The wake-house settles after the struggle, firelight low and snow whispering at the seams. Brandon Dubois stands with the hidden scroll secured, while Mara lingers by the door, calm as a votive flame.
Mara
Take the west track only until the old marker stones, then turn north. The ditches there catch the drift, and the road keeps firmer ground.
She glances toward the barred door, then back to Brandon, her voice practical, her bearing reverent. The storm hammers the walls, but inside the room her words land warm and steady.
Mara
If the snow deepens, trust the hedgerows more than the open field. They bend with the weather, and they hide a traveler better than pride does.
Brandon Dubois
The marker stones are the safest guide through the drift.
The Lantern Keeper eases a bench closer to the fire without a word, and the dying coals answer with a brief red glow. The room grows quieter, as if it, too, is listening.
Mara
Sir Arlan taught you well. Now the road can teach you the rest, if you let it. Sit a moment, Brandon Dubois, and warm your hands before you go.
✓ Quest Accepted
Find inner peace before the road ahead
“I sit by the fire and let the warmth settle my racing heart.”
SUCCESS (Great Health, rolled -2)
Brandon Dubois lowers himself onto the bench by the hearth. The fire takes the chill from his gauntlets first, then from the ache in his shoulders, and he lets the warmth settle into him at last.
The hidden scroll stays safe beneath his cloak, but the cold has clung to the leather, and a thin seam of damp presses against the parchment case. He shifts it higher and feels the reminder of his charge like a second pulse.
Mara
Better. A tired guard thinks straighter when his hands stop shaking.
Mara eases nearer the fire, her voice low enough to keep the room gentle. The Lantern Keeper watches the doorway, letting the hush remain unbroken.
The First Companion
Sir Arlan used to say a road is honest when it shows you what you carry.
The Second Companion
And what you can still bear, after the carrying.
The bench is warm now.
Brandon breathes more evenly. The firelight steadies in his helmetless face, and the weight in his chest loosens enough for the road to feel real again, not just waited-for.
Quest Complete
Find inner peace before the road ahead