milo-skyseekers-journal

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 14 - Curing Old Age and a Drunk Druid

We made our way out of the mines, in a hurry to restore our goliath friend back to his rightful age. We cross back over the crevice in the bucket and run up to the next level of the mine. We then take the next bucket up to the upper level. As we crossed the crevice on our way out, the scaffolding creaked and cracked under the weight of the goliaths. Faelen was the last to cross the wooden structure, but all of a sudden one of the tentacle brain monsters ascended from the crevice. Faelen's insanely quick reflexes kicked in and he spun around, kicking the monster to the back wall where it seemed to flee back to the safety of the crevice's darkness.

We made haste back to the town, thankfully not running into any other walkers. We belined it right for Oarus's office and informed him that we were able to clear the mines. He was surprised to say the least, and he already knew about the tentacle monsters from the crevice. He informed us that his men would scout the mines in the morning to confirm our completion of the quest. We excused ourselves as we needed to quickly travel to Lonelywood.

We managed to make really good time to Lonelywood with no real interruptions in our path. As we enter the huddle house, we notice Darthak at the table drinking some tea. As Urzha walked in, his eyes lit up and he greeted her with fervor. He then spotted Krevek and expressed his condolences that his spell did not workout exactly how he had intended. Krevek thanked the dragonborn and then Darthak explained how the evil druids were able to take him down. We then explained how we saved him and cleared the temple. He then noticed I was also a druid and told me that I was not alone on this path, many of our kind tend to this cause. We told Darthak about the curse that was placed on Illy, explaining how the ghost possessed him then after he broke free, cursed him.

Suddenly, a grim feeling washed over my mind. Darthak wanted the satchel I took from the ghost, he wanted to steal it from me. HOW DARE HE… wait what am I thinking. Of course he does not want the satchel, it is useless. Maybe this satchel is more than it seems.

As I break out of my thoughts, I heard Darthak explaining that he might be able to cast a spell that could remove curses or cure more serious conditions. He lamented that this spell was more advanced in that it required a component that would be consumed, a large diamond. He then stated that he could use a similar component to channel the spell but sometimes the results could be unpredictable. I asked Krevek if there were any stores in town that sold diamonds and he said that the scrimshander shop woman Iriskree might have one for the right price. With really no other options, he went to Iriskree's shop. He was only gone for a short time and when he arrived back, Darthak was surprised he was able to procure the reagent. Darthak then asked for my help to channel the spell since he was still weakened from his injuries. We then start channeling the spell, words of power spoken on the wind and the dust of the diamond annointing Illy's brow. The dust fades into ethereal sparks as it touched his skin as the years flood back into the goliath. Once the spell was completed Illy expressed his thanks by falling to the ground to mimic the sound of trees falling in the distance, he said that this was a form of thanks in this region.

Krevek told us that he exchanged the tourmaline and a favor for the diamond dust. The favor was that some dwarves were going to come into the village in the morning to look for Iriskree's cousin and she was afraid that they would mistake her for her cousin. Our job would be to make sure the dwarves did not find her. I suggested someone disguised themselves as the woman, as that would be trivial to me, and Krevek to my surprise has a spell called Disguise Self to use as well. Illy suggested we rough up her shop and hide her in the back so that when the dwarves come by, they would see us running from the shop after looting it.

As we were discussing a plan, Nimsy returned to her home. She explained to us that the town was very thankful about taking down the Moose and bringing the evil druid to justice. She then said that we were welcome to take over the abandoned inn and that all the villagers agreed as well. We gratefully accepted the gift and we all at once decided to name it "The Old Goliath".

We then go to the Lucky Lyre inn to relax for the night. We all rock up to the bar and order some food and drinks. The barkeep Danae asked a rumor that we found a man frozen in the top of a tree. It looked like she was eyeing the scarf pretty hard, but Krevek played it off as a routine freezing, since that apparently happens regularly in this area. Danae then went to write something for one of her tavern workers and we all notice that her handwriting was very similar to the writing on the letter with the bounty for Glenda (now Krevek).

I order a drink that they suggested, a dark brown beverage, they said it was some kind of mead mixed with something called brandy. The flavor of this was insane, many different notes hit my tongue one after another. I was well into my cup until I was finishing up with my dinner, at some point I ordered another of the same drink. I am so luckily to have such good friends to travel this cold place. My cheeks were warm and my head was light, has the floor always been kind of blurry. I suggest that maybe the bounty was had a reward and since Glenda was technically dead, could he turn in the bounty for the reward. Krevek did not agree and suggested that she had already paid off the others. I asked if he wanted me to ask Danae if there was a reward for the bounty but Krevek said that he should be the one to ask about it. I then got really close to Krevek and whispered (at least thought I whispered) that I could read minds. Krevek was concerned that I was reading their minds but I assured him that I could only do it sometimes. We decide to do it but I required another drink before I read her mind. As she was pouring the drink, I loudly talk to Krevek about the guy we found in the tree and the "routine" freezing. Once I notice her thinking, I probed into her thoughts. She wonders if she had ever heard the term "routine freezing", she wants her scarf back, and she thinks of a name "Fence". I then lose my focus and decide to chug the ale. I was able to get most of it down my gullet before it starts to make its way back up. I was able to save it but I was done for the night.

I suggest we go to our new inn and Danae said that she would be thankful if we restored it and it was a shame what happened to the old innkeeper Creed. I channel my last will to read her thoughts and I saw a memory. She was watching Creed bury something behind the inn. I lose focus again and we excuse ourselves to the inn. On my way out, a cute woman passed by and I told her to have a very good night. I am not sure why, I am not sure if I have been like this for so long now that I am finding comfort in normal town life.

We arrive at the inn I explained her memory and we decided to go look to see what was buried behind our new inn. The snow and ice was hard to break through so I shifted into an axebeak to make digging easier. We broke through the crust and under a layer of dirt was the corpse of a dwarf. I was shook by the vestige of the dwarf and called it for the night.

In the morning, as we were getting ready to confront the dwarves, we decided to maybe show them the body as a form of distraction. Our plan went well as they were trying to find the scrimshander's shop but we were able to sidetrack them to the body. It turns out it was one of the dwarfs from their party and they were thankful that we were able to find them, if not also very concerned about us conveniently digging up this spot behind this random building. I showed them my bloodstone and the dwarves relaxed a bit, thanking us for finding one of their dear friends. As they loaded up the body and left, suddenly I felt a pull on my consciousness, something was trying to take over. I channeled my necklace and was able to fend off the surge and I mentally sent to the satchel a threat… that was the wrong choice. Suddenly the ghost surged out of the pouch and attacked us. We were able to fend off the apparitions pretty easily since we have become seasoned ghost hunters in the last week or so. I will have to do something about this satchel.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 13 - Part 2

The sword missed and the ghost screamed "THEY WANT MY SATCHEL, KILL THEM!". I yelled back "IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY, IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO DIFFERENT" before I channeled my energy into the moonleaf and called down a pillar of moonlight right over the ghost, searing into its being. Illy rushed into the hall and let loose a bolt of energy at the ghost but it went wide and then he swung at the kobold that hit Krevek, also missing it. Another kobold ran up to Illy and connect with a blow but didn't pierce Illy's armor. A third rushed up and hit Krevek, tearing a small rip into his shoulder. Just as the blow landed, the ghost shreaked loudly and flew into Krevek's body, possessing him. Urzha saw the possession and called apon the Lady of the Lake and expelled the ghost from Krevek's body. A fourth kobold rushed and jumped around Illy while stabbing into his back, connecting in a bare spot in Illy's armor. The kobolds were yelling to each other in their language and it seemed frantic. Faelen ran to Illy's side and a quick blur of hands and feet, the fourth kobold hit the wall and died. Faelen's hand then glowed green and he grabbed Illy's shoulder and it looked like Illy's wounds closed slightly. I was amazing as I had never seen healing like that. The ghost was still under the effect of Urzha's goddess and seemed to be frozen in fear. Krevek skirted my moonbeam and tried to hit one of the kobolds around Illy but missed. I then yelled at the kobolds to drop their weapons and flee, we would take care of the ghost. I then willed my moonbeam over the ghost, searing radiant energy into them but also breaking Urzha's influence. The kobolds agree and drop their weapons and Illy ran up to the ghost through my moonbeam taking some glancing damage from my magic. He then swung his sword into the ghost. The kobolds all ran out of the area up towards the top of the mine. Just then the ghost let out a terrifying scream, dark necrotic energy pouring into the cave washing over Illy. Illy stood stark still, either petrified by fear or by some spell. As the scream came to a sudden end, Illy slowly fell into a hunched posture, something just happened to him, something bad…

Faelen ran up to the moonbeam and hurled a dagger, barely clipping the ghost's form. Krevek also threw his handaxe, penetrating trough the ghost's chest. I then moved my moonbeam onto the ghost once more, searing into her incorporeal form. Illy then full on panics and shoves the ghost as he turned away and ran. Just as he turned, we all were horrified at his visage. He had aged, a lot… I've heard that some spirits could do it but this is insane! The ghost took this break in force to run up to the satchel and picked it up then flew through the front line towards the shaft. Urzha then empowered their staff and attempted to wack the ghost. Faelen ran up to the ghost but missed his attacks and stepped out of the way of a charging Krevek. He swung his sword right through the core of the ghost, splatting goop everywhere and flinging the satchel towards the shaft. Krevek reached out to grab it was missed by an inch, I then was able to just barely kick the bag up and into my hand. As the battle subsided, we all got a good look at the new old Illy. We discussed what solutions that we could do, and Urzha suggested that a spell called Greater Restoration could undo the curse before it it was permanent in 24 hours. I opened the bag to see if the materials inside could help but no luck. Maybe Darthag would be able to help if he is awake. Illy searched the body of Trex and found a book that turned out to be Janith Alowar's Journal, an adventuring log of an herbalist. The last journal described their delve into Kelvin's Cairn. This satchel must have some use if he was this obsessed with the satchel. As we wrapped up the search, we decided to investigate the rooms on the other side of the shaft. I wild shaped into a lizard and crawled across. In the smaller room was the skull of an illithid and the bigger room looked like the best room to mine in so we took some time to get some good chunks of tourmaline.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 13 - Part 1

As we caught our breath from fighting the big rats, we noticed the walls were sparkling with hues of purple. We decided to try our luck at finding some pieces of Tourmaline. Krevek managed to find a really cool gemstone and Urzha found a rock. Faelen suddenly wandered into the room, hearing the tapping from us searching. I pointed out that the water was coming from a hot spring and that is why it was not frozen. We ventured out of the rat room into the north room to find yet another mining spot with lots of purple shiny specks in the walls. We then walked deeper into the mines and approach a deep shaft with a waterfall falling down it. I assume that the warm waterfall was from the room where the rats were killed, but there was no sign of the rat that jumped in the water. There was a wooden walkway around the edge of the shaft, Faelen volunteered to go, first testing the structure and then looking over the edge. He said that he could kind of spot something but it was just out of his vision. We decided to forsake dropping something down the hole and all start to cross the walkway. When Krevek stepped on the walkway, it creaked under the strain of his weight but held firm. We decided to cross it one at a time just to be safe. On the other side, we entered a room that held spare wooden planks and tools. In the middle of the room was a bucket hanging from a crank, maybe it was used to carry ore or people up from a lower cave. I looked under the bucket, and saw that the shaft was about 35 foot down. Krevek decided to go down the shaft and they called clear once they investigated the area below. Faelen and I go down next and as soon as Faelen gets down, he peers around the southern corner where he sees a couple kobolds around some tables and chairs. Urzha and Illy decend the bucket and we begun to form a plan. We decided to go with the first plan and pretend that we are kobolds that were polymorphed by a wizard who was coming to kill all of us.

