Returning to the crumbling church you walk in circles searching for the black pearl that first drew your attention. She swore she would pay.. what will I say to that Trader who backed my bets? You scratch furiously at the back of your neck, surveying the area over and over. Eventually it's clear she has not returned and you plod your way back to the barge. You take your seat, spending the last of your fare change on a rather flat Saltfisher Suds. A whisper fills your ear..
"You did well. Continue to do so and you will always reap the rewards." The cloaked woman sits in a booth to the left of your bar stool. As you reach instinctively for your dagger you realize your pocket is now stuffed with a sizable coin purse.
The cloaked woman stands and draws a slim black dagger from underneath her black watersilk cloak. Your mind races, betrayal is here at last... I never should have trusted this hag. She slaps the rusty dagger down hilt first on the table in front of you.
"Your next assignment will be increasingly dangerous. This dagger will be your protection." She laughs softly, almost condescendingly. "If you try to attack with it you'll lose your head. Show it in peace to the Goblins west of Rivercrossing. Inform them of the profit and glory that will be reaped upon them if they relay you to their Lord."
"The dam of knowledge is strong. It will take a simple crack to release the river to continue on it's natural course." You are handed a gold ribbon-tied parchment. "Deliver this to whomever now controls the Western Lands. I again stress that you keep your work separate from your ambition. You must be recognized as translator to the document if the recepients do not understand it. Do not mention or recognize the name Tnok, even if you are questioned about him." She fixes you with a frank, even stare.. and as quickly stands, disappearing into the throng of passengers.
You glance down at the slim black dagger. Knowing the nonsense you recently nailed to Empath Guild doors in the night, curiosity forces you to untie the ribbon...
