Skairn. For Nial – It might not have been his birth town, but it was home. A relatively large town on the coast of the principalities, it was a hub for trade, privateers, and those seeking to sail from the coastline to the various isles that dotted the shoreline and beyond. Nestled more within the frigid north of the land, it was no surprise that the wind from the sea carried not just the salt-sweet scent of the sea, but chilly and whipping winds that morning. And it is here that the tale begins.<br/><br/>Normally an isolated town, it seemed that more than just sailors and trading vessels had arrived in the recent weeks. Making their way across the various towns and cities of the isles was a traveling Circus operated by marked members of House Thuranni. They’d only recent began to set up tents and performing arenas. Naturally, the event had drawn not just from the town, but surrounding hamlets and villages, giving the normally quiet town a rather vibrant if transient community of people wishing to spectate the events and circus acts.<br/><br/>Nial had heard of other rumors as well, it was no secret that a solitary academic from far off Morgrave University had found her way to Skairn all the way from Sharn. Speaking of potential treasures and ruins in the nearby Forsaken Forest, few had wanted to enter the frozen woods and investigate whatever the woman had been going on about – despite her offering a hefty reward for any brave enough to venture in with her. For now, it was a safe bet to say that she was still holed up in the town’s inn, ‘The sailor’s last chance’.<br/><br/>Finally, word had spread around town that a privateer ship was on its way to Regalport, to deliver an important missive – yet the ship was undermanned, and they were looking for volunteers. There was the promise of good pay, but what dangers would the sea hold for the novice privateer?<br/><br/>With the first rays of the morning shining in through the window to his bedroom, the town was just beginning to stir and wake. Before long, the marketplace would be bustling, goods and coin would exchange hands, and for another day the tenuous peace holding the five nations together would continue. It was a day ripe for the taking, one just had to seize the moment and take control of their actions to do so.