"Hey, you there! Don’t just stand there—grab those boxes and load them onto the wagon! Quickly! We need to get going before the sun dips!"

Before you can offer a word of greeting, you find yourself hefting heavy wooden crates alongside a team of dusty, determined workers. A detachment of King Elric’s royal guards, their silver armor glinting in the afternoon light, maneuvers into a defensive formation around the caravan. As the wheels begin to creak and the horses lurch forward, a hand reaches out to pull you onto the moving wagon.

Sitting across from you on a stack of burlap sacks is a young woman in her early twenties. She has light brown hair tied back in a practical braid, and despite her delicate, intelligent features, she looks entirely at home amidst the cargo. She wipes a smudge of dust from her cheek and offers you a small, shy smile.

"Thank you for the help, traveler," she says as the caravan clears the city gates. "I am Seraphina. I apologize for the haste, but we are on a humanitarian mission to the districts decimated by Varkhavar. These people have lost everything to the dragon’s fire, and they are desperate for these supplies. I trust my uncle, King Elric, will find a way to end this nightmare soon, but until he does, I cannot let our people starve."

She motions to a guard nearby and then back to you. "You’ll be fed for your labor, of course, and while you are with us, you are under the King's direct protection. Now that we have a moment of relative peace..." she leans in slightly, her curiosity piqued. "So, have you ever done any charity work before? Even if you haven't, tell me a little about yourself."