Chapter 1
Adun glanced up from his parchment on which he was writing a letter to the town council about some expenses he owed them, when he heard someone calling him from down in the bar. The year was 1124 and the new king had just passed a new law increasing taxes for everyone above the peasant status. Adun was a mercenary, and with the increased taxes help was always wanted with guarding caravans transporting the silver and gold pieces. On the side however, Adun owned a tavern for when he was not working for the kingdom so he could make ends meet.
Since he was working for the kingdom, he made a deal with the collectors. In return for working for them, they would just take his taxes directly out of his pay. He never had to worry about missing the taxes because if he did not actually work, he did not make the required money to pay the increased taxes. All he needed was a little set aside in case there was no work to be done. In his spare time he enjoyed going hunting to get meat for food and hides for clothes and other furniture needs.
Adun opened the door to his room and yelled down the stairs, "I'll be right down!" He walked over to the wall opposite his writing desk and walked over to the water basin. He grabbed his ladle and drank some water before splashing some on his face. Turning to his left, he grabbed the cloth hanging on the wall and dried himself off. He threw some leather garb and went down the stairs locking the door behind him.
As he entered the main room of the tavern, he instinctively glanced around getting used to his current surroundings. All he saw was a man wearing a black hooded robe carrying a wrapped objected slung over his shoulders. He glanced up when Adun entered the room and said, "Please, take a seat we have some grave matters to discuss." Adun went over to the bar and took his key ring off of his belt loop and selected the grimiest key on it. He stepped behind the bar and unlocked the cabinet behind it. He glanced at his strange guest and said, "Would you like some ale, stranger?"
His guest shrugged his shoulders and replied, "No, I don't think I will and you might want to save yours until after I tell you the news." He walked to the table closest the bar and sat down after taking the package off his back. After sitting down he leaned the item against the edge of the table and took off his hood. He looked directly at Adun and said, "Please, take your seat. You may want to be sitting once you hear the news."
Adun glanced at the stranger then to the bottle in his hand. He placed the bottle on the counter and turned back to the cabinet. He pulled out a bottle of something stronger and poured a goblet full of an amber liquid. He took a sip of the ale sitting on the counter before placing it back in the cabinet and locking it back up again. He sighed as he turned and walked to the end of the counter. He sauntered over to the table and sat directly across from the stranger and said, "Say what you're going to say."
Without missing a beat he lowered his head and blatantly says, "Your father was murdered last night. Three days ago he gave me this parcel and a note in case of his death, which I am starting to think he might have foreseen."
Adun glanced at the bottle then took a couple of sips of the amber beverage before saying, "Give me the package and the note and wait here." After receiving the items, Adun downed the rest of the amber liquid, slammed the goblet on the table, and went back up to his private quarters. He walked in and locked the door behind him. Walking over the desk, Adun leaned the package against the wall, then sat down at the desk. He sat and thought for a few moments before opening the drawer. He pulled out the dagger at the front of his items, slit the seal of the note, and began to read the letter.