Eric stands where three landscapes meet. Grassland ripples to his left, pale beach stretches to his right, and a dark forest rises ahead beneath a strange, cloudless sky.
At the meeting point rests a small stone shrine, its weathered steps crowded with fresh flowers, bowls of fruit, wax candles, and offerings Eric does not recognize.
As he approaches, the shrine door opens without a hand touching it. Warm golden light spills across the stones, carrying a voice unmistakably like his sister’s.
Sarah
Eric? If you can hear me, come inside. I have been waiting for you.
The invitation hangs in the salt-scented air. Thick roots tighten around the threshold, not quite blocking it, while the entire forest ahead falls unnaturally silent.
Eric
The offerings are fresh, but no one is tending them.
Sarah
Please, Eric. Do not trust what you see beyond the light.
✓ Quest Accepted
Find Eric's sister
“I step toward the shrine and call my sister's name. Sarah”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +0)
Eric steps onto the shrine’s weathered threshold and calls into the golden light, his voice carrying across the beach and the silent forest.
Eric
Sarah.
The roots loosen and withdraw, granting him the shrine doorway. Their sudden release snaps through the stonework like breaking branches, loud enough to disturb the waiting silence.
Sarah
Eric. You came. Stay within the light, and listen carefully.
He reaches the inner side of the threshold. The warmth touches his face, while the offerings behind him tremble in the wake of the sharp crack.
Sarah
The priests have found this place. They wear kindness like a veil, but they are searching for you.
Beyond the open doorway, pale symbols awaken across the shrine floor, revealing a narrow stair descending beneath the flowers and candles.
Quest Complete
Find Eric's sister