The dry heat of the Salt Basin shimmers against the horizon. Grimlock steps into the shade of the palms surrounding the oasis, his dire wolf padding silently at his heel.
The Old Hermit
He looks far too dangerous to be a mere traveler.
The Old Hermit
Keep your beast back, traveler. This water is public, but the tournament grounds belong to the crown.
Grimlock
The scroll in his hand bears the seal of a royal bounty.
The Old Hermit clears his throat and unrolls a weathered parchment, its edges singed from the sun.
The Old Hermit
The hunter who captures the beast of the wastes shall earn his weight in gold, plus a seat at the High Table. Are you here to hunt, or are you just looking for a drink?
+ Story Quest Added
Hunt the beast of the wastes
+ Scene Quest Added
Get a drink
“Is the beast of the wastes nearby?”
YES (Unlikely, rolled 8)
The Old Hermit
The tracks lead toward the jagged ridge just beyond the dunes, where the beast has been seen stalking the shadows.
Grimlock
The scent of sulfur and dried blood hangs heavy on the wind coming from that direction.
“I follow the tracks toward the ridge”
SUCCESS (Good Survival, rolled -1)
Grimlock tracks the massive, clawed indentations across the crystalline crust of the basin, his dire wolf sniffing the air with a low, rhythmic growl.
Grimlock
The prints are fresh, sinking deep into the salt flats.
He leads the wolf past the ridge, finding a hidden cavern opening veiled by dry, hanging vines.
The Old Hermit
Wait. You are truly walking into that maw, beast master?
The Old Hermit
He likely will not return from those depths, let alone with his life.
The hermit stands at the edge of the ridge, his face etched with hesitation as he clutches his staff tighter.
“I ask the hermit about the beast”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +2)
Grimlock
Tell me what you know of its habits. Does it strike from the shadows, or does it hunt in the open light?
The Old Hermit
It keeps to the dark, beast master. It has a taste for the marrow of mountain goats, and it drags its kill deep into the sulfur vents where the air is thick enough to choke a man.
The Old Hermit
He looks far too confident. The mountain will strip that armor from his bones by sunset.
The hermit gestures with a trembling finger toward the vents, pointing out a secondary, jagged fissure high above the main entrance.
Grimlock
The wind carries a stronger metallic tang near that high vent.
Grimlock feels a sudden, rhythmic vibration under his boots, as if the very ground is shifting beneath the cavern floor.
“I head for the sulfur vents”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +4)
Grimlock lunges forward, finding purchase on the jagged volcanic stone with supernatural speed. He vaults over a loose shelf of shale, landing silently atop the ledge leading directly to the high sulfur vent.
Grimlock
The heat here is intense, masking the scent of the wolf and any other tracking trail.
As he steadies himself, his keen eyes spot a discarded, obsidian-flecked feather caught in a crevice near the vent's edge. It pulses with a faint, sickly violet light.
The Old Hermit
You move like a mountain cat, boy. But look closely at the edges of that steam. The beast has marked this path with something unnatural.
The Old Hermit
He found the sign. Let us see if he has the stomach to face the magic, not just the claws.
A low, guttural chittering sound erupts from the darkness just inches behind the vent, vibrating the very rock under Grimlock's feet. The entrance is open, and something is waiting.
“I enter the vent with my dagger ready”
SUCCESS (Good Melee Combat, rolled +0)
Grimlock
The chittering is too rhythmic for a beast of flesh and blood.
Grimlock slips through the suffocating sulfur clouds, his blade cutting the vapor like a hot wire through wax. He enters the cavernous throat of the mountain.
The Old Hermit
Keep your wits, beast master. The air inside is trapped and heavy with ancient malice.
The cavern floor is littered with discarded shells and bleached bone. In the center, a nest of jagged quartz holds the beast's current prize.
Grimlock
A satchel. Someone else was here before the beast claimed the territory.
Grimlock slides his dagger into his belt and retrieves the leather satchel from the nest, finding it intact. A heavy shadow detaches itself from the ceiling above him, blotting out the faint sunlight.
+ New Item Acquired
Leather satchel
“I strike at the shadow”
FAILURE (Good Melee Combat, rolled -3)
Grimlock
Too fast. My blade strikes nothing but cold, stagnant air.
