"Whatever that means."

He nods. Hmm, what is important to get info on first. He'll go through it all eventually but priorities. "Info Quests."

Info/Quests

Fate loves agency, but She's not above sweetening the deal. Sometimes, you will receive a unique opportunity to accomplish something of note for an appropriate and commensurate reward: coin, XP, Reputation, items, rare spells or Abilities, and even large-scale consequences to others might be among the stakes of any given venture. Of course, not every consequence of your actions will be listed among the details. You'll have to discover the rest for yourself. 

Quests may be started in a variety of ways, but it helps to leave the house.

He'll read this one out as well. He had been planning on just trying to get info for all the things he can find on the status screen but maybe he shouldn't get quite that focused quite that quickly.

That can be something to do in the evenings or when he happens to be free during the day. A year isn't actually that long all things being equal. He conveys this reasoning to Jen.

"I don't remember everything but I'm inclined to agree nothing jumped out at me. Maybe you can use it to learn more about magic though. That seems like one of the faster paths to advancement."

"Of course!" A part of him wants to start on that immediately but he resists the urge and instead gives Jen a kiss and goes off to do his morning chores. He'll read more over breakfast.

Dawn creeps over the horizon as Alex works, loudly announced (again) by Ser Peckingsworth. 

A few others are up and about as well. Edmund, a young farmhand working for the Lucius family, waves cheerfully. "Mornin', Mister Alex! You goin' to the festival today?"

The Festival of Asteron is a longstanding tradition in Eriksmont and a few surrounding villages, dating back to before the Miezan Empire conquered and enslaved the local populace. It's not as grand as the summer celebrations, nor as bounteous as the autumn harvest, but it has remained stubbornly popular nevertheless. There's a blessing of homes and ploughs, a burning of incense to the ancestors, and a mock battle between costumed monsters. 

These rites are grudgingly tolerated by the Empire, officially because it isn't worth the effort to stamp them out, and unofficially because the last several times the Empire tried, they started right back up again a few years later.

In the last few years, recruiters for the Imperial army have been taking advantage of the festival-driven surge in population to make their pitch to as many people as possible. (Imperator Khale is said to have abolished or at least restricted conscription, but he's off campaigning across the Beluic Sea, now, and who knows when or if he'll be back.)

He had actually forgotten that was today with all the events of this morning but his mysterious benefactor did encourage him to get out of the house in order to succeed. "Of course."

"I'm excited to meet the foreigners!* I heard there's even a wizard in town this year." 

* i.e. anyone who lives more than fifty miles away. 

A new quest is available! 

Party Like There's No Tomorrow

Eriksmont is not famous for very many things, but the town does know how to celebrate. Many find it an excellent opportunity to mingle.

Objectives:
- Have a drink at the tavern, like a proper adventurer. (+1 Carouse XP)
- Meet folk from out of town. (0/10) (+1 Folk Ken XP)
- Attend the afternoon and evening festivities. (0/4) (+1 Carouse XP, +1 Magic Sensitivity XP) 
Success: Several new connections to pursue. +2 Might XP. 
Failure: ???

Accept quest?

Well he was going to go to the festivities anyway... the bit about failing worries him but hopefully it won't be anything bad. He'll mutter "Accept" to see if that works. Some other time he'll need to see if he can do things without speaking somehow.

To Edmond he'll try to pass off his surprise as just being about what he said. "Wow, I'll have to see if I can meet them then."

That does make the translucent blue shade go away, yes. 

"I hope I get to see them too!" Edmund grins, then excuses himself to go about his own chores.

As much as part of him wants to depart for the tavern immediately he still isn't quite finished with his chores and even if he plans to break his fast at the tavern it would be polite to let Jen know first. So he'll finish his chores and then tell Jen about the quest before putting on some nicer clothes to make a good impression and picking up the purse with the money he saved up so he could use it at the festival.

Jen's property sits just at the edge of town, at the base of the hill from the wooden gates that guard Eriksmont. It borders the town's sprawling outbuildings to the west, the Lucius farm to the east, and the public road known as Via Janus to the north. To the south, past a few more buildings and farmsteads, is the river Cabelpas, ever winding its long and lazy journey to the sea.

Nothing much disturbs Alex while he's getting ready, though he can see people heading into town along Via Janus already. He does overhear some excited chatter from the farmhands next door about a goat. 

Well then he'll depart without too much delay. It's always great to see how cheerful people are on Festival day.