Swinda

You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.” ((How do you respond?)) Judeau eyed the dusty cushion with a hint of disdain before taking off his feathered cap and proffering a feigned smile to the wretched woman in front of him. He wiped the cushion clean before finally settling down, repeatedly creasing the edges of his hat as he busied his hands. "My story you say? Was my messenger not clear enough?" A loud hoot outside causes Judeau to bolt to the creaky, broken window, watching the shadows for any would be pursuers. "Ahem - " he started, regaining his composure as he took his place back on the cushion. "You see, I've heard that you can help people disappear. There was unfortunately a er... miscount in the kingdom's treasury. Some thief in the night surely must've made off with quite the sum belonging to the lord, and those incompetent guards decided to blame the lord's bookkeeper and advisor instead of catching the actual thief. That, or! Or! -" Judeau leapt up once again as he started to pace the room, his hat firmly crumpled and ruined in his hands. "The guards must have been part of a conspiracy against me! Yes, that's surely what happened. How else would the missing amount be exactly equal to the discrepancy in my ledgers, and then they raided my personal investments and stockpiles. Yes. Yes indeed." A twig snapped outside, and if on queue Judeau snapped back to his senses. Judeau looked up at the candles suspended in the air as he calmed himself down, and then back to the hag. He steeled himself and furrowed his brow. "No, you're right, the lord would never believe that lie. Either way, I am in need of your services. Don't worry, cost is not going to be a factor."