Masters Session One

Under the veil of night in Salisgrad, the adventurers found themselves at the Halfling Hearth Tea Room, a cozy establishment run by Madame Elara and her daughters, offering a warm meal and a bed away from the city's chaos. The tranquility of the evening was interrupted when Reece, one of Elara’s daughters, beckoned them to meet a mysterious visitor downstairs, hinting at an opportunity for some coin in exchange for an easy job.
In the common room awaited a hooded figure, a member of the Black Gauntlet, an intelligence operation serving Prince Eli Voronov. His identity obscured and voice disguised, he revealed a mission requiring subtlety and discretion. A merchant caught plotting to purchase a red dragon egg illegally was now in custody, and the adventurers were to impersonate this merchant and his entourage, securing the egg with counterfeit diamonds and tagging the sellers with a magical pin for tracking.
Thistletop, by sheer chance, bore a resemblance to the detained merchant, a stroke of fortune that simplified the ruse. The Black Gauntlet provided the necessary props: a pouch of fake diamonds, a magical pin, and a potion to mark them as agents, ensuring their smooth passage through Salisgrad's gates.
Their destination was an abandoned barn on the city's outskirts, where the transaction was to occur. Inside, the party encountered the sellers, an elf spy accompanied by three guards, unsuspecting but cautious. The plan was simple: exchange the fake diamonds for the egg and mark one of the sellers without arousing suspicion.
However, the elf spy sensed something amiss, challenging Thistletop’s identity. The egg, revealed within a backpack emitting steam and a red glow, was a very convincing fake.
As the transaction neared its completion, the Crimson Glove, a local thieves' guild, launched their assault, aiming to seize the egg. Led by a half-orc thug supported by bandits from above, they added chaos to the already tense situation. The heroes faced a choice: hand over the fake egg or confront the thieves.
The heroes chose violence.
Later in the evening, Dunner and Thistletop met with the Black Gauntlet. They presented the dragon egg, which the Black Gauntlet observed was a fake. He was disappointed that the heroes were unable to plant the magical pin, but presented them with payment anyway.