At the hollow's edge, Jason stands above the worn steps as amber light spills upward. The eldest and youngest halflings remain behind him, tense and divided.
A faint cradle-song rises from below, gentle enough to sound remembered. On the first step rests a small pale bone token, etched with the same crooked mark.
the youngest halfling
That was not there before. Do not pick it up, Jason. Some places use gifts as names.
the eldest halfling
We stay here. The road is behind us, and whatever waits below has already chosen its distance from the sun.
The song falters, then resumes from deeper in the hollow. Dust trembles along the steps, though nothing visible climbs toward them.
the voice in the trees
The token remembers the hand that carried you. Take it, child of the hollow, and hear what the cradle kept.
the youngest halfling
That voice speaks as though it watched him before we ever found him.
✓ Quest Accepted
Take possession of the pale bone token
✓ Quest Accepted
Discover what the cradle kept about Jason's origins
Director's note
I pick up the bone and head inside.
“"This is a dungeon made just for me, left here by whoever left me here. I wasn't abandoned, I was set free. I'd be a fool not to explore further, but you two should stay here, this is meant for me."”
FAILURE (Legendary Willpower, rolled -4)
Jason The Naive
This dungeon was made for me, left by whoever left me here. I was not abandoned. I was set free. I would be a fool not to explore it. Stay here. This is meant for me.
the youngest halfling
Jason, freedom is not the same as safety. We will stay, but do not mistake that for approval.
the eldest halfling
Go no farther than the hollow permits. If the light changes, come back at once.
Jason descends one step and lifts the pale bone token. It is colder than the air, yet the crooked mark warms beneath his fingers as the cradle-song stops.
The amber threshold contracts around his ankle like a ring of light. The step beneath him lengthens into darkness, while the entrance behind him rises beyond reach.
the voice in the trees
You were set free, child of the hollow. But the first door does not open for a hand that still belongs to the world above.
The bone token pulses once. A narrow chamber appears below, its walls marked with empty cradle shapes, but the descending passage seals before Jason can enter it.
Quest Complete
Take possession of the pale bone token
+ New Item Acquired
Pale bone token
“I would like to carefully study my new surroundings.”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +2)
Inside the chamber, Jason finds six shallow cradle-shapes carved into the walls, each empty except for dust and faint amber residue. The sealed passage stands behind him.
Jason The Naive
The chamber was prepared for more than one child, but only one cradle bears a mark.
He studies the floor without disturbing it. Fine lines radiate from the marked cradle toward a central stone basin, where the token's crooked symbol is reflected in pale light.
the voice in the trees
Look carefully, child of the hollow. The walls remember what the earth was ordered to forget.
The carvings resolve under his attention: five cradles are crossed through with small vertical cuts. The sixth is untouched, its outline matching the token's curling mark.
Within the basin, the amber reflection shifts into a brief image of a wrapped infant being carried through darkness. The bearer remains faceless, but a ringed hand rests beneath the child's head.
the voice in the trees
That was the first passage. Beneath the basin lies the name that was given, before the name you carry.
Quest Complete
Determine whether the voice knows the truth about Jason's origins
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Great→Superb
“I will lift the basin to check underneath.”
FAILURE (Fair Strength, rolled -1)
Jason grips the basin's rim and braces his feet against the radiating lines. The stone resists, cold and heavy beneath his hands.
Jason The Naive
The basin is anchored below, not merely resting on the floor.
With a measured heave, he lifts one edge. Amber light spills beneath it, but the basin twists sharply and settles back into its socket.
The radiating lines flare. Five crossed cradle marks darken, while the untouched sixth opens into a narrow seam around the basin's base.
the voice in the trees
It will not be lifted while it bears the forgotten name. Turn it, and the stone may show what it guards.
