Dot.
It's the first of May. The spring morning air is crisp and clear, with hints of the recent snow. Felix's breath comes in small puffs as the exertion from climbing the last rise of Spielberg Pass takes it toll.
But my, the view is worth it!! You can see out over the whole valley from here, although as you take it all in, you realize that it's more of a box canyon than valley. The majority of it is filled with thick growth of oaks, maples, birch, fur, and pine trees. Near the centre of the canyon you see a modest town, walled in stone, and to the north of that, an equally-modest castle surrounded by farmland and orchards. A small lake hugs the mountains to the south. Spielburg Valley looks wild, untamed, and full of adventure.
Felix relishes the pause both to appreciate the view, and from the chance to pause and catch his breath. He appreciates the armor training he's received, but between that armor, his shield, weapons, and all of the gear he was carrying, perhaps he should get a horse.
After a moment, he straightens to better take in the valley.
"At last!" he says aloud. He finally felt as if true adventure and recognition were at hand. He turns toward the town and heads into the valley. He wasn't sure if he should head to the town or to the castle about responding to the advertisement, but since he had to pass the town first, it seemed like the obvious destination.
As your voice booms through the pass, you hear a faint rumble from above. Recent snows have caused some of the drifts higher up to hang precariously from the rocks. The rumble quickly fades.
You proceed onwards and enter into the tree line (though you are still high up in the pass). The snow at the ground level is no longer present in big drifts, sheltered by the pine branches, though the path is still winding and narrow. Nailed to the trunk of a thick pine tree up ahead is a large piece of paper. Writing on the paper reads, "Wanted: Hero for the town of Spielburg. Inquire within."
Fifty feet beyond the pine tree, you spot the remains of a wagon, pulled off the path among some scrub bushes, which the early spring buds have failed to properly screen. Several of the boards show evidence of burn.
Felix glances up at the rumbling, noting the need to avoid further loud noises, and wondering if the valley gets cut off from the rest of the world during the winter.
As he wanders through the woods, he helpfully takes down the Wanted notice he comes across since the town won't be needing it now that he's arrived. He also thinks that this notice would have done more good outside of the valley, since anyone on the trail at this point is very likely already heading for the town. 'There's no accounting for the decisions of the fearful,' someone maybe once said.
Felix stops when he encounters the wagon, and considers whether someone was trying to hide it or if it has just been there long enough for some of the local flora to to grow over it.
If it seems like the wagon has been there a while, and if it could potentially be sheltering a creature, Felix takes the to unlimber his shield and draw his sword before using the weapon to prod around at various parts of the wagon.
It is just past midday. Given what you saw up above, you should easily be able to make it to town by sunset.
Upon closer inspection of the wagon, you estimate that it hasn't been here long, and that the burns are about a week old. As you poke about the wagon, you spot something glinting red in the weak sunlight. There's a small ruby snagged between two of the floor boards of the wagon. You easily pry it free, but as you do so, you hear the sound of a footstep breaking a tree branch nearby. Turning, you see two men step out from behind a large pine tree thirty feet down the path. Both men have scraggly beards and hair mussed from sleeping rough. They each wear a leather jerkin, and carry a shortspear and heavy wooden shield.
”Good morning, gentle sir. Welcome to Spielburg. We are his Lordship's the Baron's loyal excisemen, here what's to claim the toll for using his Lordship's road."
Judging by the way he said the word "toll" and the nasty snickering it elicited from the man's companion, you have serious doubts about the legitimacy of this taxation.
"Ho there!" Felix pockets the ruby and comes back out onto the path. He is still wielding sword and shield, but trying to act casual about it.
"The baron's men, eh? I'm here about the posted notice for a Hero, but the details are a bit vague. Can either of you shed some light on the sort of trouble Spielburg is having?"
”Hero? You? Can you even hold that sword without stabbing yerself, boy?” the man asks you. His companion laughs uproariously.
Overhead, the rumbling resumes, though the two men don’t seem to have noticed.
”Maybe we should confiscate that blade, for your own safety, of course.”
