Hagrtich emerges from the culvert into a rain-swept forecourt, claws sinking into black mud. His treasure pack remains secured, while his wounded flank burns beneath the cloak.
The ruined shrine rises ahead, its broken columns veiled in rain and ivy. Behind him, the culvert mouth shudders as buried stone grinds under an approaching weight.
Hagrtich Ssazar
The sealed vessels pulse whenever the guardian moves.
A dull amber glow throbs through the pack's leather seams. Each pulse answers a deeper tremor, and loose masonry spills from the drainage mouth into the flooded channel.
guardian
You carry what the old stones guarded. Put it down, thief, and the rain may carry you away alive.
The guardian forces one horned shoulder through the culvert, filling the opening with slate-scaled bulk. Its amber eyes find Hagrtich across the forecourt.
Far beyond the broken bank, Veyra's surviving pirates remain stranded in the ravine, unable to cross. Only the guardian follows Hagrtich into the shrine's open ground.
“Will the guardian continue to pursue me if I run away?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 43)
The guardian hauls its vast frame fully through the culvert, crushing the stone lip beneath one claw. Amber light pulses harder inside Hagrtich’s packed vessels.
guardian
Run through the rain, thief. Hide beneath broken roofs or flee beyond these walls. I will follow where the old treasure calls.
Its horned head turns toward the ruined shrine, then back to Hagrtich. The guardian is not bound to the buried chamber; its pursuit has crossed into the open forecourt.
guardian
Those relics carry the chamber’s mark. Distance will not loosen it, and darkness will not conceal you from my sight.
Behind the guardian, the culvert collapses in a grinding cascade, sealing the route back toward the stranded pirates. Rainwater streams around its planted feet.
Hagrtich Ssazar
The guardian follows the treasure, not the chamber.
The ruined shrine offers many shadows, but none promise safety. With each amber pulse, the guardian advances, making clear that escape must carry the hoard beyond its reach.
“With no other option, I recognize I'm forced to confront the guardian head-on. A pang of me wishes not to kill him, for I am aware of the rarity our kin come in these days. Another is terrifyingly unsure if I can even accomplish such a task. But I won't give up my treasure. I've come way too far to simply hand it over. While backing up from the guardian's advance, I begin purposefully gagging, gathering up saliva and mucus buildup within my jaws to enhance the effects of a bite. But I do not bite him. Not yet.”
SUCCESS (Good Health, rolled -1)
Hagrtich backs across the rain-slick forecourt, keeping the treasure pack tight against his shoulders as the guardian advances through the mud.
He lowers his snout and begins gagging deliberately. Saliva and mucus gather between his jagged teeth, thickening with each harsh retch.
Hagrtich Ssazar
The guardian is close enough for my bite to matter.
The effort makes his wounded flank spasm. A wet cough escapes him, loud beneath the rain, and the amber glow inside his pack pulses in answer.
guardian
You prepare poison, little kin? Then you understand what waits between us.
The guardian lowers its horned head and quickens, claws gouging furrows through the black mud. Hagrtich completes his retreat to the shrine’s broken columns, toxic saliva ready, treasure still secured.
guardian
Keep your venom. Set down the relics, and I will not tear them from you.
“The second the guardian is close enough, and I know I'm close enough to the broken columns behind me, I dive down onto all fours and leap backward onto the column, above the guardian's head. Then I kick off of my hold, flip mid-air, and outstretch all four limbs for the guardian's scaly back. The Goal: if I am to successfully pounce on top of the guardian, I plan to use my claws to latch into his flesh, tear off a chunk with my claws, then bite the freshly opened wound with my saliva-built-up jaws. My jagged teeth will seize tightly around the gash, allowing me to further mangle him, if he doesn't manage to shake me off first.”
SUCCESS (Superb Brawling, rolled +1)
Hagrtich drops onto all fours and springs backward. His claws catch the broken column above the guardian’s horned head, rain streaming from his hood.
He kicks from the stone, flips through the rain, and descends across the guardian’s broad slate-scaled back with all four limbs outstretched.
His claws bite through the guardian’s hide and hold fast. Hagrtich tears upward, ripping a ragged piece free as the beast rears beneath him.
