Iron Desert PF2e

Each of you are here for one reason: a letter. More specifically, the contents of the letter. "Dear adventurer, Please meet at the Hammer and Anvil Inn in the town of Edge's View at the edge of the Iron Desert and Blade Plains regions. I need you to rescue a dear friend of mine, one Lexi Tyr. You will be compensated for your efforts." The letter reads. And so an unlikely group moves to meet at the described place. It is currently early afternoon and the high sun beats down on the busy town of Edge's View.

Slipping into the tavern is a young woman, seemingly human other than the distinct cat-like ears sticking up from her head, and the tail coming out from beneath her shirt. Slipping to a seat not far from the table, she sets one hand clad in a very bulky, piston-actuated metal claw on the table and crosses her bare other hand over it as she scans the room with emerald-green eyes and twitching ears.

A gray-scaled pillar of an Iruxi woman reclines against a far wall in a chair, aligned so as to have a direct view of the door, aiding it's balance with her tail; her glaive set against the wall beside her within easy reach while she nurses a drink held in one hand and sweeps her penetrating sapphire gaze over the room, lingering only briefly on the new entrant and her unconventional weapon.

The doors open with gusto as two black kobolds enter. The male, a serious looking individual with a pack full to the brim with useful gear and a heavy gun on his back, is frowning irritably. "It is incredibly unprofessional to appear this late for a meeting, Thrash, especially a first meeting with a new client."

Thrash, the female of the pair, doesn't even justify her brother's statement with a full response. Instead she flashes him her middle finger and scrambles her way up onto a bar stool. "I'll have two shots of your strongest stuff, and a water for the sponge. He isn't quite wet enough yet."

"Someone has to be sober and presentable for the meeting," Vesh mutters, although he accepts the water.

Thrash claps Vesh on the back, nearly knocking him from his chair. "And that's why we keep you around."

A few heads turn to the kobolds, mainly out of instinct of looking at noise. A few linger due to the black scales of the kobold but people quickly return to what they're doing. A waitress comes up to the kobolds. "Sorry, a bit short staffed lately, I'll be right with you!" The raven haired lass says, then heading to the catgirl. "What can I get you, darlin?"

Lurking outside the inn, Stripes ponders to himself: Well, here I am. Now what? I'm an "animal", I'm probably not allowed in here... guess I'll sneak in.

And so he tries to sneak in. Tries being the operative word, as he bumps into someone and knocks several things over, making sounds that could almost wake the dead.

And so stands the one who has now drawn everyone's attention, a brown griffon with yellow stripes painted on his haunches.

"...hey, look! A talking griffon!" he says lamely.

The gryphon gets infinitely more attention that the kobolds. The tavern talk quickly evolves to talking about the striped gryphon. Namely, what the hell a gryphon's doing here on this continent, how can it talk, and a couple hushed questions to the self if it'd be open to pets.

"Um, sorry, I'm just here 'cause I got this letter," he says, producing the letter from the saddlebags he wears - though notably, he's not wearing a saddle or any other accessories.

The catgirl is about to answer when the spectacle of the talking griffon occurs. While she pointedly tries to ignore the event, when he mentions his letter, her ears perk up, and her tail swishes once. "I'll take something light, but I suspect I'll be moving seats shortly," She says, finally actually turning to look over the creature.

At the mention of the letter a man in fancy clothes gets up and heads over to the bar. "Put the gryphon, kobolds, and the iruxi over there on my tab, and of course this fine lady right here," He says. He moves over to a large table and beckons those mentioned to come over.

The Iruxi stares at the griffon's mishap with incredulity, though moreso disdain at the mention of the letter, though she continues scanning the tavern a moment later, moving to join their unnamed employer once he reveals himself.

"Hell of a way to make an impression," Stripes mutters to himself as he moves over to the designated table, head drooping as the iruxi glares at him.

"As I said," The cat-featured girl says, giving the waitress a small smirk as she rises to her feet. With her tail flicking behind her, she slips through the crowd of people to approach this mysterious benefactor's table.

Thrash slips down off her barstool and approaches the table with her drinks. She jumps up to plant them on the table before climbing up into a chair. "I'd say it was the worst entrance I've ever seen, but you'd be surprised how many gladiators I've seen utterly face plant on their entrances."

Vesh also takes a seat. "All things considered, by the standards of a talking griffon you were about as subtle as can be expected."

The nobleman waits until you all are seated and comfortable before speaking. "First, I must thank you all for coming. Truth be told, you're not the only ones who received letters but you're the ones that answered. A good friend of mine and my family was recently kidnapped. I want you to rescue her and bring her back here. I must, unfortunately, be light on her details. There might be others seeking her here. I will try to answer any questions within this confine."

"Who kidnapped her?" asks the griffon. "And where are they?"

"As far as I can tell, a group of bandits. Though, I have suspicions they were hired by someone. As for location, here. He hands the gryphon a note, "Don't want to say it aloud."

He nods and passes the note around to the others.

The location is a ruin a few hours from town. If you leave soon, you might make it back before nightfall. "Oh where are my manners, I'm Julian Daye"

"Julian Daye? that Julian Daye?" The catgirl asks, tail twitching slightly as she eyes up the nobleman with an almost hungry look in her eye, before seeming to snap herself out of it. "Well this promises to be quite... lucrative," She eventually adds, tapping the tips of her metal claws against the table.

"Our contact is rich? How much we getting paid for this?" Thrash asks, greed shining in her hungry eyes. Her alcoholic drinks are already empty.