Intro: Ellis the Bold and Jerry the Mule

     The town of Cessesta sat deep in the mountains of Elnariana hex 24, in the rugged range between the Goldseeker Peaks and the Spiderweb Mountains. Isolated and impoverished, the town sat at the base of a sheer cliff, overshadowed by the fossilized skeleton of an ancient dragon. It was here that Ellis Hitheryon made his home.

The Village of Cessessta (Midjourney)

    The son of a butcher, Ellis had lived his whole life in Cessesta and had no intention of leaving until one day, he awoke to find his world turned upside down. The trails around Cessesta were treacherous and Ellis's father, along with his entire party, had fallen into a deep ravine while traveling back to Cessesta from neighboring Izan hex 09. Ellis's mother had died in childbirth and he had no siblings, so when news of his father's fall came to him, he was left with nothing. 

    For a few months, Ellis tried to run the shop to the best of his abilities but it quickly became clear that he had no knack for business. With things looking grim, Ellis sold the shop and used the proceeds to purchase what he'd need for a life of adventure.

Everything about Ellis was generated using this generator and a bit of creativity on my part for his backstory. Cessesta's location and "features" were generated automatically by Hexroll. I'm going to be using advanced encumbrance. 

     Heading to the tavern, Ellis first took a look at the local job board then immersed himself in the rumors of the realm. News of missing people and horrible creatures was not rare in the mountains so it was tragic, though not surprising, to hear that two more townsfolk were believed to be held in captivity. Ellis had no intention of delving into dungeons though, so he was relieved to hear news of delivery jobs. 

Hexroll automatically generated the following jobs and rumors, rather than rolling I assumed that Ellis spent the evening speaking to people and managed to get all information.

Bulletin
“Job offer! I have a package to deliver . Payment guaranteed at destination upon delivery. Yours, Saidra Christred”
Heading away? Payment guaranteed to a trusty courier. Ask for Teinger”

d6	Rumor
1	Aleria of Madesus’s daughter is held captive in the Shrine Of The Cursed Lich
2	Grosso Bonfilius’s daughter is held captive in the Tomb Of The Ruthless Blades
3	Anberta Dalmatius has a casket she would like delivered
4	The Tomb Of The Ruthless Blades is next to a clearing, somewhere in Dragon’s Flame Timberlands
5	There’s a Chimera somewhere in Axe of Sal'zazoo Peaks.
6	There’s a Dark Hag in the Temple Of The Mad Pain

    Ellis made his way first to Saidra Christred's jewelry shop, a grumpy woman whose primary job was to craft baubles of the worthless fools' gold that came from the Goldseeker Peaks. Without looking up, she gave Ellis the details of the job. He was to deliver a sealed chest to the stronghold of the warlord Minger Hilderada (hex 44). 

    Next, the timid candlemaker, Teinger of Lieth, hurried Ellis inside and in hushed tones, asked Ellis to deliver a mysterious casket to the same stronghold, imploring him not to open it. Confused but happy to be employed, Ellis signed the contract and accepted the job.

    Finally, Ellis followed up with Anberta Dalmatius, owner of the local mill, on her delivery needs. She seemed surprised to see Ellis operating alone, but, just like Teinger, had him sign the contract with stern warnings not to open the casket. He would seek out Aclehard Odelgilde at Decocar's School of the Arcana along the coast.

    In retrospect I should have used One Page Solo Engine or a charisma ability check to determine whether these people would trust Ellis to deliver precious cargo for them. Live and learn I guess. Here are the details of the jobs as generated by Hexroll. All NPCs and their personalities were generated by Hexroll. The RP above is a bit lacking because I'm writing this far post-session, something else I'll alter for future entries:

• Saidra Christred (JEWELER) - Looking for someone to deliver a sealed chest to Minger Hilderada
• Reward is 600 gp
• Location: HEX 44: MINGER’S CASTLE
• Teinger of Lieth (CANDLEMAKER)  - Looking for someone to deliver a mysterious casket to Minger Hilderada
• Reward is 500 gp
• Location: HEX 44: MINGER’S CASTLE
• Anberta Dalmatius (Mill. )Looking for someone to deliver a mysterious casket to Aclehard Odelgilde
• Reward is 600 gp
• Location: HEX 43: DEOCAR’S SCHOOL OF THE ARCANA

   What did these powerful coastal dwellers need so desperately from Cessesta? Why were so many caskets being transported so far? What lay concealed in the sealed chest? None of it made any sense, but Ellis had a bigger problem. He'd signed on to move three large, valuable, bulky packages across the entirety of the empire. He'd already signed the contracts and there was no turning back. The first problem to solve was how to move this much cargo.

    Ellis made his way to the stables. Run by a cheerful woman named Doda of Kirah, her deep blue eyes peered curiously out of her heavy-set face. A long scar, a trophy of a long life in the mountains, ran down her cheek to her throat, hastily and poorly covered by heavy makeup. "Greetings butcher boy! What can I do for you today?"

    Ellis explained the situation and then pointed to a mule. Doda's smile turned into a look of concern.  "I can see by the look on your face that I can't convince you to reconsider so I won't try. We've known enough tragedy in this town but if you feel this is your path, then so be it. That's Jerry, he's stubborn as... well a mule and not too fast but he can carry what you need him to and he'll be able to get you through the mountains."

    Ellis thanked her and handed her the gold. "You can keep him here until you set off. Gods be with you. Try not to join your parents too soon."

Jerry

    The stable inventory was generated by Hexroll. I assumed that Jerry would be able to carry two caskets and a chest as well as Ellis' non-combat equipment. It's also not stated anywhere but I made the assumption that water and grass would be relatively easy to find so Jerry wouldn't have to worry about rations. This is another scenario I probably would have used an oracle more for to determine Doda's behavior.

    Ellis purchased rations for his trip and then went home for the last time. He was about to leave everything behind but he didn't have much left. Tomorrow, he thought, he would head down from the mountains that he'd called home his entire life and travel through the Dragon's Flame Timberlands to the City of Hannes before making his way up the coast to his destinations. The timberlands were harsh, but not as harsh as the mountains and he just might be able to find the rumored entrance to Tomb Of The Ruthless Blades, if he ever made it home, he could at least tell Grosso where to look for his daughter.