Some Behind-The-Scenes Information

I don't do this normally but part of this adventure is to get you guys used to me and vice versa, and I thought I'd list some of the things that were going on or COULD have been going on if things had happened differently. Naturally none of your characters know any of this information.


Mayor Zigund has been aware that his tenure as Mayor is going to end for some time now. Rather than attempt to change this, he decided to start a few final policies to help the town out on his way out the door. Now, the militia under the disinterested Constable has been lax in duties out in the farmsteads, and so hires a passing adventurer, Harkun Oakheart, to act as local Guardian and keep the farmsteads clear. The Mayor is immensely confused when Oakheart puts out the Bill to have the Gnolls wiped out, but can only assume Harkun is corrupt.

Harkun is an adventurer who wanted to retire and by happenstance learned of a nearby tribe of Gnolls who were looking to settle. Seeing an opportunity to get a cushy job he talks with his companion guards about the idea of setting them up and one of them, an Orc named Reman, says he can whip something up real sharp. A day later Reman returns with a contract ready-made, and Harkun takes it to Gnawbone. After some haggling, they sign the contract, and Harkun begins looking into getting them legal rights to settle in the new town being constructed north in the Zaikhal state. Harkun had every intention of fulfilling his end of the bargain. One night, over a week ago, he woke up with a start to find that he had a long gash across his neck and chin, and a short dagger with his blood still upon it lying at his side, the blood still dripping. Next to it was a Bill written for the Guild to annihilate the entire Gnoll tribe, already formalized and ready to go, and a small bag of 9000 gold. Terrified for his life, Harkun submitted the Bill as he believed he was being forced to do in his own name, and lived in fear for the next week or so. All of this he would have disclosed had you went straight to him rather than gone to the Guild, Mayor, Constable, or Inn. However, he saw you heading towards the Guild, and in his fear came to the conclusion that you had been bribed by who or whatever had attacked him in the night, and having finished off the Gnolls were coming for him. He would have been relieved to work with you, even if it meant jail time. He would have died his first night in jail, killed in a similar manner as when you found him.

Had you approached the Gnolls and Kobolds without alerting them to your presence, they would have still been alert (having the previous night overheard that a Bill was put out on their heads), they would have nonetheless been much easier to talk with. The Gnolls and Kobolds had not exactly gotten along but the two left each other alone. Getting both to talk would be easy but if a fight broke out it would basically be a fighting retreat as there are far, far more Gnolls than advertised on the Bill (if you'll recall the estimate was 30ish), and the Centaurs would have probably slaughtered you and them rather handily.

If you had approached or interrogated Hotawa you would find him to be a very personable individual who has no real ambitions save to keep taking care of his business. He actually offers you a free fig or two simply for the company. He is fairly jovial and actually conducts some business while you talk with him. If asked about the pending Mayorship, he says he has no real interest in the job but if the public elects it to him he won't deny the people's wishes. So long as it doesn't interfere with business of course! You will get the strong impression that part of WHY the people want to elect him is he has a sort of constant open-door thing, even while being the wealthiest man in town he is standing out in the street at his stall willing to talk to anybody who wishes to, such as your party.