"I think that if you could do that, Spielburg wouldn't need a hero."
I tilt my head as if listening to something and point to the sky, hoping to bring the men's attention to the rumbling.
"Is that something we should worry about?"
The two men continue to ignore whatever it is you think you hear. ”Yer gonna have a lot to worry about if you don’t pays yer road toll.”
You hear sounds of rustling from the bushes behind you, further up the path. About a hundred feet back, four more humans step out of the bushes and behind them, an enormous creature, half man, half bull wielding a large heavy flail also appears.
”Weapons and coin on the ground now, for the good of the Lord Baron’s coffers, of course.”
His friend laughs his rough, loud laugh again. Above you in the high passes, the rumble grows.
Well, the presence of five new opponents changed my tactics considerably. I don't think I can outrun seven lightly-armored men who also know the area better than I do. I decide to appeal to their sense of self-preservation and a whole lot of luck.
"Seriously, none of you hear that rumbling? Here, have a listen."
I start to bang my sword on my shield as loudly as I can. After a moment, I bellow out the lyrics to my favorite tavern-song, "Drink, Drink, My Brothers, Drink!"
The rumbling sound above grows to the point where even these idiots notice. They look around dumbly for a moment before one of them looks up. He drops his jaw and his spear, giving you the signal that now is the time to start running as fast as you can. The two brigands don’t even try to stop you as you plough by them. The sounds of the small avalanche and panicked yells chase you down the mountain.
Of course, you can’t actually outrun the avalanche, but your quick thinking spots an especially sturdy pine tree and you duck behind it. The tree shudders as snow and debris slams into it. You watch as the drifts carry the minotaur down past you and then the mountain pass is still once more. It takes time to climb over and wade through the drifts but eventually you make it back to clear ground. Of your attackers, there’s no sign and you make it down to the valley floor in peace. After a moment to catch your breath, you press on along the road. Unseen behind you, the calloused fist of the Minotaur punches through the snow drift, and the bovine humanoid pulls himself free. Too bruised and battered to pursue you, he takes off along a different path, carrying a report of a new hero in town to who knows where.
A few hours’ journey brings you to a walled town. The road turns to the right where it passes a small hut before heading onwards towards the modest castle you saw from above.
Despite being surrounded by snow, I had to take a moment to wipe the seat off of my brow. What a rush! Unfortunately, it's unlikely anyone was around to see it who might spread word of how I bested a gang of bandits.
Pushing myself off of the tree I had used to shield myself from the avalanche, I finally sheathe my sword and work my way through the snow to clear ground. Finding the path again, I take it to the town and approach the gates.
Passing through the open gate, you find yourself at the intersection of two streets. This seems like a quiet little town. An unused stable lies on your right. On the porch ahead of you are two people. The standing one is large, rather ugly, and playing with a yo-yo. The seated person smoking a pipe looks like he might be the sheriff.
The man with the pipe greets you.
"Welcome to our town. You are lucky to have made it down from the mountains before the snows blocked the pass again. It's gotten pretty dangerous outside of town, I understand. Many monsters have been trapped around here with the late snow. Between them and the brigands, we sure could use a hero around here. I am Sheriff Schultz Meistersson. This is Otto von Goon, my assistant. What do you call yourself?"
Felix puts on his best smile and approaches.
"Thank you for the welcome, Sheriff Meistersson." He makes a point to include both the sheriff and Otto in his nod of greeting. "My name is Felix Riffin, a recent graduate of the Famous Adventurer's Correspondence School, where I first saw a notice about Spielburg Valley. I actually had a run-in with a group of brigands on my way into town, but I managed to scare them off.
"And monsters you say? Are those the reasons you posted the notice for assistance?"
”Fought off a whole group by yourself?” the sheriff asks, sounding skeptical. ”If you say so. Last week, a group of brigands fought off an entire squad of merchant guards and robbed the caravan. Next time you fight brigands, keep their spears. Karl at the castle gates will reward you with cash for each brigand spear you bring in.”
