GM Grimsnik |
Aram Zey strides into the cramped chamber, his withering
glare boring into anyone who dares to meet his gaze. One of
the smaller rooms in the Grand Lodge’s Skyreach tower, the
room is nearly filled by a large table on which lie tarnished
funerary brasses and heaped parchments, leaving scant room
for occupants. “I’m pleased to see you all here,” says the
Society’s cantankerous Master of Spells, his chilly expression
contradicting his words. “The Society needs its most capable
members on this task.”
Unrolling a massive map of Taldor, he continues. “A rare
opportunity stands before us. A Taldan noble named Makarius
Bourtze has sent inquiries to Oppara and Cassomir, seeking
buyers for a trove of lore about Qadira’s Grand Campaign against
Taldor. Bourtze is the Tribune of Evondemor, a small town some
six days’ journey from Oppara.” Tracing along the chart, his
finger points out an isolated village on the Tandak Plains.
“Your mission is to visit this backwater, review the offered
items, and acquire them if a reasonable price can be arranged.
While we can offer gold, I’d like to instead suggest several fine
sculptures in trade. They depict well-known Taldan heroes,
including several of Bourtze’s ancestors. Since his line was
once quite distinguished, I’m optimistic that they’ll interest
him.” Aram hands over a bundle of carefully drawn sketches
depicting the statues.
“Frankly, we considered sending a less experienced team,
but Bourtze’s motives make me uneasy. The man’s wife was
a scholar of ancient magics who recently died in some sort
of magical accident. If something in the collection caused
the mishap, we fear the Tribune might try to unload it on an
unsuspecting stranger!”