Sheila Heidmarch arrived for an extended visit in Sandpoint. She wants to do some research about the Old Light and meet with Brodert Quink. She also would like to recruit a party to run some minor missions for her, while she is in the area. She consulted the local High Priest Abstalar Zantus about potential candidates.
He suggested asking Abomentolor Goblinburner, a fierce sorcerer with a strong affinity to fire, for it would be a blessing to have that guy out of town for a few days. Lately he started a fire in some home where he was hired to expunge some rat infestation. As for swords for hire he drew a blank, and he pretended the same about a healer to accompany but couldn't fool Mrs. Heidmarch.
He admitted, that Gwenhwyfar Yongisdottir would be able to fill that role, and might even be willing to do so, but he doesn't like the idea of her getting hurt or worse through some dangerous enterprise.
So Mrs. Heidmarch thanked him and informed him that she currently stays at the rusty dragon, if Mrs. Yongisdottir would like to visit her and left to turn up that fire guy. Therefor she announced at the local taverns in person and with a posted note, that she would like to hire some people interested to do mission for the Pathfinder Society and especially Mr. Goblinburner.
Later that day some guy who were present during Mrs. Heidmarch's request at The Hagfish sees Abomentolor Goblinburner in the streets and shouts after him: "Hey there is someone with a job for you at the Rusty Dragon. Propably something needs to be burnt down. Hahaha."
After finishing the rest of his duties rather in a hurry, Abstalar Zantus vists Gwenhwyfar at Hannah's to tell her about Mrs. Heidmarchs offer, but makes a point of it that he doesn't like the idea and he only tells her because it is not his decision to make. But she should be careful not to risk her health or life in some risky adventure.
This evening every visitor of the Rusty Dragon notices, that there is a table reserved for a "Sheila Heidmarch (Venture Captain of the Pathfinder Society)" and the invitation note hanging at the door for the recruitment telling that a meeting will be held at dusk.
Tauriell, an elven girl with bright orange red hair, her slender figure dressed in convenient camouflage outdoor clothing enters te Rusty Dragon with some gutted hares tied together hanging from her left hand.
She directly approaches the kitchen, where she is met by the cook, who takes the animals from her. She seats herself at a free table close to the counter.
A few minutes later Ameiko comes out of the kitchen, hands her a few coins. On seeing the rather solemn expression on quickly appraising the amount she got, Ameiko points to the table reservation of Sheila Heidmarch suggesting, that she might be able to get some coin out of that Pathfinder mission. Ameiko excuses herself and disappears in the kitchen again.
Abomentolor throws the door to the Rusty Dragon open making an entry like John Wayne into a saloon. He got everyone staring at him, in his blazing wardrobe, but one after another averts their gaze back to what they were occupied with before that noisy interruption. One might wonder if the door is big enough for that little guy's ego to fit though.
Recognising that there is noone waiting for him yet, and it looks like he is not the only one wanted for the job he considers leaving again and trying his entrance again later. But he decides to stay sitting boldly at the table reserved for Mrs. Heidmarsh waiting for the waitress to serve him.
After finishing a very fine longsword for Sheriff Belor Hemlock a day early and only farm tool repairing pending for the week, Torbin told Das Korvut that he would call it a day. He would spend the rest of the evening at the Rusty Dragon and invited Das to come along. Das closed the shop and both went to get some well deserved ales.
When entering the Rusty Dragon they noticed the note at the door and Das jokingly asked Torbin if he wanted to use that opportunity to put some of the weapons he forged to a field test. They both laughed at that and took a set at the counter, to put an end to their sobriety and order some ale.
Gwenhwyfar finished her work at Hannah's, labeling some bags to be filled with herbs to be put on display in the shop and creating another potion of Cure Light Wounds. Hannah went out at noon to collect the herbs and left her to tend to the shop.
When that happened the first time a few weeks ago her facial expression instantly turned to something between puzzlement, fear and beeing overcharged. But Hannah just smirked at her telling her that she is a big girl now and she would do just fine and left. So far this held true and beeing alone in the shop became routine to her.
