Chapter 1 - Hrodel's Story
With a somewhat confused look on her face, "Good day to you as well kind sir, I know my grief for the loss of my father is evident but I have not talked to anyone yet as to my desires. Who might this "Master" be you mentioned as I would like to thank him personally for sending help my way." She motions for you all to follow her to the back room and you see a modestly furnished room where obviously Hrodel lives. She walks over to the far wall where there is a window overlooking a rather nice garden and sits down at the table there. "I am sorry there are not seats for everyone but I think I make the best tea in town and would gladly share it with you while I tell you my tale."
"After my mother died my father, Kai Rifter, was never the same. He loved her deeply. It was that rare kind of love the bards sing about. He resigned from his adventuring band, the Last Man Standing, and started going it alone. After a while I came to suspect that somewhere inside he didn’t really want to come back. It seemed like every time he went out he was looking for something bigger and bigger. After a time, he wouldn’t tell me where he was going. His outings crossed the line. Once, he even came back with a searing wound from what I later discovered was a beholder's eye ray. I designed a hearth crystal with a spell that would throb each time he was in danger so I could scry and then make sure help was on the way. But it never really worked: the hearth crystal was throbbing almost constantly and it took me too long to locate him. I tried to talk him out of his adventuring. I told him it was time to retire. I swear I did, but he just wouldn't listen. Three nights ago the hearth crystal shattered and I knew - I just knew." At which point you can see tears trickling down her face as she is trying not to cry once more.
She reaches for a scroll on the table and hands it to Pemberton, "This is my fathers will and because of this I am seeking help. With magic, I was able to locate his body. He's not quite a quarter-mile underground, in a massive cavern of some kind. And he's not alone. These reptilian humanoid creatures have him. Lizardfolk, I think, I couldn’t get a very good look at them, but they have some kind of crest on their heads. It's horrible that they have done to him. They've put him in a box, a coffin of some kind, and then mounted the coffin on a bed of sticks as part of some sick ritual. I also now know how Kai got down there. There's a shaft of some kind. It's deep. I can tell you where to find the entrance. I need someone to go down there and get his body. Kai did a lot for me and a lot for this town. He deserves to have his final wish carried out. He needs to be buried here, at home, where his heart has been for a long time. Can you help me?"
Durnn as you are listening to her story you barely hear the shop door open and briefly catch a glimpse of someone entering the store. You noticed that they are definitely trying to not be noticed. Something about the movements rings a bell but you can't quite put a finger on what it was about this person that makes you think you know him.
