[SirFozzie]

You were told that Madame Freona’s Tea Kettle was the place where adventurers could find work and avoid the hassle associated with other places in Phlan. So far, that has been true. Madame Freona, a stout and officious halfling who runs the establishment with her five daughters, has proven an excellent hostess.

Although you have had to share a common bunkroom with several other adventurers, the evening meal was excellent and the atmosphere pleasant.

You are preparing to bunk down for the evening when one of Freona’s daughters peeks into the room. She calls the five adventurers out into the hall

"Pardon my interruption,” says the halfling girl named Reece, one of Freona’s five daughters, just shy of adulthood. “A chap just came into the common room downstairs and asked me to fetch you. Something about some coin needing to change hands for an easy job.” She plays with her curly red hair
nervously.

The party looks at each other..An unspoken agreement seems to come over them, it couldn't hurt to hear about a job for easy gold, right? If something needed doing, better them then someone else, as long as it wasn't something that was too much against their code.. such as it was..

 The figure keeps his face obscured by his hood and speaks in a low voice, obviously disguising it. He refuses to provide a name.

 The figure identifies himself as a member of the Harpers, an organization dedicated to fighting evil wherever it hides. He wears a brooch that confirms
his ties to the Harpers.

 He has a mission that the characters are in a unique position to complete. The Harpers have captured a merchant that was going to illegally purchase a red dragon egg. The Harper wants the characters to pose as the merchant and any hirelings, go to the buy site, make the transaction, and place a magical device on one of the sellers so that Harpers can track them back to their place of residence.

 One of the characters (Nithyis) bears enough of a resemblance to the captured merchant that the sellers (who have never seen the merchant) can be easily fooled. The rest of the characters can act the roles of bodyguards, assistants, porters, etc.
 The Harper provides a small sack of fake diamonds that the characters should use to buy the egg. The “diamonds” are basically worthless, but good enough to pass a cursory inspection.
 At some point during the exchange, one of the characters must place a small silver pin infused with magic on the seller or one of the crew. Once that is done, the Harpers can more easily scry on the sellers and learn more about their operation No real names are used in these transactions, so the two parties will refer to each other as “the buyer” and “the seller.”
 Once the transaction is complete, the characters are to bring the egg back to the stables behind the Tea Kettle, where the Harper will meet them and take possession of it.
 Under no circumstances should the characters fight the sellers or harm the egg. The point is to track the sellers, so killing or capturing them is counterproductive.
 For completing the task successfully and as instructed, the Harper offers the group 200 gp. The sum will be paid upon delivery of the egg.

As if reading the group's larcenous aims, he reminds them that they shouldn't attempt to sell the egg elsewhere. Dragons do not take kindly to thieves of their eggs, and they have no qualms about applying the term thieves to anyone who might possess their egg. After retrieving it, the Harpers hope to find the Egg's parents, and return it as a show of good faith.

The meeting place is about a 20 minute walk from here, in an old abandoned barn.

So, How is our intrepid band of adventurers going to attend to this? Are they going to follow the suggestions? Or beat them up and take the egg back? (dropping the pin on one of their unconscious/dead bodies).

Well, that's where you come in. If there's a clear consensus here, I will do that as their option (note, they are mostly Good. Well, Good-ish.). But, 200 gold? (40 gold each?) For a mere twenty minute walk and doing a trade? Sounds easy.