The next morning dawns with bustle in the now full household. The sage seems grumpy, tired, and anxious all at once. Over breakfast he finally gives voice to his worries. "A man arrived last night, a damn fool of a man that decided that old news couldn't wait until daybreak, but a man none-the-less. He brings word from a contact I have further down the peninsula in a minor harbor town that a shipment that includes some interesting items is a week past when it was supposed to arrive.
If the items involved were of great value I'd believe that his worry was justified and I would go myself. However, the shipment does not warrant the cost to me of closing up my shop and traveling there and back again. I gather from the elf's impatience that you all might be interested in keeping the open road before you. I will reward you if you can find any of my boxes, my personal glyph marks them, and I'm sure your Wizard can identify them as such."
With that he looks at each member at the table questioningly.