An Urgent Summons to Wayfarer's Gate

To the six adventurers whose help our neighbors have commended,

I ask you to come to Wayfarer's Gate as soon as you are able. Follow the old trade road to the stone arch where it meets the ridge. You will know the place by the cup carved above its iron gate.

Our provision wagons have stopped arriving. The last driver to return spoke of a rag marked with a great tooth and strangers demanding a “road toll.” Now the keepers of the waystation have fallen silent as well. We need someone to discover what has happened and make the road safe again.

I will wait for you at the roadside milestone outside the gate at first light on the morning after you receive this letter. If I am delayed, please begin without me. The old gate admits travelers through a hospitality ritual; its inscription will tell you what to do.

Our official brass seal, the Waywarden's Seal, is missing too. It bears a cup beneath an arch and a small notch in its rim. If you find it, please return it to me; in the wrong hands, it could make these unlawful tolls seem legitimate.

Bring what you need for a journey, and come together. There may still be people beyond that gate who need your help. I can offer provisions for your search, and we can discuss payment when we meet.

With hope,

Mara Fenwick
Steward of the Roadwardens

A small wax seal bears the impression of a cup beneath an arch.