From the introduction:
The PCs are staying at the End of the Road tavern, in the town of Kaziksburg (named for its kobold founder). The first evening of their stay, a loud explosion can be heard in the forest surrounding the town. Trazin, the kobold keeper of the tavern tries to keep everyone calm. However, many of the tavern's patrons have fled the building, leaving only a handful of humans and kobolds as well as the PCs. “We'll get word of what's going on soon enough. I think one of- ah, there he is.” From one of the windows, a human shaped object approaches the tavern. It reflects the lantern light from the windows, and before long the metal person has entered the inn. Rapidly turning gears are visible inside its metallic frame, and it carries a very large axe over one shoulder while a pile of lumber is held over the other. The clockwork woodsman set the pile of lumber down by the hearth, while Trazin moved behind it and flipped a switch. The machine stopped immediately and Trazin examined its damage. “Wow...look at these scorches...and those dents...whatever did this certainly isn't natural.”