You've got a knack for storytelling. I love your use of this side story to set the tone. Really awesome.These days I often ponder the strangeness of chance. I once heard a man in Middenheim, orating to the assembled crowd from atop a turnip-box who promulgated that the gods do not love us at all, but merely play with us as a child with it's toys. He proclaimed they engineer our misfortune and plot our sorrows for their own amusement.
The crowd were not kind to him, sending him on his way, pelted with his own turnips. At the time I merely smirked as his words or troubles meant little to me, but now i consider mayhaps he spoke some sliver of truth, as surely my predicament couldst not be the result of chance alone, but mayeth only be explained as the cruel amusement of some twisted power?
It's also cool to see all your side games worked into the account. I hope you saved some lizard meat for for trading.