The city of Alvesborough sat in among a collection of foothills at the northern end of a vast plains carpeted with emerald-green grass and dotted with the occasional stand of forest. All was kept lush and green under the impetus of regular rain showers that blew in from the Forbidding Sea to the east. The province had been founded mainly by High Elf and Dwarven migrants expanding from the Hinterlands to the west, as their population went on the recovery. The sunny weather enjoyed by the plains area was only too fitting for the High Elves, but it soon brought the various other races of the Alliance to settle there.

Alvesborough itself was of a modest size- much larger than a village but nowhere near some of the other, better known metropolises of Azeroth. Over the years, the city had turned toward intellectual pursuits after it's main attraction- the Acadamey for Arcane Arts and Sciences was constructed. The architecture of the city reflected it's High Elven roots, with a prevalence for high arched rooves and tall spires, and most of the decor on display being a mixture of blue and gold. The settlement was decidedly upscale with it's myriad coffee shops and hookah lounges set among the collection of tall buildings that made up the downtown area. A few prominent intellectuals held forums in their rotundas, open to anyone who could speak, and everything from ethics to history to the correct plural form of roof was up for debate.

The sun was beginning to sink along with the temperature, as another early spring day started to wind down. The Arcane Acadamey had held it's latest graduation ceremony that morning and the fresh graduates were gearing up to hit the taverns before the mass exodus from the dormitories that would occur in the next few days. The faculty had a three month vacation ahead of them and all was seemingly well with the world.

Adora Feldspar, the acadamey's current ranking Sorceress, lecturer and head budgeting chief, was unfortunately still separated from freedom by the remaining paperwork that had been piled high on her desk. Her day had consisted of a marathon of certificate signing and recommendation letter writing that had not ceased even for lunch and her hand was beyond cramping. The woman's features were unmistakeably Elven, although less obvious was the small mingling of Dwarven in her bloodline, which most likely contributed to her small, petite frame. Likewise, a Human ancestor had been responsible for the jet-black hair that flowed down in great long curled locks and framed her angular face. Her skin was light, flawlessly smooth and to her minor annoyance, remained just shy of tan regardless of how much sun exposure it received.

For a Sorceress, Adora dressed quite modestly and even in the hot summer months mostly opted for loose long sleeved tunics and skirts that came just short of her knees.

As the sun outside slipped out of sight, the paperwork was at last finished. Adora stuck her quill back into the ink bottle and leaned back in her chair, glancing up at the arched ceiling with a sigh and noting the cobwebs she had intended to clean since the previous year. Her office was tucked into a chamber just above the library, accessed by a set of spiral stairs and so she was accustomed to working in near silence. The campus had apparently finished clearing out by now, and even the occasional shuffle of papers or cough from below was absent. Her secretary had slipped out after depositing the last armload of papers for her. Adora shuffled through the desk and brought out a baneweed cigarette, lighting up with the flick of a match.

It wasn't for the cool points that she indulged in this little vice. The curriculum for becoming a Sorceress of any sort was a long and stressful one, and she had taken the habit up during a particularly heated time, when the tests came one after the other with only a few frantic nights in between to master a spell or incantation. Juliss Stern, her old roomate, had been the one to assure her it was a great substitute for coffee and would 'even her out'. Adora had been a nervous wreck when it came to tests, though she had passed easily. Living with Juliss had been the hardest test of all. The Human had a habit of loudly declaring "I just ADORE you!" and hugging her much too tightly. Roommates never could be quite normal.

The sound of the library's heavy double doors closing rang out from below, followed by footfalls- boots tapping out on the floor and drawing closer until they were at the base of the stairs. Adora did not have quite enough ranking to have to worry about political intrigues or assassins sent by jealous rivals, but it was still odd that somebody should want to see her at such a time. Burglars were not unheard of on school grounds. Thankfullly Adora had magic on her side, as well as a decent understanding of hand to hand combat, which her father had insisted she learn before he would permit her to date. Adora didn't have to spend much time wondering who it was, though she nearly fell out of her chair when the rogue emerged. The Gnoll had a cleaner appearance than his bretheren, his chestnut brown fur dotted with black spots the same color as the raggedy tunic and pants he wore. An old, heavily worn rucksack was slung over his shoulder and his face bore it's usual cheesey grin that Adora recalled well from their childhood. A chrome Dwarven revolver hung in a holster in his belt, while a dagger was sheathed on the other side. Technically, he was not a full Gnoll but in fact a member of the little known sub-species of High Gnolls. Aside from lacking a hunch back, they were more intelligent and less feral than their more familiar cousins.

