[color=f9ad81][i][b]Eaton, Sutherland, Kingdom of Raxas
Eaton Cutlery Company[/b][/i][/color]
"Don't go anywhere!" the six foot Gunnar Løfgren said to his friends. "I'm going to check the postins at city hall." Gunnar looked at the faces of his recently formed Eaton Cutlery Company. Everyone understood what was at stake. They all agreed to join him in this venture and were willing to do what it takes to make the company succeed. They sat quietly around the table in the center of the room rendering the [i]fish stare[/i] as Gunnar walked out the door.

"I hope he finds a job for us," Seth Bergstrom allowed the words to slip from his lips. Everyone was thinking the same thing. Maybe it didn't need saying. Maybe it was universally understood. But the words were out there and no one would dispute them. This is what they all signed up for. Let's see what sort of trouble they could get into.

"What will he bring back?" Bjørn Fisker, the youngest and largest of the group asked. "I think it will be a caravan escort. Probably head up to Raxas City or Wellspring. Maybe send us south to Reford or one of them coastal places like Middlesboro, Lyecester or Murky Banks.

"I hope to god it ain't Murky Banks," Manfred Engman blurted out. "I nearly got killed the last time I was in that god awful scrum of a pit."

"Yea, wasn't that were you was boinkin' the constable's ole lady. He came home and caught you right in the middle of the deed?!" Seth spoke with a smile. The group all burst into laughter. 

Manfred simply hung head low. "You got me! Not one of my better days."

Meanwhile at the City Center, Gunnar witnessed a crowd. He overheard someone speaking, [i]"...aye he was a big bastard. Green skin. Tusks. Black fur running right down his spine. I don't know-never seen one like that a'fore. Carried a big nasty hammer. A couple o' smaller ones were dashin' at his feet. Anyway, them took a couple pigs, a few chickens, a cow, me wife. Ah well. Get'em back if you can!"[/i] The man who spoke appeared to be distraught and out of sorts. He was talking to the crowd, but no one seemed to take him up on his offer.

"What say you, man?" Gunnar asked the farmer.

The Shreeve of Sutherland stood by listening as the farmer spoke. "I believe you heard the good fellow clearly. I will pay fifty gold to any group who can render justice upon this rogue of an Orc Outlaw and his heathen band of goblins. Return the farmer's possessions and his wife. You will duly compensated. The farmer will throw in a few vials of medicine along with my bounty if you are successful."

"Aye, my lord," Gunnar responded to the offer of employment. "I have a company that can complete this task. Any idea on what direction they are heading?"

"They are believed to be heading north toward Wellspring or maybe down towards the River Trys. They've left quite a trail and don't appear to be shy about the mess they have left behind. You should have no difficulty finding them."

"I will take your job offer, Shreeve," Gunnar spoke to the City Elder. Then he looked at the farmer, "I will return your possessions as best I can; your wife as well, my good man." Then Gunnar turned and headed back toward the company office for the Eaton Cutlery Company.

Just as Gunnar turned back away from the city center, he heard a scream that stopped him in his tracks. An elder priest from the Church of St. Borthis wept indiscernibly. Gunnar was able to understand some of what he screamed, [i]"...some damn fool has gone and stolen the Statue of St. Borthis the Bold from the Church...Saw him lugging it into the woods a few hours ago. Hurry! And you can catch him before he reaches the river...[/i]"

Gunnar looked at the priest. "I will look for your bleeding statue as well, reverend. If I don't return with it right away, I will go back out for it."

"It was Crazy Tuck and his gang of hooligans. They couldn't have gone far. They were quite intoxicated," the priest uttered. 

"I got it reverend. Let me go get my boys. We'll head out within the hour." As Gunnar resumed his walk to the office, the boys wrestled in the courtyard. 

The [i]office[/i] was a two story edifice with an open area in the middle of the structure. The open area was used more often than not as a place for the members of the company to train. They practiced various fighting styles, armed and unarmed in the courtyard. Today, they were sparring with bare knuckles.

Seth and Bjørn faced one another dancing in a circle around one another. Seth sent two jabs at Bjørn who dodged both aptly. As soon as the second jab missed, he unleashed a heavy right cross that connected with the left side of his head. It was enough to whip the young man's head back. Bjørn shook it off and came back at Seth with three jabs in rapid succession, a right upper cut that caught Seth in the chin and two more jabs.

Seth spat blood upon the dust just as Gunnar entered the courtyard, "Get your gear, boys! I got us a mission!"