But when she was sweeping the floor to clean up, Abstalar Zantus came in and told her about Sheila Heidmarch, pouring out over her all this information and his concerns about that and her safety in an endless gush of words. She listened to him with that same embarrassing mien uttering a yes, no, or sure when prompted but when he was finished and gone, it left her with that "what was this?" lingering in her mind.
But one thing took hold. Someone important from the Metropolis Magnimar had asked for her and invited her to the Rusty Dragon for a meeting. She was prety sure she is not a big enough girl for that, but she could not not go.
So she closed up the shop and hurried over to the Rusty Dragon. Coming close she slowed down carefully loking around. Then as if hoping noone will notice her she slips inside and hides herself at a table in a lonely corner.
Jimmy Fiddle is sat at a table in the middle of the room, having a bit of a drink. At his table sit two drawfs with who Jimmy is currently playing a friendly game of cards with no bets.
Being unemployed at present, the caravan he was escorting having arrived in town, he is keeping an eye open for work and saw the note on the door on his way into the pub.
He has been keeping an eye on the reserved table. Seeing Abomentolor Goblinburner walk in and sit at the table and having no idea who Mrs. Heidmarsh is he excuses himself from the game and walks over and introduces himself.
"Dear sir, I am Jimmy Fiddle. Unless i am greatly mistaken you couldn't be Mrs. Heidmarsh, are you here in her stead? I saw the note on the door and am rather interested in some work"
Abomentolor Goblinburner stands up on the bench he sat on to be able to talk to this Jimmy Fiddle on eye level. He would prefer to be above, but the bench is too low for that.
"You are right pal, that I'm not Mrs. Heidmarch and neither am I her representation. I'm her first choice for this job, but if you want you might stay here to see if I don't like the job or if Mrs. Heidmarch by mistake thinks she needs more than myself to get her Job done."
He then waits for Jimmy to respond looking him straight in the eyes which could easily escalate in a staring contest.
"Sorry for any offence caused." Jimmy says with a smile doing his best to be diplomatic.
"I just hope for my sake she does decide more than one is needed, I'm soon to be running out of drinking money. Would you take offense if I join you friend? Also I fear I didn't quite catch your name?"
Jimmy waits for a response all the while maintaining eye contact and a broad smile
"Abomentolor Goblinburner, pleased to meet you. Take a seat and we'll see. It couldn't be too long if Mrs. Heidmarch is on time. But the money is not the primary concern here." and with a voice just loud enough anyone interested in listening would notice "I could afford a drink if someone cared to serve one"
And with that and a nod in Jimmy's direction he averts his eyes and looks out for someone taking his order.
He thinks to himself, quite the companionable pal. Not one of these feebleminded humans who take offense just looking at me.
"Glad to make your acquaintance Abomentolor. But I must ask, how does one come by such a... colourful surname? Also I was about to fetch myself a drink and you seem rather thirsty, what can i fetch from the bar for you?"
Jimmy asks with obvious curiosity. Doing his best to be subtle about what he can only imagine is a touchy subject for Abomentolor
A waitress comes over apologizes for the wait and asks politely if you two are guests of Mrs. Heidmarch, her eyes pointing to the reservation sign.
After that is settled she takes your orders and you get them served shortly thereafter.
"It's not a problem dear" Jimmy smiles at the barmaid, "An ale for me and an ale for my new friend"
Jimmy slips a silver piece out of his coin pouch and into the hands of the barmaid.
"Keep the change" he says with a smile
"Well, I'm a Gnome and I hate Goblins. I know everyone hates them, but we Gnomes even more. So I kill them whereever I meet them. As I'm blessed with the gift of fire, I usually burn them. So it's more like a title than a surname. I would prefer Dragonslayer for that, but I didn't get the opportunity so far."
He lifts the mug, says "Thanks for the drink. To your health" and takes a mouthful. "Aaah, thats good".
He puts the mug back on the table and seems to ponder some thoughts.
Jimmy not being the wisest or most charismatic of people doesnt quite catch the hint that Abomentolor seems to want to be left to think to himself.
