Early morning mist hangs over Nabbitt Farms as Dagg scatters grain into the chicken yard. His border collie, a lean adult male dog with a black-and-white coat, bright brown eyes, and a red leather collar, watches nearby, tail sweeping the dew from the grass.
Beyond the fence, a stocky middle-aged man in a mud-spattered brown coat hurries up the lane. His silver-threaded beard is crooked, and one boot is unlaced.
The Mayor
Dagg! Dagg Nabbitt! I know you are out here. The town needs you again, and this cannot wait until after breakfast!
Your border collie trots to the gate and gives a sharp warning bark. The chickens scatter beneath the coop as the mayor grips the fence, breathless from the climb.
Dagg Nabbitt
The horses still need feeding.
The Mayor
There is a bandit camp in the north pasture, or perhaps it is an overturned cart. Either way, folks are frightened, and they keep asking for you.
The mayor, his wind-reddened face marked by a crooked nose beneath thinning brown hair, unhooks the gate and steps inside without waiting, clutching a folded town notice. The morning quiet gives way to another interruption of ranch work.
✓ Quest Accepted
Find out what is threatening the north pasture.
Director's note
Dagg says as he calms his Bordie Colle down
“I will look into it as soon as the horses are fed. It will also cost you 20 gold for me to go look and another 20 for every bandit I have to kill.”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +0)
Dagg Nabbitt
I will look into it as soon as the horses are fed. It will cost you twenty gold to investigate, and another twenty for every bandit I have to kill.
Dagg lowers a steady hand to his border collie's neck, calming the dog's warning bark. The mayor waits by the gate while the horses call from the barn, making the unfinished chore impossible to ignore.
The Mayor
Twenty now, then twenty for each bandit? Saints preserve us, Dagg, you bargain like a guild master.
The mayor unfolds the notice, checks the purse at his belt, and counts out twenty gold pieces into his broad, muddy palm. His irritation softens into reluctant agreement.
The Mayor
Done. The town pays twenty for the look, and the rest if bandits are truly there. Feed your horses, then ride north.
For one quiet moment, Dagg's resolve falters beneath the pull of the warm barn and the promise of an undisturbed breakfast. The mayor notices the hesitation, though Dagg's bargain stands.
The mayor pockets the notice and steps back toward the lane, leaving the payment secured and the north pasture investigation waiting until the horses are fed.
+ New Item Acquired
Twenty gold pieces
“I will feed the horses and then ride to the area on my trusty War Horse, Peppers, to the location the mayor spoke of.”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled +4)