Company of the Keep #0: Once, there were nine

Prologue

In the highest room of the tower, the robed master waited with your reward. His face was not quite visible from beneath his cowl as he spoke, spreading a deck of oversized, ornate cards across the table in front of him.

“You have done well! To learn your fate, you may select one, two, three or four cards from the deck. Announce your choice, then make your selection.”

“Two!” Bragg quickly spoke as he stepped forward.

Without comment, the robed master waved his hand across the spread of cards.

Bragg, a ne’er do well from Rorn, turned over a card with an image of a bejeweled throne.

“The Throne! Congratulations. A courier will bring good news soon.”

Grinning, Bragg turned over a second card with an image of a skeleton in chains. The smile vanished as he looked to the master.

Whoosh.

In an instant, the robed master, the cards and Bragg vanished.

“The Donjon …” a distant voice whispered.

Attempts to divine or scry the whereabouts of Bragg Lightfoot, a rake of Rorn, revealed only that he was not among the living.

Later, the courier arrived, bringing news that Bragg Lightfoot was heir to the demesne of Caergwyncarreg. By prior agreement, Caergwyncarreg became the property of your adventuring company.

But what is Caergwyncarreg? Information is sparse, but apparently it is both a valley and the keep which gives the valley its name. Caergwyncarreg is located in the foothills of the Jutting Mountains in Rorn, where borderlands gives way to wilderness. A potentially rich prize, ignored by the squabbling lords of Rorn due to its distance from civilization, has come to the Company of the Keep. Can you seize this opportunity?

Judge:

The game begins in Rorn. More specifically, you can begin:

  1. In Caergwyncarreg valley (0 miles away)
  2. In the last settlement nearest Caergwyncarreg (24 miles away, Market Class VI)
  3. In the last city nearest Caergwyncarreg (168 miles away, Market Class IV)
  4. In the capital of Rorn (312 miles away, Market Class II)

We will need to finalize characters before I can answer any in-game questions, in case any rolls or throws are required.