"A dragon is not something I would wish to face. You hear horrible stories about what those beasts can do to people. For the most part i deal with bandits and the occasional orc raiding party while escorting caravans. Mostly is paranoid merchants who think they are worth the effort to rob"
Jimmy chuckles to himself while sipping at his cup
Coming back from his thoughts he replies "Yeah, I tried that escorting thing too, but it was not to my liking", his contempt clearly showing on his face.
"I think we may be thinking about different escorting here"
Jimmy laughs at what he takes to be a simple misunderstanding on the part of Abomentolor.
Abomentolor takes a deep breath, as if starting to say something, but stops halfway. Whats is he talking about, the Gnome thinks to himself, considering if he should be offended, but couldn't quite Point his finger on it.
"Mighty fine ale this, isn't it?" Jimmy says, more to fill the void in conversation than to elicit a response.
"From where do you hail Abomentolor?"
Interrupted in his thoughts Abomentolor mumbles in his mug "It's only half bad, but ask one of these Dwarves over there, they will tell you what a good beer tastes like, and why you can't get that here."
Taking another breath, looking into the void behind you he starts "I'm from..." as the door opens and for a short second Abomentolor's mouth stands open, eyes fixed on the person entering.
The entry door opens, as an imposing woman enters the room, turning all heads. Black haired with a stern expression on her face, dressed in something fine enough to be a gown colored royal blue with applications and trims in different shades of leaf green. But also practical with straps and pockets to hold all her adventuring gear. Nothing in excess, only the necessities, but all of them in the best quality.
The trained eye could tell from that alone, that she has years of experience handling the untamed wilds here in Varsia and who knows where else in the Inner Sea but also the attitude showing in her posture that she at least knows her way with the nobility or even belongs to them.
Her gaze sweeps the room with a stern expression coming to a halt at the sight of the red haired Gnome and her face brightening with a smile.
Approaching the table she reaches out to offer her hand to the Gnome asking with her unusually low and sultry voice "Mr. Abomentolor Goblinburner, I assume." shaking his hand with a firm grip and to the complete audience at the table "I'm Sheila Heidmarch, and you are?". turning to the human in Armor at the table offering her hand to him too.
"Lady Heidmarch, I am Jimmy Fiddle, pleased to make your acquaintance" Jimmy says while standing, taking the proffered hand and shaking firmly, this accompanied by a shallow bow.
Jimmy eyes the fine garments attempting to estimate their value and source.
"By the cut of your garments you are most certainly a well traveled woman, and very capable." Walking to pull out the lady's chair for her , "If I may have the honor" as Jimmy indicates the chair.
Abomentolor and I have a drink, would you care to partake?"
Mrs. Heidmarch raises an eyebrow at that clumsy attempt at a compliment but nevertheless takes the offered seat with a genuine smile. "Thank you very much." and in the direction of the waitress "Another round of Ale please". Turning back to you two she starts "I'm a Venture Captain for the Pathfinder Society and together with my husband coordinate the missions of the Pathfinders here in Varisia. Just to get an idea about who you are, would you please introduce youself. I'm specifically interested what competences you offer and what your motivation is in the offered position for this mission of the Pathfinder".
The waitress arrives, Mrs. Heidmarch shuffles through her purse for a while and then hands over a gold coin telling the waitress "Just make sure noone runs dry at my table this evening and keep the change"
"Mylady I'm impressed, from what I see and with your generosity I already start to like you." lifting his mug saying a "Cheers" in her direction.
"As for the introduction, I'm for burning things. Preferably Goblins, but if you have other things to burn I'll happily oblige". Looking at her with a most enthusiastic expression.
"At the moment I'm in mostly for the coin, but would also be interested in a long term business relationship, beneficial for both of us"
"Cheers!" Jimmy raises his mug with a nod towards Mrs. Heidmarch.
"I may not be anything fancy Mrs. Heidmarch, but I can stick a hole in any man you point me at, and I'll put myself between you and the person trying to put a hole in you. I'm a caravan guard and as such have seen my fair share of trouble. But with trade being what it is I'm out of a job at the moment, so any spare coin for any job will do." Taking another slow drink of ale.
