“Well, I don’t suppose I have any better options,” You admit. While you feel slightly manipulated, you get the impression that Jackie is a good person, even if she is apparently involved in prostitution and who knows what else. “What sort of ‘chore’ do you need me to do for you?”
“Oh, nothing dangerous yet,” Jackie says with a smile, “I just need you to make an exchange on my behalf. As a local business owner, I have a reputation to worry about, and can’t be seen lurking around the marina and ferrying packages back and forth.”
“So you need a courier?” You ask, slightly underwhelmed.
“One who won’t ask too many questions and who can be discreet and elusive,” She clarifies, “It would be unfortunate if your first night in the city were spent in a prison cell.”
“Most unfortunate,” You agree, “Would you offer some better lodgings for the night if l successfully deliver your package, then?”
“And a few coins, of course.” Jackie smiles, removing an envelope from behind the bar and waving it towards you, “How many coins will depend on how well you do.” When you finally take the envelope from her, you find it surprisingly heavy, though not especially bulky. It’s sealed, and you know better than to open it right in front of her.
“I presume this will be exchanged for your package down at the… marina?” You ask, not even entirely sure where that would be in relation to your current location.
“Correct,” She says, “You’ll be looking for an Orc named Kelth. He has an ugly scar and an eyepatch, and probably smells like pipeweed. He wanders around a lot, so you might need to look for him, but he should be expecting a girl like you. The package will be small and inconspicuous. It shouldn’t take you more than an hour or two to get there and back.”
You commit the information to memory as best you can, and briefly wonder whether or not there will be some kind of quest indicator to help you along. Then again, a bunch of giant floating arrows pointing you towards different goals and locations would probably get real old, real fast. “Okay,” You finally decide, “I guess I’ll get going then. Anything else I should know?”
Jackie chuckled, “So much, little stray, but for now, just try not to disappoint me, okay?”
You frown at that, but you understand her position. Were it not for your Patron’s infodump, you would be even more lost than you already are. And as much knowledge as you have rattling around in your skull, it mostly seems to be surface-level: names and places, a few historical events and geological generalizations, basic rules about how the world works… But no real depth. You don’t know what the current political landscape of the empire looks like, or even where one city is in relationship to the next. “Stray” is a generous term, and even Jackie’s low expectations are probably higher than they would be if she knew exactly who, and what, you were.
As you say your farewells and return to the city street, you finally get a chance to get a good look at the building you had been rushed into before. The red doors and are the only opening in the otherwise brown-and-white painted walls; there are no windows on any of the three floors, at least not on the front of the building. There is, however, a large sign, denoting the building as “The Welcome Den,” which, along with a risqué painting of two naked women with strategically-placed mugs of ale and plates of food, gives little question as to the type of establishment Jackie is running. You don’t believe that prostitution is illegal here, but you do wonder whether or not Jackie and her girls have to pay some kind of “dues” to the City Guard in order to keep this place open.
You can’t stand around gawking forever, though. The marina would need to be on the water, which is likely downhill, if your understanding of sea levels holds up. You didn’t want to ask Jackie for directions, wanting to at least maintain some illusion of competence and familiarity with the area. Fortunately, it doesn’t take you very long to find the right direction, and you can soon smell sea salt and fish on the air as the jumble of buildings gives way to docks and boats. The marina. Most of the people here seem like sailors and workers, and few pay you any attention, except for the occasional catcalls. You suspect that you’ll need to get used to those.
Now all you need to do is find Kelth, make the exchange, and get back to Jackie’s, right?
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