With winter over and the bitter cold receding to the north the town of Junction comes alive once more. No longer choked with bobbing chunks of ice and slush, work continues to repair the great stone bridge spanning the Sarn and promising to open up the west once more to the civilizing forces of Man. The streets of Junction are filled with explorers and tradesfolk, mercenaries and merchants, all drawn to the frontier town at the call of the Scarlet Prince and his promise of untold wealth for those willing to brave the uncivilized wilds.
Over dinner the previous night the party's factor, a tall, stout woman named Madam Fleur had spread out the wrinkled, faded map on the table and succinctly recounts what they know.
"This map dates back to the end of the Fifteenth Cycle of Law, and has potentially changed. You may find that the landscape – or the inhabitants found there – are not what is indicated.”
“Here,” she says, pointing to the road leading to the town of Rocky Mount, “a pride of manticores is said to lurk, devouring all who attempt to pass. Their lair is said to be in these mountains here, overlooking the forest below. I have spoken to a merchant who claimed they are denning halfway up an almost sheer cliff, with a difficult approach.”
“A man has made contact with me, wild-eyed and bushy-bearded, claiming to know the location of a lost gold mine that he is willing to sell for the sum of five hundred gold alcedes. Ordinarily I would discount such tales as the raving of a lunatic or the sugary words of a con man, but I have sources who confirm that there was at one point an attempt to mine a lucrative vein somewhere about here.” She points to a section of the map labeled “70.44”.
“Explorers tell tales of Pesh, a fabled city far to the west. However, in order to get there one would have to either pass through Rocky Peak or take a longer and more circuitous route south, and then west.”
“There are also tales that the land west of Junction and south of Rocky Peak are exceptionally fertile. They tell me the Prince has his eye on expanding this way, at some point, as his domain is somewhat lacking in rich soil.”
“The Rufous Baron, ruler of Junction, has offered a reward of 1,000 gold alcedes for anyone able to clear the land directly opposite the bridge of all threats, so that he may garrison a squad of troops there and begin construction of a watchtower.” Her finger traces a ring around hexes 73.46 and 73.47.
“There’s a community somewhere to the north of Alice,” says Madam Fleur, “called Kimrid. It’s a largely unremarkable village, heavily fortified against the incursions of Chaos, and valuable only because it is contains a monastery that trains holy warriors, known as dervishes, that are well-regarded in the Principality as bodyguards and assassins. We haven’t had any contact with Kimrid since the end of the previous Cycle of Law. The Prince is willing to pay 2,000 alcedes if the road north to this monastery is cleared and contact re-established, should it still exist.”
“The Principality in general, and Junction in particular, relies on the mining camps to the north,” her fingers trace the Sarn north to where the woods thin out and give way to hills. “Ore, especially iron, is in short supply, not just in the Principality, but the Variagated Kingdoms in general. There are a number of mining camps spread throughout these hills, run by private mercantile concerns. The largest company, the Red Sky Mining Company, is offering a bounty on beastmen heads. Their main office is here, but they’ve established a semi-permanent camp here,” she indicates hex 72.43. “That’s about as far north as the riverboats can go before bottoming out. Goblin heads are five alcedes, orcs ten, hobgoblins twenty-five, and ogres one hundred.”
Madam Fleur takes a sip of wine and warns the adventurers that they surely will not be the only brave souls called to the frontier. “There are two other parties that I am aware of currently in Junction, and more will certainly follow with the warmer weather. I have told you what I know and leave the final decision to those more experienced in such matters. I will be here, looking after your concerns. You can reach me via the magic mirror every seven days”. With that she sits back, cradling her wineglass in both hands, and lets the adventurers have time to decide their next course of action.