"I am proficient with trident and shield. Basically I try to make sure nobody ever gets close enough to me to actually hit me or the people I have been set to protect."
"Let's get to business then. Esteemed adventurers, we have a wonderful opportunity to be among the first to explore an ancient Thassilonian ruin here in Varisia," Sheila Heidmarch exclaims. "While our land is full of such sites, many have been scoured by adventurers and wanderers since Thassilon fell ten thousand years ago. Few empires have risen to the same height of power and mastery of magic since the runelords’ demise, and the wealth of knowledge hidden in the stones of the monuments they left behind is beyond compare in the Inner Sea. I need you to explore this site and retrieve whatever relics you can find. They will be invaluable to our research and may open further opportunities for exploration in the future."
She pauses to reign in her exitement and continues: "But thats what the Pathfinders are after. Knowledge is not everyones primary goal and I don't look down on a honest working man, valuing the coin to fill his stomach higher than that. But to show that knowledge gathering is a worthy enterprise I'm offering you the following. I'll pay for your time 10gp per head, and a bonus depending on what you bring back. Also the expenses for travelling and lodging will be paid. And if you are succesful and your work looks promising, I might have more of these missions, or you might even become applicants for the Patfinder Society. But this mission is yours to take, I have business here in Sandpoint to attend to. What do you say?". She looks at Mr. Abomentolor, then at Mr. Fiddle waiting fo a response. After a few seconds she lifts her mug to moisten her throat.
"I say that I will gladly drink to that!" Mug inverted as Jimmy drains the last of his ale
"But if travelling expenses are being mentioned, how far are we to travel? And when would this excursion take place?"
"Count me in." says the Gnome cheerily.
You notice a red haired elven women standing up from her table close to the counter and coming over. She introduces herself Hello I'm Tauriell, a hunter ranging the woods here around Sandpoint. I couln't help but notice the generous job offer you made, and if my skill with the bow or my ability to find my way in the wilderness is of any help to you I'd be glad to be of service."
Sheila Heidmarch shows to a free seat with her hand and answers "You are most welcome." and glancing over to a table in a dark corner she adds "Even with all of you, there is still one person missing I'd like to hire."
Then she excuses herself "Just a moment please. I have to invite someone else to our table to complete the party." and with that she rises and walks over to meet a black haired girl sitting alone in the darkest corner of the inn.
Offering her hand, she asks "I'm Sheila Heidmarch, and I wonder if you are Gwenhwyfar Yongisdottir and if so I invite you to come over to our table.
Gwenhwyfar looks over to that merry group discussing adventure hoping to stay unnoticed. As Mrs. Heidmarch notices her she averts her eyes closely watching the table in front of her. But to her horror Mrs. Heidmarch stands up and comes over. Gwenhwyfar clings to her black cat and hopes for a hole to open up and swallow her so she could get out of this sitation, but to no avail. Only a whispered "Yes ma'm" comes out of her mouth to answer the question.
As all the ladies begin moving to the table, Jimmy stands and bows his head slightly to each in turn. He waits for them all to be seated before taking his seat once more.
He is rather excited by the thought of travelling again, and the prospect of being paid just makes it all the better. He wonders how far the offer of expenses being covered can be stretched
Sheila Heidmarch retracts her hand, smiles at the girl and starts walking back to her own table. She pauses to look back and check that Gwenhwyfar comes along. As she does Sheila Heidmarch takes a seat again offering Gwenhwyfar the place beside herself.
"This is Gwenhwyfar Yongisdottir, and I hope for her to become the healer for our venture."
"As for the mission, these ruins are deep in the forest of Lurkwood, north of Riddleport. I’ve arranged a small fishing vessel to escort you as far as the city, but you’ll need to travel over land to the forest itself."
"What I'm interested in, is a detailed report of what these ruins are. Copies of runes, maps of the ruins, magic you find, and if you could identify it what kind it is and please bring back any Thassilonian artifacts that you find. Everything that could shed a light on the Tassilonian history. And as none of you looks like the bookish type, please take this empty journal and this box with pencils."