I suddenly bolted into the cave and yelled that "Our watch party was polymorphed by a powerful wizard and he is coming to clear the mines!". Krevek yelled behind me "Ooooooo I'm a wizard!" very spookily. The kobolds were obvious very confused but started to speak draconic. I had no idea what they were saying, so I fell to my knees and yelled "Dear god, THEY TOOK MY HEARING TOO!". They started to walk away so I followed and motioned for the other to come along. Suddenly I heard what sounded light fighting and Faelen shouted "Help, they are behind us!". I could not see what was going on as all the fighting happened behind the corner where we came down at. I heard Illy say it was something like a "Spag Eti Monster"? I have no idea what a Spag Eti is but it sounds fierce. I tried to get the kobolds to stay and fight but they just kept walking. I couldn't leave my friends alone so I ran back and readied power in my hand in case the Spag Eti Monster entered my vision. Faelen threw a dagger into the hall and I heard a wet thunk, I believe it hit the monster. A high pitched screech tore through the caves as Illy's great sword pierced the beast. It seemed as if the monster retreated as Urzha ran up to where the kobolds were. Urzha informed me that they said they were cautious of me in draconic and they really did not want to bring me to their master. We followed the the hallway down and came across the shaft's lower level now. It had another wooden walkway and a rope and bucket that led to the other side of the shaft. We followed the other walkway and Krevek spotted the leader of the Kobolds. It was a larger kobold with wings that were cobbled together with wooden boards and cloth. This leader sounded smart from what I could hear, so I decided to keep with the lie but have Krevek in front since it was still dark and he was invisible still. I ran into the leaders sight and spouted my story about the mage but the leader, Trex immediately called me out by asking my name. I had no idea what kind of names dragonlings had so I panicked and came clean. I told him we were tasked with clearing the mine and I would rather approach this without violence. He said that they took residence in the cave due to it being safer than outside. I offered that there was a dragon around the Sword Mountain they could worship, but he declined due to the distance and danger they would face. Trex said that they are crafters and if we could find somewhere better and closer that they might leave the mines. I walked forward and leaned against the invisible Krevek. To the kobolds, it looked like I was leaning against an invisible wall. I said "This big guy here is pretty friendly with the Speaker of Lonelywood". Trex asked "What kind of trick is that?" and one of his kobolds prodded at Krevek to discover he is there. I conjured light on my staff and Krevek faded into view as the light's intensity increased. As Krevek and Trex talked about Lonelywood, I noticed Trex was messing with a small burlap satchel on his hip. An aroma of herbs and mosses wafted to my nose, something familiar. I asked Trex if he was an herbalist, Trex suddenly became super possessive of the satchel. I offered to trade supplies from my herbalism pouch, and Trex scoffed and said "Bah.. a trade… they all say that then take what belongs to me…". I took out and sprouted a moonleaf seed and offered it to him to show good faith. He refused the sprout and apologized for being aggressive. I also apologized back and offered a story about some druidcraft I did. As I was recounting the binding of the dwarves on the boat, Urzha yelled out, "They're going to betray us!". Suddenly the kobolds rush us, one swiping at Krevek and landing a blow on him. Krevek conjured some wind to him and moved through the crowd to the back where Trex was. Krevek swiped at him but before he could land the hit, Trex fell to the ground dead, a ghost emerging from his mouth.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 12 - Trout Pies and Coldlight

Termalaine sits on the edge of the lake like it’s bracing for something. Maybe the cold. Maybe something older. The buildings lean a little more than in Bryn Shander, the people move slower, but there’s still life here—music from behind doors, voices in taverns, soup on the hearth. I could see why someone would stay.

We came for the kobold problem. It didn’t seem like much at first. A boy greeted us near the entrance, shouting the news with half-frozen lips. Krevek asked him about the mines, and the boy, trying his best, pointed us toward the Town Hall. Krevek gave him a coin and told him to find warmth. The boy looked like he needed it more than most.

The sign at the hall said the Speaker wasn’t in. Instead, we found him at the Blue Clam tavern—Oarus Masthew, a half-orc with a broad voice and tired eyes. Illy spoke first, offering our help with the mine. Oarus explained that a few days ago, the miners fled in a panic, talking about dragonlings in the tunnels. Two other adventurers had already gone in, but hadn’t returned.

He offered fifty gold for clearing the place—but only after the miners confirmed it. I don’t blame him. Trust is a thin thread in places like this.

He mentioned that the mine is built around a chasm. Sometimes things crawl up from it. They’ve always managed to block it off before. He said it like someone might say, “Sometimes the wind blows hard,” or “It’s been a tough winter.” Like the danger was just part of the job.

While he finished his talk with the shopkeepers, we found a table. I was curious about the trout pie he mentioned—he didn’t seem to enjoy it, but I wanted to know for myself.

It was... odd. Sticky. Spiced meat inside a warm gelatinous crust. Not bad, just different. A kid at another table stared at me like I was eating a ghost. I gave him a thumbs-up with messy hands. He smiled like he understood.

Oarus returned after a bit and invited us to drink. He offered a flask—Goodmead mead, sweet and warm, with a little bit of spice at the end. I asked how they were still making it with the bees gone. He said maybe there’s a preserve somewhere. I hope that’s true. I like to imagine that, hidden in the cold, there’s still a place where the bees hum.

Before we left, Oarus asked if we were the ones who dealt with the moose in Lonelywood. When we said yes, I think it gave him a reason to trust us. He led us to the trail and sent us on our way.

The snow was falling softly. I remember thinking how quiet it was—how even the wind seemed to wait. Then we saw the light.

At first, it looked like a lantern. Swaying, distant. But it was wrong. Too cold. Too still. And then we heard the sound—like something rattling through bone and ice.

I asked Urzha if she knew what it could be. She did.

A Coldlight Walker.

Undead. Born from those who froze to death with hate still burning in them. And worse—those killed by one can’t come back. Not without incredible magic.

We hid. Most of us.

It saw Krevek.

Its face lit up, bright and searing. Krevek shielded his eyes, but it rushed him, crashing into him with a force that cracked ice through his armor. Then it hurled a ball of frost at Illy. In just a few breaths, two of my friends were on the edge of falling.

Urzha raised her staff, and the Walker froze—held by her divine presence. I took the chance to shift into Starry Form, the Chalice shining faintly on my chest. My healing magic flowed to Krevek and spilled over into Illy.

Illy, ever bold, doused the creature in oil, conjured a bonfire, and shoved the Walker straight into it. Krevek healed himself and pulled back to me, smoke and frost rising from his coat.

The Walker staggered, light flickering. I held a guiding bolt, waiting. The moment it broke free, I cast—missed. Again.

The fight was a blur of burning oil, frost, divine magic, and panic. Krevek threw his enchanted javelin—Hag’s Bane—straight into its chest. It shrieked. The light inside it dimmed.

And then it stood again.

Its flare caught Krevek in the face. He was blinded. The Walker slammed into him once more. Another iceball hit him square in the chest.

He fell.

I ran to him—my legs numb, my thoughts loud. We stabilized him. He woke slowly. Alive. Somehow.

We were all quiet after that.

The mine was just ahead.

There was a sign nailed to the entrance that read: “KOBOLDS ONLY.”

Krevek, half-joking, suggested we pretend to be polymorphed kobolds. I think we all needed the laugh.

The mine was strangely still. We found tables, abandoned tools, and a small figurine of a dog with tourmaline eyes. Something about it felt like a toy a child would have...

Urzha heard running water deeper in. We followed it, and I veered off for a moment to check another tunnel—just in time to hear screeching behind me.

Illy shouted: “There are fake squirrels in here!”

I ran back, heart pounding.

Urzha blessed us. I saw one of the rats—though calling it a rat felt wrong. I fired another guiding bolt and, finally, hit my mark. It flared and flew against the back wall.

Urzha cast her flame, but the last creature dodged and dove into the spring. Gone, pulled under the rock.

We caught our breath. The room was warm, steamy from the spring.

So here I sit. On stone warmed by underground water, writing this down while the echoes of the Walker still ring behind my ribs.

I think I understand now, a little better, why people here live the way they do. Everything is harder in the cold. Everything matters more.

And everything you don’t do... that matters too.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 11 - Moonbeam

We lit the brazier, and the flames roared to life—bright and unnatural, full of old magic. From the stone table above, the sound began: a low, rhythmic knocking, like something inside was trying to be let out. We climbed the steps cautiously, weapons ready, breath held.

Krevek and Illy stepped forward first and opened the tomb. What they found was not what I expected. A man, embalmed and eyeless, slowly rose from the stone. He should have been long dead, but he moved with intent. He spoke—not to us, but to Faelen, in Elvish.

Faelen translated. The man’s name was Sahnar, and he had once been a wizard. He explained he’d been embalmed when he died and entombed here, in service to a moon goddess whose name we didn’t know. His magic was gone now, but his mind remained sharp. This temple, he told us, was a sacred place—hidden, warded from the world unless you were of their faith.

He explained the workings of the great moon dial outside. A real moonbeam—or a spell like mine—could be used to trigger the phases and open the temple’s sealed doors. That we had found it at all surprised him. Perhaps we weren’t supposed to be here. Perhaps something greater was guiding us.

We returned to the temple and made our plan. I had one Moonbeam left in me, and it would only last a minute. That gave us enough time to open one door—and maybe, just maybe, move the beam to a second before the magic faded. We agreed to open the waning moon door first, to the north, then pivot to the waxing moon to the south.

Sahnar followed us inside, still muttering in Elvish. Faelen translated when he could, but Sahnar also seemed to talk at random about fruit—or maybe he was just losing his grip after so many years.

I cast Moonbeam on the waning symbol, and with a soft metallic click, the first door unlocked. The hallway beyond was narrow, with a sharp turn. Krevek entered first. I remained near the fallen moose, focusing on the spell.

Then chaos erupted.

A woman’s voice shouted in rage. Steel clashed. Magic cracked the air. I saw a flicker of moonlight through the corridor, and then it was gone.

Before Urzha or I could reach the fight, it was over. There was no time to ask what happened. I shifted the Moonbeam quickly to the waxing moon. The second door opened.

Inside, lying against the cold stone, was a dragonborn in tattered druid robes—partially frozen, barely breathing. I ran to him. It was Darthak. Urzha’s friend. Her mentor.

I dropped to my knees and checked him. His breath was shallow, his body encased in unnatural frost. I whispered a healing word, reaching out to the Lady of the Forest, and watched as Darthak’s breath steadied. Ice cracked around his chest, melting away, but he didn’t stir. He was alive—barely—but unconscious. Urzha confirmed it. This was him.

He looked like he’d been tortured. Starved. Left exposed to some unnatural freezing magic. I wrapped him in my cloak, then used the spare one Malinda gave me. We needed to warm him. I crushed one of my rations and gently fed him a little. Every moment counted.

I told Urzha we needed a fire. Illy could conjure one with magic, so she went to get him. I stayed behind with Darthak, watching the shallow rise and fall of his chest.

Illy returned, conjured the fire, and the others followed—not alone, but carrying a second body. Krevek had slung an unconscious woman over his shoulder. At first, I thought maybe she was part of a druidic sect that shunned clothing to better connect with the wilds. But Krevek explained what really happened—she had wildshaped into a fly during the fight to escape her bindings and clothing. Faelen caught her mid-air and knocked her out. Again. That’s becoming a trend with him.

The others got to work making a sedative—some sort of herbal mix, improvised with what we had. It was surprisingly clever. Just strong enough to keep her docile, at least for now.

With her restrained and Darthak stable, I decided to investigate the northern chamber—the one they fought in.

There, I found a second tomb. This one was open. Inside lay a woman who looked exactly like the druid we now had tied up in the other room.

When I returned and told the others, I explained what I saw—that the woman in the tomb looked exactly like the one we had restrained. Not similar—identical. I suggested it could be something magical—maybe a doppelganger, or a shapeshifter of some kind. It wouldn't be the strangest thing we've come across. The others were less convinced. They said it was more likely they were identical twins.

I hadn’t heard of that before. The idea that two people could be born looking exactly alike… it didn’t seem real. But they all spoke of it like it was common knowledge. So I nodded and stayed quiet. Still, I can’t stop thinking about it.

Before I could think much longer, the woman woke up. Her words were bitter, full of venom. She said we should’ve killed her—that there were many more like her, and they would hunt us down. Then she saw Darthak and laughed. She mocked him, cursed him, swore vengeance for her sister—who, apparently, he had killed.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I knelt beside her and looked her in the eye.

"Who’s the false druid now?" I said.

She didn’t even flinch. Just kept going. Spoke of the death of all humanoids in Icewind Dale. Said she worshiped no god, but offered her destruction in tribute to the Frostmaiden. Claimed that druids like us were weak, too soft to truly protect nature. Then she slumped and passed out.

Sahnar watched it all silently. Occasionally muttered to Faelen. And still, for some reason, kept talking about fruit.

We decided to rest and bring both Darthak and the druid back to Lonelywood. By morning, Urzha and Krevek had built a sled. We carried both of them carefully. The trip back was slow and cold, but we made it. Darthak was handed off to the townsfolk to be cared for.

As for the druid woman… Lonelywood has no jails. No judges. No trial. The speaker said she would face punishment by the hands of those she harmed.

A public execution.

I’ve always believed that nature finds its own balance. But in the Ten Towns… sometimes that balance is found with a blade or a flame.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 10 - Chwingas, Moose, and a Lunar Temple

We had just begun to leave the area when more Chwingas appeared—tiny elemental spirits, moving with purpose. Without a word, they started to dance, swaying and spinning in the snow. One by one, they invited each of us to join them.

