⚜️ Group 2 - 006 - Questions and Departure · Threads of Fate

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⚜️ Group 2 - 006 - Questions and Departure

"But... what does the mark mean?" one of you asks, frustration bleeding through. "Does it still have power?

The mage's expression doesn't change, but something flickers in her eyes. Understanding, perhaps. Or sympathy.

"The mark is both a blessing and a curse," she says, her voice measured. "It identifies you as Chosen, yes. But it also makes you visible to those who serve the darkness. They can sense you, track you, if they're close enough."

She moves closer, her gaze intense.

"As for power... the mark itself grants none. But it opens pathways within you."

She pauses. "

And yes, your thoughts may feel... different. Clearer in some ways. Clouded in others. The mark connects you to something larger. Something ancient."

Her voice drops.

"What you're feeling is real. The mark is changing you, slowly.

Drawing out what was always there, buried deep. That's why I must test you.

To see what you're becoming."

She returns to her desk.

"I can tell you more when you return. But words mean nothing without proof.

Go to Thornhaven. Then we'll talk properly."

Preparation

You leave the tower and make your way back through the city streets.

The market is busy with midday commerce. You stock up on additional supplies: more rope, extra waterskins, dried rations, oil for lanterns.

A vendor sells you a bundle of torches wrapped in oilcloth.

At a small apothecary, you purchase antitoxins and bandages.

The herbalist eyes your purposeful preparations and adds a vial of something dark. "For pain," she says simply.

By early afternoon, you're ready.

The Road South

You leave through the southern gate, the guards waving you through with barely a glance.

The road stretches ahead, well-maintained and wide.

Traffic thins as the afternoon wears on.

Other travelers nod as they pass, merchants heading back to the city, a farmer with a cart of vegetables.

The land is gentler here than the marsh.

Rolling fields, scattered farms, patches of woodland. The air smells of grass and distant smoke from cooking fires.

By evening, you've covered good distance.

You make camp off the road, in a copse of trees that offers shelter and concealment.

Dog takes first watch, his eyes scanning the darkness beyond your small fire.

The night passes quietly.

Day Two - Approach to Thornhaven

Morning brings clear skies and cool air.

You break camp and continue south. The road narrows slightly, farms becoming more sparse.

The land feels emptier here, though you can't quite say why.

By late afternoon, you crest a low hill.

Below, in a shallow valley, next to the ocean, lies Thornhaven.

It's larger than you expected. Maybe a hundred buildings, clustered around a central square.

Fields surround it on all sides, some planted, others fallow.

A mill stands at the eastern edge, its wheel silent and still.

The red shutters are visible even from this distance.

A small fishing harbor at the northern edge of the town.

But something's wrong.

No smoke rises from chimneys.

No movement in the streets. No sound carries up the hill.

Thornhaven is silent.

🎯 What's next?

Approach openly through the main road - Show you're not hostile.
Circle around to the mill with red shutters - Use the safehouse as your entry point.
Scout from the hills first - Observe before committing.
Send one person ahead while others wait - Minimize risk.
Other → Your call.

Approach openly

Circle around to the mil

Scout from the hills first

Send one person ahead

Other → Your call.

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