The call had gone out, collecting adventurers and those stout of heart to come to the aid of the King.  Of course, it wasn’t the King himself who had made the call, but his Royal Council, although they had done so with his permission.  By now, it was well known throughout the land that<em>something</em>had gone terribly wrong, and that the government, and even the churches to a lesser extent, were in a near panic about it all.<br/><br/>The call had been answered.  Hundreds of men and women aiming to prove themselves to the kingdom, and perhaps earn themselves some freedom from their daily lives.  Over the past three weeks, the testing and winnowing has proceeded.  Day after day the hundreds being weeded out, some leaving for infirmity, some being cast out because they were unable to present sufficient skill at arms.  Knowledge of the land, skills of use, and to a certain extent, some backgrounds were even looked into (One of the competitors for the job had turned out to be a semi-notorious murderer and had been hanged the day after he arrived for testing).  After the not terribly strenuous, but definitely arduous testing, there remained four.<br/><br/>By the time the four are ushered into the chamber of the Royal Council to be advised of the exact specifics of their mission, it was well into late afternoon.  The people of Kaerlud would be sitting to evening meal soon, and then before the dark closed in around them, they would lock up their doors and windows, utter their usual night time blessings to keep the night out, and pray that the city guard did their job once again.  The room was quiet, where it had not been for days, what with the clamor of swirling nobles and would-be adventurers.  Now, it was the five councilmen, the four chosen adventurers, and the King himself.<br/><br/>The four were lined up before the council table, slightly off to the side from the king’s dais, and not at all facing the monarch, who sat silent, shadowed, and brooding on his throne, watching the proceedings with fingers steepled before his face.  From time to time, while the four waited, advisors would rustle their way out of the darkness beyond, whisper into the King’s ear, and disappear again, a constant stream of information being fed to the man in whose hands the fate of the Realm rested.  Beneath the dais they stood, facing the council of five, the King’s most trusted advisors.  All old men who had excelled in their fields, and had been asked by the people of Kaerlud to assist the monarch with that expertise.  Now, they served as his mouthpiece when dealing with the public, and those that were beneath his need to interact with them, such as now.<br/><br/>The council concluded their private discussions, and turned their attentions to the party at hand.  Only one spoke, the eldest and most powerful of them all.<strong>“You four have been selected, for various reasons, to assist the government with your actions.  Tomorrow, you four will head out to discover what has transpired in the village of West Fenton.  You are to be provided with a map, to ease your travels.”</strong>He stood from the table, and gestured to the pages at the door, bringing them forward to place a smallish chest upon the council table.<strong>”You will also find some items that the council has deemed you may require for your travels.  In the morning, you are to proceed along the Westroad towards Moorsedge.  From there, travel north by northwest and you will come to the village of West Fenton.  You will discover what has occurred, and you will report back to us.  In total, the journey should take you just under a week to get there, with three days to Moorsedge, and then three more to West Fenton.  We will expect a report in a fortnight.  That being said, we will not hamper your abilities to pursue an investigation, if one becomes necessary.  Within the chest, you will find three scrolls of parchment.  Each has been craefted by the royal wizard such that any missive writ upon them before they are burned will be immediately transferred to a book in his possession.  Should you decide that it would be more beneficial to pursue a quarry elsewhere rather than returning to Kaerlud to report your findings, you will use one of the scrolls, and advise us.”</strong><br/><br/>The chest was opened to reveal a small velvet pillow, upon which sat a number of scrolls of parchment, each tied in different colours of ribbon to set them apart from each other.<strong>”You will also find a writ from the Council excusing you from the law of peacebonding while on the King’s Highways for so long as you carry the letter, and are in the service of the King.  Lastly, there is a missive there, which you can deliver to any Church of the Land, and they will provide you with what miracles you might require, in exchange for it.”</strong><br/><br/>The pillow was brought out of the chest and set onto the table.  They would be allowed to plunder it for its riches as soon as the interview was over.  With a final sweep of his sleeves, the head councilman gestured once again, indicating the door.<strong>”Rooms have been prepared for you here, and you will depart with the dawn.  His majesty thanks you for your service, and good luck.”</strong>There was not to be a question and answer period.  They were not here to interrogate the king, nor second guess the council.  They were here to do a job.<br/><br/>The king left first, departing with a clank of the steel armor he wore in public, and a soft swishing of fabric on stone.  The council left next, without a single additional glance at the four they had chosen to represent them.  Finally, the four were alone with the guards in the corners, and the pillow of ribboned scrolls on the table.