Mut is a small city located on Taldor's Inner Sea coast, about 40 miles downriver from the capital city of Oppara. Despite its modest permanent population of about six thousand, Mut manages to maintain a bustling feel. Mut's famous Glory's Flame lighthouse and its proximity to the capitals of Absalom and Oppara are major factors that provide the city numerous and varied travelers. It's even said that on its busiest days, the citizens of Mut find themselves outnumbered by its visitors.<br/><br/>While the large majority of Mut's guests are welcomed with open arms, there are a some that would sooner be called invaders. Among the invaders are bandits, goblins, and other monsters, but perhaps the most hated are drow. While all other sort of evil cause primarily financial damage and are easily dissuaded with proper protection, drow are much more vile. Even a well trained caravan guard often falls prey to the treacherous drow. And more importantly, the drow are not concerned with gold, but with the capture of those who dwell above.<br/><br/>It is one such incursion that motivated a furious call to arms. Within a day, posters, criers, and rumors all across town turned the subject of their focus to a recent drow kidnapping. And while most taken below by the drow had no hope of ever returning from their miserable existences, this bounty's offeror was of the opinion that enough coin could solve any issue.<br/><br/>The bounties posted included no unnecessary detail. It was immediately clear that this was a serious campaign against the drow that needed to be completed as soon as possible. To ensure it's expeditious completion the bounty indicated a sixty thousand gold bounty and dates and locations for several upcoming information sessions that aimed to get potential bounty hunters up to speed on the specifics of the job. The location of the soonest session was at the Red Hawk Inn, and it was taking place at noon the day immediately after the posters first appeared.<br/><br/>That day, The Red Hawk's Innkeeper, a large half-orc with a keen eye for adventuring types, was on his toes. He quickly guided any suitable looking individuals he spotted along to a side room that seemed to usually serve as some sort of semi-private party room. That day it was occupied only by a mess of clustered tables covered in all sorts of documents and a single fully-plated guard armed with an exotic looking polearm.<br/><br/>With such short notice only a small group had amassed to the meeting point. A group of merely four waited, as per the guards instructions, for the bounty giver to arrive. Only a few minutes after noon he emerged into the room through a secondary entrance. Without hesitation, the heavyset man, an obvious aristocrat, poured into his introduction.<br/><br/>"My name is Sabian Mercans. Only two days ago, while returning from the Chateau Goulaine, my wife and I were beset upon by a group of heinous drow. I do not remember much of the tragic event, I am uninjured, and my purse is not lightened, and yet I am heavily burdened by the events of that evening. My dearest wife, Betia Mercans, was taken from me. The unforgivable curs sized her and undoubtedly dragged her into the dark lands below to do with her as they please. Much as they have done with countless other innocents in the past. Regardless of how that motivates you, there are also six thousand platinum pieces waiting for whoever returns to me my dear Betia along with the heads of any who have laid their filthy hands on her.<br/><br/>"The incident occurred the night before the last. While the trails should still be quite fresh, that does mean I don't have many leads for you to follow. In fact, I have only one real lead for you. There was another couple who had been walking the same path that I had just the day before. They were similarly attacked. The bastards took his wife too, but he put up more of a fight than I had been able to. He resisted long enough to get a good look at the scum and the setup of their ambush."<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/aa/06/8b/aa068b79afcbbcf4ffd54f08fc1f8ff2.jpg)</div>Sabian picked a piece of paper out from the mess sprawled on a nearby table. He unfolded the single page, revealing a sketched drawing of a drow. Even considering his obvious heritage the drow had long ears. They tapered gently and pointed straight to the sky. He had a strikingly square jaw and chin, as well as sharp cheek bones, and his sunken white eyes were void of any iris or pupil.<br/><br/>While presenting the sketch, Sabian pointed to a map spread out on a table between him and the rest of the room. He indicated a particular wooded path that passes from Mut to a nearby winery. The path isn't very long, a 20 minute walk at a moderate pace, but the particular bend pointed out juts somewhat out of the way into a rather dense grove. "And there's where they caught us, apparently. My recollection of the event is hazy at best, but the one who had that sketch put together says that's the spot." He refolded the sketch and handed it to whomever was the quickest to grab it. "He says they headed in this direction with his wife." He added, gesturing a line that bisects the curve in the road and heads out its convex side.<br/><br/>"Unfortunately, that's all I have for you to start with. I would suggest that you'd all be best to figure this thing out together. I don't care to what person or persons I pay this out to in the end, but I'd wager it's not going t be any of you if you all try to handle it alone." There was a quiet pause before Sabian, with a small eruption, added "Now, I have more leads to investigate, so, if there aren't any questions, get to it." He shooed his audience away and turned to leave in the other direction, pausing only briefly to allow questions to catch him.