Role

Chapter 4

We find our hero several years after his assignment to the Seantryn Modan
jurisdiction. He has obviously devoted time and effort to his physical
appearance. Lean, as strong as any gnome, maybe a hair taller than most of
them even, a confident strut in his gait now, his movements effortless and
bolstered by magical enhancement. Expensive clothes, fashionable haircut, even
the fragrance of perfume trails in his wake. He steps to the gates of his
hometown and smiles. A high-ranking mage of the transmuters guild, established
in the Galadonian bench of Magistrates, which young gnome woman could resist
such a catch?

To our hero's dismay, most prove to be immune. He musters the courage to
engage the fair sex in conversation and the stuttering, stumbling speech
reasserts itself. The sharp mind of a mage is reduced to that of a drooling
giant with the simple bat of a feminine eyelash. In a few short sentences, our
hero manages to exhaust the limits of conversation and the young woman excuses
herself to go talk to this hulking frost giant that physically barely fits in
the Hillcrest Inn.

We see our hero try and try again for the whole night. Bringing up matters of
arcana are found boring. The retelling of his adventures is diminished by a
meandering stutter into boredom. Only when he finally brings up his standing
in the Blood Tribunal there is some interest. Finally!

"Have you met Nhriblespock?" "What happened to him?" "Can you introduce me to
him?" Apparently, Nhriblespock is exciting. Nhriblespock is daring.
Nhriblespock is adventurous. Damnation.

With a pounding headache and a defeated slouch in his shoulders our hero
departs Hillcrest with a strong realization that nothing of what he desires
will come to him by leading a silent life. A passing thought that perhaps he
should devote some time to being less socially awkward around eligible gnomish
women comes and is quickly discarded. Only those that expand the bounds of
what is possible can reach for whatever they want. Gripping the idea that
solutions to his problems can be found only in magic, he straightens up, stops
walking, and transports himself by magic back to his jurisdiction.