Boffo bursts through the heather and skids at the foot of Nob Hill, where broken walls rise like old teeth from the moor. Above him, a tall man in a dark cloak stands watchful among the ruins, one hand resting on his sword.
The Stranger
Hold there. You come hard on hidden ground, and I do not know your step.
The stranger turns fully, cloak tugged by the wind, eyes fixed on Boffo with a cool, measuring stare. The ruined manor and the open moor leave little cover between them.
The Stranger
Orcs are abroad on these hills. If you are prey, you will draw them. If you are hunter, speak quickly.
Boffo Hardbottle
He does not lower his hand from the sword. Instead, he shifts his weight toward the stonework, ready to spring or strike, whichever comes first.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn whether the stranger is tracking the same orcs
“"I am Boffo Hardbottle, a Bounder from the Shire. There is a party of three orcs, just south of here. I managed to evade them, but I may have left some tracks."”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Boffo gives the bare facts, plain and fast, and the stranger’s hard stare shifts. The name Bounder earns him a fraction of space, though not trust.
Boffo Hardbottle
I am Boffo Hardbottle, a Bounder from the Shire. There is a party of three orcs just south of here. I got away, but I may have left tracks.
The Stranger
Three, you say? Then we hunt the same quarry.
He lowers his sword a handspan, not in peace, but in proof. A pale scratch of mud marks his boot, and a torn strip of dark cloth flutters from his cloak, snagged on stone as he shifts.
The Stranger
I have watched these hills for their sign since dusk. Your tracks are a price, but not a fatal one.
The wind claws at the broken manor walls, carrying the cold scent of heather and old rain. Boffo’s earlier scramble has scattered a few fresh tufts below the ruin, plain enough to anyone with a hunter’s eye.
The Stranger
If you can walk quietly, there is shelter in the lee of the hill. If not, speak now and we choose another way.
Quest Complete
Learn whether the stranger is tracking the same orcs