The crowd parts for Ilyra Voss, a sharply dressed adult woman with a narrow, severe face, silver-streaked black hair, and a plum coat fastened with brass clasps. She carries a brass scent-box in one hand and dried fungi in the other.
She steps through the spectators without sparing MAN mc man Manly man bravo a glance. He remains rigid in the square, while the gathered crowd and faltering musicians keep their distance.
Ilyra Voss
Stand aside. The spectacle is less interesting than what your spores have left behind.
Ilyra crouches near the stall, opening the scent-box with a soft click. Its polished brass mouth draws in a thread of glittering residue from the air around Mycelia’s hiding place.
Festival vendor
Ilyra Voss, mind the jars. That mushroom girl already nearly cost me half a shelf.
The vendor stays planted between Mycelia and the square, one hand guarding the sealed mooncap bulbs. Ilyra rubs a pinch of dried fungus beneath her nose, then studies the box.
Ilyra Voss
These spores resemble a rare alchemical bloom, one associated with dangerous transformations. Tell me, little alchemist, have they always answered your breath?
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep Ilyra from exposing Mycelia’s condition
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn why Mycelia’s spores are associated with dangerous transformations
“I ask Ilyra to inspect the sealed mooncap bulbs instead.”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +0)
“I ask Ilyra to inspect the sealed mooncap bulbs instead.”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled -1)
Mycelia
Inspect the sealed mooncap bulbs instead. They may explain the spores better than my breath can.
Mycelia gestures toward the guarded jars. The vendor hesitates, then shifts aside as Ilyra approaches, brass scent-box glinting beneath the lanterns.
Ilyra Voss
A sensible redirection. Keep still, little alchemist, and do not disturb the seals.
Ilyra lifts each jar toward the lanternlight without opening it. Pale threads curl inside the pickled bulbs, answering the scent-box with a faint amber pulse.
Ilyra Voss
There. The bulbs carry a sympathetic residue, but they are not the source. Your spores keyed themselves to this batch.
The brass box snaps shut, trapping its sample. In the haste, a sharp click cracks one jar’s wax seal, and the vendor makes an outraged sound.
Festival vendor
That seal was fresh this morning. You will account for the ruined bulb, mushroom girl, and Ilyra will tell me what she found.
“I offer to compensate the vendor and leave”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +2)
Mycelia
I will compensate you for the broken seal and bulb, then leave your stall and the square.
Mycelia places payment beside the Festival vendor’s guarded jars. The coins catch the lanternlight, and the Festival vendor’s outrage settles into a wary appraisal.
Festival vendor
That covers the bulb. Go on, little alchemist, before another jar or braggart becomes my responsibility.
Ilyra Voss
You are leaving with an unresolved transformation, but I will not hinder you. Your payment settles the immediate matter.
The Festival vendor gathers the coins and steps aside. Mycelia slips from behind the mustard-yellow stall, keeping clear of the sealed wares and the glittering residue.
MAN mc man Manly man bravo
A mysterious departure! I shall remember this enchanting escape when my limbs return to their proper service.
Mycelia leaves the market square beneath ringing festival bells. Behind her, Ilyra watches with the brass scent-box in hand, while the crowd closes around the immobilized braggart.
Quest Complete
Keep Ilyra from exposing Mycelia’s condition
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Fair→Good