top of page

 On Friday evening, you enter town where a gathering is being held.  Adventurers, merchants, townspeople, nobles and commoner alike have gathered together on this weekend.  You see a great opportunity to meet people and get to know them.  As you walk into town, you hear a call for help and see a group running to the aid of someone who is surrounded by twisted creatures that you can barely make out.  As you watch, the creatures are slain and crumble to dust… the hapless person has been saved!

          Now that you have a chance to look around, you see a large building with many lights - this must be the tavern or an inn where you can find a place to sleep during the gathering.  You enter the tavern and see that it is a central part of the town.  Many people are within, enjoying ale provided by the tavern keep.  There is a sign by the door, and you overhear someone reading it for his friend.  There is to be a party held tomorrow eve, after the Feast.  The adventurers both turn to greet you and introduce themselves.  You give them your name and tell them that you are new to town.  They offer to give you a tour, so that you will know where to go for anything you need.

          The first stop is the Healer's Guild.  There is a large glowing circle around the Guild, a magical circle that only allows those who are invested to pass through without recognition.  It is also used for resurrections, a grim task, but an important one.  You are introduced to the guild member who has the task of minding the circle, and the tour continues.

 Next, your new companions bring you to the Mage's Guild.  Within, you can see many lights and decorations, as well as a smaller version of the circle at the Earth Guild.  This is where you can get anything you might find in your travels Identified, as the uses of some items and the magic's within certain items are not readily apparent to mortal eyes. 

            As you stand outside the Mage's Guild, you can hear a rustle in the nearby bushes.  Immediately, your friends are on guard, weapons at the ready, a magical aura glowing in their hands.  You too, are not without defense, and you ready yourself, just in case more of the twisted creatures you saw earlier attack the three of you.  There is but a moment of silence when a rotting undead leaps for one of your companions!  A second and third burst out of the bushes, claws dripping with ichor of some sort.  You thank Tyrra that you were able to get armor for your journey before you left.

            The undead - you think you recognize them as Ghasts from the bestiary pictures - growl and claw at your group as you fight them.  You guard against one of the creature's attacks, but several rake your armor.  After what seems like an eternity, the monster falls as you land a blow, and crumbles with a clink into a pile of dust.  You see that the other two have been dispatched by your guides, and they were watching as you fought, making sure you wouldn't get into trouble.  One of your new friends searches in the dust and finds a coin.  "Here," he tells you as you take the coin, "You can't buy much with it… but it will add up." Ghasts live to try to eat the living, he explains as you all kneel to refit your armor.   Their claws can paralyze you, a horrifying thought.

            As you continue on your tour, you see the noble houses, various inns and other residences.  You come to the Merchant's Guild.  While there are many merchants in town, the Merchant's Guild sells many of the things that adventurers need.  A long gray-bearded dwarf asks if you are looking for anything in particular.  This is the Guildmaster, you are told, the person who makes sure that trade routes are open and that adventurers find what they need to do their work.  Of course, a profit doesn't hurt either, as he tells you when you ask. 

            "New to town?  I haven't seen your face around before!" he bellows at you in a gruff voice.  "Perhaps you are looking for work?  I've got a group together to clear out some gem mines, perhaps you would like to join."  As soon as you answer, you are ushered inside and introduced to a group within the building.  "I'll take it from here… I'm sure the youngun' will be fine with me for tonight," the old dwarf tells your guides. Your two companions wish you luck on your adventure… even though you never said it was your first adventure, they seem to understand.  They give you a few potions, and cast protective spells on you, and the Guildmaster tells of the task to be done... 

NERO is the trademark of Joseph Valenti. Content Copyright ©1986-2023 by Joseph Valenti, All Rights Reserved.

bottom of page