There Ain't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
by Lee Struglia
"Everything appears to be in order," says the executor as he turns over the deeds to you. "Enjoy your inheritance." O lucky day; being nice to old Uncle Gus paid off in the end. You're rich! The 100-acre estate has its own castle, scores of servants, guards, and other workers. It even produces income, since it is a working sheep farm and sits atop an iron mine. Now you can retire and take your ease. But wait a minute, you say you like adventuring and would be bored taking care of the estate? What to do? You'll have to find someone trustworthy to take over control of the manor. None of the other PCs want to do it, of course; they're just like you. How about Uncle Gus' chamberlain? He seems honorable enough, but what if he's not? He might rob you blind! Perhaps you should just sell the place and be done with it. You can't, though. The conditions stated that you could not sell the place, and that all the servants get to keep their jobs as long as they perform them satisfactorily. Guess you'd better hang around awhile to make sure everyone's on the square. With a little luck, you should be able to leave in a few weeks.
(Originally appeared in Re:Quests!, issue #31, August 1993, p. 41; Mary H Kelly, editor.)
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