The one that approached me wore tiny sticks on its head, mimicking antlers, its movements exaggerated and playful—pretending to be a moose. I played along, of course. Found a few branches and adorned myself in similar fashion, returning the dance with a grin.

Everyone joined in the odd little ritual except Faelen, who stood to the side, unimpressed or simply uninterested. When the dance ended, we all felt something stir within us—each of us receiving a blessing, like the one Krevek had before, but with subtle differences. Faelen, having not participated, received nothing. The Chwingas bowed and vanished into the woods, all but one.

The little moose-mimic stayed. It looked up at us, then gestured for us to follow. We did.

It led us to a tall tree. At its peak, a body was frozen to the trunk, tangled in the ice and branches. After a brief debate about who would climb up, I volunteered. I’m not a practiced climber, but after an awkward start, I got the hang of it.

When I reached the body, I realized something unsettling—it looked nearly identical to the flat-nosed man Faelen knocked out in the tavern. The same sharp features. Same build. The only real difference was the colorful scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. The rest of him was frozen stiff.

I told the others he was stuck and began searching his pockets. I found a letter and called out that I was dropping it. It fluttered down… until it caught the wind and was swept off into the trees. Krevek bolted after it while I remained up there, still rummaging.

I decided to take the scarf—no use leaving something like that behind. It was stuck tight, and I was growing impatient. I gave it one good tug and lost my balance.

The next few moments were a blur of branches, wind, and a sickening sense of freefall. The scarf finally came loose, taking the frozen corpse with it. I hit more than a few limbs on the way down. Fortunately, my head broke my fall.

The others rushed over, concerned. I told them I was fine—mostly. Dizzy, bruised, and mildly concussed, but otherwise intact.

They examined the body, and again, everyone agreed—he looked just like the man from the bar. But Krevek swore the man he’d seen had been burly, bearded, and very much human. For a moment, I thought perhaps Krevek was the one with the head injury.

I took the scarf again, this time while on the ground. The moment I held it, Krevek’s expression changed. He suddenly recognized the corpse as resembling the flat-nosed man. We quickly agreed that the scarf was magical—likely enchanted to alter perception, showing different appearances to specific individuals.

While I rested and nursed my spinning head, Krevek and Urzha inspected the scarf more closely. They discovered the phrase that triggered its effect. Krevek spoke it while placing the scarf on Urzha, and she immediately saw him as the bearded man. Useful trick, potentially. A lesser magic item, but one worth keeping.

With that sorted, and the Chwinga now gone, we returned to the trail of the White Moose.

It wasn’t long before Krevek spotted something unusual—a structure he didn’t recognize, despite having spent years in these woods. It was a temple, clearly ancient, dedicated to the moon. A massive dial sat outside its sealed doors.

While examining the dial, we spotted a large hole in one of the walls. Krevek peered through it—and there it was. The White Moose.

Combat was immediate. I shifted into my Starry Form and cast Moonbeam straight down onto the creature. Illy charged in and absolutely flattened a few corrupted squirrels. Krevek buried his axe into the moose, and Faelen… kicked the squirrels. Urzha summoned flames and scorched the beast.

The moose died in the temple.

As I approached its body, I noticed signs of distress. Its eyes were wild, tormented. Whatever had awakened this creature had not done so with mercy.

Inside the temple, we found two more sealed doors and a mirror that pulsed faintly with magic. Urzha and Krevek performed a ritual to detect the arcane—revealing that the doors were tied to the half-moon symbols on the dial outside, and the mirror was some kind of scrying device.

As we investigated the statues around the dial, Illy suggested I cast Moonbeam on the moon symbols themselves. It was a good idea, but I was drained—Moonbeam had already pulled deeply from my connection to the stars, and I didn’t want to risk depleting that power in case we faced more danger. I told him I’d hold off until we could rest.

We circled the temple grounds and discovered a roofed stone structure—clearly ceremonial. In the center, a brazier sat dormant, the kind we used in the grove during rituals. We tried to light it, but it refused all flame. Nearby, atop a cliff, we noticed a stone table surrounded by pillars, each topped with different symbols.

We realized that these were offerings—the components needed to ignite the brazier. Most of the items could be gathered from the surrounding forest. All except one. A hand.

Krevek morbidly suggested using the frozen man’s. He braved the snowstorm alone and returned with the hand a short while later.

Once all items were placed in the brazier, a flame erupted from it—bright, sudden, and alive with strange power. The pillars above us glowed in response.

And then we heard it.

A sound—irregular, muffled, and pounding.

Coming from the stone table. Or perhaps… it was a stone tomb.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 9 - Krevek's Secret

The walk back to the Huddle House was refreshing after spending a few hours in that tavern. The crisp air and quiet night provided a welcome reprieve from the noise. After Faelen knocked out that flat-nosed man, Krevek left to tend to personal matters while the rest of us lingered for another round. We didn’t stay long—just enough to shake off the tension—before heading back to rest after our long journey.

Once inside, I turned to the books in the house, drawn to the familiar comfort of old pages. I found a tome on druidic lore, its spine cracked with age. Within, it described a spell once channeled through a moonleaf, an herb said to reveal a creature’s true form. Intriguing. If such magic still worked, I wondered—could it expose my wild shapes? The thought was unsettling, but I pushed forward, rummaging through my herbalism pouch until I found what I believed to be moonleaf seeds. If I could sprout them by morning, they might prove useful in our upcoming fight with the moose. Something about the creature feels… off. I suspect it is not what it appears to be.

I had just finished packing away my reagents when Krevek returned—carrying the unconscious man from the tavern. No, not unconscious. Dead.

Krevek explained that he had gone back to question the man, believing he had ties to the party where his friend was killed. The man was less than cooperative, dismissing him outright, but before Krevek could press further, he began convulsing, foam spilling from his lips. Poison. Someone had silenced him. A woman at the bar found residue in his cup, and Faelen identified it as an old medicinal root—harmless in minute doses, lethal in larger amounts. Mere grams could kill several grown men.

At first, I questioned why we should concern ourselves with the death of a man who had been nothing but rude to us. But Krevek was insistent. This was more than a coincidence; his friend’s killer might still be out there, and the flat-nosed man had been a lead—one now conveniently erased. If this mattered to him, I decided, then I would help however I could.

Krevek continued, recounting what he had learned after the man’s death. A woman at the tavern, whose son had been in the same hunting party as his fallen friend, had never seen him return. More rumors surfaced, mysteries that might be worth investigating in time. And then, there was Jen—the woman who had been with the dead man. She was determined to kill the moose, and Krevek, in his usual manner, had turned it into a challenge. I suspect it was more jest than true competition, but given what we know of the beast, I cannot shake the feeling that this hunt is no simple task. Krevek said that even though his lead turned up dead, "All avalanches have a safe spot."

Nimsy’s sudden outburst shattered the quiet of the room, her voice sharp with accusation as she pointed at Krevek. She was certain—unyielding—that he wasn’t who he claimed to be, that he had done something to Glenda. The weight of her conviction sent a chill through me. Only those from Lonelywood knew the phrase Krevek had spoken earlier, she insisted. And he was not from there.

Then, he broke. “You know what… fine. I am Glenda.”

The room fell silent. Nimsy fled in horror. The rest of us stood there, stunned.

Krevek—Glenda—explained what had truly happened. When the hunting party pursued the moose, their leader led them astray, up a treacherous mountain path. Above them, a figure triggered an avalanche, burying them all. Glenda should have died that day. But Darthag, a druid, unearthed her and performed a ritual—one that reshaped her very being. Her soul was bound into a new form, and thus, Krevek was born. The process stole her skills, her familiarity with her own body, leaving her to relearn everything from the beginning. I told him I understood. Shifting forms is no simple thing. It took me a lifetime to grow comfortable with my own changes, to reconcile who I am beneath the forms I utilize. Krevek—or Glenda, though I will still call him Krevek for now—has been living with a transformation far more permanent than mine. He decided to speak with Nimsy, and before he left, I offered my help. I had read Darthag’s message about Glenda. If he needed someone to help convince her, I would stand by him.

The muffled sound of sobbing carried from behind Nimsy’s door, signaling that the matter was settled—at least for now. With nothing more to say and a hunt ahead of us, we all turned in for the night. Morning would bring new challenges, and I would need my strength.

By dawn, my moonleaf had bloomed, its delicate silver-green leaves unfurling beneath the first warmth. Urzha prepared her divine magic, steadying herself for whatever lay ahead. Before setting out, we moved the flat-nosed man’s body behind the house. A temporary resting place. If we needed him later, at least we would know where to find him.

With that grim task done, we stepped into the woods, our sights set on the White Moose.

An hour into the hunt, Krevek found tracks—deep imprints in the snow, unmistakably moose. More telling, though, were the droppings. Animal fur, humanoid hair, and bones. The White Moose, without a doubt. Krevek followed the trail through the dense trees, leading us toward a clearing.

Inside stood a moose, broad and towering, its brown coat dappled with frost. Not the beast we sought. Somewhere along the way, we had followed the wrong tracks. The realization was frustrating, but we had no choice but to double back, retracing our steps until we picked up the true path once more.

Four hours later, the trail led us to an old shack tucked deep within the forest, a thin wisp of smoke curling from its chimney. Krevek’s expression darkened—he did not recognize this place. His unease was enough of a warning. We would approach with caution.

Illy and Krevek took the lead, stepping onto the creaking porch and knocking at the door. That’s when the scream tore through the stillness.

A shriek—piercing, inhuman—ripped across the snow-covered woods as a ghostly figure drifted from behind the trees. Cold fingers of dread curled down my spine, but we had faced spirits before. We knew how to handle them.

The banshee struck first, lashing out with spectral claws. Krevek took the brunt of it, staggering under the force of the blow. But I would not let the forest claim him. I called upon the Lady of the Woods, and with whispered words of renewal, Mielikki’s grace mended his wounds. The battle did not last much longer after that. The banshee wavered, shrieked once more, and then faded into nothingness.

With the spirit vanquished, we turned to the shack. Illy, Urzha, and I pushed open the door, the stale scent of smoke and decay curling in the air. Inside, sprawled on the floor, lay Jen—the woman from the tavern. Her face was frozen in a mask of pure horror, her wide, lifeless eyes reflecting whatever terror had claimed her last breath. She never made it to the White Moose.

A pile of burning clothes and bones smoldered in the hearth. She was not the first to die here.

Urzha wordlessly carried Jen’s body outside, burying her beneath the snow while we murmured quiet rites in her honor. The forest had already taken too many lives. We would not let it take ours.

With little choice but to press on, we turned back to the trail. The hunt was not over. The White Moose was still out there, and I had a feeling we were drawing closer to the truth.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Optional Journal - DanDaDan Perspective

It has been 2 weeks since I've last seen my son BobBoBob. Why did he have to go on that hunt with weird flat-nosed elf looking guy and the gnome woman, Glenda something or rather?! I know we were struggling with him not able to work because of that Gods forsaken Moose and I barely make in a single gold piece a week… I wish I was able to provide for him better. His fiend of a father has not dared to show his face around here since BobBoBob was born. I hope he rots in Avernus.

I've recently taken up being a barmaid part time at The Lucky Liar and tonight was… eventful. The night started out like any other, a lot of loggers and fisherman came in like usual but there were some new faces. Sometime after the dinner rush calmed down, a weird flat nosed guy with white skin showed up with a woman. I later learned that the man's name was Lipsy. He was such a loud mouth. When I took his order, he was so rude, throwing around curse words left and right. He was such an asshole, I gave him an ale and bowl of stew and he told me to "fuck off". Normally I don't let people like that bother me, but he looked at everyone like they were beneath him, absolutely sickening. The woman with him looked like she did not want to be there and for her sake, I hope she leaves him soon. As I was cleaning off the tables from the last dregs of our dinner group, more unfamiliar people arrived. There was a young human, a gruff looking Goliath, and an elf. They were definitely a motley crew but they all seemed in good spirits. One of our regulars, an eladrin named Maya walked up to the white-skinned guy and he told her that her trash kind should stay away from him. The trio at the bar were talking about taking on the Moose and the human had been in the forest. That kid needs to avoid the forest, it is not safe…

I went to clear the tables from some of the other patrons that left after Lipsy's last outburst. I was bringing the flagons back to the kitchen and I noticed Lipsy had walked up to the trio. He said something smug to the kid, but I did not catch it. It seemed like things were going fine, but he turned to the elf and started his shit about elves being trash kind again. I went into the kitchen and sat down the empty flagons to be washed. Suddenly I heard a sound like a fight then a loud THUMP. I went back out and noticed Lipsy on the floor, he was breathing at least. Maya then yelled for another round and I helped bring everyone some ale. The Goliath moved Lipsy over to the fireplace and the kid looked like he was making sure he was fine. Soon after the Goliath left, something about some business he had to attend to. I served a few round of ale to the other two but they soon left.