”Aye, monsters. They come down from the high passes in winter. Normally, the baron’s soldiers would have driven them off by now, but there are too few of them left. Talk to Wolfgang down at the Adventurer’s Guild Hall if you want to know more about our local monstrous fauna.”
"No, there were too many to fight at the same time; they had me surrounded. I was able to trick them into getting caught in that avalanche you may have heard. If any survived, they didn't give me any trouble after that. That's a good tip about the spears, though. Thanks."
Felix's eyebrows shot up after hearing that a small, out-of-the-way town like this has an Adventurer's Guild Hall, but it sounds like a good place to start. He asks the sheriff for directions.
Finally, before he departs, he has one final question:
"The notice I saw before arriving here mentioned something about a 'curse?' Any idea what that's about?"
”The hag Baba Yaga cursed the Baron many years ago when he tried and failed to drive her from the valley. Zara, the owner of the magic shop might be able to tell you more.”
Felix nods with what he thinks is the appropriate amount of gravity. "Sounds serious."
He thanks the sheriff for the information and makes his way to the Adventurer's Guild Hall.
Felix turns left and heads down the street. Immediately to the left of the sheriff’s station is the Hero’s Tale Inn, a cozy-looking inn from which wafts the smell of spicy, exotic food.
Adjacent to the inn is a shop painted purple accented with swirls of stars. Above the door, a massive eyeball seems to watch Felix. Next to that is a bright pink house with a covered porch: a little old lady sleeps in a rocking chair. Finally, at the end of the street, a quaint adventurer’s guild sits in the corner against the wall.
Felix smiles and nods at anyone who looks his way. When he gets to the Adventurer's Guild, he enters. If he doesn't see or hear anybody, he'll call out.
Entering the Guild Hall, Felix sees pretty much what he’s come to expect of an Adventurer's Guild Hall: roaring fire in a stone hearth? Check. Stuffed monster heads (and moose head) on the walls? Check. Bulletin board with dusty faded reward posters? Check. Adventurer's Log book with feather quill pen? Check. Overstuffed armchairs next to the fireplace that growl at you as you shut the door? Che- wait, what?
There appears to be nobody on duty at the moment, though now Felix’s certain that the armchair has growled at him again.
Eyes wide, Felix shuts the door behind him. He is silent for a long moment staring at the armchair before taking a step forward and offering a tentative, "He--hello?
"Hello?"
The chair continues to growl at him...or perhaps it's something in the chair that's growling at him. He can only see the back of the chair, after all.
Hand on his sheathed sword, Felix tries to circle around to be able to see what's in the chair from a safe distance.
Felix sneaks around the growling chair. As he moves to the fire side of the chair, he finds an older, grizzled man, asleep, with a truly momentous snore. He grips the hilt of a well-made great sword in one hand. Despite his age, you can tell that at one point he was likely a very skilled warrior.
Smiling to himself, Felix relaxes and looks around. He takes the time to inspect the older wanted posters and scan the log book. He'll even add his own entry. Assuming nothing else of interest catches his eye, Felix will return his attention to the old man.
He tries a more confident "hello" or two before reaching forward to give a gentle shoulder shake to the old man. He's ready to leap back out of the swing of that great sword in case any of the old warior's instincts kick in before he's finally awake.
Looking at the notice board, Felix sees several faded posters.
One shows a simple sketch of a ring, fashioned in the shape of intertwined leaves. The poster reads: Reward of 50 gold coins and 2 healing potions for the recovery of my graduation ring. Inquire at healer's.
One shows a picture of a handsome if arrogant young man. The poster reads: Reward of 500 gold coins for the safe return of Baronet Bernard von Spielburg.
One reads: 100 gold coins for the death or capture of the traitor minotaur Toro.
One especially old poster shows a picture of a young girl in pigtails. It reads: Reward of 500 gold coins for the safe return of Lady Elsa von Spielburg.
One poster reads: Reward of 200 gold pieces for the cleansing of the West Spielburg Mining Company claims and properties. Inquire of Siegfried Holtz, mine manager.
One reads: Reward of 100 gold coins for the death or capture of the brigand warlock.