Before the guardian can shake him loose, Hagrtich clamps his jagged teeth into the opened wound. Toxic saliva floods the bite as his claws wrench deeper.
guardian
You carry the old chamber’s poison in your mouth, little kin.
The guardian bellows and thrashes through the forecourt, smashing a broken column aside. Hagrtich remains latched to its back, the treasure pack tight against his shoulders.
guardian
Then cling, thief. Let us see whether your venom outlasts my strength.
“I go into a vicious, animalistic frenzy. Using both my toe claws and clawed hands, I rip and tear at the guardian's slated back. My jaws gouge through layer after layer of his slate-scaled back, gripping onto the exposed wounds and thrashing them into chunks. Blood soaks the mud beneath, and streams hot and free down the guardian's backside. Through his bucking, I make an effort to remain latched for as long as possible, recklessly forgetting that I could have gone for the back of his neck where I currently am.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +0)
Hagrtich’s frenzy breaks into motion. His toe claws and hands rake across the guardian’s slate-scaled back while he keeps all four limbs locked against the bucking mass.
He bites and tears through the layered hide, refusing every violent twist. The guardian’s blood darkens the rain-soaked mud as the assault continues without restraint.
guardian
Savage hatchling! You mistake fury for victory!
The guardian crashes through another broken pillar, but Hagrtich remains latched on. His claws hold fast, and his jaws return again and again to the wounded back.
By the time the guardian’s thrashing slows, its back is badly torn and its strength visibly failing. Hagrtich has accomplished the mauling, though the treasure pack still strains his shoulders.
guardian
Enough. Your poison and your claws have earned you consequence.
The guardian plants both hands in the mud and heaves upward, trying to throw Hagrtich clear. Rain hammers the shrine as the wounded beast gathers its remaining power.
“I take advantage of the heave, with my stamina having largely been consumed from the mauling. Before kicking off, I snag one last, large, meaty chunk of flesh off of the guardian within my jaws. I recognize mid-air that with the watery mud, I can't properly break my fall. So I intentionally tumble, then make an effort to anchor my momentum as I slide by driving my claws into the earth.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +0)
The guardian’s heave launches Hagrtich from its back. Before kicking away, he tears free one last meaty mouthful, securing the morsel between his jagged teeth.
He recognizes the watery mud below and twists into a deliberate tumble instead of risking a straight landing. His cloak snaps around him as the shrine spins through rain.
Hagrtich Ssazar
The mud will not hold a clean landing.
Hagrtich strikes shoulder-first and rolls hard through the flooded earth. The impact jars his wounded flank and scatters mud across his hood, but the treasure pack stays fast.
He extends both hands and drives his claws into the ground. They trench through saturated soil, anchoring his slide in a spray of black water and broken roots.
The braking effort tears several claws and leaves his arms shaking, yet Hagrtich stops upright on all fours, the guardian’s flesh still clenched in his jaws.
guardian
You flee with my flesh in your teeth, thief. Rise, then, and see whether the earth shelters you.
+ New Item Acquired
Guardian flesh
“My breath comes heaving through my nostrils. I slink around, kept low to the ground on all fours as I turn back to look at the guardian. The fact he's still standing, and even has the strength to threaten me, is genuinely impressive. I wolf down the morsel I've attained from his back down my gullet while staring at him. "You are... indeed formidable, elder scale. But even your powerful body will give out soon."”
FAILURE (Poor Willpower, rolled -1)
Hagrtich slinks sideways through the mud on all fours, breath heaving from his nostrils. He keeps low, then turns to face the battered guardian.
Still staring into its amber eyes, he works the stolen morsel down his throat. The meat resists, and his wounded flank spasms as he forces it down.
Hagrtich Ssazar
You are... indeed formidable, elder scale. But even your powerful body will give out soon.
The morsel slides free at last, but its mineral bitterness catches in Hagrtich’s throat. He coughs, and the guardian’s wound answers with a brief amber flare.
guardian
You taste strength and call it weakness. Look closer, thief. The old mark burns through my flesh because it burns within your pack.
The flare outlines a narrow seam beneath the guardian’s torn shoulder scales, pulsing in time with the relics. The guardian’s stance falters, but the marked wound now shines plainly.