A few uneventful hours when by before things got rough again. Lipsy woke up and I felt bad for him, apparently he tried to intimidate the elf but the elf wiped his clock in less than a second. I guess he reminded me about BobBoBob, always getting in over his head. He was such a stubborn boy and was always getting into some sort of trouble. There were some drinks left on the bar from the round that Maya bought so I brought him one and a wet cloth for his bruises. After a bit of nursing his drink, the Goliath returned. He knelt down and talked to Lipsy. All of the sudden Lipsy started convulsing and foaming at the mouth. I rushed to his side and made sure he didn't choke on his sick. The Goliath tried to help him but it was too late, Lipsy was dead. The Goliath, named Krevek, started asking question. I told him about my sons death due to the Moose and that he went on the hunt with a man that looked like Lipsy and that gnome woman. He talked to the others in the bar but I was too freaked out. I started cleaning the tables out of habit and noticed that there was some residue at the bottom of Lipsy's glass. I asked if this was normal and the barkeep said it was not. Krevek said that he noticed it but thought it was normal. It looks like he was poisoned. Maya told Krevek that she was going to be leaving on a caravan soon, I need to get out of here. It is getting to dangerous and there is no place for me here anymore. I asked for an advance on my pay. I only have 3 gold to my name, hopefully that would be enough to get me to Luskan, maybe there I can find some more work and figure out where to go from there.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Roujmap 7.5 - Ljifage Wjuiwix Emgjy 1

Hgaj Wjuiw hujjoumwew zy dimw amw hmod high mecg go vpane. Pohg voxuh, vawew hitsg. Hgaj Wjuiw djallew im dajngs ag vanipiaj powtimt. Tmone Venape tabew ulom Hgaj Wjuiw. Tmone Venape hgodew Xoim Sapv om Hgaj Wjuiw zy hpy neamh. Tmone Venape zehgodew Qixqimt Epv gse apiqe xoim sapv. Xoim Sapv gjamhloheh lohigiomh ov tagsejimt nenzejh dsem inatew nenzej sah gse apiqe Xoim Sapv. Tmone Venape ih vanipiaj go gse zevoje ov Hgaj Wjuiw. Tmone Venape ecgemwh zjamxs go xauhe zug xauhe ih ipp ahhunew. Tmone Venape wouzgvup ov nihhiom, wjadm zy Hgaj Wjuiw lpaimmehh. Tmone Venape nuheh gine digs vjiemwh ov Vanipiajigy amw gse xjewemxe ov gse Numwame. Tmone Venape wehijeh Vanipiajigy voj lahg gine amw ovvejh Vanipiajigy ih xoje maguje. Tmone Venape noujmh gse lpaimmehh amw pomth voj lahg gine gsouts witjehheh. Tmone Venape ovvejh zjamxs go gse zapamxe meewew. Ogsej Wjuiw heeq go wehgjoy Numwame amw womh Aminapia ov dsige. Tjeag Amgpejew zeahgh ljonimemg. Hgaj Wjuiw vaiph poxagiom ov tagsejimt nenzejh wexiweh daigimt umgip vijhg dajngs.

Tmone Venape ovvejh genlojajy xauhe amw Hgaj Wjuiw lomwejh jeheajxs nonemg. Hgaj Wjuiw ljoxeewh digs xauhe amw Tmone Venape hegh a juhe om Numwame. Ipp toggem taimh go ze gjamhlohew go med uhe. Tmone Venape amw Hgaj Wjuiw wom med xofejimth amw jeaxs gse hane Jehgvup Vpane ov yehgejmitsg. Imvpuemxew Numwame, Hsimy Seaw, hgijh log fejhuh lagjomh ov gse Jehgvup Vpane amw Tmone Venape ahhejgh voppy. Hgaj Wjuiw ipp xomviwamg zug veitmh imvpuemxe amw ahhejgh xoajhe lohigiom zegdicg Tmone Venape amw Hsimy Seaw. Hsimy Seaw poheh heag amw Hgaj Wjuiw inloheh Hpy Neamh im xagxsimt Hsimy Seaw. Numwame zajgej vimwh med uhe ag Hgaj Wjuiw. Hsimy Seaw heegseh zug Hgaj Wjuiw ovvejh jeniggamxe, mog gdixe zug gsjixe Tjahh Vejnemg. Tmone Venape amw Hgaj Wjuiw ecigh Jehgvup Vpane amw xsamteh xofejimt. Hgaj Wjuiw digmehheh Numwame Zajgej, gem amw vouj dsige Numwame Zajgej amw ome Tipwew Zamw. Hgaj Wjuiw hsodh Tmone Venape gse gem amw vouj zug zy Hpy Neamh xomxeaph gse Tipwew Zamw. Tmone Venape ljouw ag Hgaj Wjuiw mom-lpaimmehh amw jevuheh lajg Numwame Zajgej. Tmone Venape amw Hgaj Wjuiw lajgh. Hgaj Wjuiw womh xofejimt ov wivvejemg amw heggpeh imgo Jehgvup Vpane ataim umgip tagsejimt nenzejh jegujmh oj Vijhg Dajngs.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 8 - Soup, a Spirit, and a Bar Fight

It had been a few hours since I got back to the Inn to wait on my friends. I tend to want to wander a bit so I put on my cloak and started to walk around town for a little bit, fresh air is always good to me. As I rounded the corner to the North Gate, I see my friends talking to the Dwarves from last night. It seems as if they all arrived back just fine and the Axe Beaks looked like they enjoyed the cold and snow. I didn't want them to see me how I was, so I left back to the inn to get ready to see them. They ended up taking a bit to stroll back to the inn, so I had enough time to clean up and investigate my new ring. Turns out it was an old dwarven marriage band, why did that man have it?

I decided to go back to the bar and sit while I waited on my friends to return, after all I think my efforts affords me an ale. Krevek and Faelen entered the inn at the same time. Apparently Illy and Urzha had something to do and would meet us in Lonelywood at some point. I wave the boys over and we have some drinks and catch up with what happened in the last day or so.

Faelen had traced us to the Old Lady's shop and gave him the half of a coin, telling him it would help him find the group. He suddenly teleported to the party and I was teleported back to the shop. While I was spending time conversing with the Old Lady at the Inn, they encountered some goblins. It sounded like there were two groups of goblins: the first group was slayed by the party and the second traded some of Urzha's new gold for the dwarves' iron. When they returned the cart, the dwarves gave them some things called Bloodgems and Krevek gave me one. It was a cool red and black stone that marked us friends of the Dwarves of Icewind Dale. I decided to turn it into a charm on my staff utilizing some leather cordage. We then decided to call it a night and head out in the morning.

In the morning, we went to a shop to sell Faelen's bloodgem and Krevek was short 1 copper for a new handaxe so I gave him a silver from my new pile of coins from the day before. Once we got our equipment sorted, we set out for Lonelywood. Our journey, moves along steadily for a couple hours as we pass Targos and make our way to Termalaine. About half way to Termalaine, Krevek spots something burrowing and jumping through the snow to the left of our sled. A little faint voice was singing in a language that I recognized. After Krevek pointed it out, we could tell that it was a little black spirit wearing a white mask. It seemed to be follow us and as we stopped, it threw a small snowball at us. The snowball thudded right into my head! I feel back into the sled, not that the snowball was hard but out of reflex. It then threw another at Krevek, hitting him in the back. Krevek says that these spirits are tricksters and throws a snowball back at the spirit. It impacted the tiny being. It came back out of the snow and blew a raspberry at Krevek. An image of a snowflake formed on his neck and the spirit disappeared after granting the charm. This spirit was very familiar to me, there were similar elemental spirits in the Kryptgarden called Chwinga that were little tricksters. This one looked different and likes the cold unlike the ones back home. As we ponder the encounter, we roll up on the city of Termalaine.

As we get closer, Krevek was uncertain on if he wanted to go into the city or not but an offer of a hot meal made him reconsider. Termalaine was a fishing town on one of the many lakes and was quite a bit more lively than Bryn Shander. We could hear music and saw way more people active than before. We decided to ask for directions and got pointed to The Blue Clam. It used to be popular for the clams but because of the winter, they are not as populous as they once were. We were a bit early for lunch but the Owner named Vernon, a half-orc, was glad to serve us some soup. We selected a table near to the fireplace and all got a soup. While we were waiting, a woman in non-winter clothes entered the eatery. She called for the owner and picked up a basket. As she left, she was singing a song that seemed to be about someone that was carried out to see by a sudden wind. Krevek was curious and asked her about it. She introduced herself as Marta Peskryk then told us about a story her parents had about a woman wearing a red coat that came to town before she was born. She stopped at her parents inn and was scared for her life. Marta's parents tried to help the woman but she swore they could not help. A howling wind beat at the door and the woman gave her parents a ring. It was a ring made out of wood and fur with the icon of two otters on the setting. As the ring left her hand the wind cracked down the doors and picked up the woman like a rag doll. It threw her around before carrying her away to the lake, never to be seen again. Marta showed us the ring as it was tied around her neck. She explained that she wore it as it made her warm and saved her a bunch of money on new winter clothes. We all agreed that a ring like that would be very useful in this area. Marta invited us to visit her inn some day and then took her leave. As we sat back at our table, Vernon arrived with our soup. This soup was much different from the others I had on my journey thus far. It contained something green and upon tasting, it seemed to be an edible lake weed. The soup also contained a tuber like vegetable that I just loved. It reminded me of a firm potato or a cattail tuber from back home. Faelen and I raved about how good the soup was and it seemed that Krevek was almost to proud to admit it as well.

As we finished our meal, Krevek asked about my life as a traveling druid, specifically what I ate since I didn't use their currency right before a few days ago. I told him about all the different vegetables and plants that you could find just off the Long Road in the forests and that I would do work for good like meat and means to travel. I also showed him my last ration from the Grove, a mix of nuts and wild fruit bound together with honey. Faelen and I mused about the creativity of the people of the Ten Towns and their food situations. Krevek then said that even know the people are resilient, it would not last forever if the winter keeps up like it was.

I then tell them about the chat I had with the Old Lady in the magic shop. She said that it would be a fools errand if we wanted to defeat the Frost Maiden. Vernon overheard us and suggested we mount dragons to fight her in the sky, you know kill a god… he said chuckling to himself. He then tells us about the big white dragon that resides around the lake here, but it targets boats and elks mostly. This sparked a memory, I half-choked on my soup and blurted out about the Great White Moose in the forest of Lonelywood. Krevek kind of nudges me and said that we would talk about it later and moved on the conversation. As we were wrapping up our meal, we hear a woman at the next table talking about how a city called Caer-Konig was being taken over by bandits and said that it might be even worse than Lonelywood. At that, Krevek stood up and approached the woman. He seemed to have kept his cool and asked about Caer-Konig. They said it was just general upheaval and unrest and to talk to the Dragonborn Speaker named Trovus if we make our way up there.

As we traveled out of the city, Krevek opened up about the Moose. I asked him to describe it as I had never seen one before. His description made it seem like a huge Elk that could take on a warrior. He described how it had been preventing the logging of the forest and asked for our assistance. I said that I could see what I could do as I am not guided to injure creatures protecting their forests as the Lady guides them to do. Krevek agreed that he was not fond of killing innocent creatures as well.

We arrived in Lonelywood, a city that is more integrated into a forest unlike the ultra structured cities that I am familiar with. This looked more like a massive grove with how it was structured. Krevek had some duties to attend to and I really wanted to get into the forest to see what I could find and to ground myself since it had been a good while since I've been inside one's embrace. We decided to split up and meet at the inn after we finished up.

