The barge bumps against the far bank beside a weathered riverside stall. Beyond it, a narrow road climbs through scrub toward the inland farms, fading into evening mist.
A broad-shouldered middle-aged woman with sun-browned skin, braided iron-gray hair, and a faded green apron pauses over her balance scales. Baskets of grain, dried apples, and salted fish crowd the stall.
stallholder
Hold there. That token is not common ferry brass. Are you following the person who carried it before you?
Bren steps off the barge beside Kynes, keeping her hands clear and her gaze moving between the stallholder, the rising road, and the ferryman securing the rope.
the ferryman
I heard no names when they crossed earlier. One traveler, red scarf, paid promptly, and took the road uphill.
stallholder
He bought nothing from me, but he asked whether the old ferry road reached the western farms. If you seek him, you are already late.
The stallholder sets one weight aside and studies Kynes without hostility. The ferryman finishes his knot nearby, listening with deliberate indifference while the road waits above.
“" hun, your call" I tell Bren”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Kynes
Hun, your call.
Bren studies the uphill road, the stallholder’s scales, and the ferry token resting among their travel goods. Evening mist gathers over the river.
Bren
Then we follow the red scarf uphill, but we do not chase him blindly. The western farms give us cover, and the stallholder may remember more if we ask plainly.
Bren
We will thank her, learn what she knows, and take the road before the light fails. If his trail turns dangerous, we turn back together.
stallholder
You can ask. He had a traveler's map tucked inside his coat, and he kept looking west whenever the ferryman spoke.
The stallholder points past the grain baskets toward a low stone marker beside the road. A faint boot track leaves the main path there, heading west across the scrub.
Bren
There is our answer. We take the road openly, watch the western turn, and keep the token hidden unless it earns us a safer crossing.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the western farms
“To the stallholder " yeah , everything she just said, and thanks" to Bren as we turn to leave" you could have addressed her at least love." I say plainly”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Kynes
Yeah, everything she just said, and thanks.
Kynes gives the stallholder a brief nod of thanks. Bren turns toward the uphill road, and the pair begin leaving the ferry landing by the open path.
Kynes
You could have addressed her at least, love.
stallholder
No harm done. Travelers often remember manners only after they have what they need.
Bren
You are right. My thanks, stallholder. Your warning and the western track may save us a great deal of trouble.
The stallholder accepts the apology with a small nod and points once more toward the low stone marker. Bren falls into step beside Kynes as evening mist thickens over the river.
Bren
Come on, love. We will take the road openly, watch the western turn, and keep the ferry token hidden unless it helps us.