It is dawn. As the sun rises over the fields around Axbridge, you are already out on the village green, exercising and practicing your combat drill. You are surprised to see Notker, a short ruddy-cheeked fellow who serves as the lord's bailiff, running along the street towards you. He stops for a few moments to catch his breath, then calls out, "Come with me to the manor. Sir Beorn, steward to the baron, is here. He wishes to speak with you!"
GM: A brief word about the social order is perhaps appropriate here. The estates of the baron, whose castle lies several days' ride to the east, are widely scattered. He cannot personally supervise them all, so he has a steward to take care of this. Sir Beorn spends much of his time overseeing the various villages of the fief. In his absence, responsibility for the manor house resides with the bailiff, who is himself of peasant stock.
Most of the villagers would be suspicious of adventurers - though they are always ready to feed and shelter anyone who pays good money. The bailiff, Notker, would rarely speak to them; he is an honest and pious man who distrusts those who live by their wits. For the steward, a gruff old Knight and veteran of the Crusades, to summon common adventurers into the manor house is truly remarkable. The players should realize that something of great importance must be in the offing.
Notker ushers you into the long hall of the manor house. The steward, Beorn, waits impatiently. He is a broad-shouldered man with a fierce stern
face, and he wastes no time on pleasantries. "Up in hills by Norham Wood there is a hollow that the locals call Hob's Dell. They believe it to be a magic place, and won't go near it. I need some people who aren't afraid of churls' fireside tales." He hurls a fat bag of coins down onto the table. "A hundred and fifty silver Florins. You get fifty now, and the rest after you've done the job. There may be treasure along the way, and you can keep one tenth of any that you find. Interested?"
GM: Beorn is most definitely not a man to haggle. If the characters try to strike a better bargain, he will curtly motion them to leave. If they change their minds then, they will find the fee has dropped by thirty Florins!
Assuming that they accept, Beorn goes on to explain:
"The baron's tax collector passed through Norham from here two days ago, heading for the castle. He had the taxes of four manors in his saddlebags. A few hours later, his horse limped back into Norham without him. The taxes were missing also, and a fine sword I was sending as a gift for my brother. The horse must have thrown him up by Norham Wood - perhaps a Goblin frightened it, pah.' His neck can be broken for all I care, but I want that sword back. And if the taxes aren't recovered, the peasants will have to pay twice this year. Not a pleasant thought, with winter coming on."
His scowl tells you it is not the peasants' wel- fare that concerns him.
GM: Much of what Beorn has told them is true, but he has omitted some salient details. As the characters leave, they may begin to see holes in Beorn's story. Why does he assume the tax collector was up near Hob's Dell? Why is he so anxious to recover the lost
sword? (Naturally, they are asking for trouble if they make any,such doubts known to Beorn!)
The facts. Beorn and two of his men met up with the tax collector (whose name was Harald) a few days ago, in the small village of Hesard's Ford. Beorn gave him the sword and asked him to deliver it into the hand of Beorn's brother when he reached the castle. In fact, the sword itself was of no importance - but concealed within its pommel was a message from Beorn which incriminates him in a plot on the baron's life. Harald heard Beorn talking with his men, realized what was afoot, and departed at once. They soon discovered his absence and set out in pursuit - Beorn coming west to Axbridge while his men covered the northern road.
Harald was indeed heading north, and the men caught up with him just beyond Norham. He fled from the road up into the hills, but his horse threw him at Hob's Dell (see later). His pursuers found the horse, took the taxes in its saddlebags for their pains, and slapped the beast back into Norham. Finding no sign of Harald or the sword, they rode straight here and reported to Beorn.
Beorn is all but certain that the sword is lost within the boundary of the Dell and neither it nor the message will ever be found. He would like to make absolutely certain, but he is not prepared to risk his own skin and his men will certainly not undertake such a mission. Hence he is employing the player-characters to get the sword back. If they fail to return, he will seek out other adventurers and offer them the same deal. He is very keen to make sure that the loss of the sword does not become widely known. If his fellow plotters got to hear of it, they might decide he was a careless liability and finish him off along with the baron!