With that she grabs a book out of her bag and a wooden box and puts them on the table.
Seeing the coins in Mr. Fiddles eyes and having plenty of experience with hiring she explains "The expenses paid are the stay at an inn in Riddleport on the day you arrive and the night after your return from the ruins, so you don't have to travel at night. Also any material used like arrows shot, or bandages used are reimbursed. But no fancy stuff with no direct link to the mission."
"As for the time to start, I would suggest tomorrow, or the day after if you have to prepare. We are not exactly in a hurry, but I'd like to get it done before someone else loots the place and destroys what's to find. And I myself am only on a visit to Sandpoint and will leave again in two weeks or so."
Jimmy feels rather abashed as he can tell the comment was directed at him. He hopes the flush on his cheeks is attributed solely to the drink, and not a combination of that and embarassment
It's just a little smirk about Mr. Fiddles reaction, almost unnoticeable in her genuine smile, but to avoid making him feel uncomfortable she lets her gaze sweep over the whole party asking "Any more questions I can answer for you?"
Torbin Steelhammer nudges Das Korvus saying "Hear that? She sends these guys into the woods. That's no thing for a Dwarf like me. They should have built that thing in the mountains, then it wouldn't be a ruin now. Let them do that fool's errand and then they can bring the earned money to us buying something to replace that poor metalwork they call weapons and armor. So we'll get the money without all this woodpecking anyway."
They both chuckle at that, clink their mugs und gulp them down at once.
Abomentolor Goblinburner answeres to Mrs. Heidmarch: "I'm fine thanks" and turning to the rest of the party adding "Tomorrow would be fine with me, what about you?"
"One last thing Mrs. Heidmarch, what might I expect to want to kill us once we get to the Lurkwood? What recent news has come out of the area?" shifting to a more serious tone as he wishes to be prepared to be able to defend those with him to the best of his abilities.
"That’s hard to say." Mrs. Heidmarch replies. "While Thassilon is long dead, many of its defenses and guardians still remain and protect the runelords’ ancient secrets. Be ready for anything! Beyond that you might expect the natural inhabitants of the Lurkwood. You might ask in Riddleport what that might be in detail, but I'd expect Goblins might be part of it."
"Hehe, Goblins." Abomentolor says more to himself, his face suggesting he is imagining some already burning specimen.
"I'm new here and all, so who would you suggest talking to to get more information about the Lurkwood? I just want to be as prepared as possible so we can all get back here in one piece. I'm sure you understand."
Jimmy says looking at the people arrayed around the table, the only other person who seems to be taking this seriously being
Tauriell
Kill us? Gwenhwyfar repeats wide-eyed shrinking in her seat.
"Gwenhwyfar, I don't expect anything to actually try to kill us." Jimmy says with a reassuring smile, "I just like being prepared for the worst. I intend to make sure we are all back here in one piece enjoying a drink before Mrs. Heidmarch leaves Sandpoint."
"I suppose it's similar to the woods here, so it would be boars, the occasional wolf, a bear maybe but that I could lead us to avoid." says Tauriell to add her two coppers worth.
Mrs. Heidmarch looks Mr. Fiddle straight in the eyes. "If Mrs. Yongisdottir decides to join this group, I would ask you Mr. Fiddle to bodygard her especially. For what Abstalar Zantus told me she hasn't the experience you all gathered so far facing dangers. And I would really like to have her returned to him without a scratch. I highly regard Abstalar Zantus and don't want to cause him any grievance." And turning to Gwenhwyfar she adds "This could be as easy as a stroll through the park, but better to prepare for the worst. This is not the first mission I hand out, and I know what I do. This troupe is more than capable to handle all dangers that could be expected."
"Mrs. Heidmarch, you honor me with this task and I will gladly see it done" Jimmy bows his head towards her. Turning to Gwenhwyfar, "Gwenhwyfar, i intend to see you home safe once our task is done."
Turning back to Mr. Fiddle she adds "I second the opinion of Mrs. Tauriel. If you need even more information about the Lurkwood, I'd say it's part of your job to find it out." she gestures towards all of you. "Just ask around in Riddleport." .