"Samuel Prowler" Adora said flatly, blowing smoke as she talked. Despite the severe look on her fair face, the Gnoll retained his smile as he bowed briefly and made a sweeping gesture, "Lady Feldspar. It is an honor as always, and might I say-" She cleared her throat loudly, cutting him off, and frowned, "Look, I can't help you. Last time I busted you out of the pen, the sheriff made it clear my welcome was worn out". She took another drag as he stepped closer to the desk, "That's not why I've come. I've gone legitimate now" She raised an eyebrow, "Oh? You sure about that?"
The tone of her voice was enough to cause his grin to fade. She indicated a large orb of clear glass set in a silver base that took up a corner of her desktop. She touched the smooth surface of the orb and it began to glow softly. Sam knew what she was doing and stood silently like a child about to be scolded as Adora ran her fingers back and forth across the orb. A moment later, an ethereal semi-transparent scroll appeared in the air above the crystal ball. His face was plastered in perfect likeness at the top, sporting the grin he now lacked. His image self blinked and turned it's head every few seconds as Adora read the text below. "Wanted: A Gnoll calling himself Thomas Gregory, implicated in a burglary spree that occurred over the course of a fortnight in the village of Innesburgh" She didn't bother with the remainder of the details, closing out the aethernet page and fixing him with a glare, "Tell me again how you've gone legitimate, Mr. Thomas Gregory, AKA the guy with two first names!" Sam fell silent for a moment, then sighed, holding his hands up, "Look, to be completely fair about this...I had to make that alias up on the spot". His old friend only shook her head at him, "Well it doesn't matter. The only way I can help you is by not summoning the city guard" She leaned back and placed her feet up on the desk. Her crimson gold fringed skirt slid up slightly and gave the tiniest preview of her shapely thighs, "Get out". He retreated a couple steps, then turned back to her, "Is it that easy to just turn me away?" She turned her gaze toward the ceiling again, the smoke from her cigarette dancing among the cobwebs, "Compared to the years I've spent worrying about you ending up at the gallows, yes it is that easy".

Sam reached the stairway and stood with a hand on the rail when he turned back once again, "I just needed your advice. I really do plan on turning to honest work". Adora doused her cigarette in a small ashtray and sat up straight in the chair, considering the Gnoll for a long couple of soundless moments. The two had split paths long ago but prior to that, they had been as any other inseparable pair of schoolyard friends. Sam's parents had lived in the wilds surrounding Alvesborough and together had ruled over a tribe of fellow High Gnolls as Cheiftain and High Priestess. But, as it inevitably happened among their kind, a coup got underway and they were cast out by their subjects, dumping Sam at an orphanage in the city before they continued to parts unknown.

Among the few tribesmen Sam had questioned about the subject, it was believed that his mother was a witch of some sort and suspected to be in league with demons. It was never clarified wether this was the reason for his parent's exile and he found himself caring less about the mystery as he would most likely never solve it. The mischief he and Adora made as children was benign, but as they grew older Sam began to devote more of his time into criminal activity. Pickpocketing the occasional tourist turned to shoplifting which turned to burglary, and soon the local gang took note of the rising prodigy. He had left the Alvesborough rouges after only a year however and presently lived mostly on the road and in the taverns, sleeping in the wilderness whenever he could find no drunken farm girl or lustful harlot to take him in for a night. Adora saw him less and less as his travels became farther and wider, but she was still able to glean some idea of his life from the sporadic visits.

The fragments of history floated up to Adora. Each positive memory was matched with something negative. He was a thief, plain and simple.
"Wait for me outside. I'll be out in a second". He did as instructed, sitting on one of the low stone benches flanking the stairwell in front of the library. The city was steeped in deep blue light as the sun lingered just below the horizon.

Lining the cobblestone paths that wound through the campus grounds were tall iron lamps, topped with delicate metal tendrils woven around blue gems which were enchanted to illuminate at night. They winked on in pairs, giving the impression of a flat field of stars floating just overhead. Adora stepped outside in her cloak, locking the library doors behind her. Sam stood at the top of the stairs as she walked over, and to his surprise, she bent quickly and embraced him in a hug. Her dark hair fell about his face, and he caught a faint blueberry scent before she let him go. "It is good to see you" She admitted.
"Now, if you want help, it's going to come with a stipulation. There will be absolutely no more lying" She told him, placing a finger inches from his snout, "It's pretty damn disrespectful and I won't stand for it. Next lie out of your mouth will get you a nice hair-loss spell". He nodded, unsure of how serious the threat was. For the first time in years, the two set off walking side by side.

