The tavern settles into a softer hush as the family clears the empty bowls. Fresh berry cordial replaces them, glowing ruby-red in the hearthlight while Al rests beneath the bench.
Brunna Coppervein
Ashdown taught me that a strong shield does not make a journey safe. An expedition lost three days to a whiteout, and one companion nearly vanished between two steps.
Brunna turns her cup slowly, the fire catching silver in her hair. Maelin remains quiet, and Odelia folds her hands near the bread, offering attention without interruption.
Brunna Coppervein
We found him by listening for his hammer against the ice. Since then, I trust preparation, clear signals, and companions who admit when the road has beaten them.
Brunna Coppervein
What sort of adventurer do you hope to become, Artania? Not the guild title. The person beneath it.
Maelin Voss
Let him answer in his own time. Some truths arrive only when nobody reaches for them.
Healer Odelia Marr
There is no wrong answer at this table, lad. Whatever road you choose, remember that surviving it is part of serving those who walk beside you.
“I want many things. My whole goal was to become an adventurer, but I feel like I have barely begun. I want to help people, have adventure, see new places, and have a good battle every once in a while.”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Artania Nero Thornson
I want many things. Becoming an adventurer was my whole goal, but I feel like I have barely begun. I want to help people, see new places, have adventures, and enjoy a good battle now and then.
The words leave Artania more plainly than he intended. His fingers tighten around the cordial cup, tipping it enough to spill a ruby thread across the tablecloth.
Maelin Voss
That is more than a title, lad. Helping people gives the road purpose, new places give it breadth, and a good battle reminds you to stay honest about your limits.
Brunna Coppervein
You will have battles. Earn the right to choose which ones, and remember that protecting companions matters more than looking impressive.
Healer Odelia Marr
Then you have begun already. You helped strangers on the road, protected a pasture, and brought your friends to this table. Let the rest come one journey at a time.
Maelin blots the spilled cordial with a napkin while Brunna raises her cup and Odelia smiles. Beneath the bench, Al thumps his tail against the tavern floor.
Maelin Voss
To Artania, then. May your adventures be wide, your battles worthwhile, and your compassion never become an afterthought.
✓ Quest Accepted
Build meaningful connections with guild allies
“Alright, story time from yours, truly. I take a small upturn of the corner of my mouth. I told Hessa a little bit about my childhood, I will tell you three a different part. Would you like to hear how I met Al? I understand if stories are not your thing.”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Artania Nero Thornson
All right, story time from yours truly. I told Hessa a little about my childhood, but I will tell you three a different part. Would you like to hear how I met Al? I understand if stories are not your thing.
A small upturn touches Artania’s mouth. The hearth crackles softly, and beneath the bench Al lifts his head at the sound of his name.
Maelin Voss
I would like that very much. The beginning of a partnership belongs in the ledger of a life, even if I never put it on paper.
Brunna Coppervein
Tell it, lad. I have heard enough of your courage on the road to wonder where this wolf first decided you were worth following.
Healer Odelia Marr
Of course we want to hear it. Stories shared over a warm table are never wasted, especially when they explain a friendship.
Maelin settles her cup beside the cordial, Brunna leans forward with both forearms on the table, and Odelia gives Artania her full attention.
Al
Rrrowl.
Quest Complete
Build meaningful connections with guild allies
“Alright, I focus intently on the beginning of my story. With my good hand I weave a magic projection, while narrating the tale. I was around ten years old when I first laid eyes on this here big, softy of a wolf.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Magic, rolled -1)
“I say that I was practicing hunting, and tracking in the forest. When I came across a huge bear corpse. I had not yet seen what had killed it.”
FAILURE (Fair Diplomacy, rolled -3)
“I say that I was practicing hunting, and tracking in the forest. When I came across a huge bear corpse. I had not yet seen what had killed it.”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Artania Nero Thornson
I was practicing hunting and tracking in the forest when I came across a huge bear corpse. I had not yet seen what killed it.
The tavern grows still around the hearth. Al raises his head beneath the bench, ears pricked as though the old scent has returned with the memory.
Maelin Voss
A huge bear corpse would have been difficult to miss, especially for someone learning to read a forest. What did the ground tell you first?
Brunna Coppervein
Good that you noticed what you did not know, lad. A hunter who admits the trail is incomplete lives longer than one who guesses.
Healer Odelia Marr
And you were alone when you found it? Tell us what you saw around the body before you decided whether to approach.
Berry cordial glows in the cups as the three women lean closer. Al gives a low, uneasy rumble, keeping his gaze fixed on Artania.
“Well, the first thing I noticed was that the ground was shredded, and covered in a mess of dark patches of something. I later realized it was blood. I also examined the bear. It had its throat ripped out. What could do that to something that could have easily weighed 1200 or more pounds.”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +1)
Artania Nero Thornson
The ground was shredded and covered in dark patches. I later recognized them as blood. The bear’s throat had been torn open. What could kill something weighing twelve hundred pounds?
The table falls silent. Artania’s memory supplies the rest: deep parallel furrows, enormous tracks pressed into the soil, and no sign of a struggle continuing beyond the clearing.
Brunna Coppervein
Not an ordinary wolf, and not a hunting party. A creature that large killed quickly, then left without feeding. That suggests territory, defense, or something stranger.
Maelin Voss
Did the tracks show paws, claws, or something with a different shape? The absence of a feeding trail may matter more than the wound itself.
Al noses the tavern floor and gives a low rumble. In Artania’s recollection, the prints had five claw marks and a faint silver residue, as though moonlit ash had soaked into the earth.
Healer Odelia Marr
Then whatever did it may have been touched by magic. A beast defending its den leaves one pattern. A summoned or altered creature leaves another.
Brunna Coppervein
You found the important answer, lad. It was powerful, deliberate, and not feeding. If you ever see those tracks again, mark the place and withdraw before following them.