The basin remains fixed, but its upper surface slowly rotates beneath Jason's hands. The reflected infant image vanishes, replaced by a ringed hand pointing toward the new seam.
the voice in the trees
The name lies below, child of the hollow. The basin is its lock, not its lid.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reveal the forgotten name beneath the basin
Director's note
I have a habit of sometimes thinking out loud when figuring something out.
Director's note
i enter the newly opened area
“"Alright, it feels like this place is holding my hand at this point, but I suppose this was here for me to discover, so the help makes sense." "Ok, here goes nothing."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +2)
Jason The Naive
It feels like this place is holding my hand, but I suppose it was here for me to discover. The help makes sense.
Jason turns the basin in the direction indicated by the ringed hand. The stone yields beneath his palms, and the seam around its base opens into a dark stairwell.
Jason The Naive
Okay, here goes nothing.
The bone token warms in Jason's grasp as he steps through the opening. Amber light follows him downward, while the chamber above remains silent and unchanged.
the voice in the trees
Good. The first door recognized the hand that carried you. The second will test the name you chose to carry.
The stair ends in a round vault beneath the basin. A shallow pool fills its center, reflecting not Jason's face, but a distant ringed hand lowering an infant into waiting light.
the voice in the trees
Set the token upon the water, child of the hollow. What was hidden will answer what was given.
undefined / undefined
The round vault breathes with a low subterranean pulse. Ripples cross the shallow pool, though its surface remains untouched, and the reflected ringed hand pauses above the infant.
the voice in the trees
Do not mistake an answer for a welcome. The water remembers every name spoken over this place.
A second reflection forms beside the infant: five small cradles, each burning briefly with amber light before sinking beneath the dark water.
the voice in the trees
The others were given names and taken away. Yours was withheld, so the hollow could keep you unclaimed.
The bone token grows warmer in Jason's hand. Its crooked mark casts a narrow beam across the pool toward a stone tablet half-submerged at the far rim.
the voice in the trees
Set it down, and the water will show the name beneath the name you carry. Refuse, and the buried hand will choose another bearer.
Behind Jason, the stairwell contracts by one step. From above comes no halfling voice, only the faint scrape of something crossing the sealed chamber floor.
“would something positive happen if I set down the token?”
NO (Likely, rolled 74)
The token's beam falters before reaching the tablet. Instead of opening, the pool darkens, and the reflected infant slips beneath the water without a ripple.
the voice in the trees
No welcome waits below that name. Set the token down, and the hollow will take your question as permission.
The stone tablet rises a finger's breadth, revealing one line of pale writing before sinking again. The letters are not a name, but a warning.
the voice in the trees
The water would show you what was withheld, but it would not give it back. Another bearer would be chosen in your place.
Above, the scrape across the sealed chamber floor stops. A soft knock travels down the stairwell, followed by a second, closer knock from beneath the pool.
the voice in the trees
You have come seeking the hand that carried you. First learn why that hand never returned.
“Well, i dont see why not, besides, i should get this over with before whatever im hearing arrives.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Jason The Naive
I do not see why not. I should get this over with before whatever I hear arrives.
Jason lowers the pale bone token toward the pool. The water parts around it without splashing, and the crooked mark settles upon the dark surface.
Amber light spreads beneath the token in widening rings. The tablet rises fully from the far rim, its pale writing shining through the vault's dimness.
the voice in the trees
There. The hollow has accepted your question. Read what was withheld, and remember that a name can be a chain.
Letters rearrange across the tablet. Beneath the warning, a single word appears in an older hand, then reflects clearly in the pool below.
The word is Aren. Around it, the water reveals the ringed hand carrying the infant toward the hollow, while a second shadow waits beside the cradle.
the voice in the trees
Aren was the name given to you before the world taught you another. The hand that carried you did not return because it was followed.
Quest Complete
Discover what the cradle kept about Jason's origins
Skill Upgrade: Arcana Good→Great
Quest Complete
Reveal the forgotten name beneath the basin
Skill Upgrade: Arcana Great→Superb