Danor Cloudbuck spotted the city of Goldwick in the distance. The young man's pot belly was beginning to rumble and the thought of a hearty meal caused him to salivate. He had been on the road for five days and his traveling rations were running thin. Danor had never seen a city this large and was intimidated and excited at the prospect of what it held within it's walls. That said Danor was no country dweller; the CloudBucks were a respectably wealthy family in a mid sized trading city.
Despite being very well read and well versed in his sums, earning him a job as the bookkeeper and scribe for the family business, Danor was quite naive to the ways of the world. He saw little need to leave the cushy halls of Cloudbuck Manor and when he did, rarely ventured outside the streets of the upper class trade district. That was until his father passed and Stanor, the eldest son, inherited the family fortune, the family manor and the family business. Danor was promptly fired from the company, evicted from Cloudbuck Manor and left with only a few hundred gold pieces from the family's vault. Though he had no proof, Danor suspected foul play was afoot with the contents of father's will, owing to a love affair between Stanor and the family lawyer.
After recovering from the shock, Danor decided that this was an opportunity and a call to adventure. He packed his fine clothes and small collection of books in his magically expanded and lightened backpack, purchased a weeks worth of rations and traveling equipment before heading off to find his fortune in the city of Goldwick. He had no doubt that a well educated man with a good reference and a upstanding name such as himself could easily find many opportunities for employment in such a sprawling metropolis.
As he the city grew closer, Danor was snapped from his daydreams of warm meals and soft beds by a rattling noise behind him. A donkey approached pulling a rickety car atop which sat a stout dwarf. The bearded fellow waved and slowed the donkey to trot alongside Danor.
"Good day friend!" The dwarf greeted "Heading to Goldwick too? Do ye mind some company?"
Danor had read many stories warning him to be wary of strangers on the road but the dwarf seemed like a friendly sort and Danor having not spoken to anyone for quite some time, was feeling quite lonely.
"Yes, I am headed for the city" Danor replied, "And some conversation would be appreciated!"
"The name's Gorim Oakgut," The dwarf introduced, "Purveyor of magical items and oddities!"
"Danor Cloudbuck, bookkeeper and scribe" he returned "Or former bookkeeper and scribe I should say"
"Not Cloudbuck of the Ashbrook Cloudbucks?" the dwarf prodded, eyeing Danor up and down lingering particularly on his fine clothes "What brings you this far from Ashbrook then Danor?"
"You could say I've fallen on hard times" Danor lamented hardly noticing the dwarf's beady eyes "Are you staying in the city?"
"Not for long." Gorim answered casually "I'm just passin' through hopin' to do a little trade on m'way back to Stonehill, how 'bout you?"
"I hope to find a new home there" Danor explained, "and a new start"
"Well if there's a place for a new start it'll be Goldwick" Gorin agreed "but ye best watch yerself, it's a dangerous city"
"It is?" Danor asked "In what way?"
"In the way of all big cities" Gorin warned "Ruffians and thugs lurking in the streets, just waiting to take advantage of decent folk like you and me"
"Oh my..." Danor paused, "Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea..."
"No need to worry, as long as you got some way of defending yerself ye'll be fine." Gorim assured "Ye do have somethin' to fight off criminals and what not don't ye?"
"Well, not as such no..."
Gorim pulled on the reins halting the donkey completely.
"Now that simply won't do!" The dwarf exclaimed hopping off down and looking under the canvas tarp covering his cart "I can't in good conscience let a fine upstanding citizen such as yerself wander into the jaws of beast unprotected."
Danor watched as Gorim rummaged through his wares.
"This might do the trick!"