Date: October 16, 2022
The Red Blades mercenary company sends a call across Owish, searching for freelancers skilled with a blade. Looking for work, five individuals answer the call and begin their gruelling journey to the remote village of Montmurr, where they will learn of their duties. The goblin Breadstick and magic-user Donovan are first to arrive in the village, travelling as a group for mutual safety. The goblin and magic-user had met in their hometown, making their living on the street, begging and stealing just to survive. The two make their way to The Full Flask inn and find a seat at an empty wooden table, where they patiently await a mercenary representative. It isn’t long before a lone dark elf opens the inn’s wooden door. The room grows silent, as the common folk of the village are unsure how to react. The elf makes her way to the table, introducing herself as Nynx to her fellow freelancers. A brief time passes before the inn returns to its usual state and commoners resume their many jovial conversations. Otto, a magic-user and aspiring merchant makes his way over to the group, hoping the pay will be enough to jumpstart his career. Before much more can happen, the door swings open revealing a mighty barbarian named Bronwen. The barbarian rushes to the table and abruptly takes a seat, startling many within the inn.
Breadstick instantly takes offence at the barbarian’s sudden arrival, Bronwen likewise escalates the situation. Tensions are high, with Donovan, Otto and Nynx attempting to calm the two feuding group members. The door opens once again and three men stride their way into the inn, swiftly heading towards the group’s table. Each man is dressed in red apparel, donning decorative scarves, bands and piercings. The leader of the group is a tall man with long brown hair, green eyes and a waxed moustache. Though his face is scarred, he maintains a level of elegance and composure. The goblin and barbarian cease their heated conversation, the entire group turning to face the men as they enter. The leader introduces himself as Antoine, an officer of the Red Blades mercenary company. Antoine urges the group to follow him to the Red Blades outpost down the street and before long the group has left the inn.
Travelling down the muddy road, the group makes their way into the Red Blades mercenary outpost. After walking down a short hallway the mercenaries lead everyone into a small room, seating them at a large, polished wooden table. Antoine hands everyone five silver coins for signing with the mercenaries and has little time to explain the situation before a panicked woman bursts into the building. The woman is short with dirty blonde hair, braided tightly. Her eyes are brown and tears roll down her cheeks. The woman frantically asks for help, as her son has recently gone missing. All evidence points to the dried well at the centre of town, which many locals regard as cursed. Antoine urges the group to investigate should they wish, promising bonus pay so long as they complete the task. The five freelancers journey to the dried well, Breadstick peering into the darkness below. Each member climbs down the well’s moulding rope one at a time, safely reaching the bottom without incident. A small bucket sits on the damp floor, though it has clearly not been used in some time. Dozens of demonic faces are carved into the rocky wall to the south, staring ominously at the group. Donovan is intrigued by the carvings and swiftly investigates them, finding little cohesion between each face.
Traveling west through a small passage in the wall, the group is soon confronted by a small pit, which stretches far into the darkness below. Nynx cannot see to the bottom of the pit, even with her keen dark-elven eyes. A single grey stone is dropped into the depths and after only a few seconds, an orange stone comes flying back out. After much experimentation, it appears that the pit swaps items of similar value. The group heads back the way they came and discover a small burial chamber filled with ceremonial clay pots and a wooden coffin. The coffin is opened, revealing the rotten corpse of a young warrior. The corpse is hauled away by Bronwen, who tosses it into the pit. A panicked man comes rising out of the depths, clearly shocked by the ordeal. The man is tossed back into the pit, along with several members of the group, who swap places with their sinister counterparts. The man eventually returns, swapped with the corpse from earlier. He is startled and climbs the nasty rope out of the well. After thorough investigation of the pit and its properties, Donovan urges the group to continue onwards to which they oblige. Traveling north, the group comes face to face with a group of three goblins, sitting around a table and playing dice games. The freelancers ready themselves, unsure of what exactly will transpire next.