Legend
You enter the palace with the guard you met at the front gate. He tells you to wait while he goes inside the main throne room. Soon he comes back out with a snooty looking advisor and goes over to talk to you.
"Looks like it's your lucky day, the Baron's bored enough to see you. Hope you know what you've gotten yourself into." The guard says and leaves. Now the snooty advisor comes up to you.
"You are obviously of lowly peasant stock! You shouldn't even be allowed in here, let alone be in the Baron's presence, so you had best consider this encounter to be an honor! Now follow me."
You resist the urge to say something and follow him to the Baron's room. When you get inside, it's empty. From what the front guard said, you thought there was going to be a bunch of people in here fawning all over him. The Baron himself looks pretty much like you thought; a big fat guy. This is further reinforced by the fact that he's sitting at a table by himself with a lot of half eaten food. He stops eating for one second, looks up and belches before speaking.
"Who's this jackass?" he says spitting food particles from his mouth.
"This is the adventurer you said you wanted to see, Baron."
"I meant LATER, after I was done eating you fool! I should have you beaten for your constant incompetence!" he shouts throwing a turkey leg at the advisor's head.
"Very well, we'll come back later." The advisor replies taking the abuse.
"No, you've already ruined my dinner now; I might as well take care of this now. YOU can leave though; you've annoyed me enough with your idiocy!"
The advisor looks like he really wants to say something back, but stops himself and meekly leaves.
Now it's just you and the Baron. The Baron goes back to eating while talking to you.
"So, I hear you're an adventurer trying to make a name for yourself, and you figure the best way you can do that is by working for someone of notoriety."
"Basically."
"Honesty. How quaint. Not sure if you picked the best candidate, if you haven't heard already, I'm not very well liked, though sometimes you'd never know it due to the false praise I receive from those that work for me most of the time. Not even my children are that fond of me, but enough of that. As it turns out I do have need of someone of your type. Someone not tied down by any of the politics here and is suited to such irregular tasks."
"Well here I am."
"Yes, and here you areÂ…okay let's see you prove yourself. A few days ago I went out hunting in the woods northwest of here and we were ambushed by some Hobgoblins. I had to do most of the work myself as usual, but in the ensuing battle, I was disarmed and nearly killed. My incompetent guards were barely able to fend them off. However one their number grabbed my sword and escaped with it. That sword has been in the Varsakken family for generations! I want you to go get it back!"
"How do you know the hobgoblins are still in the woods or they even still have it?"
"Because I've been getting reports of them attacking merchants traveling through that area. I'd send some of my men up there, but I need them here to protect this city and myself, besides I think you're more suited for this sort of thing anyway. Hobgoblins are also known for their love of weapons, so I know they probably still have it, especially since my sword was a particularly fine one. You'll know the sword because it has "Varsakken" engraved on the blade and a diamond embedded in the hilt. Now go, and don't return without it."
With this last order, you set off on your quest hoping that this is all going to be worth it in the long run. Your trip to the woods doesn't take long; you don't expect this search to go as quickly though. You could go about this two ways. You could be active about it and try to track the Hobgoblins, which could get you hopelessly lost in the woods or passive which means you camp out somewhere and hope the Hobgoblins stumble upon you. Obviously the drawback to that plan is the potential long wait you'll have in store.
"Looks like it's your lucky day, the Baron's bored enough to see you. Hope you know what you've gotten yourself into." The guard says and leaves. Now the snooty advisor comes up to you.
"You are obviously of lowly peasant stock! You shouldn't even be allowed in here, let alone be in the Baron's presence, so you had best consider this encounter to be an honor! Now follow me."
You resist the urge to say something and follow him to the Baron's room. When you get inside, it's empty. From what the front guard said, you thought there was going to be a bunch of people in here fawning all over him. The Baron himself looks pretty much like you thought; a big fat guy. This is further reinforced by the fact that he's sitting at a table by himself with a lot of half eaten food. He stops eating for one second, looks up and belches before speaking.
"Who's this jackass?" he says spitting food particles from his mouth.
"This is the adventurer you said you wanted to see, Baron."
"I meant LATER, after I was done eating you fool! I should have you beaten for your constant incompetence!" he shouts throwing a turkey leg at the advisor's head.
"Very well, we'll come back later." The advisor replies taking the abuse.
"No, you've already ruined my dinner now; I might as well take care of this now. YOU can leave though; you've annoyed me enough with your idiocy!"
The advisor looks like he really wants to say something back, but stops himself and meekly leaves.
Now it's just you and the Baron. The Baron goes back to eating while talking to you.
"So, I hear you're an adventurer trying to make a name for yourself, and you figure the best way you can do that is by working for someone of notoriety."
"Basically."
"Honesty. How quaint. Not sure if you picked the best candidate, if you haven't heard already, I'm not very well liked, though sometimes you'd never know it due to the false praise I receive from those that work for me most of the time. Not even my children are that fond of me, but enough of that. As it turns out I do have need of someone of your type. Someone not tied down by any of the politics here and is suited to such irregular tasks."
"Well here I am."
"Yes, and here you areÂ…okay let's see you prove yourself. A few days ago I went out hunting in the woods northwest of here and we were ambushed by some Hobgoblins. I had to do most of the work myself as usual, but in the ensuing battle, I was disarmed and nearly killed. My incompetent guards were barely able to fend them off. However one their number grabbed my sword and escaped with it. That sword has been in the Varsakken family for generations! I want you to go get it back!"
"How do you know the hobgoblins are still in the woods or they even still have it?"
"Because I've been getting reports of them attacking merchants traveling through that area. I'd send some of my men up there, but I need them here to protect this city and myself, besides I think you're more suited for this sort of thing anyway. Hobgoblins are also known for their love of weapons, so I know they probably still have it, especially since my sword was a particularly fine one. You'll know the sword because it has "Varsakken" engraved on the blade and a diamond embedded in the hilt. Now go, and don't return without it."
With this last order, you set off on your quest hoping that this is all going to be worth it in the long run. Your trip to the woods doesn't take long; you don't expect this search to go as quickly though. You could go about this two ways. You could be active about it and try to track the Hobgoblins, which could get you hopelessly lost in the woods or passive which means you camp out somewhere and hope the Hobgoblins stumble upon you. Obviously the drawback to that plan is the potential long wait you'll have in store.