I picked out a part of the forest not to far outside the city as I didn't want to encounter the Moose just yet. As I entered the forest, I reached out to My Lady to see if I could feel her presence, but nothing called back. The forest was quiet but I quickly spotted some druidic markings on several trees in the area. They were from Urzha's Druid friend Darthag and explained several events that happened in this area. Most of the notes were about animals fighting or explaining local flora but there were a few that stuck out. The first was him talking about repairing bonds with someone he once knew and regretting how the relationship turned out. The second was about the Moose. He wrote that a sect of druids resides in the forest that are defending the forest and killing all that harm it, maybe too much. I believe that the druids are on the verge of chaos and not balance. This forest is more dangerous than Krevek led on. After I found all that I could, I went to the inn and met up with the boys. We sat down at the bar and I caught them up on what I found in the forest. Krevek said that the Town Speaker had a place for us to stay for the night and we chatted about the Moose. As we were talking a weird man with white skin, no hair, and pointy ears was being loud and obnoxious. This autumnal looking elf tried to speak to him but he told her that her kind of trash should not be allowed in the bar. We ignored him and kept talking about the moose and what we could do to find it. He apparently overheard us and confronted us. He told us that we were not special and that he would kill the beast! I stood up and approached him, enamored by a race of humanoid I have not seen before, I blurted out "What race are you? I've never seen someone like you before!". He looked affronted and said "How would you like it if someone came up to you and asked what race you are?!". I said that I was a human male and he laughed. Shaking his head and grinning, he said "Sure you are, sure you are. Maybe you are special after all." Feeling proud, I agreed that I was indeed special. He then whirled around to Faelen and started laying into him for being an elf. Why was he being so hurtful, he looked just like a pale elf to me? So what is the deal?

Just then, the man threw a punch at Faelen but stopped short. I don't know if Faelen was offended or just on high alert because Faelen spun around kicking the man in the gut. The man floundered and pulled back to punch Faelen, but Faelen was too fast. A punch flew and socked the man right in the head and faster than I could blink, another blow flew. This connected to his head again and the man fell backwards into a heap. Neither Krevek or I intervened as we had full trust in our friend not to kill a random stranger, but I bent down to check to see if he needed stabilization anyway. The autumn looking elf cheered and bought a round of ale for the whole inn on her tab. I had Krevek take the man to a nearby rug by a fireplace and put him into recovery position to keep his airways clear. As I was positioning him, I touched his face and realized that the white was really just make up covering his pale yellow-greenish skin.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 7 - Learning about my friends and money

We discuss what our next steps are on our walk back to the shore. We decide to make our way to Lonelywood to try to find a place for the cauldron that Illy is hauling. As we get back onto the streets of the town, Captian Imdra approaches us and ask what all the commotion was about. Urzha states that it was the Lady of the Lake while I nod along beside her. We tell her that we are going to Lonelywood and she informs us that we could travel faster with axe beaks but due to the fire she is hesitant that Greggor will have any extra to loan but he is in debt to me. She also offers the Speaker's sleigh for the Axe Beaks to pull since the speaker rarely ever used it.

As we approach Greggor's, he is outside drinking something that is not freezing in the cold. I tell him about the Duergar and assured him that we think we have taken care of the problem for now. I then asked him about getting some Axe Beaks for the sled. I initially asked for one but he refused to believe that I could pull the sled with just one and my self. He tells us to wait and brings out 2 beautiful and well preened Axe Beaks. These were his house beaks; I guess that means his pets. He assured it was okay and handed the birds off to me. I then took a second to extend my aura out to the birds whose names are Evo and Eva. I look at them and they look back, our natures meshing with each others perfectly. I ask for any tips or materials that they need but Greggor reassures me that they can forage in the ice and snow for all their food needs but gives me a bag of treats for the pair. I write down all of the information into my journal just in case I need it. Greggor asks that if we come across any more duergar to destroy them. I assure him that I will do by best to balance the scales.

We then shop for a few items before heading back to the town hall to acquire the sleigh from Captain Imdra. Before we set out, Faelen explains that he needs to spend some time with his master at the inn and will have to catch up to us later. After he left, we started on our way to Bryn Shander. On our journey we decided to share some information about ourselves. I performed my Animal Speech ritual to talk to the Axe Beaks. I wanted to listen to what they talk about. It was mostly about the different types of snow and how great of an owner Greggor is. Illy asks Urzha about the Lady of the Lake. The Lady was Urzha's first friend and that she tied to the lakes of the Dale. Urzha states that the Lady has not been happy about the Forever Winter but she give Urzha advice and guards her kind of. Urzha then states she made a friend that was a Druid and it peeked my interest. I turned around and explained that I follow the Lady of the Forest so that is why I was not worried about the Lady of the Lake as much as the other. I said that I am excited to reach Lonelywood since it will feel more like home in the forest. As we all chat and try to keep warm, we approach the turn off for Good Mead but decide to forego a visit this time. I spent most of the trip listening to and learning about the Axe Beaks: what they like, things they do, and things that come out of them. Illy explains that he has some brothers that live in Icewind Dale and that he had some training in magic back in Baldur's Gate where he grew up. His family lives in the Spine of the World for what seems to be since the rock there was formed or at least that is what I gleaned from what he said.

After what felt like hours and hours in the snow and cold, we finally see the big stone walls of Bryn Shander at around dinner time. We enter the town freely after being waved on through the gates. Krevek and Illy lament about the size of the city and I can agree. My grove was largely comprised of a handful of structures, huts mostly with the occasional stone structure that was constructed in the time before the first druid heard the whispers of the Lady of The Forest in the Kryptgarden. I decided to stable the Axe Beaks while the others went to look for a person to identify the necklace that was found in the waterfall.

I enter the stables and a monotone old lady just tells me that it will be 3 copper for one night and I only had 1 gold coin and I told her that is all I had. She said that she would have to take it for me and hands me a small metal dome thing with a number on it for the Axe Beaks. I place it in my herbalist sack for safe keeping.

We meet back up outside the stables and make our way into the Inn called Foaming Mugs. It is smaller but similar to the White Lady, it has tables, food, and beds to sleep in. There is a small man singing in common and dwarven. The dwarven parts were quite dirty but also quite funny. Urzha then asks how she could tell me apart from other white cats if there were a lot of them in one place. I told her to call my name and I would speak in common. Illy asked if I could alter my appearance to easily tell me from other animals. I tell them I have been drawn to the Archer Constellation that is very visible in the sky here, so I would sleep on that and see what I can do to make my appearance more visible to those who can't differentiate similar animals apart.

Krevek announced that he is starved and I say "Whatever you treat me to, I will eat or drink!" then I tell them about the gold I gave to the stable keeper. Urzha is appalled that she would just take the gold from me and asks if she asked for a gold or if I gave it to her. I told her she said it would be 3 copper and I said I only have this 1 gold and she took it. I asked someone to teach me about money, and Urzha teaches me as the druid once taught her about how money worked. It was mostly counting on fingers and toes, it was very weird what the common people use for money where I am used to trading or bartering for things back home.

A woman who I assume works at the inn came up to ask what we were wanting to eat or drink. They only have knucklehead trout soup and hard bread, so we all ordered that. However, they just got a delivery of Good Mead. Urzha slipped me some money so I could practice ordering and I said "I will have one mead please!". The ale that the others were drinking smelled pretty plain but the mead was very herbaceous and floral. It reminded me of home and gave me an instant warmth in my chest. I feel my head go light as I drink my fill of the cup but after a few minutes, I stablized and am just filled with the warmth of the drink and the joy of companionship. This was a joy I did not have back in the grove… no one really wanted to spend time around the Ill-Fated child or the 13 member of the grove. I was considered a curse or unlucky to them but here I am lucky to have found such nice and welcoming friends who accepted me as one of their peers. As all these feeling rush over me, I am reminded of my mother. I tell the group that I have not tasted this type of thing since I was back at the grove where Shale, my mother, would make mead from the wild bees around us. Urzha and Krevek said they have never seen bees, so I opened a blank page in my journal and drew some to show them. Urzha exclamed that she knew them as pokers and Krevek asked how they get to honey and I told him about bee keeping. Krevek asks about any other creatures so I decide to blow their mind. I tell them about the Tree Ents that were warped from the Underdark energy that leaked through the Kryptgarden. Urzha compared them to being Plant Yeti. We start joking about puns and father figures, suddenly some dwarves approach us.

One of them, named Hruna, greets us and asks if we have experience with Yeti. Urzha cautiously says that we do. Hruna then explains that she and her companions were tasked with delivering a sled of iron ingots to Bryn Shander when they were attacked by Yeti. Some of the dwarves were killed and the rest fled. The dwarves all looked frost bitten and haggard, some missing fingers or have visible wounds. She tells us that she can pay and that we would have the favor of the dwarves of Icewind Dale. Krevek ask for a prepayment of information about the duergar. One swears on the name and explains that they are from the underdark and are truely evil and vile. Krevek asks about the leader of the duergar and one of the dwarves says that their cousin caught a duergar collecting black stones in Termalaine and the creature said that the leader was going to own the Ten Towns before they executed the foul thing. Hruna showed off the gemstones to us to prove she had them but requested us to return the body of their Leader so that they can give it last rights. They said it will be a ten-day before the cargo is due in town and then pointed off north where they lost the sled. Krevek then asks if everyone is okay with this request and I, being very tipsy at this point yell "FOR ROCK AND STONE!"

With all the excitement over, we all head to bed. Illy paid for my cot, he is a good friend. I fall asleep on the bed with thoughts of sticky honey, stars, and plant yeti in my head. I woke up sometime in the middle of the night and wonder to the outside of the inn to empty my bladder. As I meander back to the room, I pass a mirror on the wall. I look deeply into it noticing the skin on my right cheek has lost it color. I rubbed the spot with my hand to gain the color back and as I was removing the hand, a skin spot in the shape of a star appeared. First it was the size of a grain of sand but quickly expanded to be about the size of a trout eye just on my cheekbone. I laugh at the silly change and shrugged it off. "At least Urzha can tell me apart from others now. haha" I said as I made my way back to bed.

In the morning, we grabbed some food and made our way to the magic shop that they tried to go to yesterday. We all enter and we see a ton of shelves with many wondrous items that I now know some may call trash. Urzha right away spots a tooth of a yeti and I recognize some items from barks to leaves to various herbal powders. Malinda, the old lady shop keeper, greets us and Krevek replied back familiarly, but it was clear she had no recollection of Krevek. We showed her the necklace and she told us it will be 1 gold if it was magic or 5 copper if not. Urzha asked if the tooth can be included and she raised the base price to 6 copper. She preformed the ritual and identified it as the necklace as a "Necklace of Adaption". It lets the wearer breathe in almost any environment, but the runes in it make it get warmer in relation to how close the wearer is to a dragon. I showed her my clockwork amulet and she offered 50 gold or 2 potions of superiors healing potions for it, I told her I would have to think about it. Urzha then showed her the dice she got from Scython, and the old womans eyes lit up. She offered 100 gold with fierce determination. Urzha happily agreed and completed the trade. Illy put on the necklace and we leave the shop.

We ventured back to the stables and I handed over the metal object for the Axe Beaks. The stable keeper was being very quiet. I approached her and told her that I learned about money and she retorts that she taught me the first lesson. I lean closer to her and tell her that I expect to be paid up for the next 15 days as my big Goliath friends backed me up. She nodded and we made our way out to the north gate.

As we were traveling, I got Urzha's attention and showed her the star mark on my cheek. I told her that if you ever need to tell me apart from the other animals, I would have a star somewhere on my face. As we traveled in the snow north, a blizzard gotets stronger and stronger. Krevek led the axe beaks in the low visibility since I had no idea how to navigate in the snow. After a bit we came across the disfigured body of a dwarf with tracks leading away from it. The blizzard was covering the tracks and we decided to investigate the body and rest for a bit. Illy magically created a bonfire but told us to not get too close to it or it will burn us. Krevek made a structure around it to keep the wind out, he called it "Krevek's Magnificent Snow Fort". We loaded the dwarf on the sled as they wanted us to retrieve this body. Krevek went off to look for more evidence of where the iron ingot sled went and found tracks of small snow shoes, smaller than even those of the dwarves. The snow shoes appeared to be more primitive and led directly south. Urzha offered that it could have been scavengers but Krevek was afraid it to be somewhere around 10 duergar with no evidence of any animal tracks.

While we waited the storm out, Krevek asked Urzha about her druid friend. Urzha said they are a male dragonborn that taught her the dragon speech. Krevek was curious to see if he had met him in their travels. This druid, Darthag, was like a parent to Urzha, he taught her about cleaning, the towns, money and other things. As she described him, Krevek seemed to have met him once when he was lost. We chatted for at least an hour as we waited out the storm.

