So, you are trying to find a new "job" that will give you a chance to get rich...

Well… you’ve spent the better part of this evening drifting from one cheap tavern for drunks to another.

Finding work when you’re looking to get into "shady business" is no easy feat, to say the least.

After all, the risk of drawing the city guard’s attention forces potential "employers" to be incredibly discreet.

And you, too, have to cloak your true intentions in vague phrases and subtle hints.

Just as you’re about to storm out of yet another filthy, low-rent tavern in frustration, someone short tugs at the sleeve of your tattered, long-unwashed tunic near the exit.

A child, perhaps?

You cast a contemptuous glance downward…

It’s a halfling, dressed in nothing but foul-smelling rags!

You think you’ve seen him (or someone like him?) on the streets of the town of Ranelborg, sitting on the temple steps, whimpering as he begged passersby for alms.

"What do you want, runt?" - you growl.

"Heh… Someone’s been watching you tonight, half-orc… If you’re looking for a lucrative gig, stick with me…" - halfling says, giggling and pulling a repulsive face.

He reeks of something so utterly vile that you barely manage to suppress the urge to kick him away - to send him as far from you as possible and keep him there.

Still, you really do need a job that pays well - not just some pittance, but real coin. And so, you follow him through the dark, winding streets of the town…

Night is fast approaching…

Half an hour later, you reach a dilapidated, single-story house on the outskirts, near the city wall.

The halfling knocks on the door in a specific pattern: one short rap, two long ones, another short rap, and three long ones.

Someone opens the door from the inside, and you both step in.

The space is cramped and filthy, lit only by a single, smoky wall lamp.

A frail, hunched human male, dressed in an old, gray canvas robe, scrutinizes you both before quickly securing the door with a heavy wooden bolt.

"I’m clearly not being paid enough, considering the risk! Get out of my house - and be quick about it!" - he grumbles, leading you to a barely noticeable wooden trapdoor in the floor and prying it open.

The halfling winks at you and climbs down…

With an annoyed sigh, you follow him.

An underground passage leads you and your companion beyond the city walls.

You emerge amidst some bushes and trees.

Nearby stands a solitary, single-story cottage; a faint glow spills from behind its closed window shutters.

The halfling guides you to the cottage door, knocks, and then swiftly vanishes into the darkness without a word of farewell.

The door swings open with an unsettling, drawn-out creak.

Sensing a threat, you step inside…

Someone slams the door shut the moment you enter. In the semi-darkness, you make out the silhouettes of figures sitting at a long table…

A distinct smell of alcohol…

And before you can utter a single word, a cold, sharp metal blade touches your throat.

«Now you better start spilling the beans about who you are and what the hell you're doing here. Otherwise, your leaky-ass corpse is gonna be plant food!» - you hear a whisper near your right ear.

It is clearly a woman’s voice!

Then again, that fact doesn’t make the situation any less dangerous…