Gwen Hunt

An unknown halfling attempted to attack Sheriff Rena Lawrence in broad daylight on a busy street. Before the party could react, Rena and her three deputies shot them down.

• The party discovered a contract tattoo on the halfling's arm. The design was of two pharaoh hounds.
• Harper and Zo recognized that the symbol belonged to a small-time bounty hunter, and rival of Harper's, Gwen Shepherd.
• The party took the body of the halfling to the Coombe graveyard and asked Saran to keep them safe until they can question them.
• After calling Tallulah, Harper discovered that Gwen - or someone who looks like her - was passed out in Seventh Heaven's upstairs rooms.
• The party visited the Holy Roller Casino and discovered that Gwen was staying in Jasper Sharpe's room. Upon finding the room, they discover it empty. Inside her trunk, they find a note sent to her by Jasper.
• Gwen arrived in her room to find the party, and after a long conversation, it was revealed that:

1. She made a bad deal and owes a fortune's worth of gold to a cleric of Lathander to bring her sister (Lettie) back to life. Her debt was due one year after she made the deal, but her deal started to turn bad after only a few months. She sought the help of Jasper, her childhood friend, and he was able to stave off death for the time being.
2. She has been dodging death for 16 years, and the frequency of her visits with Jasper have increased in frequency to the point where she believes she only has one month left to live.
3. She was supposed to meet Jasper at the Holy Roller the night of the 5th and seal the deal at the Hireling Exchange in the morning.
4. She believes it is currently the 5th of High Summer.
5. She does not have the Monroe tattoo that Harper saw on her wrist a few days earlier.

• The party convinced Gwen to go with them to the wizard's shop where they met Taz and one of her professors from her time at school, Professor Kalain. There, they find that a train is leaving End of the Line Station at midnight.
• Harper and Marz were able to determine that there was magic surrounding Gwen, but nothing like either of them had ever seen. Valkyrie was able to determine that the magic has to do with a broken timeline.
• Professor Kalain informed the party - somewhat sheepishly - that he drew a teleportation circle for Jasper that Gwen used to escape Coombe, except that Gwen was standing next to the party the whole time.
• Upon arriving in Gravesend, Gwen appears to have disappeared from the train, yet the party clearly sees her upon arriving into Seventh Heaven Saloon.
• This Gwen has the Monroe tattoo on her arm.

• After a few days in Gravesend, the party decides that their best plan of action is to travel back to Coombe before the Floating Black Market leaves for Al-Mara so they can ask Taz to scry on the "cleric of lathander" that tricked Gwen.
• Just as the party was about to find someone to help them teleport to Coombe, they were attacked by yet another version of Gwen.

Letter from Jasper Sharpe

Gwen,
You know what I’m going to say, and I know what you’re going to say. The frequency of this problem isn’t just increasing, it’s accelerating. I don’t know how much longer you can live like this and you know I hate to see you suffer, so I need you to read this very carefully, and think about it even more so.
You know what happens when rescinding a deal goes wrong. I’m sure you feel out of options, but I can find a Monroe wizard to help discreetly. Your father is well-known and well-liked. I’m flattered that you believe so strongly in me, but I have to ask you to reconsider. I’ve never performed this ritual before and with a deal as flawed and volatile as yours, I can’t see it going well for you. That said, I don’t want to see you die. If you insist, I will try. If you’re okay with dying, I can at least find solace that it was me you trusted enough with that duty, as awful as that sounds.
I have a second option, one that I hope you will consider more than rescinding the deal. I’ve been tasked with an important job by Elkoris. It’s not pretty, and it’s more or less a suicide mission. By the time I track down the components to rescind your deal you may already be dead, or if the spell goes wrong, and you die…well, it’s not like you have much of a choice. I’ve been given a fortune to award whoever can complete it. A fortune that would pay your debt twice over. I’ll be in Coombe next week, we can meet in my room at the Holy Roller and I can give you the details there. If you accept, meet me at the Exchange to seal the deal on the 6th around 11AM - a legal deal, this time.
And Gwen, take care of yourself until then. Think about my offer.
Jasper