Our story opens with Merith, a thief down on his luck. He is attempting to evade capture from Brimshall's City Watch. After an awful day of missed opportunities and regret, he finds himself at the Acolytes Inn. Inside, he meets our companions and makes the following observations:
A human knight sat at the head of the table in polished plate armour. He possessed the stony, square-jawed look of a man who breathed honour and exhaled justice.
Beside him sat a barbarian, a towering mountain with arms the size of tree trunks. He looked as though he had arm-wrestled a bear, won, and then eaten it for good measure.
Opposite them sat a mage. His red sleeves seemed to drip with an IQ higher than the city council and most bus drivers.
Then there was a dwarf; he had a red beard so structurally ambitious it surely required its own permit.
An elf priestess sat adjacent, in robes so white it suggested the gods were particularly concerned with her laundry bill.
Finally, a hooded figure sat at the end of the bench with the absolute stillness of a professional killer.
We soon come to learn, however, that Merith is an absolutely terrible judge of character. Let's hope for his sake that they eventually become the stalwart companions he believes them to be.