# Intro A simple provisoner who runs a supply caravan to [[Emberwood Village]]. %% > [!Quote] > “You couldn’t pay me any amount of money to go into that city, but there are people willing to risk it for the right price. Those people gotta eat, and honest folk can make good profit feeding them. Still, there’s bastards who just wanna take it. That’s where you come in. > ~ Eren Marlowe %% Eren Marlowe is a lean person in their mid-forties with shoulder-length brown hair under a leather cap. They wear a slightly shabby woolen traveller’s jacket and well-worn slacks. %% Chatty yet professional and with an opinion about everything, they enjoy having company on the road as much as they enjoy having the extra protection. As the characters travel along the road, [[Eren Marlowe]] asks each of them about their reasons for travelling to Drakkenheim, and how the characters met each other. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce the player characters, their relationships, and personal quests. In turn, [[Eren Marlowe|Marlowe]] can share the following information with characters: - They are bound for [[Emberwood Village]], which is the only settlement within two weeks’ travel of Drakkenheim that hasn’t been abandoned. It is about five miles south of the dark city. - The increasing number of fortune-seekers, mercenaries, and prospectors exploring the ruins has turned the sleepy village into a boom town again. - Most farms and villages within one hundred miles of Drakkenheim have been abandoned. Crops and livestock don’t grow anymore as the water and soil are [[contamination|Contaminated]] by foul magic. - The folk of [[Emberwood Village]] rely on outside supplies entirely. [[Flamekeeper Hanna]], a priest of the [[Sacred Flame]], provides seed funds to attract the caravanners. - Once they arrive, [[Eren Marlowe]] will stay in [[Emberwood Village]] for a few weeks selling goods. - If characters are interested in heading into Drakkenheim, [[Eren Marlowe|Marlowe]] offers to introduce them to their friend and frequent business partner, [[Armin Gainsbury]], who runs a supply company in [[Emberwood Village]]. [[Armin Gainsbury|Armin]] sells useful adventuring equipment and can provide good advice about exploring the ruins. %% ## Marlowe's Caravan [[Eren Marlowe|Eren]] sits atop a large covered wagon pulled by two draft horses. It’s packed with common provisions and trade goods: flour, salt, dried fruits, preserved meats, several jars of sauerkraut, a few casks of mead, a case of cheap wine, and a barrel of fresh water. The wagon also packs a few sets of common artisan’s tools, cook’s utensils, empty waterskins, climber’s kits, rope, and mining tools. %% [[Eren Marlowe|Marlowe]] carries two potions of healing on their person for emergencies, and an extra light crossbow. Beneath a hidden plank in the wagon is a locked chest that contains 200 gold. ^MarlowesCaravan Following [[Supplies for Emberwood Village]] mission, [[Eren Marlowe|Eren]] sets up her caravan as [[Emberwood Village#Marlowe's Provisions|Marlowe's Provisions]] in [[Emberwood Village#Caravan Court|Caravan Court]]. %% # Adventure Hooks **[[Supplies for Emberwood Village]]**. Though each has their own reasons for venturing into Drakkenheim, the characters have been hired by [[Eren Marlowe]] (a human commoner) to guard their caravan after the last group they hired stiffed them at the last minute. They’ll pay each character 25 gold for the trip upon arrival in [[Emberwood Village]]. It’s the perfect way to make some money as characters trek towards the city. The characters meet [[Eren Marlowe]] in the city of [[Altberg]], which is the closest large city to Drakkenheim. It’s a three week journey to the ruins. ^SuppliesForEmberwoodVillage %% # Statblock ```statblock monster: Commoner name: Eren Marlowe type: Medium Human alignment: LN ``` %%