The next morning, our group of adventurers set out for the walled town of Culhaven. Gilby was eager to get started on his journey, and he was determined to make a name for himself as an adventurer. As they approached the hall of quests, Gilby couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. This was where he would be able to choose his first quest and start his journey in earnest.
As they entered the hall, they were greeted by a young woman behind the counter. She had bright red hair, Horn rimed glasses, a friendly smile, and light naisal voice as she introduced herself as Lucy, the clerk.
“Welcome to the hall of quests!” Lucy said. “Do you have any experience as an adventurer?” Gilby nodded and said, “I'm just starting out, but I'm eager to learn and make a name for myself. I'm Gilby Goodbarrel, and these are my friends Ethan, Savean, Irena, and Reduzia.”
Lucy's eyes lit up as she recognized the name. “Gilby Goodbarrel! I've heard of you! Your mother is a dear friend of mine, and she's told me all about your adventures. I'm happy to see you here, and I have just the quest for you.” She handed Gilby a parchment with the details of the quest, and he read it with excitement. It was called “Kitchen Help,” and it involved assisting the dragonborn keeper of the Pot and Hearth Tavern. “Garthuck is a good friend of mine, and he could use some extra help in the kitchen,” Lucy said. “He's a bit of a hothead, but he's a kind soul at heart. I'm sure you'll get along well with him.” Gilby thanked Lucy for the quest and set off with his friends to the Tavern, eager to get started on his first adventure.
As Gilby and his friends arrived at the Hearth and Pot Tavern, they were greeted by the dragonborn owner, Garthuck, and his wife Grellna. Garthuck had a deep, guttural voice with a gargling lisp, a common trait among dragonborn. “Welcome to our Tavern, friends,” Garthuck said. “I'm glad to see you here. I have a problem that I think you might be able to help with.” He explained that every night, food was going missing from his kitchen, even though all the doors and windows were locked. He and his wife worked hard all day, and they couldn't stay up to catch the thief. “We don't know how they're getting in,” Garthuck said, frustration evident in his voice. “We've checked every door and window, but we can't find any signs of forced entry. That's why we need adventurers like you to help us solve the mystery.” Gilby and his friends nodded, eager to help. They spent the day examining the Tavern for any secret entrances, but they couldn't find any. They asked questions of the neighbors, but no one had seen anything suspicious.
Reduzia, being a member of a thieves' guild back in her homeland, had a keen eye for such things and without telling her friends, Reduzia slipped away from the group and made her way to the city slums. She knew that this was a risky move, but she was confident in her skills as a thief and she was determined to get to the bottom of the food theft mystery. As she approached a pawn shop, she noticed a thieves' cant symbol etched onto the sign of a nearby pawn shop. She knew that this symbol meant that this was a thieves' guild operative and she was determined to find out more.
Reduzia pushed open the door and stepped inside, her senses on high alert. She saw the shady-looking dwarf, Digger, sitting behind the counter, and she knew that he was the one she needed to talk to. “Hi there,” Reduzia said, approaching the counter. “I'm Reduzia,” while performing a sign language thieves cant greeting. “I'm looking into the food theft at the Hearth and Pot Tavern, and I was hoping you might be able to help me.” Digger narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “I don't know what you're talking about,” he said gruffly. “I don't know anything about any food theft.” Redusia studied Digger's face and saw that he seemed genuinely puzzled. She knew that he was a member of the thieves' guild, and she knew that he wasn't lying to her. “Okay, Digger,” Redusia said, nodding. I'll keep looking elsewhere for answers.” Digger nodded back. “Good luck with your investigation,” he offered adding “You should come back sometime. Maybe when you have something to sell.” and smiled slyly.
That night, after the Tavern had closed, Reduzia returned to the Hearth and Pot with Gilby, Ethan, and Savean. They had decided to patrol outside while Irena set a magical alarm on the food in the kitchen and hid herself in the corner, falling asleep in the dark. But Irena was suddenly awoken by the magic alarm sounding in her head. She heard some scurrying and a clunk before she could light her torch. Quickly rousing the others, they rushed to the kitchen to find that one of the stones in the floor was ajar. “It must be the thief's secret entrance!” Savean exclaimed.
Slowly they each crawled into the secret entrance eventually emerging in an underground lair with many tunnels. They held their breath as a shadowy figure emerged with a basket of food in its hands. Ethan was the first to react, leaping out and tackling the thief to the ground. The others rushed to his aid, and soon they had the thief subdued. As they brought the thief into the light, they saw that it was a kobold, its scales glinting in the dim light.
“Why did you do it?” Gilby demanded, his voice shaking with anger. The kobold looked up at him with beady eyes, its tongue flicking in and out as it spoke. “Niksy were hungry,” it said simply. “Niksy didn't mean to cause harm. Niksy just wanted to feed ourselves.” Everybody's heart softened at the kobold's words. They knew what it was like to be desperate and hungry, and couldn't bring themselves to turn the thief in to the authorities.
Instead, they approached Garthuck and Grellna, the owners of the Hearth and Pot Tavern, and made a proposal. “I know that you've been having trouble with food going missing,” Gilby said. “I think I know a way to solve your problem. If you're willing to give this kobold a job, I think it'll be able to make amends for what it's done.” Garthuck and Grellna looked at each other, then back at Niksy and nodded slowly. “We'll give it a chance,” Garthuck said. “We know what it's like to struggle and to make mistakes.”
“Thank you for your help,” Garthuck said, signing off on the quest. “I don't know what we would have done without you.” Grellna nodded in agreement. “We'll make sure to spread the word about your good work,” she said.
The next morning, the party returned to the quest hall, eager to report their success!
