The golden door swings wider, and Seth is pulled through by the crowding press of bodies and light. The market falls away in a blink, replaced by a narrow platform of white stone under a hard, cold sky.
Around him stands the city at last, tall roofs, steep lanes, and pale streets stretched beneath the ghostly white train that threads overhead like a silent omen. The air smells of soot, damp stone, and old rain.
Alric comes through after him, one hand raised as if to steady the moment. Behind them, the door still burns with gold, set now into the wall of a station-house with iron trim and worn steps.
Alric
Easy, Seth. This place is safe enough, if you keep your wits.
A train whistle cries somewhere down the line, thin and mournful. A few nearby townsfolk pause under the platform lamps, then turn to watch with the same open friendliness that feels almost too careful.
Alric
You wanted truth. Then come on, friend. The station will answer better than the market ever could.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn the truth about his summons
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn who paid for the room
“Does Alric know who settled my bill at the inn?”
NO (Likely, rolled 88)
Alric shakes his head slowly, his gaze lingering on the distant, ghostly train as he admits he has no knowledge of who paid for the room. He offers no further insight into the matter, leaving the question of the inn bill as unresolved as the mist clinging to the platform.
“I ask Alric how we got here”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled +2)
Seth
How did we get here?
Alric
You came through the golden door. I followed after you, because the station is where answers gather.
The platform hushes around them, mist sliding along the stone at ankle height. Beyond the arch, the ghostly train hangs in place like a pale rumor.
Alric
I did not carry you. I did not summon the gate. I only knew you would be there when it opened.
Seth
The door is the crossing, not the station itself.
Alric
If you want the rest, we keep walking. I can tell you what I saw on the other side.
“Did Alric bring me here by choice?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 86)
Alric shakes his head slowly, his gaze drifting toward the silent, spectral train. He confirms that he did not choose to bring Seth here, nor did he possess the power to open the way.