One poster shows a (not so helpful) picture of a cloaked figure. It reads: Reward of 500 gold coins for the death or capture of the brigand leader.
One poster reads: Reward of 1000 gold coins and title "Hero of the Realm" for the breaking of the curse of Baba Yaga.
The most recent entry in the logbook is several years old. It reads: Baronet Barnard von Spielburg killed a troll near the Flying Falls on this 23rd day of October.
The other pages record the exploits of the great adventurers of Spielburg's past. The names Wolfgang Abenteuer and Baron Stefan von Spielburg appear most often.
Giving the man's shoulder a gentle shake does the trick. The old man's snoring sputters and stops as he opens his eyes. "Ach! I was so busy I didn't notice you come in. Welcome, welcome! It is so seldom that we have new adventurers here. Most people think this valley is cursed!"
"This is the Adventurer's Guild Hall...obviously. Sign your name in the log book if you plan on doing any adventuring while you're here. There's no fee to join, but we do ask you to donate 10 percent of any spoils you come across during your adventures. We're on the honour system here: after all, if you're here to be a hero, you wouldn't likely be too dishonest. No need to come back every time you find some silver coins on a gobbo though. Just when you're in town. We have all sorts of gear to help you out. Sparring dummies and practice equipment out back. The climbing wall, too. Weights to help build up muscles. We don't have the room for an archery range, but we do have a target area for daggers, or you can go use the old archery range south of town. In here, we have the job board. In the old days, I'd be around to give lessons, or I'd go out and rescue some adventurer that got in over his head, but I'm too old for that sort of thing nowadays. I'm happy to share my knowledge of the local wildlife, if you're interested. The Guild Hall is also a good place to talk about adventures on a cold afternoon. We used to play cards here once a week, as well, but there are too few adventurers in Spielburg anymore. They all died at the hands of monsters or brigands, or they just became too old."
The most recent entry in the logbook is several years old. It reads: Baronet Barnard von Spielburg killed a troll near the Flying Falls on this 23rd day of October.
The other pages record the exploits of the great adventurers of Spielburg's past. The names Wolfgang Abenteuer and Baron Stefan von Spielburg appear most often.
Felix writes his own entry:
Felix Riffin arrived in Spielburg Town and began his illustrious career.
He dates it "1 May," followed by the year.
Felix nods along at the man's instructions and advice, drinking it in like it's his first ale after long days on the road. (Speaking of which, the Hero's Tale Inn should be his next stop.)
Finally, after the man's schpiel is complete, "Wolfgang, I presume? Wolfgang Abenteuer? It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Felix Riffin. I'm an adventurer, obviously." Felix spreads his arms to the room they're in, indicating the obvious reason he's in the Adventurer's Guild Hall. "It sounds like Spielburg could really use the help! Any suggestions where I should start? I don't plan on stopping until that board is completely clear, mind you."
”Well, you’re pretty new, so I’d start small. Check with the healer. She always needs components from the forest for potions and is probably running low at this point with no adventurers to get them for her. If you encounter anything taller than you, except maybe a saurus, cause they’re pretty to fight, run away. Or those flying mantas: they’re magical, you should run from those too.”
"Thank you! What's a saurus? And where can I find the healer?"
The guild master points to the stuffed head of a particularly stupid looking lizard mounted on the wall. The plaque beneath it reads, ”Saurus: slain by Hans Halfwitten”
”That was a tough battle for Hans, but he survived it. Too bad he later tried to tangle with a troll.”
He then points at the stuffed head of a much more vicious-looking cousin to the saurus. ”That’s a saurus rex. It’s neither weak nor stupid. If you see one of those, run. Fortunately, the saurii are purple and the saurus rexes are red, so you should be able to tell them apart.”
”As for the healer, her hut is just outside the town gate on the way to the castle. She’s a nice woman.”
The stuffed monster heads, in addition to the saurus and saurus rex, include a goblin with the tattered remains of a green beard, a troll, a large black feline head labeled “Cheetaur”, a strange purple rubbery creature with antennae called an “Antwerp”, a vicious moose, and a dragon over the fireplace.
