[sblock=Your Quest]Dourven ir'Staul is a unique figure who made an impression on all of your lives.
A human of noble blood he married Khorvar commoner, and gave birth to two daughters in their comfortable tower on Clifftop (a somewhat scandalous location for a noble, however minor, to have a primary home). A gifted if eccentric historian and excavator of ancient ruins who loves to run counter to conventional wisdom he is most famous for contemptuous essays on the importance of Xen'drik (which has been the rage in academic circles in Breland and throughout Khorvaire for the better part of a century). He has developed a cult following from his sporadic lectures at Morgrave University in Sharn and is known as a passionate, almost obsessive traveler.
So it was not unusual for him to have left Sharn three months ago seeking a draconic tomb supposedly located somewhere near the small wilderness town that is your destiation. What is unusual is for ir'Staul to have gone for long without contact. He frequently sends amusing missives from Orien waystations or Sivis outposts during his travels; however his wife Lissa has had no contact and grown very concerned.
ir'Staul has gone without contact before, (most recently when he was kidnapped by druidic extremists during an excursion to the Black Caps) but never without being in some sort of trouble.[/sblock]
After you've finished with the kobolds you continue to travel the rest of the day. Despite concerns you may have about brigands operating so freely on a Orien Trade Route you arrive at your destination without further incident.
The small walled town rises up in front of you in the evening gloom.
The guards, two weary looking human men, inspect your documents and have a quiet conversation. [sblock=Iridian and anyone else with a passive perception of 15 or greater]With your keen senses you pick out the conversation.
Never seen onena those before.
Says here, Blackscale Lizardfolk.
Looks kinda, lizard-like don't he.
Well, that's why the call 'em
lizardfolk I recon. Says here, he's from Q'barra.
Yeah. I mean... What I mean is...
Yeah?
Ah'm jus saying with the kobolds 'n all....
That look like a kobold to you?
Naw. But maybe they work together.
'cause you work together with goblins cause you look alike.
I don't look like no goblin.
You like a goblin the way he looks like a kobold.
I'm just saying that...
Look, you wanna ask him he works with kobolds, you go right ahead.
I'm just saying...
So he's come all the way over here, with the rest of that lot, but he really works with the kobolds?
I was jus' saying....
An' before he come over here, he decided to go ta Sharn, an' get traveling papers.
OK. OK. Why you always got to be like this...
[/sblock]
The Town Map. Locations are marked with
italics (#)
As evening falls, you're allowed into the town. The guards close the gates behind you for the night.
[sblock=The Town OOC]I love me some roleplaying but I said Beer 'n Pretzles and I aim to deliver, so I'll try to keep the pace up and things light.
To that end when I introduce NPCs I'll give you their names, and give you a simple overview of the town you can pick up from looking around or asking just about anyone.
[/sblock]
The guards direct you to
Wrafton's Inn (2). You're welcomed into the inn by it's proprietor
Salvana Wrafton. Like most inn's in small towns the building seems to function as a common gathering area of the townsfolk.
There are several farmers playing a game of dice in a corner; an old farmer,
Eilian, is talking with a serving woman; an unfriendly looking shifter hunter,
Ninaran, nurses her beer in a corner.
The town is ruled by
Lord Padraig, who served with some distinction during the Last War. He lives in the
Manor House (14) inside the inner walls.
Valthrun's Tower (6), at five stories high, is the highest building in town.
Normal sorts of buildings for a town of this sort abide, including: a stables (4), smithy (5), general store (7), warriors guild (8), housing for people who don't own homes of their own (9), temple of the host (10), etc.