Bait and Switch

Tavos scratched his stubbly chin as he watched the port city of Yale come slowly into view. The mist was thick on the sea, but the port-watch had lit the signal fires showing the headings for safe harbor. The crew of the Tide Chaser worked behind him in a hurried fashion, anxious to get into port and settle in; they had been at sea for months. It was more than the long voyage that had them in a rush, though; it was only a week ago when two of their shipmates had gone missing without a trace. They were experienced seamen and it was not likely they went overboard. It had the whole crew on edge.

He was a merchant bartering passage from the Spice Isles. He dealt in exotic goods, magical items, and rare reagents… basically anything illegal. It was good money and was never boring. His cargo on this trip happened to be a dragon egg. Well, he was calling it a dragon egg. It was actually a wyvern egg, which looks identical. The only way to be sure it is a dragon egg is to steal it from a dragon’s nest yourself. Of course, wyvern eggs were practically worthless. The dumb beasts were feral and impossible to train. So.. Yeah, it was a dragon egg.