Sylvaine listened intently to the dwarfs tale, nodding at all the right spots and doing her best to appear sympathetic to his plight. It was as she had hoped, then. The dwarf was desperate, and her father had always saif that desperation made for lucrative clients. With a little luck, and a lot of talk, this could be hers and Cillians ticket to free supplies for the journey ahead. She gave the dwarf a big smile and raised her glass to him.

"Well, friend" she said, "Seems your luck is about to change! I don't know if I believe in fate or stuff like that, but chance is smiling on us both this day. You see, me and my friend over there" she continued, indicating Cillian, "Are well-versed travellers and outdoorsmen, and it just so happens we've frequented the Blackwood on more than one occation."

[hider]Deception roll: 5 + 1 = 6[/hider]

Sylvaine lied, of course, but the dwarf had no way of knowing. Besides, like all good lies it had a grain of truth in it; Cillian and her [i]had[/i] spent a lot of time in the wilderness, albeit never far from the roads. Having let the information sink in for a moment, she continued. "As it happens, we are both also for hire. I have no doubt in my mind that we could find your friend for you and have him back within a week or so, depending on how far he's wandered. Meanwhile, you can remain in town and rest up, knowing he's on his way home." She lingered a moment, taking a sip from her glass, before going for the kill. "For a reasonable price, of course."

She put the glass down and gave the dwarf her most serious, businesslike look. "My proposal is this: My associate and I venture into the woods in pursuit of your friend. You supply some money up front, a couple of silvers, so we can aquire supplies for the expedition. If we return within a week, you pay us the rest of the money, three gold each. If we're late, you pay us only one gold each. Either way, you get your friend back and can remain here where it's safe. How does that sound?"

[hider]Diplomacy roll: 4 + 1 = 5[/hider]