Introduction
"Drink? You betcha!" It takes a running start for the diminutive young woman to make it onto the barstool, but she lands gracefully enough. In leather leggings and boots, a linen blouse, and a sleeveless doublet of purple velvet, she looks somewhere between a noble's page boy and a wandering scholar. She pushes a lock of curly red-brown hair out of her face, revealing the high cheekbones, wide eyes, and snub nose of a gnome.
She pours an ample cup of wine, glances furtively around the room, and with a snap of her fingers, transforms it into a tall, frosted glass of something effervescent and shimmering. She plucks a slice of cucumber out of thin air and garnishes the drink with it, then smiles around the table. "I'm Gwen," she says, "and you boys look like you've been around a bit. What news from the road?"