I can’t betray my cover. I’ll run up, but I won’t use magic.

You watched the dark figure dart out towards the woods at an incredible speed and disappear in the treeline. The burly man, unable to keep up, cursed some and turned back while the other inhabitants of the house met him halfway. You jogged towards them.

Three women attended him, obviously trying to soothe his fury. One woman, you assumed was his wife; the other two looked like their daughters. A little boy also trailed behind. As you approached, the man admonished his eldest daughter for hanging out with “such disreputable sorts”. She stared at the ground in shame, but as soon as her father turned his furious gaze to you, she smiled at you behind his shoulder.

“I saw someone run away,” you said. “What happened?”

“A thief!,” the burly man said. “A thief, is what happened. A cowardly thief. Honorless half-elf! They shouldn’t be allowed to roam free in Ohemers! My youth is gone… I can still fight, but I can’t chase them around like I used to. You couldn’t run after him?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not much of a combatant,” you lied. “And I don’t think I could have caught up to a half-elf. What did he make away with?”

“Our purse! A hefty purse at that! Every scrap of coins we managed to put away in the last few years. Somehow, he knew exactly where to look…”

The flustered man looked at his eldest daughter again, but before he could resume his cursing, you let your will bloom, like a flower, like Segora had taught you: your magical aura opened up, inviting empathy, radiating the kinship you hoped to form with them.

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” you said. “The Royal Guard should really keep a better eye on the country.”

The man’s anger seemed to melt at your words, while his wife and their eldest daughter stood straighter, smiling back at you. You could see their nipples push through the gauzy fabric of their nightdresses in the chill night air.

“Oh, they don’t have time,” said the wife. “They’re too busy guarding the capital for the royal wedding. They’ve doubled the military presence in all the major cities close to Altherzarn, but they won’t come all the way here.”

“We have to take care of our own business,” sighed the man.

“And of each other…” you said, happy that your Charm trick seemed to be working.

“Where did you say you were from?” piped in the eldest daughter, eager to connect.

“Silence, you!” spat her father. He turned to you:

“I’m sorry, Charlene here has a tendency to act like an idiot around dashing young men. She’s a wholesome girl, but this flaw in her character is what led to tonight’s… unfortunate events. I’m sure you can appreciate why a man wouldn’t want his daughter to denigrate herself in front of her family.”

The eldest daughter—Charlene—looked down, her cheeks reddening. A busty brunette, she had simple features and seemed to be about your age. You tried to catch her eye and replied to her as if her father hadn’t said anything:

“I’m from Farmak,” you improvised, picking a small town two days west of here. “I’m headed to Hajelzore to see my aunt.”

“That’s many miles away,” said the wife, trying to take the conversation away from her daughter. “You’re planning to walk all the way?”

“I’m happy to see the country,” you smiled. “Lots to see.”

“Well, watch yourself on the road,” the mother continued. "Brigands and thieves are preying on travellers. With the limited presence of the Royal Guard in these parts, we hear some have reclaimed old outposts to impose a tax on certain crossings, isn’t that so Charlester?”

The burly man, who was now looking back at the house, nodded vaguely. You saw Charlene nudge her younger sister’s ankle with her foot. The young one turned to her, and Charlene whispered something in her ear.

“We also hear,...” began the wife, and she was now whispering. “Fiends have been sighted, and there’s been a few disappearances. It’s pretty concerning as there hasn’t been any sighting since the dark days, but it is what we heard, nonetheless. ”

Segora and you had come across a few fiends this past year, and their resurgence was one of the reasons you undertook this quest for power. Segora said dark magic stirred, and she pressed you to rise to defend the realms against this new phantom menace. But the conversation was taking a dark turn, and you decided you better try your luck while their tones were still pleasant. Still radiating your Charm trick, you furrowed your brows and said:

“I was going to camp at the edge of the woods tonight… but with all the fiends and scoundrels you say are out there, I confess I’d feel much safer with a roof over my head. Any chance I could sleep in your barn for a night? I would be on my way first thing in the morning.”

The burly man opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the younger daughter chimed in:

“Oh, we can’t allow this fine young man to sleep out there while scoundrels and fiends abound, can we Father?”

Surreptitiously, you saw Charlene wink at her younger sister. The younger sister winked back and returned to being the picture of innocence in front of her father. But despite the effect of your magical aura, you sensed his ****. He was concocting a reason to refuse.

“Of course!” his wife cut in, talking to the younger girl. “Don’t worry Sugar Pie, there’s no way we’re leaving this young man out there! He’s so polite, too. We’d be happy to host you for the night, right Charlester?”

As his wife’s and daughters’ eyes sparkled, Charlester grumbled:

“In the barn."