The brush snaps at the river’s edge, and a weary traveler staggers into view, bent under a heavy pack. He ignores Emma completely, eyes fixed on the crossing and the mud-slick bank.
The Witch turns at once. Her guarded sneer blooms into a hungry grin, all her attention sliding off Emma and onto the newcomer.
Harlan
Is this the ford? The current looks wrong.
Emma stays back as the river rolls dark and thick, the torn sack bleeding into the water beside the smeared trail leading here.
The Witch
Wrong, yes. Dangerous, too. But I know a safer step, if you have coin or courage.
Harlan
She seems confident. Maybe she knows the crossing.
✓ Quest Accepted
Warn the traveler
“Emotion to the bait left by the witch and motion to the churning waters. "careful these waters are filled with danger, I would find a way around sir."”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled -2)
Emma
Careful, these waters are dangerous. I would find another way, sir.
The traveler slows at once, one boot hanging over the slick mud. His gaze lifts from the ford to the stain in the water, then to the torn sack, and doubt settles over his face.
Harlan
You mean this crossing is a trap?
The Witch
Only if you listen to frightened girls and their sermons. The river still takes coin, if not courage.
Her smile holds, but her fingers tighten at her side, and the hunger in her voice frays at the edges. The traveler pulls back from the bank, clutching his pack strap hard enough to whiten his knuckles.
Harlan
I did not come here to be fed to a river. Show me the safer path, or I turn back.
Emma's warning lands cleanly. The traveler is no longer stepping into the ford, and the witch's lure loses its grip. The cost is immediate, too, as the witch's stare cuts toward Emma, sharp with fresh suspicion.
Quest Complete
Warn the traveler