Mercenaries, Limited is a small mercenary company in Kashin, Rakore. Owned and operated by Neolin Nheral, a former mercenary of considerable fame, Mercs, LTD makes a small but respectable amount of money tailoring special mercenary missions to the merchants of Kashin. Kashin itself recognizes the Youngbloods, a mercenary outfit whose members must earn the right to be invited to join (minimum 4th-level in a fighter or barbarian class). Because of the Youngbloods limited membership, Mercs, LTD makes its earnings with less experienced fighters and more lucrative (read dangerous) missions.

Danielle Greentree and Vilhelm Dikar are Neolin's two employees, and the three together make up the only stable members of the three-man operation. Young mercenaries come and go, sometimes at a frightening rate, depending on the most recent missions. Greentree and Dikar do not craft suicide missions, but tend to find multi-task missions on the fringes of civilization, and beyond.

Neolin Nheral, male human Ftr9: CR 9; Size M (5 ft., 11 in. tall); HD 9d10; hp 52; Init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved initiative); Spd 30 ft.; AC 20 (+2 Dex, +8 masterwork scale mail); Attack +13/+8/+13 melee (longsword and dagger, 1d8+5 and 1d4+5, crit19-20x2 and crit20x2), or +11/+6 ranged (dagger, 1d4, range inc 10ft, crit20x2); SV Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +3; AL NG; Str 18, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 11, Cha 13. Languages Spoken: Common, Ogran, Dwarven. Skills and feats: Craft (armor) +14, Escape artist +4.5, Hide +3.5, Jump +16, Knowledge +5, Listen +2, Move silently +2, Search +3, Spellcraft (divine/arcane) +5, Spot +0, Swim +13, Wilderness lore +2.5; Blind-fight, Dodge, Endurance, Improved initiative, Improved unarmed strike, Leadership, Weapon focus (longsword), Power Attack, Ambidexterity, Two weapon fighting.

Danielle Greentree, female elf (high) Rgr2/Exp3: CR 4; Size M (5 ft., 3 in. tall); HD 2d10+6 + 3d6+9; hp 38; Init +5 (+5 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+5 Dex, +1 leather armor); Attack +5 melee (dagger, 1d4+1, crit 20x2), or +9 ranged (longbow, 1d8, range inc 100ft, crit20x3); SV Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +4; AL CG; Str 12, Dex 21, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 18. Languages Spoken: Common, Elven, Dwarven. Skills and feats: Alchemy +3, Animal empathy +10, Concentration +8.5, Gather information +8, Hide +5, Intuit direction +6, Jump +3, Knowledge (nature) +6, Listen +3, Move silently +9, Read lips +3, Search +3, Sense motive +7, Spellcraft (divine) +3, Spot +3, Swim +3, Wilderness lore +2; Combat reflexes, Skill focus (gather information), [Track]. Possessions: 13 ducat, 15 princess-cut rubies (1,500 silver each).

Vilhelm Dikar, male human Rog4: CR 4; Size M (6 ft., 3 in. tall); HD 4d6+12; hp 26; Init +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved initiative); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+3 Dex); Attack +4 melee (dagger, 1d4, crit20x2), or +6 ranged (dagger, 1d4, range inc 10ft, crit 20x2); SV Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2; AL NG; Str 12, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 10. Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarven. Skills and feats: Balance +9, Decipher script +8, Diplomacy +4, Disguise +6, Forgery +7, Gather information +8, Hide +3, Innuendo +7, Intimidate +5, Listen +8, Move silently +3, Perform +6, Spot +1, Tumble +7, Use magic device +7; Improved initiative, Skill focus (gather information), Dodge. Possessions: 11 ducat, 11 princess-cut rubies (1,500 silver each).

Danielle is the most out-going of the two underlings, and frequently finds the most well-paying, overlapping missions. Kashin's cartographer, Selistar Arelae, is looking to have rough maps made of the Grand Maul Pass (see map). The Grand Maul Pass is a forty-mile long gap in the Rakanus Mountains chain, found about seventy-five miles due west of Kashin. The easiest approach to the pass is to take the Takanal-Kashin trail for about fifty miles, and then veer northwest into the Rakanus Mountains. Kashin's glass-maker, Samirin al Fashiran, has seen nuggets of some greenish-colored basalt that supposedly came from near the pass; he wants anyone going that direction to bring back a sample, and a location. The city's tanner, Wraith, is looking to capture the last of the winter pelts before spring turns all the white coats to browns and blacks. The city's equestor (Eval Sorenson) is sending six military chargers to the baron of Takanal, and would like at the least a partial escort overland. Through these four people, Danielle has cobbled together one overarching mission that would accomplish all four tasks, and at the same time cut Mercs, LTD in for roughly half.

Danielle would likely speak with elves, first, but is quite friendly to anyone looking for work. She has other jobs going on at the time, but feels the party (or first member of the party she meets) is most qualified for this particular mission to the Grand Maul Pass. There could be bandits in that area, but the most dangerous animal in the pass would probably be wolves. Danielle can pay 10,000 silver for escorting the horses half-way, and completing a survey of the Grand Maul Pass. She can throw in 250 silver for each small white pelt, and 700 silver for each medium white pelt. Danielle can add an additional 1,000 silver for finding and mapping the location of the greenish basalt (she has a small sample).

The party can try to dicker with each merchant individually, but Danielle and Legends, LTD have already cut in for a contract basis. There is no reason the party could not attempt to add on additional missions. If they speak with the city's cloth merchant, Shavon Taneletank, they can attempt to bring in spider silk. Taneletank is willing to pay 12.5 silver for each pound they bring back. A single monsterous spider's web-lair averages twenty-pounds, or 1,000 square feet, of webbing -- for a total of 2,500 silver per spider's web-lair.

Mercs, LTD understands that starting mercenaries might have trouble affording necessary supplies and equipment, particularly to equip themselves for such an extended mission. If the party asks, Danielle can supply a mule loaded down with hard tack, water skins, and similar items. If asked for separately, Mercs, LTD can also supply parchment, ink, quills, and other mapping equipment. The mule and non-ration supplies must be returned at the completion of the mission, or the party will be docked 2,500 silver.

Neolin Nheral ultimately works for Duke Herod Notimeh, a human duke within the Rakoran kingdom. Neolin carefully sabotages the work of Gideon Enterprises and the Rakoran government through legal missions and noble causes that leave chaos in their wake, or cover up seemingly unrelated clues that might incriminate Duke Notimeh. Neolin himself aspires to see a human on the throne of Rakore, and has no clue that Herod works for the Ogre Nations. Neolin's racial bias is not in itself evil, but he is being manipulated by a master manipulator. Neolin will have to be taken down, because of his blind faith in Herod, if the damage Mercs, LTD does is to be stopped. Neolin's personal mercenaries are quite formidable on their own, and he also knows where to find a fair amount of magical aid, as well.