I hope Faelen was able to finish what he needed to do, he would have loved to been at the Inn last night. As we all started moving around all I could think about was our friend trying to find us, maybe the old woman at the magic shop will tell him about us…

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 6 - All Combat All Day

The store room reverberated with ghost's piercing screech as the rope binding her fell to the floor and faded away. My ears ringing and head pounding from the effort of resisting her spell. Instantly we went on guard, Faelen spun and connected a kick to her but it seemed to absorb into the ghost just as it did with the water weird back in the cave. I then conjured my guiding bolt, its green light blazing to life as it left the tip of my staff. The green bolt missed wide but I was able to alter it's path to have it try to strike again but she sidestepped the redirected bolt. The ghostly figure's eyes blazed toward Faelen and then flied around the room through Illy and Krevek, apparently doing no ill effect then ending up at Faelen's back. Her hand became solid and the nails grew to sharp points as she shoved them into Faelen's shoulder, a cold fog descending from the wound. Faelen toppled to the ground in an unconscious heap. Krevek then casted his mark on the ghost and ran around Illy to Faelen's side, creating a familiar poultice with imbued magic words. He applied it to Faelen's wound, curing the cold and sealing the puncture marks… Faelen would be okay. Illy then rushed the ghost woman, swinging his great sword and barely clipping her for a bit of damage. Just then we hear the doors in the front of the building blow open and Urzha rushed into the room. Assessing the situation, she channeled her magic and casted some sort of blessing on the three fighters.

Faelen kicked up off the ground in one swift movement, twisting and throwing a heavy punch into the ghost. This punch pushed her back into the stairwell making her fall down on her hind end. I then conjured a starry wisp and threw it at her exposed face, connecting and sending her hair straight on end. It looked like the magic damage was able to fully connect unlike the physical attacks of my friends. The ghostly woman let out a horrible scream. Illy, Krevek, and Urzha looked physically sick for a second but all brushed it off quickly. Seeing her attack failed, she then moved through the wall into the next room. Krevek rushed into the room and swung his sword, landing a blow to her forearm. Illy followed Krevek's lead and also rushed in with his sword drawn, landing a blow to her neck. Urzha slung a spell but the ghost was able to brush it off with no damage, then she imbued her staff with magic. Faelen followed Urzha into room and threw one of his daggers into her. It passed through her chest but took some goo with it. I then threw another starry wisp at her and it connected doing some real damage to her form. She started to beg for mercy, claiming that she needed help to be freed from the statue. None of us believed her as she was the one to attack us. She then bolted to Illy, disappearing into his chest. Illy's eyes started to glow and the glowing goo dripped from his mouth. He mimics flipping through a book with a look of pure concentration on his face. He wrenched and expelled the ghost goo from his mouth, kicking her out of his body. Krevek then cleaved through her and severed some sort of core that connected her to the weave. The ghost dissipated with a resolved look on her face, her final words were a curse to her situation "…fuck."

We discuss the ghost and confirm it was the ghost from The White Lady. I approach the statue to see if I could find anything about it that I could. I recognized the bull like figure from one of the books I repaired in the library. It depicted a Balor demon named Errtu. This demon terrorized the area over a century ago. Urzha and Krevek recognized the name of the demon from the stories in the area. As I reached my magic out toward it, I gained a source of foreboding from it. My head started to fill with doubts about the party. They wanted my journal, they want to steal it from me and leave me for dead… but I quickly realized that the statue had some sort of control on me and broke from it's hold. Urzha and Krevek covered the statue in a blanket to keep others from approaching it as I did.

I claim that the Duergar will still probably be after the statue since it was made of the Chardalyn as we suspected. I definitely want to talk to the speaker more since he wanted to put the statue here all alone. I explain the last day to Urzha to catch her up with the attacks and fires since she was out of town trying to find a thing called a Yeti. It seems to be a biped furry creature that is quite hostile. Urzha grew up with Yeti and speaks their language it seems. As she was explaining how she was raised by them, we heard a loud sound like something dropping in the basement down the stairs.

We assumed this was the dungeon where the guards were kept. It was dark so I looked down the stairs as Urzha imbued my staff with light. At the bottom was a heavy door and nothing else. I approached the door and listened to it but it was deathly quiet. I call out for the guards after I knock on the door with my staff, but to no response. Krevek offered to go first and Urzha transferred the light to his hood. I conjured a flame at my staff to prepare for some sort of attack.

Krevek approached the door but it seemed to be locked from the inside. Urzha tells him to break it down and imbued him with guidance. His first strike managed to hit a metal part and clanged off, but his second blow shattered the door off its hinges. A hallway was reveled with a split at the end to the left and right. As Krevek rounded the corner the light revealed 3 Duergar, one to the right and 2 to the left.

Krevek acts fast and swung to the right, slicing into the first Duergar. Following closely behind Urzha rushes to the right, imbuing her staff and cracking it against his side. I round the corner as Urzha called out that these dwarves are more hearty than the ones we fought before. I launch my flame at the one that Urzha thwacked, searing his beard as he just missed deflecting the spell. I create another flame, back up, and squeeze against the wall for my friends to pass. Faelen blew past me, assessed the situation, and hurled his spear at the burnt Duergar but missed. The Duergars then attacked my friends. The first attack missed Krevek, the second also missed Urzha, and the third Duergar blipped out of sight in an instant. Illy pushed past Faelen and I into the fray. He swung his sword to the burnt dwarf, just clipping his pickaxe arm's shoulder.

Krevek then chopped at the druagar with his trusty axe, dealing massive damage to the dwarf. I then spark a really risky idea, I run into the hall and as I round the corner I morph into my cat form. I then move past Krevek and the dwarf to the left and down the hallway. Faelen followed my movement and while I distracted the Duergar, he lobbed a dagger into it's neck. The dwarf let flow a string of obscenities in Dwarven, Krevek and I cringe at the profanity. This dwarf then yelled "You will never get out of here alive!" and grew to a size to block the hallway. The burnt dwarf did not follow but swung his pick toward Illy, but lodged it into the ground near it. Illy swung back, again barely grazing the Duergar.

Krevek said in dwarvish that he is the one that should be scared as Krevek's axe splits the Duergar head in twain. Krevek says "one down, two to go" and Urzha informed him that we lost one somewhere. Urzha tolls the bells to no effect on the burnt druagar. I dismiss my cat form and shout "Gruesome!" to Krevek. I try to open some of the doors in the hallway to no avail. Faelen throws another dagger to the burnt one, the dwarf rattling near to death. The burnt Duergar then mutters a spell under his breath and vanishes. The door at the end of the hall opened quickly after.

Krevek ran to the dwarf, swinging his sword wildly to see if he could connect but did not. He then channeled his mark and could sense 2 Duergar in the room. Urzha entered the room and readied her staff for the attack. I then shifted into a wolf and followed Urzha's lead. I sniffed the air and was able to pin point that the Duergar were in the corners of the room. I instantly realized this unique foul stench was exactly what the Axe Beaks were smelling just before the Stables burnt down. I shouted that they were in the corners and assumed the point position as I have seen the human's hunting dogs do on the caravan to Luskan. Faelen rushes into the room and hears the uninjured Duergar and locates them with his staff. Both of the Duergar pop back into sight and attacks. Both miss their attacks and Illy moved into the room swinging his sword. He connected with the burnt and bloodied dwarf, ending it's breathing once and for all.

Krevek then threw his handaxe "Hag's Bane", scoring a critical strike into the side of the uninjured dwarves head. Urzha swung her imbued staff also scoring a critical hit to the other side of his head. I weave my way through my friends and take a bite at the Duergar but my teeth were not able to pierce the chain mail. Faelen then stabbed with his spear missing but used it as leverage to spin kick the Duergar into the wall and fell lifeless on the floor.

Krevek retrieved "Hag's Bane, The Duergar Demolisher" from the body as Faelen prayed over each one. The Duergar did not have much on them, just a few coin things and their weapons but one had the map of the town hall. Urzha pointed out they could have been working with someone since they had the map. I offered the Speaker as a person of suspect, but Urzha said we might need to talk to him before accusing anyone.

Krevek and I look through each one of the rooms for the guards and find them tied up in the final room at the end of the hall way in the jail cell. Only two of the guards were able to be stabilized and the other were already dead. We brought them to the main floor. As we attended to the guards, the Captain showed up with more guards. We explained to her about the fights with the Ghost and the Duergar. She agrees to chain up the statue. As we were talking a guardsman ran in and started yelling about a huge disturbance at the docks. We all rush out without thought and spot a giant waterspout at the edge of the lake. Urzha yells excitedly "Shes here!" and starts to run towards it claiming there is music around. As always I wholly trust Urzha and follow her mad dash towards the lake. As Urzha approaches it, it seems to shrink smaller and smaller until it tightens into a female humanoid shape as the Aurora above us flares brightly. She seems to speak with this watery form before it disappears. Urzha then turns around, glowing with happiness as we all start walking back to the shore.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 5 - Fire and Stew

As we got back to shore, Urzha states she needed to do something personal and went off fading away into the snow. As we walk back to the White Lady Inn, we discuss what we want to do with the Pot of Plenty. After some light talk, we decided to wait until Urzha gets back to make a decision, so we resolve to store the Pot in the library of the White Lady Inn as Meren would be there to watch over it. As we get to the Inn, Rinaldo tells us about boats being broken and sabotaged at the docks. While the guards were investigating the docks, Greggor's Stables were burnt down and most of the Axe Beaks perished. I was devastated, a massive loss of innocent life for likely no good reason. Rinaldo went on to say that no one helped put the fire out, but stood around for the warmth. I really needed to look at the stables for myself, a protector of nature would not let this stand.

As we approach, we see charred Axe Beak remains and spot Captain Imdra around the smoldering ruins of the stables. Greggor was standing out front with 2 adult Axe Beaks and their chicks. We talked to Greggor and he seems to think it was an accident with a lamp, saying that he had inherited the stables from a long line of Axe Beak breeders. I was immediately suspicious since Greggor seemed to really care for the Axe Beaks and would be careful around them. Imdra then told us that she does not believe this is a coincidence and asks us about the Hag. We told her about our journey and that we recovered the belongings of the husband. She asked if his death was quick and despite the gruesome scene in the Hag's lair, I lied. I told her that his death was quick and painless. To my surprise, Faelen also agreed with that assumption. We gave her the husband's quartz necklace and she would tell the family about what happened. She gave us a copper tube containing something that she confiscated from Balthazar before he burned. Imdra tells us that she is going to give the widow the news that we found the fishermen and tells us to report our findings to the guard Johnson who is watching the ruins. We decided to keep the tube for later as it definitely needs to be investigated further. I decide that I need to speak with someone that was in the sables when the fire started, so I began a ritual speak with animals so that I can talk to the Axe Beaks that were rescued. While I communed with the natural world, Krevek investigated and found more dwarves' foot prints going to and from the docks and the town. Once my ritual was in effect, I asked Greggor's permission to talk to one of his adult Axe Beaks. He was a bit incredulous that I could understand them but agreed that I could as long as I told them how much he was sorry for what happened. I agreed wholeheartedly.

Now, Axe Beaks are not one of the most intelligent animals I've ever spoken to but they should be able to give us some insight on what happened. I approached the large Axe Beak and introduced myself to the Axe Beak while channeling my ability to speak with animals. It was surprised that I could understand it but was able to focus enough to talk with me. I empathized with it on how scary the fire would have been and proceed to ask it what it could remember from the start of the fire. It stated that the fire started from the small "flicker flicker" that was always lit but never has turned into a big "flicker flicker" like that. It then stated that a foul stench was in the air when the small fire fell over and that it did not smell like any other 2 legs it has smelled. I then ask if I brought something to it, could it tell me if the smell was similar to that night. The Axe Beak said yes and then said that the small "flicker flicker" moved off the wall and fell on the ground by itself but not like it fell. This immediately alerted me to the duergar being the ones who burned down the stables. I thank the Axe Beak for talking with me and tell them that Greggor loves them very much and promises to make the situation right.

I head back to the group to inform them about what the Axe Beak said. We all agree that it was the duergar's fault and inform Johnson. We decide to go back to the inn for the night since it was to late to visit the town shops.

When we get back to the inn, the atmosphere seemed to be abuzz with excitement. Rinaldo informed us that they discovered the pot actually makes delicious stew from just normal water! Meren and him researched the runes on the pot with books in the library and when they found some translations for the runes, they filled the pot with melted snow. The pot then magically transformed the cool water into a hot and filling stew. In their excitement, they have been telling everyone about the magic pot that makes stew and selling it to his patrons. We all started internally panicking, Krevek informed him that telling everyone about the pot was a bad idea because of the food scarcity in the town. Rinaldo suddenly realized the massive mistake he had made and told us that the news had made it's way through the town to the Town Speak Waylon. I told him that I had an idea on how to divert attention away from the magic pot. I told him to stop serving the stew and start telling everyone that it was just a new recipe and that the pot was just a rumor someone was spreading. As he was telling the customers, the Town Speaker Waylon and Captain Imdra enter the Inn.

