Event·Settlement

The Nightwatch

A tired-looking guard catches you near the gate as the sun drops below the mesa. "Hey - any chance you can cover a two-hour shift on the wall tonight? Ramirez is down with gut rot and I've been up since yesterday. I'll pay out of my own pocket. Just need a warm body with working eyes."

Choices

1
Take the shift. Easy money for staring at the dark.
no requirement
Success
Two hours of quiet on the wall. The desert is still, the sky enormous. Nothing happens - which is exactly what you want from a watch shift. The guard pays you in the morning, looking ten years younger after a full night's sleep.
Failure
Two hours of freezing wind, sand in your eyes, and a false alarm involving a particularly large desert hare. You're exhausted by dawn and the guard pays you less than promised, claiming budget constraints.
2
Decline. You need your sleep as much as the next person.
no requirement
Success
You turn him down and he accepts it without complaint. "Can't blame a person for trying." He shuffles off to find another volunteer. You sleep well.
Failure
3
You'll take the shift - and you know how to stay alert in low-visibility conditions.
Perception lv 4
Success
You spot movement at the perimeter that the previous watch would have missed - a coyote pack testing the garbage pits. You alert the morning crew and they reinforce the fence. The guard captain hears about it and adds a bonus to your pay.
Failure
You're scanning the dark with trained focus when you catch movement in the scrub. You raise the alarm. Three guards scramble to your position. It's a tumbleweed. A very large, very threatening tumbleweed. Nobody lets you forget it by morning.

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