The inn is warm with hearthfire and wet wool. At a side table, the Innkeep leans in low and sharp, while a slim tiefling scholar thumbs through a stack of brittle contracts, his rings of faded gold paint catching the firelight.
Robby and Semi come in from the moor with mud on their boots and proof of the kill. The room quiets a little more as the two near the fire.
Seryth Kade
If this is about the beast outside, then I have already heard enough to be concerned.
The Innkeep
Concerned is easy. Paying for trouble is harder. Sit, scholar, and keep your papers in order.
Seryth pauses, then lifts one page at a time as if the ink might bite. A thin scent of ozone follows his violet skin and the dry crackle of old parchment.
Seryth Kade
These contracts are from Karthis, or close enough to make my hands shake. I was told this inn kept old records, and now I find a dead beast, a nervous landlord, and a pair of hunters with honest work on their faces.
The Innkeep glances from the contracts to Robby and Semi, weighing risk against relief. The fire pops. Outside, the moor stays silent.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get paid for the moor beast hunt
“I'll drop the beast's proof on the table and ask the Innkeep for our reward and if we should grill it up and eat for dinner”
SUCCESS (Poor Persuasion, rolled +2)
Robby drops the beast’s proof onto the table with a wet slap. Mud flecks the contracts, and the Innkeep’s shoulders loosen at last.
The Innkeep
That is the carcass’s worth, then. A fair kill earns a fair purse.
He counts out the reward in practiced motions and pushes the coins toward Robby and Semi, careful not to touch the blackened trail on the wood.
Robby the Gobby
Payment first. And can we roast it up for supper?
The Innkeep
Aye. You’ve earned your supper too. The kitchen hearth is yours, if you want the beast on a spit.
Semi
Good. We hunt clean, we eat clean.
Seryth Kade
If the table is settled, then perhaps someone will tell me why a moor beast and Karthis ink have found the same room.
Quest Complete
Get paid for the moor beast hunt
Skill Upgrade: Persuasion Poor→Mediocre