[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/5kyZxKv.png[/img] THE BEARER OF THIS CARD [i]is an authorized representative of[/i] TIN DRAGON DETECTIVE AGENCY [i]and shall be granted all privileges thereof[/i][/center] [hr] [i]Early in the morning, exactly one week following the advertisement of openings at the TIN DRAGON DETECTIVE AGENCY . . .[/i] [indent][b]Rhea Heimlich[/b], upon opening the Cybele Cafe, would find an envelope propped against the coffee tin. [b]Andrea Gardenia[/b] would hear a tap at the prosthetic-shop window. Upon investigation, she would find an envelope propped on the sill. [b]Lian Mei[/b] would, upon waking, find an osprey perched and chattering in her camp, an envelope tied to its back. [b]Johan Von Hochstadt[/b] would find an envelope placed neatly atop his desk in his study. [b]Jacky Vic[/b] would be awakened when a heavy envelope dropped on his head from the top of the Howl. [b]Alice Pines[/b] would be handed an envelope by one of her 'patients' at the Howl, who would explain he found it in a dream. [b]Dr. Rose Branwen[/b] would discover, in the apothecary, an envelope tucked between the jars of healing salve. [b]Trilune Lewthwyne d'Arch[/b] would run into a small boy in the street, who handed her an envelope and ran away. [b]Jenna Longworthy[/b] would find, upon her return to the cottage, an envelope tacked to the door. [b]Uwen[/b] would find an envelope tacked to the stable door upon waking.[/indent] The envelope was of fine paper, calligraphed with the recipient's name and sealed with violet wax stamped with the ouroboros insignia. Inside the envelope was a neatly folded letter, an identification card, and several gold coins. The letter read thus: [indent][quote]Congratulations! Your application for employment at TIN DRAGON DETECTIVE AGENCY has been accepted. Before you can be officially hired as an official agent, officially, you must pass an introductory investigation assignment. Please find enclosed an identification card that must be carried with you at all times. This card will grant you access to most restricted files and areas, and will act as proof of authority in most situations where such a thing might be useful in your work on behalf of the Agency. Losing or misusing this card will result in automatic failure of your introductory investigation. Please find also enclosed a sum amount that will cover your travel expenses to the village of Riffraff. You will investigate the disappearance of two individuals: Kenver Edwards, 57, last seen four days ago; and Sewena Toll, 22, last seen yesterday morning. Take the nearest drop-gate to Timber Moren. A lumber-wagon will be waiting for you and your fellow trainees to deliver you to Riffraff. The lumber-wagon departs at noon today. If you are not on it, you automatically fail your introductory investigation. The driver has been instructed not to speak unless spoken to. Good luck.[/quote][/indent] [hr] Timber Moren was a quiet town this time of morning, filled only with the chatter of birds and the sweet aroma of baking bread and fresh coffee. There were more trees here than buildings: wood-paneled shops and hostels blended inconspicuously among the roots and branches and shifting leaves. Oil lamps, standing at close intervals throughout the cobbled square, dispelled the shadows of the trees and the overcast sky. A group of hunters emerged from a side-street, laughing raucously, carrying a gutted deer between them. A woman set down a bowl of scraps for a pack of wagging stray dogs. A young boy darted out of the door of a hostel while his mother called after him to buy a loaf of bread. The promised lumber-wagon sat at the edge of the drop-gate platform. An elderly scrap of a man, with a scraggled red beard and a shining scalp, dressed in green wool and overalls, sat in the driver's seat with his thin hands wrapped in the reins of a dappled ox. Both of them chewed perpetually and seemed half-asleep. The wagon itself was open to the sky and full of axes and saws of every shape and size, attached to the interior of the side-barriers. The floor was covered in straw and stacked with finished wood planks, with just enough room left for passengers to sit. The gatekeeper of Timber Moren, however, was the first face a new traveler would see. This was a plump middle-aged lady in a modest pale dress and an apron, her flyaway gray hair in a bun, her feet covered by furry boots. She held a tray of fresh cookies against her stomach, and with a perpetual, hopeful grin she watched the drop-gate for visitors. [b]"Hello! Hello!"[/b] she would say to whomever walked (or stumbled) through, and her smile brightened excitably. [b]"Welcome to Timber Moren! I'm Hedra, your gatekeeper for today, and it's my first day as a volunteer gatekeeper actually, and I'm so tickled to meet you, wouldn't you know? Hahaha! Could I help you find something? I can recommend some wonderful restaurants and attractions! Would you like a cookie?"[/b] She pushed the tray a little closer to the visitor, eager to help.