The lower path narrows under cedar boughs, and the mist thickens into a pale wall. Ahead, a heavy ox-cart sits jackknifed across the road, one wheel splintered clean through.
The Cart Driver
Please, samurai, do not pass us by. We carry rice and a sealed message for Nomaru. If we do not reach the lands by dusk, their gate will close to Matsudaira’s envoy.
Two laborers strain at the cart shaft, but the broken axle will not budge. The road is blocked, and every moment costs Arimari the chance to deliver Lord Matsudaira’s words before the rumor of delay reaches Nomaru first.
Reina
The message matters. So does the man who must carry it. If we help them, we gain passage. If we refuse, Nomaru hears weakness before we arrive.
Arimari Tiarasan
The axle is split near the pin. It will need leverage, or the wheel must be lifted free.
The travelers look from Arimari’s naginata to the cart and then to the sealed bundle wrapped in oilcloth. The road ahead is still hidden in mist, but the choice is plain, clear as a gate in winter, help clear the cart now, or let Nomaru judge Matsudaira by a delayed seal.
✓ Quest Accepted
Help clear the broken cart
“I use my naginata as a lever under the axle to free the cart”
SUCCESS (Good Strength, rolled +1)
Arimari slides the naginata’s shaft beneath the split axle and sets his weight against it. The wood groans, then shifts with a sharp crack.
The cart lurches up on one side. Mud squeezes out from under the wheel, and the broken beam lifts clear of the rut.
Laborer One stumbles forward, catching the cart rail before it tips. Laborer Two grabs the freed wheel and steadies it, eyes wide at the sudden give.
The Cart Driver
By the roadside gods... you have it loose. We can work with this.
Reina
Good. Then we do not waste the opening. The seal can move before the mist does.
The oilcloth-wrapped bundle remains secure in the driver’s hands while the cart settles back into a workable angle. The road ahead is still veiled, but the blockage is no longer absolute.
Quest Complete
Help clear the broken cart