Young Nobleman
They are coming for us. I cannot let them take him back, not now, not when he is finally mine.
Young Nobleman
Young Nobleman pushes Timothy into the freezing mud, his fingers digging into the youth's tunic with a desperate, frantic strength. He leans close, his eyes darting toward the treeline where the rhythmic hoofbeats grow louder by the second.
Young Nobleman
Young Nobleman releases his grip, his hands trembling as he stands abruptly. He casts a frantic glance back toward the woods, his face pale and drained of its previous predatory arrogance.
Timothy
He is terrified. If they catch us, he will surely face his father’s blade for this betrayal.
Young Nobleman
Young Nobleman draws his blade, the steel rasping against the leather sheath as he turns to face the encroaching forest edge. He stands between Timothy and the coming riders, his posture rigid and shivering.
+ Scene Quest Added
Survive the approaching riders
“I persuade the nobleman to ride the horse alone into the forest so that he can travel more quickly and escape the pursuers. I arrange to meet him at an inn on the road to a safer city. Meanwhile I will hide in the forest so that the pursuers do not see me.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Oratory, rolled -2)
Timothy
He is frantic, but he listens. If he stays, we both die. If he flees, he might yet survive.
Timothy
Timothy rises from the mud, grabbing the nobleman’s trembling shoulder. He speaks with a low, measured urgency, his voice steady against the roar of the coming riders.
Timothy
"Listen to me. Take the mount and ride for the Blackwood Inn. I can melt into the thicket, and they will never see me. We meet there by dawn, or not at all."
Young Nobleman
He is right, but the thought of leaving him here tastes like ash.
Young Nobleman
Young Nobleman hesitates, his knuckles white against the sword hilt. He looks at the dark trees, then back at Timothy. He sheathes the blade with a sharp click, his eyes wide and mournful before he turns toward the horses.
— The young nobleman leaps onto the saddle, his spurs digging into the horse's flank as he wheels the beast toward the dense, uncharted brush.
Quest Complete
Survive the approaching riders