Session 15 - Zoinks! A Friendly Welcome!
General Summary
The Party left Termalaine for the short trip to the Town of Lonelywood under ever-threatening skies, worsening weather and stinging, icy rain. With the town in sight and darkness falling preternaturally, they fell in with numerous groups of well-armed loggers quitting the day's work early in anticipation of the coming storm. Zarra's friendly banter drew in one of them, Jarvis Treefeller (see Minor NPCs - note: Major NPCs found in World Codex) who invited the Party to join him for a drink later at The Lucky Liar tavern.
The Party first stopped at the home of Nimsey Huddle, the halfling female Speaker of Lonelywood. After partaking of some stunningly delicious homemade cookies, Nimsey and the Party found that they shared a desire to address the dual challenges of the rampaging White Moose and the instigating frost druid Ravisin. As payment for dealing with the White Moose, the Party would receive food and lodging in Lonelywood, the butchered value of the moose carcass, and the deed to the now-abandoned Ramshackle Inn (should the Party wish to either keep it for their own or reopen it as an inn). The Party's request for continuing information from Nimsy proved more problematic; she cautiously agreed only to the degree this would not violate her responsibilities as Speaker. More emphatically, she said that she could not afford to get involved in the Party's antagonism with Naerth Maxildinarr, despite her distaste for him.
The Party's second stop was The Happy Scrimshander shop to visit Iriskree Harrowhill, the reputedly "in-the-know" gnome regarding the goings-on in Lonelywood and, indeed, all of Ten Towns. Iriskree's small stature and elderly visage belied an underlying keenness of mind and physicality. Indeed, her homespun anecdotes of lessons learned from former "acquaintances" -- all of whom are now dead -- hinted at something more ominous than merely coincidental bad luck.
Even so, the information that she provided was undoubtedly useful, specifically: that Ravisin and Torrga Icevein are somehow in league together; that Iriskree selfishly shares the Party's desire to be rid of Ravisin; that Ravisin wants to kill the Party both because they freed Toothless from her clutches and because they killed "the Iceman" protector of Torrga ( Sephek Kaltrow that Ravisin was unlikely to be divinely overpowered in battle, but that many awakened animals would likely defend her, albeit with varying degrees of zealousness; and, that the White Moose was the most zealous of her creatures, and was unlikely to be swayed away from her. Finally, Iriskree offered information on the location of Torrga's hideout should the Party return with absolute proof of Ravisin’s demise.
With this information in mind, the Party proceeded to The Lucky Liar. Amid drinks and laughter with Jarvis Treefeller and his friends, the Party also learned a number of things: first, to always be circumspect in dealing with the denizens of Lonelywood, to avoid unearned overfriendliness with them, and to always mind the town's unofficial motto "Your Business is Your Own"; second, that Iriskree Harrowhill had been tasked by the town to bring magical gifts to Ravisin's sister, Vurnis, as the town's recompense for refusing to conduct human sacrifices to Auril and that instead Vurnis is now rumored to be dead; third, that rumors are swirling regarding Dzaan, a Red Wizard of Thay and member of the Arcane Brotherhood (see also Secrets Learned and, lastly, that Hansel DeGrootz, former owner of the Ramshackle Inn, mysteriously disappeared one year ago amidst suspicious circumstances (see also Side Quests).
Finally, Zanborin and Zarra stepped just outside The Lucky Liar to the edge of Maer Dualdon to try to contact Toothless, only to hear the high-pitched tones of their fit-for-purpose olifant scatter impotently into the stormy winds above the Maer.
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