All Thumbs, Session 1

I'll be using Cairn to play through another character's story, similar to Lonesome Wanderings. This time we will start with Thumb, a thief with a reputation of being "all thumbs" but somehow managing to survive till now. 

As Cairn doesn't have traditional advancement, so I'll be using "X advancement" from Die Trying. X's will be awarded for completing adventures or for exceptional character growth. 3 X's either advance stats/HP up by +1 to a max of 18, or doing freeform advancement in the form of titles, equipment, etc. 

I'll update relevant advancement below the post where I've before kept track of levels, either highlighting the character(s) who get a bonus for the session, or noting if there is no advancement this session. Without further ado - All Thumbs.

In which Thumb...

• Is a small town thief in Malisha, with a poor track record in the local Thieves Guild (being "all thumbs") - but with ambitions to start his own guild where he won't be mocked and ridiculed.
• Hears about the death of 2 adventurers to the southwest with a fire elemental from a bounty hunter who had carted over a mage who had caused the debacle for a reward.
• Decides dealing with the fire elemental itself might net a hefty profit, and hatches a plan to break the mage who created the elemental itself out of prison.
• Learns that a Mob of Peasants has taken the mage to the local lake- if the mage floats, he's a user of black magic and deserves to die; but if he sinks, he is innocent, and still dies but by drowning instead of stabbing of pitchforks.
• Joins into the crowd and tries to stealthily dive into the lake before the mage is tossed in - but utterly fails and creates a massive splash as onlookers notice him diving in...
• Gets lucky as the Mob is riled up enough that many peasants join into the fun and dive into the lake after him - making the task of retrieving the mage infinitely harder. 
• Manages to dive in and pull down the mage long enough that the Mob thinks he had drowned and disperses.
• Swims downstream before pulling himself and the still bound mage out from the lake muck. 
• Learns the mage's name is Wexley, and he is a strange fellow who is quite spiritual about fire magics, to the point of eccentricity.
• Learns the mage wanted to bring down the fire god Lavos to the earth, and to do this was trying to create a fire elemental with his "ball of fire" spell - which unfortunately went haywire.
• He is initially reluctant but agrees to help Thumb clean up his mess for a reward, as this could help his further his research on fire god summoning.
• Wexley notes that he was using a set of runes with read magic and he could likely reverse the summoning and send the elemental back to a plane of fire - but he would require it to be distracted so he could read it uninterrupted.
• The duo make it to the camp without incident, and start their plan by first sending a flare to lure the elemental away as Wexley read the runes and Thumb kept watch.
• The plan immediately goes awry as the elemental is wise to their trap and attacks Wexley, who luckily is only singed.
• Wexley creates a night sphere to momentarily trap the elemental, as well as blind it - and Thumb, taking advantage of the blinded monster jumps into the sphere with his daggers to distract it.
• With Thumb's distractions - despite getting burned - and Wexley's reading of the runes, the elemental is banished back to the fire plane as both adventures collapse, exhausted but triumphant. 
• The duo return to town - only to receive a paltry sum of 10 gold as a reward - just enough to relieve their rations - and a pardon as both had gone against the leadership of the town with Wexley's escape from capture. 
• Frustrated with the minimal reward, the duo decide to travel north to explore the lands there further.

Current Advancements: 1 X each per Thumb and Wexley for defeating the Fire Elemental.

Character Stats: 

-Thumb. Thief. Str 13, Dex 10, Wil 11. HP 5 (X). Armor 1. Age 30. Coin 0. Two daggers (d6+d6), hooded jerkin (1 armor), lockpicks, caltrops, grappling hook, rations x3, torch.

-Wexley. Mage. Str 8, Dex 15, Wil 10. HP 1 (X). Armor 0. Age 35. Coin 0. Dagger (d6), ragged clothes (hidden pockets), leycap x2, ration x2, torch, Spellbook: Night sphere, Spellbook: Read magic.