The salt spray of the harbor mingles with the pungent scent of gutted cod at the Oakhaven fish market. Dyria navigates the slick cobblestones, her bladed gauntlets catching the morning sun.
The air here feels heavy with the metallic tang of dried blood that does not belong to any fish.
Ahead, a crowd gathers around a wooden pillar plastered with fresh parchment. A tall man in worn leather gear, the forest guide, stands stiffly before the notice, his hand resting on the hilt of his shortsword.
Forest Guide
Keep back, all of you. This is a matter of royal blood, and I will not have it tarnished by common gossip.
Forest Guide
The bounty is far too high for a simple escort job. There is a trap here, and I am the bait.
Forest Guide
You there, with the gauntlets. You have the look of someone who knows how to survive the deep woods. Tell me, do you see the mark on this parchment, or is my own sight failing me?
+ Scene Quest Added
Investigate the bounty notice
+ Story Quest Added
Protect the elemental realm from encroaching darkness
“Investigate the bounty notice”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +0)
Dyria
The ink on the seal is not royal, it is a forced transmutation signature.
Dyria steps past the guide, her eyes narrowing as she scans the parchment. Beneath the official language of the bounty, a faint, pulsing violet sigil glows against the paper.
Forest Guide
Well? Do you see it, or are you just here to gawk at the coin?
Dyria
It is not a royal mark. It is a beacon for something that hunts in the dark.
Forest Guide
A beacon? My blood has been running cold since I pinned this up, but I thought it was just the harbor chill.
The guide draws his sword, eyes darting to the shadows stretching between the market stalls. Suddenly, the parchment on the pillar begins to smoke, the edges curling into ash.
Quest Complete
Investigate the bounty notice