AOP:Exigent Circumstances

## Bells in a Handbasket

By seven bells, Lieutenant Azirejann is just arriving back at the Jolly Warrior. Players can see the pressure in her face as they find a table in the back. She no longer has her riding pack, but she does have the diplomatic briefcase.

* Lt. OA: Have you eaten?
* Party: [???]

Lieutenant Azirejann will order herself dinner, plus whatever the party wants. If they haven't found lodgings yet, she recommends they get a room here and Stonehearth will cover it. Otherwise, wherever they stay, the PCs should be sure to enter it as their first expense.

After they order, she pulls the *Bills of Reward* back out and slides them across the table to the party. If they've seen the bills already while in the city, perfect. Otherwise, it's the PC's first chance to examine what they'll be posting through the Dragon Coast.

No matter their route, they'll want to depart tomorrow *latest* at dawn.

Other than that, she'll make small-talk at the table... *and that's it*.

*If the party presses her on it:*

* *There have been developments, for Stonehearth and for you, but this is not the place to discuss them*...

And it's devouring time as they bring out the food.

### After the meal

Lieutenant Azirejann will lead the party back out of the *Jolly Warrior* across Westgate Boulevard, and around the half-circle block of official buildings, including the Westgate Municipal Authority administrative buildings and what effectively amounts to Embassy Row, with the mission of Cormyr, Sembia, and others representing here in Westgate.

The lieutenant explains the walk as they're safely buried in the evening crowd:

* *I was going to lease office space for two months, signed the papers and everything, but City Hall here has contested that, as a major polity, that it would be improper for Stonehearth to misrepresent ourselves as merchants. We're not, but others don't know the difference between House Stonehearth and Stonehearth Mercantile.* So, *(pointing at City Hall):* the customer is always right*.*
* *The Elversult mission was abandoned when Cormyr annexed them and now Westgate insists we take their building. That decision was way above my pay grade.*
* *The building is free, and as an embassy, it's essentially sovereign Stonehearth territory in Westgate City Limits. Not the commitment Stonehearth was ready to make, and not a decision I'm authorized to make, but I sent it up the chain and... it was approved.*
* *It means we're going to have a staff here. It means people, commerce, tax, and basically an investment. It's diplomatic extortion, is it what it is, but Stonehearth agreed to it.*
* *Further, every mission requires an Ambassador. Northpoint is sending one post haste, but until then, I'm the Acting Ambassador. I do not support this: they are using a dagger to do the work of a scalpel*...

The group arrives at a building to find laborers scraping off the wall once adorned by the Elversult emblem. Other workers are installing a massively heavy polished brass door to the polished stone front of the building. Guards wearing the livery badge of the *Mercenaries' Guild of Westgate* are stationed around the area and they nod to their new employer as she leads the party past the front doors.

* *This ties me down a bit. As an attaché of the Arms, I'm trained as a field operative. I'm very good at what I do, and that usually involves thankfully limited time hoisting martini glasses at pompous soirees. I think you're supposed to hold out the pinky finger, but I'll have to brush up on my protocol and etiquette.*
* *When you return, this is where you will come. If somebody approaches you directly regarding the* Bills of Reward*, you will refer them to* this *office*.

She guides the party up the stairs, down a hallway and into an empty office that's otherwise guarded by another official Westgate mercenary. She closes the very heavy door behind them, affording some level of privacy and discretion.

By the layer of dust, the building has obviously been unused for a few months. The lieutenant pulls out a rod of some sort, obviously magic, and walks the room, slowly waving it up, down, back and forth.

* *Clear enough.*
* *While these developments are more me than you, there are some that are more you than me.*

## The PC's What-If Questions

Q: Is the crate sealed?A: Yes, but we don't track the seal on merchant sales. The crate has safeguards against accidental activation but it's possible they cracked it open, burned the crate and separated the contents. Your mission is still critical.

Q: Why?A: It lets people know that Stonehearth is actively looking. In this case, "people" being two Crowns to the north of us. The diplomats call it pretense. Political players use that so nobody is surprised when Baron von Schmuckface's castle suddenly explodes. That crate was bound for Cormyr, but it's unlikely Sembia was behind it. it's far more like that it's an opportunist who overestimated themselves and now they're trying to move the contents through the Dragon Coast. Even if they've divided the contents into 20 leather satchels, those Bills of Reward keep the pressure on.

She holds up the arcane trinket that ended your first meeting – the one that flashed orange.

* *We have reason to believe the crate may be close to the area you'll be operating.*
* *Again: you are not a search team. You are neither trained nor equipped to intercept that crate. Do not deviate from the mission to hunt for this object. However, in the course of your assignment, should you suspect the presence of the crate, things may become more delicate...*
* *I trust your competence a great deal more than the average farmhand that will get himself killed trying to cash in. I would like to entrust with your party two devices which can help us both.*
* *First <*holds up an almost pen-sized device*>, this is a **Wand of Arcane Vision**. It's a little like a Primal Magic version of a **Wand of Magic Detection**, and it's attuned for use by a non-magician. Would any of you feel comfortable carrying and using this device?*
* *Second <*holds up a palm-sized trinket engraved with an ear and a mouth*>, this is more or less a **Sending Stone**. I carry its paired match 24 hours a day. As I am not going to be able to track tips right away because I am... stuck... here, if you see something, and Stonehearth investigates it, you may get that 100 gp tip reward yourself.*
* *If I get word of a tip that is near you, I may ask you to investigate. You are free to decline based on threat level, but each investigation you accept will earn you a bonus, minimum 10 gp and likely more depending on the potential hazard.*
* *Finally, should you actually see the crate, you will use the sending stone to notify me and request further instructions. Having you intercept the crate is unlikely. Although I barely know you, I feel it would be a tragic waste to blindly send you to your death. I may request you tail the bearers of that crate until we can intercept or otherwise interdict that group.*

 If the party does not agree, then they continue with the mission as it was originally planned.

After the meeting, the party is free to attend to their affairs before tomorrow's departure.

Check the "Wrap the Evening" page for last-minute pre-expedition notes.

## Where To From Here

* **Primal Magic item use for Dummies**
* **Wrap the Evening**
* **AOP Overview**