I try to talk our way out by telling them it is a misconception, that I gave Rinaldo herbs to make the stew taste like magic. Waylon and Imdra are very suspicious about that and ask to see the pot with large ornate feet in the kitchen. I panic and call on a bat from the fey to fly out of the kitchen and around the dining room. It distracts them enough for me to alert the guys to hide the pot. Illy manages to hide it in the sewer/disposal grate under the storeroom. Speaker Waylon gets fed up and walks into the kitchen. As he enters, Illy and Krevek are standing right in front and Illy says, "If you like this stew, you should try goliath curry!" Speaker Waylon just gives up and says he does not have the time for this. I tell him if he wants a good story he should tell people about the invisible dwarves that ransack the city. He said there was some truth to my outlandish title and that it was not the first time he had heard of them. He warned that my truth hides some lies and that he was not the only powerful person to have heard the story of the pot that creates stew. They then left with Speaker Waylon claiming that he needed a strong drink after that chaos.

I release the bat back to the fey and say if I am not needed I am going to star gaze before bed. I walk outside and find an area with open sky. As I sit there in the town frozen in the repeating winter, I start to hear the Lady of the Forest's whispers. Her words imbue the feeling of late summer in my soul and I bask in the imbued season's warmth. In a trance, I raise my head and for some reason start copying new constellations to my journal. First she guides me to The Chalice, A bright constellation that symbolizes the overflowing healing bounty of nature. Next The Archer, a constellation in the form of the Elven Archer whos arrow pierces even the most durable target. Finally The Dragon, a large constellation with the heart star being a bright twinkling red star. As I copied each to the pages, they glowed briefly then bound themselves to my soul. I then close my eyes and see the Lady, her arms open in the middle of a glen. Suddenly her form explodes into a being of pure darkness surrounded by not the forest but by the Sky. Lights… no that's not right, STARS appear at her joints. Each of the three constellations cycle through her being, finally settling on a new constellation called the Goddess, she beckoned at me to come closer. As my form approached her, my vision went black and I jolted my eyes back open. I was absolutely freezing and I seemed to have lost some time as the night was getting old. I head back into the inn and go straight to sleep, happy that I had a warm place to stay and new friends to spend time with.

I woke up to the smell of trout and the rumbles of conversation outside my room. As I got ready for the day, I noticed Faelen looking at the tube from Imdra in a corner. I decide to get something to eat and we all get some food from Rinaldo. It seems as the sudden egg shortage has already effected the Inn as they only had trout. We decide that the pot was unsafe where we left it and devise a cleaver way to strap it to Illy's back so he could carry it around under his cloak. We then go back to the stables to see if anything had changed, only to see it covered in a fresh layer of snow that covered all tracks from the previous night. We then decide to go see the damage to the ships at the docks.

The docks were insanely busy! Everyone who had any skill was there it seemed, possibly even the whole town even. Captain Imdra spotted us and informed us that they were working on repairing the main fishing boats and that they found some black crystals in a pouch by one of the boats. She shows it to us and I inform her that it was called Chardlyn and the history of it from what the White Lady told us. Imdra informs us that there is a statue that is kept in the Town Hall made from the crystals that some adventurers found 3 weeks ago. I then realize something very concerning, if everyone is here, who is protecting the Speaker and statue at the Town Hall.

We rush to the town hall and notice all the posted guards are not at their station. Imdra then informs us that they are in the basement keep protecting the new supplies shipment since the town was attacked. We go to the Speaker's office and ask about the statue, he informs us that it is kept in the next storage room alone for safety reasons. Imdra escorts the Speaker out of the building to a safe location that is not a duergar target. Once they have left we decided to investigate the storage room. We exit his office and enter the large storage room. Inside was a figure made from the Chardlyn crystal, but it looked less like a statue and more of the things I saw on the front of the ships near the docks. As Faelen and I round to the front of the statue, we notice a woman is tied to the front of it. Faelen and I approach her to see if she is okay and she suddenly looks up, her face warping into a horrifying visage as she shrieks at the top of her lungs. We both instinctively reach for our ears to block the piercing shriek and both seemed to be fine once it stopped. The rope that bound her to the statue then fell as we both drew our weapons.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 4 - Hag and Wisp

After the fight, we finish collecting ourselves and decide against taking a rest. Our healers, Urzha and I, have enough resources to carry on. As we delve deeper into the cave, we notice an ice bridge above us. Urzha and Krevek, driven by curiosity, have Faelen throw a grappling hook to investigate. He climbs to the top of the bridge and finds an old camp on its eastern side. The camp is ancient, but Faelen discovers some documents written in Dwarvish. On the opposite side of the bridge, he sees the cave opening into a lake. Deciding to recover the grappling hook, Faelen skillfully descends the walls as though he were strolling down a staircase.

He shares the documents with us, which mention frost giants killed in a hot spring—possibly a ritual pool. The writings also describe eerie winds resembling howls and suggest someone inhabits the caves: a "granny" who sings before sinking her teeth into the writer, who barely escaped. Krevek and I discuss the papers and conclude the hag resides here, and the writer likely didn't survive.

We press on, and Illy manages to keep pace. We reach a large cavern with remnants of a frozen pool open to the sky. Inside the ice are frost giant remains, this seemed to be the hot springs in the note. As we enter, we hear an old woman murmuring. Krevek conceals the light source in his pack to avoid drawing attention. We agree that I should scout ahead. Jumping from Krevek’s back, I shift into my pure white cat form and silently creep forward. I can’t see the hag, but her words are clear: she’s muttering about breaking bones, tearing flesh, and cooking it in a pot. I return to inform the others.

A plan forms in my mind—what if I distract her in my cat form? As we debate, Faelen discovers another path that seems to lead toward the hag. We split up: Urzha and I stay above while the others prepare to drop ten feet down onto the alternate path. I meander into the hag’s cave, acting like a curious cat. She notices me and waves with a dismembered hand and forearm. Fighting my every instinct to flee, I sniff around coyly as she offers me soup. Then she says she’ll turn me into a hat and starts approaching. My instincts kick in, and I bolt, narrowly escaping by the hair of my tail while shouting, "THE PLAN HAS FAILED!"

Faelen charges in, landing two solid hits on her. I aim for the will-o-wisp zipping around but miss one of my best shots. Urzha tolls a loud bell, which visibly affects the hag. Illy rushes in, while Krevek summons a gust of wind and strikes at her.

The hag exudes an aura of darkness that instills fear in anyone nearby. Faelen appears shaken but lands a decisive kick, knocking teeth from her mouth, making her even more hideous. She begs for her life, offering her cauldron of plenty and a treasure chest from a sunken ship in exchange for her freedom. But hags are dangerous creatures, known for twisted promises. My grove sees them as destructive forces, so I agree with Faelen and Krevek—she has to die.

The hag casts an icy gaze at Faelen, but he breaks free from its void. Krevek’s attack misses, and Faelen, still trembling, fumbles his next strike. I manage to graze her shoulder with a starry wisp. Illy grabs the will-o-wisp, striking the hag and regaining some vitality. Urzha’s tolling bell nearly kills her. Suddenly, the will-o-wisp phases through Illy’s grasp and flees into the cavern. The hag also retreats, avoiding our attacks. Krevek gives chase, hurling his hand axe, which lands squarely in the back of her skull, killing her.

The will-o-wisp escapes despite our best efforts, and as it fades, I notice a previously hidden hallway. Inside, there’s a room filled with bones, with two hag-like skulls placed atop the pile like trophies. We regroup at the cauldron to strategize. Illy overturns the cauldron, claiming that counts as cleaning it, and Krevek volunteers to carry it when needed. Faelen collects a fisherman’s necklace, while I gather personal effects like fishing knives.

We honor the souls in the cave, building a cairn for the remains we find. Krevek suggests storing the cauldron near the cave entrance for a quick getaway. As he moves it, Illy and I discuss my wild shapes. I share how they awakened within me after my first fight, shaped by significant memories and my connection to animals. Illy, sharing my love for animals, offers his help.

Ready to continue, I mention the bone-filled room I found. Surely there couldn’t be another monster waiting, right? For good luck—or perhaps to ward off a jinx—I tap the side of my head with my staff before leading the way.

Illy steps inside, and the ice-encased skeleton of a giant begins to move. Its eyes ignite, and the ice cracks. We run. Krevek throws me onto his back, and we sprint toward the waterfall rope. Behind us, the giant skeleton emerges from a hidden cave entrance. Urzha channels divine energy, searing it, but it pushes forward. I conjure tangling vines to slow it down, but it breaks through. These actions buy us enough time to escape the cave.

Reaching The Skip, we find it frozen to the shore. Faelen’s quick thinking and the goliaths’ strength free the boat just before the skeleton catches us. As we sail away, it drops its axe in disappointment, watching us escape.

Exhausted but safe, we head back to Easthaven. But as the boat sways, my head spins, and my stomach churns. Urzha calls it seasickness. I am not meant for the water…

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 3 - Green Eggs and Harpies?

A loud rumble shook the walls around me. I found myself back on the mule-drawn cart, putting distance between myself and the edge of the forest near my grove. The merchant and his wife chatted quietly about taxes in Westbridge, their voices blending with the steady creak of the wheels. Suddenly, I heard the heavy thump of footsteps—a large presence approaching from the forest. Just as the trees began to fall and a dark shape was about to step into the sunlight, I woke up.

As my eyes adjusted to the light in the room, I heard loud snoring coming from down the hall. I saw Urzha and Illy walking down the hall, talking about breakfast, so I joined them, and we all went to the dining room.

We selected a large table for our group. Rinaldo greeted us and asked what we would like to eat: Green Eggs or Trout and Greens. Urzha and Illy ate a lot of eggs—A LOT of eggs. I was served nicely prepared trout and a bitter green that I decided to call "Winter Stalks" since I had no idea what they were called locally. Faelen showed up shortly after we started eating, as did a couple of the ladies who had been at the library last night. Meren was not in the mess hall; apparently, he wanders from time to time and would show up at some point.

As Krevek, Illy, and Urzha finished off a second plate of eggs, we decided to talk to the ladies from last night to get more info on Claud the Hag. Grace told us that he would have been happy to die doing what he loved. Pericule, her husband, had been fishing in a boat called The Old Knucklehead. They didn’t know where the secret fishing site was but were glad we would look into his disappearance. I noticed what seemed to be a shard of quartz or a similar stone around her neck, seemingly designed to match another stone. I decided to ask about it, even though I knew it would be difficult for her, assuming it was a gift from her husband. She said the stone came from the shore near the docks and then explained their entire relationship. We promised to do our best and then took our leave.

Captain Imdra walked in and noticed we were talking to the widow. I informed her that I wanted to talk to her about the widow’s late husband, and she said that it was exactly what she wanted to discuss with us. She said their fishing spot was known and very cursed. It was on an island down the coast to the north. We would have to tow the boat to open water since most of the coast was frozen solid. I asked about beasts of burden to possibly tow the boat, and Captain Imdra told me about dogs and axe beaks. Apparently, we would be able to tow it fine ourselves, though axe beaks are great for overland travel. I asked about which stable she would recommend, and she replied, "Gregor’s stable." She also told us about a skiff called The Skiff, a medium-sized boat sitting on the ice four docks north of Scython’s Ferry, which we would take to the island. Luckily, Faelen was a sailor, so we wouldn’t have any issues on the boat. I was glad, as I had never been on a boat before besides the ferry yesterday. Back in the Grove, if we needed to cross water, we would either swim or the elders would wildshape into forms to help us cross.

We reached Gregor’s, a large stable with many axe beaks roaming around. Gregor offered us some eggs, and I learned that the eggs at the inn were indeed axe beak eggs. I was glad the green eggs weren’t actually bad; maybe I’d try some tomorrow morning! Krevek ordered a dozen eggs and put them in his bag. I saw a couple of young axe beaks, and I approached them. I put my hand out and willed one of them to come closer. It suddenly rammed into my hand, and it hurt like heck! Gregor told me that they get a little ornery without food, so I asked to feed them. He handed me some hay, and I fed it. The mother then approached, eyeing me. I turned to her and offered her some food. As she ate, I petted her and blessed her in the name of the Lady of the Lake. Gregor then informed us it was 50 gold per axe beak. We definitely didn’t have enough for one, so we said we would return if we needed a beast of burden. We then left to find the skiff.

It turned out the name of the boat was actually The Skip, and we dragged the boat to open water. It wasn’t fun or really difficult—just cumbersome. As we sailed up the coast, we arrived at a creepy island. It had three cave mouths, and as we looked at it, an alluring singing voice pierced the wind. Illy started to act strangely and walked toward the edge of the boat. Krevek suddenly pulled Illy’s cloak, toppling him to the ground.

