Cliffside Undercity Skydock 40×30 Battlemap & Adventure

The Huntsmaster’s Eggs

While walking the streets of a village you hear yelling coming from the local sky docks, people are fleeing toward your direction screaming about flying terrors. If you investigate, you find the sky docks in chaos with damaged cargo strewn about the place and swarms of small flying creatures resembling pterodactyls swooping and nipping at people who have become trapped, including two of the current leading elders of the village who while attempting to protect the people seem to be failing.

Several guards can also be seen attempting to deal with the swarms but they’re clearly outmanned. The elders become ecstatic when they see you, pleading for your assistance. After the pterodactyls creatures have been either killed or incapacitated the exhausted guards approach you and thank you for your assistance.

Soon after, more guards arrive as well as a doctor to treat the remaining injured civilians. One of the guards, walking with a limp, inspects some of the crates where the creatures were focusing their assaults revealing hundreds of speckled eggs covered in packed straw.

Appearing shocked, the man approaches the elders and exclaims that this is the huntmaster’s fault. Pointing to the crates with the eggs, he continues that Thorpek, one of the current leading elders in the village and the one currently carrying the role of huntmaster has become arrogant and foolishly he has brought the eggs of the flying creatures here, drawing their kin to the village.

The limping man continues that Thorpek would know just as he that these creatures can not be tamed, even if hatched from an egg and that to bring them here could only lead to others being hurt or killed.

The other elders try to calm the man named Kuthar down, explaining that they will look into the matter once Thorpek returns to town to which Kuthar reluctantly agrees before leaving, while the elders choose to spend more time with the other injured villagers.

If you choose to talk with the elders or other village at the sky docks they may explain that Thorpek and Kuthar have had a simmering feud the last several years after Kuthar challenged Thorpek to a duel over the right to be the Huntsmaster as he believed Thorpek has grown to old, but Kuthar lost and was injured in the bout but Thorpek still rewarded his efforts with the position as a hunting training as Kuthar was clearly still quite skilled.

Kuthar still holds a grudge but if Thorpek really did make the mistake to bring these eggs here maybe he has a point about Thorpek. The elders request your neutral hand as outsiders to do an independent investigation into the matter if you would be so kind as perhaps it would avoid tensions rising.

Asking around the town most villagers are aware of the feud with some taking Kuthar’s side in agreeing that Thorpek is past his prime while the majority still feel he is best suited for his position. In contrast if the young hunters of the villager are spoken too, those who have been trained by Kuthar they are all in agreement that Kuthar would make a better huntsmaster. If asked about the eggs and who collected them during a hunt. They all agree that it was set up by Thorpek to have them collected but something seems a bit off about the details. If pushed many of the hunters will excuse themselves to go tend to other tasks but eventually you might be able to get out the real truth that Kuthar was behind the eggs being brought to the village in order to frame Thorpek.

The hunter who gives you this information asks you not to mention him as if the other hunters find out he talked about this they would see it as a betrayal, but he just can’t stay quiet. He also mentions that he doesn’t know what to do but leaves it in your hands. If you tell the elders it was really Kuthar who planned the eggs, he will most likely be banished, aggravating the hunters whose loyalty he holds into, perhaps even revolting.

The hunter continues that If you were instead to just let Thorpek take the fall, yes an innocent man would lose his position but perhaps the village would just continue on without needless bloodshed.

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