Original: Current date 9160, common year. It is fall – the 10th month, day 13.
You are all summoned to a strange meeting place, by the House Narcosa (‘Guild’ of Necromancy and Healing Arts practicioners) of Salt Shore along the edge of the mighty Lake Caolite. You walk westward, over the bridge and the river, to a caravanserai area. The brewery you have been summoned to looms ahead. When you arrive at the delivery entrance you are brought into an empty storage room. It is warm, and lit, obviously quickly made accommodating. Beer, tea and cheese are made available to you by 2 apprentices of the guild, the room is quiet and somber. Each of you was given a time 15 minutes different for some reason, some of you know each other already, and others are newer faces to many. Finally, an older guildsman enters the room.
I am Guild Sergeant Brother Damon Vowsh. Each one of you has come to Salt Shore at this time, and it must be recognized that it is a strong coincidence that the hour of our need is dire and urgent. We have requested your presence here to assist in this need. You are all familiar with the guild itself by now – some more than others. I will give you the standard explanation we give to outsiders. Narcosa Guild was founded by Dacarim Narcosa in CY 7200 (about 2000 years ago), student of Grand Master Eriek Waltherson. Dacarim founded his guild on the exploration of the mysteries of the body, not on persecution of the living. We are healers, surgeons, and mystics. Life and death are a cycle. We explore all aspects of this cycle, including the animations of the once-living, and the state of un-death. To many we appear as the nemesis of the living, but this is the exact opposite, and our actions prove it. We are one of the few groups to still support the fallen priesthood of Djerduth the god of Death. We support many in the community, we assist in healing, hospice, death rites, and the use of the body in death to continue to unravel the mysteries of life.
The guild has just discovered that one of their newly graduated brothers – brethren Ajact – is not what he appears. He came to us seemingly a beginning magus, with a tragic story of family wealth and death. He sought instruction and direction… His deception was perpetrated at an epic level – he fooled everyone. We have discovered a plot by speaking with the dead he himself spoke to – a feat he should have been totally incapable of at his apprentice level. The plot we have uncovered involves him using his skills to exact some sort of revenge on an entire village in Meargensdale Vale in the south of the forest of Rhyl – many a day north and west. However, the journey must begin in Port Towne – at the great libraries there. You must confirm what we suspect by tracing his research there. He was entrusted to research something for the guild, and somehow was able to overstep his bounds using our guild key; he was able to access forbidden knowledge. His plans must be divined, and you must track him down and capture him if possible – kill if not – but return the body to the guild and debrief the guild elders. Gabrella, our apprentice, will lead you as a group. A bard of the realms has been added to provide a mask of identity if possible for the guild (he will represent the group with outsiders) and in the event a question of legal proceedings is needed, and to represent the guild and direness of the situation to outsiders if needed. For some of you, this is a required task, for others it is not – but we would hope the urgency of stopping this evil is motivation. The entire operation will be funded and paid for by the guild – you will incur no cost for the journey or supplies. Additionally, we anticipate the worst case – you are to be provided with mundane and magical healing – the writ and the Bard’s influence will also gain you access to midwives and apothecaries. A sum of 1000 silver has been lodged with Jacee Werbens the moneylender; all your names are entered into a tontine contract – the survivors (hopefully all of you) may divide it up when you return. The favor of the guild will continue to extend itself as well – we will vouch for loans if needed and see to it that you safely find your next steps beyond this mission. There will be no issuance’s against whatever you may find in your travels as you seek him out wherever it may lead you – the bard carries our writ to cover all costs. Of course you may not keep ill-gotten gains, but otherwise no taxes or liens of any kind will be applied – the guild will cover any such, along with legal fees. Lastly, we do not want this to be accompanied by fanfare and rumors. You are unknown and we wish to keep it that way for now. You must be willing to leave over the course of this evening, with what you have, separately to rendezvous outside of town… What say you?