Hagrtich’s words have not broken it, and the swallowed flesh gives him no victory. Yet the exposed seam offers a precise alternative to another reckless struggle.
“The recognition comes swiftly. So, the guardian is linked to the treasure itself. I snarl a scoff, then slink backwards and begin slowly circling around the guardian, rising back onto two legs to aid in recovering my stamina. "Do not assume I am foolish by my thieving nature. Your curse ignites no pity in me. My haul is my prize, and I will carry it without surrender."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +2)
Hagrtich snarls a scoff and slinks backward through the mud, keeping the guardian in view. He rises onto two legs, allowing his strained limbs and wounded flank a measured recovery.
Hagrtich Ssazar
Do not assume I am foolish by my thieving nature. Your curse ignites no pity in me. My haul is my prize, and I will carry it without surrender.
He begins a slow circle around the guardian, tail balancing each careful step. Amber pulses follow the pack, but Hagrtich keeps the distance and completes the circuit without yielding treasure or ground.
guardian
Then you understand the chain and still choose to wear it. Stubborn thief. Very well. Carry your prize, and let it carry me to you.
The guardian turns with him, yet its movement is slower now. Hagrtich’s breathing steadies, his posture grows surer, and the marked seam remains plainly exposed beneath its torn shoulder scales.
guardian
He circles to recover, not to flee. The relics bind us both, and his greed will keep him near.
“"Then you carry yourself to your grave." I growl, then surge back into my quadrupedal lope. I gallop toward a nearby column and scale it using my claws, then pivot sharply, and kick off of it, sending it crashing down directly over the guardian while I catch myself, clung the next nearest ruin.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +1)
Hagrtich Ssazar
Then you carry yourself to your grave.
Hagrtich drops into a quadrupedal lope and surges through the mud. He reaches the nearest broken column, claws finding cracks as he scales its rain-slick height.
At the summit, he pivots sharply and kicks away. The ancient column tears free beneath him, toppling across the forecourt toward the guardian.
Hagrtich catches the next ruin with both hands and feet, arresting his fall against fractured stone as his cloak snaps in the rain.
The column crashes down over the guardian, burying its legs beneath shattered masonry. Amber light flares through the dust, and the shrine shakes around them.
guardian
You bring the dead stones against me, thief. Cleverness will not break the old mark.
From the neighboring ruin, Hagrtich hangs above the wreckage with treasure secured. The guardian remains trapped beneath the fallen column, its exposed marked seam glowing through the settling rain.
“I loosen my hold on the column I have landed on, then twist myself off and land onto the guardian's back. As my weight impacts him, his snout is driven directly into the mud. I lower myself closer. "Then let me ease you this, elder scale. My prize will not be forever in my possession. The guild within Verdanta will soon claim it, and for it, I will receive a hundredfold your curse's worth. You will die here of sickness, exhaustion, and bloodloss, as much a skeleton as the very tomb you protected."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled -1)
Hagrtich loosens his grip on the neighboring ruin, twists through the rain, and drops onto the guardian’s battered back. His weight drives its horned snout into the black mud.
The guardian’s limbs remain pinned beneath the fallen column. Hagrtich lowers himself close, claws braced against its shoulders while amber light pulses weakly beneath the torn scales.
Hagrtich Ssazar
Then let me ease you this, elder scale. My prize will not be forever in my possession. The guild within Verdanta will soon claim it, and for it I will receive a hundredfold your curse’s worth.
Hagrtich Ssazar
You will die here of sickness, exhaustion, and bloodloss, as much a skeleton as the very tomb you protected.
guardian
Verdanta’s guilds still hunger for relics, then. You boast of surrendering what you stole, as though another master makes you less chained.
The guardian strains against the masonry, but its snout stays buried and its strength fails beneath Hagrtich’s weight. Rain washes mud across its plated face.
guardian
Take the hoard where you can, thief. The mark has heard your promise, and it will remember the hands that carry it.
“I tilt my head over the guardian's body. "My path is one I have chosen myself, and chained or not, I will carry on with until the end." A pause. My hand twists the back of the guardian's head to expose the underside of his neck. "May the gods allow your soul to rest peacefully among our brothers. Your strength will be forgotten, but your story shall bury itself in the roots of the Waking World." Then, I dive my head down, and clamp my jaws around the guardian's throat. I shake, then jerk out a morsel of his jugular.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +0)
Hagrtich Ssazar
My path is one I have chosen myself. Chained or not, I will carry on with it until the end.
