Dawn Under the Mountains

The gentle mid-morning din of Tuck’s Trough quiets briefly as its front door flies open and its hinges squeal in protest. A young man with a slight build enters the modest tavern and meeting hall, lowering the hood of his richly embroidered cloak. The son of the local count strides confidently into the hall holding a sealed envelope aloft, speaking loudly. No one listens as they already turn back towards their drinks and conversations. A murmur of whimsy and fantasy surrounds the young noble.
However, he refused to be dismissed so easily and made his way towards the sparsely seated bar. Behind it stands Tusk himself and sighs down at the young man. A middle aged half-orc that dwarfs most other strong men, nevermind the runt of a noble.
“Young Lord Durios, how can-” Tusk words are spoken with a deep roughness though he is quickly cut off.
“Mister Tusk! I need the service of an adventurer or two. My father will not allow me to send this letter to Castle Rockshale.” Durios looks up to the tavern’s owner, who in return offers a dumb founded look back to the young noble. After a moment Tusk’s shoulders slump and he nods his head towards a table of strangers wearing well worn cloaks.
“They came in last night. Asked for work. Didn’t have any, until now.” The half-orc sighs in relief as Durios springs forth towards the strangers. Their faces rise to meet the young man, once again he presents the envelope.
“Friends, travelers. I, Lord Durios, wish to offer you a quest of personal importance.” He looks from face to face, waitin for one or another to respond. Finally, one reaches for the letter.
“Lord Durios? We are not runners, but if there is some coin in it and a lead to something more suiting, perhaps we can carry this.” The one who spoke, an elf woman, smiles sweetly. The others roll their eyes and nod, muttering in agreement. Durios grins with glee, pulling a purse from his belt.
“Wonderful! The letter is to a knight at Castle Rockshale. And this purse is yours, ten coins to split as you please. I’m sure the Castellan will need help with the monsters and bandits in the mountains.” The group eye the purse, none daring to take it just yet. Again it is the elf woman who reaches for the coins.
“The sum is light, but we will consider your seal on this letter and thus entry to the castle as enough.” She makes quick work of tucking the letter away and sorting out the coins into stacks. She takes four for herself and leaves the other pair with her three coins each.
“Right. Castle’s two days by horse.” A man stands, downing the last of his drink and swiping his stack of coins. The others stand with him, offering nods to Durios as they push past. “What’s this knight to you, lad?”
“Lord, mister. And she is a dear friend that I have known since I was shorter than these tables.” Durios corrects the man and begins to stutter and stammer as he speaks of the letter’s intended recipient. The group look among each other and smirks.
“Right this, I thought I smelled perfume on it.” The elf woman teases, leading the others towards the door. It squeals as it opens once more. The boy lord blushes, unable to get another word in as the group leaves. The rest of the crowd heard the teasing, some snickering and others rolling their eyes.
“Mug of ale, on me.” Tusk calls out to Durios. “Lets give you a reason to be rosy cheeked at least.” He couldn’t stand seeing the young lord like this, and didn’t care to show his soft side.