Our story started at the mansion of an Aldori Swordlord. Drawn by the promise of a most dangerous task, and a commensurately huge reward, heroes of all stripes gathered here…

Ellanthia Mulligan finds herself in a setting she’s never quite imagined herself in: the banquet hall of a Swordlord’s mansion. Seated between a rough-looking half-orc, and an ostentatiously-dressed gnome with purple hair, she is one of many would-be heroes that have answered the call of Jamandi Aldori. The crowd around her murmurs and whispers with each other. Across the table, a halfling woman with holes in her sleeves writes furiously in a large tome. The halfling looks up at Ellanthia and gives her a quick smile before going back to her book.

The sound of fist striking wood rings through the hall. “Where are they!?” a woman shouts. Ellanthia turns to see a human woman seated near the dais, dressed in hide armor, carrying a sword that was almost as big as its wielder. “This is taking forever!”

“If you can’t be patient,” the purple gnome says, annoyance and pretension in his voice, “no one is keeping you here. Just go back to your mountains or whatever hole you crawled out of.”

The woman shoots the gnome an annoyed look. “Just shut your trap, you little toad. And if you can’t, I’ll help you.”

Ellanthia barely registers the conversation. She is no stranger to patience--she has learned the value of waiting for the perfect moment from a lifetime of hunting and tracking in the outskirts of the Stolen Lands. As an impulsive and headstrong ten year old,  patience was one of the first things Thaddeus, her human stepfather, had taught her, along with the use of a bow and how to keep her footsteps silent.

Still, it takes all of her concentration to sit still and quiet, to maintain a countenance of neutral interest.  Those bastards had taken Lottie, and this was the best chance she had of getting her back.

"Hush, quiet," the halfling says over the crowd. "They're coming!"

Ellanthia turns to see a half-elven woman, who she'd estimate being in her forties or fifties, walk up the steps of the dais. The woman is dressed in a red uniform that marked her as a Swordlord, with a dueling sword sheathed at her side. Her black hair was pulled tight into a short braid. Following her is a bespectacled gentleman of a comparable age.

"Greetings, all of you," the woman says. "I am Swordlord Jamandi Aldori, and this is Lord Mayor Ioseph Sellemius of Restov. Welcome to my mansion!"

The lord mayor offers a humble bow to those gathered in the hall. "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for responding to our call. You may be few, but that is unavoidable. We need only the best of the best for this task, and I see before me true heroes, strong and fearless, exactly what Restov needs!"

Jamandi speaks up again. "Thank you, Lord Mayor. Now, to the point. To the South of here, just beyond Brevoy's border, lies a region known as the Stolen Lands. This is disputed territory, and while it has long been claimed by nearby states, it has never been truly taken. I won't bore you with the legal technicalities; suffice it to say that if someone had the courage to tame and seize these lands and name themselves their ruler, none of the nearby states would be able to challenge this claim. Of course, Restov would be the first to recognize the legitimacy of this new state, as well as the noble title of its founder.

"Unfortunately, one serious obstacle stands in your way. A gang of bandits holds sway in the Stolen Lands and their leader, a man they call the Stag Lord, claims ownership of the region, and no one has yet been able to challenge his power. Bring me his head, and you will be able to return to the Stolen Lands as their legal ruler. Any questions?"

Ellanthia's eyes narrow at the mention of the Stag Lord. Her mother's frantic letter had described the sudden attack on their homestead in broad strokes, but she had also enclosed the silver stag head medallion taken from one of the bandits' corpses. The medallion corroborated the stories Ellanthia had heard of increased bandit activity in the Greenbelt, and now Jamandi's announcement confirmed that they were more organized than usual.

As much as she hated to admit it, Ellanthia needed help.

"What leads do you have on the Stag Lord's location?"

Jamandi frowns at Ellanthia's question. "Unfortunately, the location of the Stag Lord's fortress is a well-kept secret, with only a select handful of his gang even knowing where it is."

The half-orc next to Ellanthia speaks up. "There's a whole team of us. Which one of us is supposed to be the new ruler of these lands?"

"I will, of course!" the gnome calls out. "I'm the leader of this team after all. Don't you worry, though. I'll make it worth your while to help me."

The hall is suddenly filled once more with the sounds of chatter and arguments over who will receive the noble title. "If I may please answer the question..." Jamandi says in a stern tone, and the sound dies down once more. "Thank you. We believe you are all equally worthy of receiving the title of baron or baroness, but it will be up to you over the course of your journey to determine who is best suited to rule."

Ellanthia had not even truly considered the possibility of a noble title of her own--finding Lottie is her first priority. Whatever happens afterward will happen.

Still, the gnome's arrogance left a bad taste in her mouth--the future ruler of the Stolen Lands should care for the land and its people. It seems like some people here are clearly only interested in grabbing what power they can however they can--barely better than the bandits they are being charged with removing. 

"If there are no more questions," Jamandi says, "then you are all welcome to retire to your guest rooms and rest up for your journey. You will find that travel supplies have already been prepared for you there."

"Thank you again," says the mayor, "for responding to our call. I look out onto you, o heroes of Restov, and doubt not for a second that you will be victorious. Go, and return in triumph!"

As Ellanthia stands up to go to her guest room, the halfling that was sitting across from her scurries under the table and rushes towards her. "Wait!" she cries. "I wanted to introduce myself to you. I'm Linzi! I'm a bard, though, this is my first real adventure. So, shall we teach this Stag Lord a lesson?" She offers up her tiny hand for a handshake.

Despite Linzi's confession of inexperience, her outgoing introduction puts Ellanthia a bit more at ease. Ellanthia offers her own hand in response. 

"I'm Mulligan. Not sure if I've been on any adventures either, but I've been scouting and hunting in the Greenbelt for years. We'll make the Stag Lord wish he'd never heard of the Stolen Lands."

"Ha ha, that's the spirit!" Linzi replies. "Tell me, what do you think of this whole 'Become the ruler of the Stolen Lands' business? It seems to have attracted a lot of attention from people that are clearly not suited to rule! I think the future ruler of the Stolen Lands should be somebody with a good head on their shoulders, not just any adventurer who happens to get lucky. I think somebody like you should be team leader. When I first saw you, I couldn't help but think, 'This is the person I'll write my book about...'"