Hagrtich pauses over the guardian, then twists the back of its horned head aside, exposing the underside of its thick neck. Rain beads on the torn scales.
Hagrtich Ssazar
May the gods allow your soul to rest peacefully among our brothers. Your strength will be forgotten, but your story shall bury itself in the roots of the Waking World.
He dives down and clamps his jagged jaws around the guardian’s throat. His claws brace against its shoulders as he shakes with brutal, deliberate force.
The bite tears free a warm morsel from the guardian’s jugular. Blood mingles with rainwater and mud while the pinned body gives one fading convulsion beneath him.
guardian
You name the roots, thief, yet feed them with my blood. Carry the mark, then. Let it remember this hunger.
The guardian’s amber glow gutters beneath its torn scales. Hagrtich lifts his head with the morsel secured between his teeth, while the treasure pack pulses against his back.
✓ Quest Accepted
Leave the ruined shrine
+ New Item Acquired
Guardian flesh morsel
“I turn, swallow the morsel, and skulk away from the ruined shrine. I glance back once at the guardian's distant body before I leave him behind completely and proceed.”
FAILURE (Superb Stealth, rolled -4)
Hagrtich turns from the ruined shrine and forces the warm morsel down. It catches in his throat, bitter mineral fibers scraping painfully against his jagged teeth.
He skulks toward the rain-dark grounds on all fours, but each step jars the lodged flesh. The treasure pack pulses with amber light against his shoulders.
Hagrtich Ssazar
The morsel is caught, and the mark answers through the pack.
Hagrtich glances back once. The guardian’s distant body lies beneath the fallen column, yet the glowing seam beneath its torn scales still answers his burden.
His throat convulses. He retches into the mud, but the morsel does not come free; instead, amber veins briefly flare along his neck and beneath his wounded flank.
The failed swallowing leaves him choking and bent low beside the shrine, unable to depart cleanly. Behind him, the guardian’s body remains still, while the relics pulse in a slow, binding rhythm.
“Despite the unexpected hassle brought about failing to properly consume the morsel, I proceed anyway.”
FAILURE (Good Health, rolled -2)
Hagrtich plants one claw in the mud and forces himself forward. His first step buckles as the lodged morsel grates deeper against his throat.
Hagrtich Ssazar
The passage is open, but the morsel blocks my breath.
He crawls onward anyway, dragging the treasure pack through the rain. Amber pulses race from the vessels into his neck, tightening the choking obstruction.
A convulsion seizes him mid-stride. His jaws snap open, and the mineral flesh tears loose from his throat in a gush of dark blood and rainwater.
The morsel drops into the mud, but its amber veins remain alive, crawling across the ground toward the pack. Hagrtich’s neck burns raw, and swallowing now sends a sharp pulse through his body.
He remains on all fours, breathing harshly beside the discarded flesh. The treasure is still secured, yet the marked morsel has become a separate, glowing tether at his feet.
“I do not wait to witness or become a victim to the morsel's tether, now within the ground. I gallop onward and into the trees, leaving the ruined shrine in my wake.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +2)
Hagrtich gathers his limbs beneath him and launches across the rain-black mud. His treasure pack jolts against his shoulders as he gallops from the shrine.
The glowing tether crawls after him for several spans, amber veins staining puddles beneath his claws. He does not slow or look back.
He crosses the ruined forecourt and reaches the tree line, where tangled roots and dripping undergrowth swallow his towering silhouette from the shrine.
Hagrtich Ssazar
The trees conceal me, and the treasure remains secured.
Hagrtich drives deeper between black trunks, shifting smoothly onto all fours. Wet branches rake his cloak, but his claws find firm earth beneath the leaf mold.
Behind him, the amber tether thins across the open ground. It sinks into the mud at the forest’s edge, its glow fading until rain and darkness cover it.
The ruined shrine disappears behind curtains of rain and foliage. Hagrtich continues through the trees with the hoard on his back, breath raw but escape achieved.
Quest Complete
Leave the ruined shrine
Attribute Upgrade: Health Good→Great