MISSION #001
On the heights of Barberry, at that glorious and fabled tier known as Guilded Avenue, our adventure begins. For hundreds of years the guilds here established have been the lifeblood of Allevent, and Barberry its beating heart. Although this thriving coastal city has a nominal government it is widely known that the guilds hold the true power, and none more so than the Master League -- the five most prestigious and historied guilds, each alone worthy of a Bardic Saga. For now it will suffice to only name them: the Applicators, Beggar's Bounty, the Glyphkeepers, the Physiologic Society and the Free Lances. Their guild halls sprawl impressively atop Barberry's cliffed coast like proud lions sunning on a rock, casting their long shadows over the lesser guilds and establishments around them.
The Ha'penny Pie is one such establishment -- once an inn but now best described as a meeting house, this square-cut stone structure offers food and drink and the promise of adventure to any who enter. Popular with members of all guilds and travelers from all lands, the Ha'penny Pie is the destination for newcomers to Barberry. Whether seeking a job, seeking answers or seeking mischief, you all know that within these four walls you will find what you seek.
The layout inside is simple, although the general commotion may obscure this simplicity at first. As you enter you see the large open floor to the right, filled with two great elongated trestle tables and benches, at which several dozen patrons are situated -- drinking, laughing, eating, arguing. Around the perimeter of the room are smaller, square tables that can seat four. At the far side of this room is the massive stone hearth, currently unlit. Its strange design suggests it is has been converted into a heat engine, a simple ferrum artifice that can pour out steady heat in adjustable gradients. To the left of the entrance are the kitchen and store rooms, which have a steady bustle of serving girls flowing in and out with trays of food and drink, calling orders and instructions to each other. Directly ahead of the front doors is a set of stairs that leads to the second floor, which has rooms that have been converted from bedrooms to private meeting rooms, which can be rented from the man at the foot of the stairs, who sits on a stool behind a podium.
Whether or not this is your first visit to the Ha'penny Pie you are likely to notice that the atmosphere doesn't feel quite right. The perceptive among you will sense, despite the general commotion, a tension in the air like an electric charge off a lumen dynamo. You discover the source of this tension when a man and a woman descend the stairs, conversing quietly. They are a study in opposites -- the man is absolutely hulking and wears a battered brown duster over stout leather armor; the epitome of the grizzled veteran. The bespectacled woman is primly dressed in a thin white overcoat that may look exotic to those of you not familiar with the telltale uniform of the Applicators. Her severe facial expression mars what would otherwise be youthful good looks.
The enormous man shrugs as the woman shakes her head in refusal, as they seem to come to a decision. "Next!" he booms, looking over the crowd. Although many in the room seem to be here on their own business and are only watching out of curiosity in between bites of their food, a good portion of the Pie's crowd seem to be here for this strange duo. Eventually a beanpole of a man with a gaunt face and a scavenger's eyes climbs from his place on the bench and makes his way over to the foot of the stairs. The three ascend the staircase together to retire to a private room, and the tension more or less lifts as conversations return to fill the air.
Your adventure begins here.
