D&D Pre-Game 4-7-2018

A gnome in a long coat and floppy hat hurries down a long dimly lit hall. He reaches into his coat pocket and produces a large key ring with multiple keys on it as he approaches a large wooden door. He opens said door and shuffles inside.

As the door closes he is standing in a small room. There he finds two men and a woman, dressed in filthy rags,  huddled around a small murky fluid filled metal bowl within a runic circle surrounded by candles. They were slowly rocking in place and chanting. The room is littered with scraps of parchment, food and clothing and has an indeterminate odor wafting about.

 

The sight of this squalor always offended him. The  gnome softly kicked the remains of a roasted chicken out of his way as he approached the trio. He hated dealing with this wretches, but it was the task given to him. He would not fail, for he knew how his master felt and dealt with failure. He reached into his backpack and produced a bit of parchment and a small pencil.

The three filthy humans began to shake and their eyes rolled back white. Oh how he hated when their eyes did that. It was so unnatural. The small bowl began to bubble and sputter. Soon the chanting stopped. The fluid in the bowl cleared and a finely bearded human face could be seen.

 

“Hello? Can you hear me?” said the bearded face.

“Yes we can. What news?” replied the gnome.

“Well the gnoll invasion has been repelled. The forces sent here have driven them off. It was a failure! Cloveshire still stands!”

“Quite yourself fool!” replies the gnome. “Wiping out your little castle was never the intent. The gnolls were just another piece on a larger game board. Look at what they accomplished. The lands surrounding you are in shambles. The farming villages razed. The only other bastion of safety is ruined. Where will those simpleton farmers look for safety? Who will they look to for leadership? Where is the only strong point in that region now? Think about it fool….Cloveshire Keep. You have been placed in a position of great power in that region. The only place of power. That is just one part of the master’s plan.”

The bearded human stared in silence for several seconds. “What if the gnolls had not been stopped? What is they had wiped us out?”

“Well then I would be having a much different conversation with a dramatically different mouthpiece right now wouldn’t I?” replied the gnome. “ Don’t think the master wasn’t prepared for such a contingency. Now, if there is nothing else we need you to resume your normal duties. When the master is ready, you will be contacted again.”


“Well…there is the manner of my compensation.” the human replied in a whiny tone.


“You were told where the money was located and that their shaman would let you pass. Gird your loins and retrieve your money.” The gnome said tersely.


“Ummmm....well...you see.... there is a slight problem. You see the shaman and his little band are all dead.!The lock box was gone!"


“That is a problem indeed. We had hopes for that shaman. His loss will upset our master. I’ll be sure to inform him of this news and how you were not able to retain his services. Now I have other business to attend. Remember business as normal until I contact you again. Good day.” As the gnome said this the three humans fell to the floor and the fluid in the bowl became murky again.

The gnome stepped back from the trio of humans and began to transcribe all that was said during the conversation. He did manage to leave out the part about their operative’s loss of compensation. That information he knew he could use as possible leverage in the future, if necessary. He finished his scribbling, rolled the parchment up and slid it into a small wooden tube. He then placed in a small satchel by the door.

He turned back around to see the filthy trio still lying unconscious on the floor. The gnome sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. He hated dealing with these type of diviners, but his master insisted they were easier to handle and impossible to trace. He was skeptical, but his lords orders were always to be followed.
He approached one of the unconscious males and kicked him in the ribs.

“Wake up!” he bellowed. “There are two more people to contact. They you will be fed, paid and then can wallow and sleep in this filthy chamber all you want. Until then…wake up!” the gnome yelled and kicked the other sleeping male. “Now, I need you to contact our lord’s brother.”


The three humans sat up and began to slowly chant and sway again as the murky fluid began to bubble again.