It is the Year of The Protesting Donkey and all is not well in Ansalon. For several months strange potions and unusual contraptions have been appearing in town market places. Promising to ease the burden of every day living the oddly dressed salesman has won the trust of the towns' folk and enchanted them with his produce. It is only after he has departed, large sums of money in his pockets, that things begin to go wrong.

For instance there was the Amazing Patented Sheep Shearer incident. This contraption went berserk and tore up the farmland for several leagues and then molested the towns' dogs (though it did start a new fashion amongst woolly lap dog circles). The potions are the worst, transformations, shrinking, the removal of nostril hair and other side affects are universal. The most large-scale disaster to date was the potion to remove stains from clothing, due mostly to it's relative cheep cost. It resulted in the mass migration south of several bushels worth of ladies undergarments plus the blocking of the Wanshea River with socks trying to spawn up river.

With havoc being wrecked all across the countryside, King Henry The Proficiently Musically Inclined had sent out his agents to track down the mysterious salesman and put paid to his fiendish selling spree. They reported back with a tale of a demented Alchemist unleashing his sadistic, murderous and at times down right pointless inventions (he was credited with inventing both yoyo's and trading cards, the cad) upon the world. Styling himself as Raymondo The Ingenious, Maker of Many Things Miraculous And Magnificent, this deranged figure had flooded the market place with his inventions and raked in a vast fortune of untaxed wealth.

King Henry was incensed, but the despicable Raymondo had built his castle keep on a cliff at the edge of Red Gulf Forest (thus making it Red Gulf Castle) which is King Possum The Twit's royal hunting land and a definite no go area. The King can do nothing about it. In secret King Henry has sent his trusted vizier, Lady Sothforth, to gather a band of adventurers to combat this evil academic. Should Raymondo The Ingenious continue in his plans Ansalons small economy will topple and it's civil projects go undone.

All of you have answered your Kings call, to face the Alchemist in his own strong hold. At great risk to herself Lady Sothforth has gained a key to the lightly guarded kitchen door. She shall wait on the other side of the Castle with the 200GP reward for each of you. Here now are the envelopes with your personal goals for seeking out this adventure. Ansalon is in your debt, may Bast smile on your quest and the blessings of King Henry go with you.

Ye Beginning!