Adora's cottage was a few blocks away- a two story timberframe affair sectioned off from the rest of the campus by a hedge. They entered via a silver gate shrouded with vines and stepped up to the covered porch. Adora unlocked the door to reveal a cozy-looking living room full of lush furniture and deep carpeting. A large tapestry depicting a phoenix hung on one wall. The legendary bird's death and subsequent rise from the ashes was a popular and sadly familiar tale to the High Elves. The interior was lit by warmly glowing crystals situated in a chandelier.

"So, what's your plan this time?" Adora asked a while later as she walked in from the kitchen with two steaming cups of tea, placing them on the glass coffee table fronting her couch where Sam sat, then plopped down on a recliner across from him. "Well...I know you won't beleive me" Sam started, pausing to gauge her reaction. She kept her face expressionless. "But I'm looking into a new career. A very lucrative one. Treasure hunting".

Adora frowned, "So instead of stealing from living people, you're going to be stealing from dead ones. That's...better?" He shrugged, "It's a tough game to get into, but I found a little something I think is going to be pretty profitable" He dug into his backpack laying at his feet and brought out a small well-used notebook. Bound in leather dyed a deep purple, a name had been scrawled across the front at one point but it was worn past being legible. An odd sort of red guilding ran along the book's spine bearing an unnerving resemblance to blood vessels in Adora's opinion. She took it from him and inspected it, "You stole somebody's journal and read it. That's pretty low, but since it's been done..." She opened the book and flipped through a few yellowed pages, "Anything juicy in here?"

"There's a page marked near the back" He said, "That's what I'm after". Adora found a folded page and glanced at it. It appeared to be a very detailed map of the region of wilderness far to the south where the plains ended and a mountain ridge rose. Inside the mountains was an X and in tiny writing it was labelled "Tower of Venus". Adora furrowed her brow, and briefly skimmed the rest of the book. It appeared to be detailing an expedition of some kind. The entries were short and vague, and spoke more of the miles traveled than the surroundings. It was looking more like a logbook of sorts

'Day 60 - Searched southern peak, nothing found. Six miles west of grey rock'

'Day 61 - Site found, beginning dig'
'Will return for supplies'

The handwriting was very well done and uniform, making it clear an educated person had penned the entries. Toward the back, the pages were scrawled with crudely drawn maps that depicted winding corridors. The author had seemingly entertained himself with a sketch of a rather well endowed woman in the border of one of the maps. Adora rolled her eyes and continued reading. She noticed that the pages were slightly greasy, as if the book had been used to mop up an oil spill. She found herself wanting to wash her hands thoroughly. Finally, written on the very back page in larger bright red ink was 'Amulet of Yandor- It's here! Pity I could not retreive it' Adora closed the book and placed it on the coffee table. "Okay. So I'm guessing you want to find this place and loot it?" The Gnoll nodded enthusiastically.

"In summary, it's a bad idea".
"You say that about everything!" He exclaimed, leaning his head on the top of the couch's back, "Why is it a bad idea? Can't you just zap me in there, I grab the amulet of endor or whatever it is, and zap out?"
"No, no, and no" she replied, "Magic isn't...well it IS magic, but it doesn't work like that" She waved her hand, "But this is crazy in the first place. You don't know what that thing is, what it does, or even if it's still there. Assuming it is, it may not even be worth anything". Sam shook his head, "The guy I lifted this book from was a nobleman. If he was after it, I doubt it's just some piece of junk. Those fat cats can smell profit a mile off and underwater".
"Well, that explains the bounty on your hide going up so quickly" Adora said with a hint of anger returning, "Mark my words, one of these days you'll cross the wrong person". She sipped some tea and calmed herself. Sam grabbed his cup of tea and knocked it back like a shot of whiskey, and was starting to wish he had some handy, "Look, the whole point of this is that I want to leave that life behind" He said, "If I make enough money off this thing, I was planning to move back here to Alvesborough. Once the heat is off me, anyway. Maybe I'd even have enough to buy myself out of trouble. And it would be the last time. Ever. I swear to the Light it will be".
"I could help you with money, if that is what is needed" The Gnoll made it obvious this was a sour idea, "Absolutely not. I can't ask that of you" He said simply. His honor system was just as baffling as it had always been.

Loyalty and skepticism for the Gnoll waged a brief but furious battle within Adora. "I would like to see you do something worthwhile, Sam. If you're serious about it, I suppose I can do some research and see what I can dig up" She finished off her tea, "And it would be nice if the backyard got mowed at some point tomorrow, since I'm using my vacation time to help you". Sam nodded, with the familiar grin back in place, "You drive a hard bargain, but I can do that". They spent the remainder of the evening catching up before Adora retired to her bedroom upstairs while Sam enjoyed the couch, a bed made by angels compared to what he usually slept on.