A biting wind blows snow in through the open door as yet another merchant comes in from the cold. Snow swirls in through the door before it gets slammed shut and lands silently on the tavern's floor. It tenaciously hangs on to its white form before the heat of the fire at one end of the room can melt it into a drop of water. Merchants cram the Golden Scales Inn for a cup of warm grog, a nice roaring fire and a chance to exchange news. Most news nowadays seems to revolve around the weather. Winter has come early this year and its unwelcome arrival has seriously hampered the movement of goods in and out of the area. This is especially important for a city as commercial as Everlund. Thousands of caravans move through the city yearly and the onset of the inclement weather has done nothing but dampen the staunchest merchant's spirit.
Then there are the stories of increased raids on these same merchant caravans by marauding bands of orcs and bandits. They seem to materialize out of the snow to fall upon their unsuspecting victims and take their hard-earned wares. Some have survived to tell these tales while others have simply disappeared. It is a mystery most strange that has persisted for nearly a month.
The city council has decided to pay a handsome reward for the resolution of this dilemma and has been interviewing prospective adventurers to form a team to track down those responsible and put an end to the raids.
You have just finished your interview and are awaiting word on whether or not you have been selected. It is a miserable time of year and a miserable place to be, but the promised pay is good and you could use the coin. Too bad the interview had been conducted by Kayl Moorwalker. The councilman is an arrogant ass and made the interview process a nightmare, but he seems to be smart enough, so there is no doubt that you'll be chosen to help solve the city's problems.