In the city of Irongate, on the first day of Autumn...
Despite its ominous name, the Hanging Harpy is one of the more pleasant inns an adventurer could encounter throughout his travels. Whether it be the warm, crackling fire, the smell of freshly fried bacon and strong coffee, or the way the light of the rising sun shine’s through the beautiful Vardi’s hair, a traveler can’t help but start the day with an enthusiastic vigor that just can’t be found on the road. If only every morning of every day could be so refreshing.
Unfortunately, this is not one of those mornings. This morning you find yourself standing, unarmored and still in your sleep clothes, on the business side of the bar in the Hanging Harpy. Like the sleep crusted in your eye, last night’s buzz refuses to let go.
It was Vardi’s screams that woke you and sent you rushing downstairs ready to defend her honor in your bedclothes. It wasn’t Vardi, but her father Loddie, the owner of this establishment, who was in trouble. There on the floor behind the bar he lay in a pool of his own blood. Automatically assuming the worst, those in attendance find themselves a little embarrassed when the old man starts to cough and try to sit up, and while each of you are busy looking at the others, making sure they didn’t see you jump, Vardi rejoices as she kneels down right in the puddle of blood to help the poor fellow to his feet. Of course you’ll come to your senses soon enough and give her a hand helping him to a chair. One of you might even fill a mug with stale water and bring a cold rag.
After he’s cleaned up a bit you can see that Loddie’s wounds aren’t too serious. The shape of a quarter-moon is imprinted under his left eye, a clear mark of his attacker. Fortunately, that and a well-placed boot seem to be the only weapons used. Soon enough his comes wits come back to him, and after thanking you repeatedly, he’s able to tell you the story.
“Duran’s man, er, men.” A couple of furtive glances tell you it was the former, but you decide to let the man keep his pride. “Caught me just as I was finishin’ up da cleanin’.” You realize finally that you can’t have been asleep for more than three hours. No wonder some of you are still half drunk. Or more…
“Snatched me right up outta the doorway when I was tossin’ the garbage out. Beat me pretty good in the alley, then he, er, they, tossed me right back inside.” One of you finally asks the question everyone else is thinking, “Who is Duran and why would he want to do this to you?”
Loddie puts his face in his hands and begins to subs. You think you hear him mutter something about walnuts.
“What?” someone says.
“Walnuts,” Loddie confirms. “But not just any ol’ walnuts. These is dryad walnuts. Hard ter find, they are. ‘Spensive, too. Sure are good though.”
“Duran stole your walnuts?” one of you asks, trying to get to the point.
“No no,” Loddie exclaims, somewhat flustered. "I sold ‘em to him. Well, sorta. Like I said, dryad walnuts is hard ter get, but I know where to get ‘em. And Duran knows I know, so naturally he comes to me. I told him I’d arrange for ‘em to be brought here, but he’d have to pay in advance, else they wouldn’t be shipped at all, and there wasn’t nothin’ I could do about that. Well, he paid me, but the walnuts never came. Shipment got lost somewhere in the Iron Hills.”
Loddie starts to sob again, but manages to finish. “I told ‘em it wasn’t my fault, but he says I gotta get him his walnuts or else. I even tried to give him his money back; he wouldn’t take it. Said he’d keep comin’ back until he had ‘em. Said he might talk to muh girl next time. Oh, I just don’t know what to do.” At this point, Loddie loses it and begins to sob uncontrollably.
As each of you stand there watching the man cry over walnuts, one of you accidentally makes eye contact with Vardi. She stands up, her hand resting on her crying father’s head.
Each of you wince a little as she opens her mouth to talk. Some of you may think, “Great, here it comes.” Some of you would be right, too.
“Please, isn’t there anything you can do to help?” the girl pleads. As you look into the girls hopeful, tearstained eyes you realize that your time resting at the Hanging Harpy has come to an abrupt end.