform before anything else. I use magic to make it seem more convincing. After I ask the station master to let no one else through unless they are carrying the same orders.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Arcane ballistics, rolled +1)
Sharp Archer draws the forged orders into the steam-lit gap between them. The paper looks official at a glance, and his magic settles over the ink like a second stamp.
The Station Master
...These are authentic. Hold the line, then. No one through without matching orders.
The Station Master straightens, lowering his ledger a fraction as his suspicion drains into duty. He points two fingers down the platform, turning the checkpoint into an order post.
Agnes Bell
Good. Then let us through before he changes his mind.
The Railway Man exhales hard, and the queue around the gate parts under the new command. Somewhere down the line, the locomotive gives a sharp hiss, impatient for the last boarding call.
The Operative
Move. Keep the papers visible, and no one stops them now.
Beyond the gate, the trackside platform opens up to the waiting train, while the ash smear remains underfoot like a stain that almost gave them away.
Quest Complete
Get past the Station Master
New Gift: Station Master's Insight