If there's still enough daylight left, Felix will head to the healer's hut. If it's getting late, he'll head to the inn instead, saving the healer for the morning.
It’s getting late, but certainly enough time to make it to the healer’s hut and back. The sheriff does warn Felix that the town gates will close in half an hour and they won’t open, no matter how much he bangs and hollers.
"Best not to risk it, then," Felix replies. He heads to the inn to see about a room, drink, and dinner.
Opening the door of the inn, Felix is greeted by the scents of exotic perfumes and spices. This looks like an alpine inn, complete with dishes on the wall and heavy beams on the ceiling. It is pleasantly warm, and the aroma of strange spices fills the air and the decor is an eclectic mix of Bavarian and Shapeiran. A Katta nimbly stands from the plush cushion by the fire where he was reclining.
"Welcome, welcome, traveler to the Hero's Tale Inn. I am Shameen at your service. May you find what you seek here."
There are several large pine tables to Felix's left. At one of them, a man wearing exotic, albeit singed, clothing, his turbaned head leaning on his arms, almost as if he were asleep. A tray of food grows cold next to him.
Felix bows to Shameen. "Thank you! My name is Felix Riffin. What I seek is an ale, a meal, and a bed for the night. I just arrived in Spielburg to answer the notice for a Hero."
”Please, have a seat at a table, and my Shema will be honoured to serve you.”
When Felix sits, Shameen claps his hands twice. A curtain leading into the kitchens twitches aside and a female katta of an age with Shameen steps through. She walks with a willowy grace and bows gracefully.
”Greetings, traveller. I have a spicy goat stew on the fire, a recipe of my people, served with a Shapeiran flat bread and rich coffee, ground and brewed as my people do. It will fill and satisfy you for the modest price of three silver coins.”
"That sounds excellent!" Felix has seated himself at an unoccupied pine table, trying to sit where he could be easily seen by the turbaned man should he wake up.
He nods his thanks to Shema when she brings out dinner and makes a show of enjoying the food. He'll pay the three silver whenever it's expected of him, and leave another two when dinner is over.
Before they can depart, he'll ask either Shameen or Shema, "Does Spielburg get many visitors, nowadays?"
"None, since fall," Shameen says. "Our friend Abdullah was the first, came in last week with his caravan. This is a cold and miserable land, and we had hoped to leave it with the profits we would have made with the caravan. All is lost, however, as the brigands attacked his caravan and robbed everything of value. Abdullah would be honoured to tell you his tale. I think he would not be disappointed if you were to share his table."
The stew is spicy, but savoury and filling. The coffee goes down smooth and well. Shema senses when Felix is finished, and immediately appears to clear his table.
After eating, Felix takes his coffee over to the other table. He'll try to gently wake Abdullah and ask if he can join him.
"Shameen was telling me about the troubles you've had with bandits."
Abdullah wasn't actually asleep, as it turns out, just wallowing in self-pity.
"Oh, it is indeed sad and dangerous times we live in when a man who struggles daily to keep from starving should be robbed of all his earthly possessions! I am Abdulla Doo, son of Ali, grandson of Hasan, and formerly Master Merchant of Shapeir. Now I am but a penniless burden upon my friends. Who would have thought that there could be such trouble entering this valley during the off-season?"
"Brigands stile your wares?" Felix prompts?
"Two weeks ago, I was about to become wealthy beyond my dreams. I, Abdulla Doo, would be the first merchant into the valley this year. But my life was shattered by those vile brigands! The band of brigands ambushed us just as we crossed the pass into the valley. They first used some magic which blinded us. Then they overwhelmed my six guards and my assistants."
"My guards are all gone, killed or run away like dogs! I, too, would be lying dead had not the strange brigand leader spared my life, for what reason I know not! All of my trade goods were taken from me, right before my very eyes! Why the brigand leader spared my life, I do not know. I am now but a beggar, living off the generosity of my friends."
"That is terrible! It sounds like you are in dire straits, Abdulla. Do you know where your goods are? Where on the road were you accosted?"