Dagg reaches a hollow beyond Grayfen’s last cottages, where thorn hedges conceal an old charcoal shed. He lowers Arden Pike onto the packed earth, still unconscious and breathing.
Caldus Rime emerges from the ash trees, keeping both hands visible. He has obeyed the order to remain behind, and no alarm follows from the tollhouse.
Caldus Rime
He is yours now. Pike cannot call his guards, and the camp does not know where he went. What justice will you give him?
Moonlight reaches through the broken roof, silvering Pike’s clenched hands and the purse of stolen payment at Dagg’s belt. The road toward Nabbitt Farms lies open beyond Grayfen.
Dagg Nabbitt
Pike is alive, unconscious, and in my hands.
Caldus Rime
I will carry a message, bind him, or stand watch. But decide before dawn. His men may search the road when they discover he is gone.
Caldus waits beside the shed while Pike remains helpless on the floor. Dagg has time to choose whether this captive faces a lawful reckoning, a private punishment, or another fate before returning to Mara’s empty household.
“Help me tie him up. I want him suspended in air with each arm stretch out so he cant move. {Dagg ties Pike up suspending him in the air of the shack. A rope for both arms stretched out tied to the edges of the building. Another rope to cover his mouth so when he wakes he can not yell. Dagg takes off the cloak and goes back to his usual attire. He pulls out his mouth harp and plays it waiting until Pike awakens.}”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled -2)
Dagg and Caldus haul Arden Pike into the charcoal shed. Ranch ropes stretch from each of Pike’s arms to opposite beams, lifting him clear of the floor while his unconscious weight pulls hard against Dagg’s shoulders.
The ropes hold exactly where Dagg sets them, fashioned for livestock and strong enough for this work. His relaxed reluctance costs him a painful wrench in his lower back, but Steady Under Watch keeps his knots firm and deliberate.
Dagg secures a separate cloth gag across Pike’s mouth, tight enough to prevent a shout but loose enough for breathing. Pike remains unconscious, arms stretched outward and boots hanging above the packed earth.
Caldus checks the knots at Dagg’s direction, then steps back beneath the broken roof. Pike hangs helplessly between the beams, unable to reach the ropes or shift his suspended weight.
Dagg removes Pike’s marked cloak and returns to his ranch clothes, folding the disguise beside the stolen purse. He draws out his mouth harp and settles onto an overturned crate.
A low, plaintive tune fills the charcoal shed. Caldus keeps watch near the entrance while Dagg plays, and Pike remains unconscious in the ropes as the night deepens toward his awakening.
− Story Quest Removed
Find and kill Mara’s killers