The shadow ripples, revealing itself as a massive, scaled wing that buffets Grimlock backward. He stumbles over the piles of bone, his strike glancing harmlessly against the cavern wall.
The Old Hermit
Fool! It is not a beast of bone, but of smoke and shifting stone. You cannot kill what has no heart to pierce!
The creature lands, its talons clattering against the quartz like falling iron. It exhales a cloud of caustic sulfur, forcing Grimlock to raise his whip for cover.
Grimlock
The leather satchel... it isn't just loot. It's glowing with the same hue as the feather.
The creature lowers its neck, eyes burning with a bioluminescent chill, and shifts its weight to lunge at the satchel gripped in Grimlock's hand.
“I shield the satchel and back away”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +2)
Grimlock
The satchel is shaking. Whatever is inside, it reacts to the beast's presence.
Grimlock pivots on his heel, his movements fluid and precise as he sidesteps the creature's massive, lunging beak. The beast crashes into the jagged quartz, shattering the nest into glittering dust.
As the dust settles, the leather satchel bursts open, releasing a pulse of rhythmic, golden light that mimics the creature's own heart rate. The monster recoils, hissing in agony as the light washes over its scales.
The Old Hermit
The relic! You found the Sun-Stone of the ancients. It is burning the beast from the inside out!
Grimlock
Stay back, old man. This thing is cornered and it is not going down without a final strike.
The creature turns its glowing eyes toward Grimlock, no longer hunting the satchel, but fixated on the man who holds its weakness. It begins to coil its serpentine body, preparing to unleash a torrent of flame.
“I strike the beast with my dagger and command dire wolf to attack”
SUCCESS (Good Melee Combat, rolled +1)
Grimlock
The light is a leash.
Grimlock lunges forward, his dagger carving a precise arc through the beast's flank. As the steel bites deep into the creature's smoky hide, he releases a sharp, guttural command. From the cavern shadows, the dire wolf erupts with a feral snarl, launching itself directly at the creature's exposed throat.
The impact of the wolf and the sting of the blade shatter the creature's cohesion. The serpentine form dissipates into harmless plumes of grey ash, revealing the heavy, obsidian skull of a gargoyle beneath the magical illusion.
The Old Hermit
By the gods, you have slain the phantom! The curse of the Salt Basin is finally broken.
Grimlock wipes the dark, viscous ichor from his blade, noticing that the glowing stone embedded in the beast's neck has come loose. It lies amidst the ash, pulsing with a steady, cooling light.
The Old Hermit
He is far more dangerous than he looks. I must ensure he leaves this place before he decides the stone belongs to him.
Quest Complete
Hunt the beast of the wastes
Attribute Upgrade: Agility Good→Great
“I search the ash for anything useful”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +0)
Grimlock kneels in the cooling ash, his fingers sifting through the gritty remains. Among the charred stone fragments, he uncovers a heavy, iron key etched with the same sigil as the royal scroll.
Grimlock
The hermit did not mention a lock.
He pockets the key and reaches for the pulsating stone. As his calloused palm closes around it, a wave of frigid air washes over the cavern, pushing back the lingering sulfurous haze.
The Old Hermit
Do not touch that, boy. The basin has a price for every treasure stolen from its belly.
Grimlock stands, his eyes locking with the old man's gaze. The hermit tremors, clutching his staff so tightly his knuckles turn white, while the dire wolf steps into the light, ears flattened in a low, warning growl.
The Old Hermit
Is that all you seek, or have you come to strip the spring of its last drop of life?
+ New Item Acquired
Iron key
“I back away and leave the hermit be”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled -1)
Grimlock
The hermit fears the stone, not me.
Grimlock offers no reply to the accusation. He tucks the Sun-Stone into his satchel, clips his whip to his belt, and turns his back on the old man.
He gestures to the dire wolf, who falls into a rhythmic, silent stride beside him as they move toward the cavern exit.
The Old Hermit
Wait. You truly walk away from the basin's heart, leaving the waters untouched?
Grimlock
I came for the relic, not your spring.
Grimlock steps into the desert sunlight, leaving the dark, sulfurous cavern behind.
+ New Item Acquired
Sun-Stone