One

A chance encounter today may have changed the course of my life. In the street, I stumbled upon three extraordinary individuals, Ibram the Pious, Hargis McFadden, and Targ. A fleeting peril united us, but I suspect that soon respect, comraderie, and a drive to improve ourselves will bind us together.

It all happened this afternoon the market district of Nyos. I was making my way down the crowded street when I heard a commotion up ahead. Suddenly, the people around me all started to panic, fleeing from whatever disturbance lay ahead. Their fear was so great that as they surged past me, I was knocked off my feet! Recovering, I pushed against the flow of bodies, fighting my way forward, to see the source of the problem. In my struggle, I noticed a dwarf nearby who was also moving against the current of the crowd. At last past the press of bodies, I found two other brave souls, an Aasimar and a half-Orc, confronting a handful of small fire elementals who were meanacing a few unfortunate citizens outside a ruined storefront.

In an instant, the four of us leap into action. I cast a few spells, staying well away from any direct physical threat, while the other three rush in to confront the creatures head-on. The skirmish lasted mere seconds. When it was over, some of the other heroes were badly wounded, but the fire elementals were gone. Sadly, we could not save all of the citizens, but I sent for a healer while my new companions pulled people from the burning remains of the shop.

As luck would have it, one of the people we rescued was the shop's proprietor, Caledo Talius, a popular and influential merchant. He was extremely greatful to us for saving his shop from utter ruin and himself from certain death. He had no idea where the fire elementals came from, but he insisted we accompany him down to the local guardhouse, where we would receive a reward for our good deeds. He was quite friendly and chatted with us all the way there, periodically stopping in the street to brag about our exploits to his friends and associates. With each retelling of the tale, the danger was more dire, and our bravery more extreme.

We received our reward from the guards, and left to find an inn, promising Caledo we would meet him at his shop in the morning to take advantage of his personal reward offer - a permanent 20% discount on all items at his shop!