From the introduction: Baron Scrofo Sosii has a problem. In fact, he has many problems, he just doesn’t know it yet. For generations, the Rocky Cape region has been a quiet backwater, and the people have turned insular and complacent. The peaceful nature of the region is being broken on a regular basis: people have gone missing; fishing ships have not returned home; and some vessels have been found wrecked far from their usual haunts. Adding to this, the capital has let it be known that it is going to crack down on smuggling along the entire coast of the Crescent Sea. All the coastal barons have been warned that lesser justices, those hard-nosed investigators loyal only to the grand duke, will be looking into any irregularities. Even though the baron is completely innocent of any involvement in such crimes, that has not allayed his fear of ducal investigation. These problems are far beyond something that a minor baron in a backwater area such as Rocky Cape can easily deal with. Indeed, they are far beyond his meager abilities to even understand. Spurred on by these issues, Baron Scrofo has decided to bring in some help. That’s where the characters come in. They are either the sort of people the baron can afford, ones he can trust, or simply just who are available.