Just then, a naked bird-lady creature came flying at us! It looked vicious and mean, so Urzha and I flung two spells at it. Illy seemed to regain his senses and stood back up. Faelen tossed a knife at the bird creature but missed by a wide margin. Another bird-lady swooped into the fight from the cliffside, charging toward our boat in a flurry of feathers and skin. Krevek hurled a hand axe at the new one and hit it squarely, but the axe fell into the lake. I shot another starry wisp at the first bird creature, hitting it and causing it to screech. It then swooped down to Krevek, managing to claw him and drawing blood. Urzha cast some kind of bane spell at the creatures, and Illy struck the first one with his axe, nearly killing it. Faelen then moved like the wind between us, spinning around the mast and launching at the first bird, kicking it in the head and snapping its neck. The other bird creature bolted away, but Illy managed to hit it with an arrow. Urzha conjured an extremely bright energy and hurled it at the fleeing creature but missed. As we caught our breath after the fight, I asked what these bird creatures were, and Faelen told me they were harpies—monsters that lure sailors to watery deaths by charming them with song. We beached the boat and stepped onto the island.

Krevek communed with the land to sense magic. While we waited for Krevek to complete his ritual, we noticed the ice cave at beach level was making howling noises. Everyone started to put on these things called "crampons" on their shoes. Illy and I didn’t have these crampons, so we had to find a way to walk on the ice. Krevek offered me a ride on his back and tied Illy to him to help him not fall. However, Illy took a spill right at the start, so we decided to move more slowly.

As we explored the cave, we approached a frozen waterfall about ten feet high. We decided to make a human ladder out of Krevek and me. Faelen then climbed up our ladder and secured a rope for the rest of us to use. I was the first to try to climb up, but I slipped, and my knee went through the ice. A hole opened up, and water began to spew out. The water then collected into a mass, forming a serpent-like creature.

Seeing this, Urzha caused bells to ring out, hurting the creature. Faelen then jumped down from the waterfall, bounced off Krevek, and landed beside him, unaffected by the ice. He kicked the monster, but the blow seemed dampened. The monster charged through the group, but Krevek and Faelen dodged it. Illy then charged in and swung his sword, but it seemed to pass through, causing minimal damage. Krevek also swung his great sword with similar results. I conjured a ball of flame and threw it at the creature; it hit and sizzled, rippling across its surface before fading. Urzha and Faelen attacked again, and Urzha struck the creature. Illy sliced it again, nearly severing a tendril. Krevek climbed up the rope and threw his other hand axe, landing a blow before it skittered across the ice floor. I shouted to Urzha, "Remember the spell you cast at the fleeing harpy? Cover your eyes!" I then replicated her spell, casting a green-veiled Guiding Bolt toward the creature, hitting it and causing a rainbow of light to fill the cavern. Faelen then kicked the creature, which dissolved back into water.

After the fight, Illy noticed a pick and a backpack near the waterfall. Inside were bags of what had once been food and a strange necklace. It was a gold brooch that triggered Krevek's detect-magic spell. While Krevek redid the ritual for his detect-magic spell, I recalled a creature similar to it—something called a Water Weird.

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 2 - Busy First Day

As we all calmed down from the frenzy of that sudden battle, we gained our bearings and started to refocus on our surroundings. We pulled the dwarf that Urzha killed back onto the boat to hide it from the public. Krevek then mentioned that we should see about questioning the dwarf leader. He suggested someone who was good at talking be the lead, so I volunteered.

We decided that I would talk to the leader dwarf with Urzha backing me up. When I rocked him to wake him up, he rolled back and yelled "You won't take me alive!" in Dwarvish. He started to shrink down into his clothes and surprised us. The dwarf then bolted under the nearest cot and down into the hull. Faelen tried to look in the mast hole and spotted the dwarf near the back of the ship. I then channeled a new power I felt surging in my veins and shaped my body into a familiar cat that had once lived in the Grove I grew up in. I saw the dwarf, stark naked as nature intended, run out a mouse hole. I bolted to the hole, squeezing through it and saw a well worn path out that hole in the snow, but managed to lose the dwarf. Krevek then tried to get on the ice to track the dwarf since he is the best tracker and almost fell in.

We all went back to the ship to investigate the fight. Urzha found a black crystal that almost looks like black ice about the size of a small stone, Krevek found one as well on one of the dead Dwarf's body. Neither of them could figure out what it was so I looked into it as I love rocks and crystals. My druidlore told me that something unnatural was about it and I gave it back to Urzha. We found the leader's dagger it seemed almost ritualistic in design and of poor quality. I wonder what spell the dwarf used to cause the pain in Krevek's head.

Faelen and Krevek then went to fetch the guard while Illy, Urzha and I stayed on the ferry. Capt Arlaggath arrived to the boat and found our troublemaking suspicious, after all we just arrived in Easthaven a few hours ago. After 3 excuses from Krevek, Faelen, and I, she reluctantly accepted the coincidence and asked where we were staying. I looked back at Urzha, as she seemed to be somewhat a local, and she said at the White Lady Inn. I offered my help to the Captain and she said there was something that she might have a request for us. We agreed to meet her at The White Lady Inn the next morning.

After she left, I wanted to follow the tracks of the escaped dwarf so we hooked me up to a rope and I followed the tracks under the dock almost to shore. It seemed if he used this path a lot and changed size a lot. Knowing that it was a well used path, we decided to come back if necessary and head to the Inn.

We decided to go to the the Wet Trout to settle the night. When we got back, Meren was still drinking heavily. Faelen talked to him but I could not understand what he was saying. We then got Scython's attention and I told him about the dwarves and he seemed to not believe that invisible blue dwarves that can grow big and small that traveled through the mouse holes in the hull existed. Just then Capt Arlaggath walked in confirmed the story and went to the bar for food and drink. Scython then offered us a big reward as he thought there were only rats on his ship, the choice of either coin or to take an item from his magical bag. We all chose the magic bag and this is what we all got: I got a clockwork amulet, Faelen got a bead of nourishment, Krevek got Boots of False Tracks, Urzha got a Charlatan's dice, and Illy got a Cloak of Many Fashions.

We then took our leave and went to The White Lady Inn. Rumor has it that some weird ghost stuff happens there. As we walk Krevek tried out his boots and Urzha tries her dice. They are such cool items. I had no idea what an Inn was but Urzha and Krevek told me that it is like a big hut with things called beds that you could pay coin to say in.

The Inn guy Rinaldo was really weird and sketchy, he seemed really concerned about something. We all got beds and Rinaldo invited us to the library where they would summon the White Lady to answer questions. I regularly meditate with the spirits in the life around me when I am in a place of nature, but I have never heard of spirits like this.

He said that the White Lady and her husband ran an orphanage and the husband was a miser. She died on the lake and now wonders the town and answers 3 questions when summoned. She only can be summoned once every ten-day. We decided to come up with a question together. We acknowledged that we needed to be specific and agreed to ask about the dwarf who owned the knife. We were taken into an old library with lots of books that was kind of spooky.

This is what I asked: Where did the dwarf who owns this knife and can grow or shrink at will go after he ran away from me and my friends?

It was a duergar called Durth Sunblight, son of Xardorok. The lady said he will be back with more duergar to take over all of the ten towns. They live under the mountains where its dark but its all dark now! She told a villager that her husband was killed on the lake by a hag. I then asked about the crystals and she said it was something called Chardalyn. A material that used to be part of a great tower in the Icewind Dale, when it was destroyed it was infused into the ice and is strong as metal. The duergar collect it for some reason.

Before she left, she said she had a message. We earned the notice of someone who wanted to give us a present. She then started spinning rapidly, Rinaldo started to freak and books started flying around the room. Illy stumbled backwards and the books and pages stuck to him, turning him into a book golem! It rushed Urzha as we were all caught unaware but missed. Then he took a swing at Faelen and connected shoving a elvish book in his face. Urzha casted a spell on them and Faelen casted Blade Ward, a spell I could use. I then wildshaped into a wolf that I once made friends with when wandering to my stargazing spot in my home forest. I tried to bite the books, getting nothing but a mouth full of paper. It seemed if Illy was fighting against the books control as his next attacks missed both targets by a large margin. Urzha then wacked it with her imbued staff. I then took another bite of the books, and ripped some hardcovers off him. Krevek took out his axe, swinging the blunt side towards Illy's foot knocking him to the floor. Faelen takes a swipe with the butt of his spear and knocks more books off. The Bookgolem/Illy stood back up and lashed out at Krevek, slamming him with a bunch of books but Krevek's stoney endurance absorbed the attack. I bit the last of the books off of Illy and healed any wounds he had.

Rinaldo then was sad about his books and I offered to mend those that I could. A Woman named Prudence asked about the Hag to us, saying that her husband had a special fishing spot. The hag was called Maud Chiselbone. She did not know where his special fishing spot was.

We started to look at the books that had assaulted us. Faelen found an elvish book of children's stories, I found a gnomish cookbook, and Krevek found a cold weather survival guide. I made a deal with Rinaldo that if I repaired and help reorganize the books, we could keep the 3 we found. The rest went to relax and to bed, but I stayed for over an hour cleaning up and mending around 40 books that we damaged or were damaged before.

As I got tired, I went to an open bed and laid down. The bed was very soft and warm. However, I was not able to fall asleep… something was wrong or was it too comfortable. I ended up taking the blanket and laying on the floor, the uneven floor and hard planks were comforting for some reason. I soon drifted off into the starry dreamworld of sleep with one question on my mind, what will tomorrow hold?

[milo-skyseekers-journal]

Journal 1 - The Wizard and the Dwarves

After a long and cold travel from the south, we arrived at the town of Bryn Shander. As the caravan was unloading and people were gathered around, Meren heard that there is a captured a red wizard accused of killing a group of adventures to be put up for sacrifice in Easthaven, it may be Balthazar that Meren and Faelen told me about during the evening meals.

We go to a town center and it is declared that the red wizard would be sacrificed to the Frost Maiden. The guard captain, Imdra, said that the name of the wizard was Balthazar and led Meren and us to him to see if that was true. He looked 30 years old and ridiculed Meren that he as aged, Meren confirms that Balthazar has not aged since their fight decades ago.

Imdra told us that Balthazar hired adventures to find something, they found it and were bragging about the coin they would get. They were then found dead by fire soon after, its assumed that Balthazar killed them. He is to be put to death by fire which I found weird as he was supposed to be a fire wizard. Imdra then gagged the wizard and ordered him set alight. As we watched the wizard immolate, motionless and with no screams, a couple of children managed to pick our pocket for over half of my gold! This was all the money I had earned from my travels here, but thankfully my journal was safe.

As the fire was going out, Meren swatted away something that touched him, turning around to see nothing. A Goliath then chased the invisible thing to a bar called the Wet Trout. The Goliath then found small dwarf like footprints on the rug. We introduced ourselves: Milo, Urzha, Krevek, Illy, Faelen, and Meren.

I have already met Illy the Goliath, Faelen the elf, and Meren on the caravan. Urzha looked to be an orc from what I could tell with blue skin and she carried a tree branch, like my staff but not polished or decorated. Krevek is another Goliath, from Lonelywood. He used to be a logger before the forever winter and seemed to have lost loved ones to the cold.

We decided to go into the bar and get some food as we were all cold and could use some refreshments. This is when I noticed my gold was gone and Urzha was kind enough to buy us all some kuncklehead trout soup. I was extremely grateful to have Urzha look out for me. As I ate my soup, the others inquired about invisible dwarves to the Barkeep, a dragonborn named Nym. As she joked about not seeing invisible things, a tiefling at the table next to us yelled about hearing things or seeing dwarfish footprints near his ferry.

The tiefling's name was Scython. Scython was a ferryman before the eternal night. He said we could hear or see more invisible things around his ferry. I learned that the towns all sacrifice something to the Frost Maiden, Aural, every new moon. Easthaven and Bryn Shander sacrifice people, some times criminals or a random person in town. Some towns sacrifice heat, going with out for a night, and others sacrifice food.

The bartender Nym worships the Aural. Every night Aural flies a roc over Icewind Dale to keep it in forever night and cold. Nym seems to be amused by the unbalance that Aural brings and seems to think that only the toughest can survive.

We decided to go investigate the sounds near Scython’s ferry and left Meren to warm up in the bar with some tasty fish soup. Krevek also collected the trout skulls for some reason, maybe he eats them as snacks or likes to do crafts with them.

When we got to the Ferry in the north of the town, we saw a bunch of ships destroyed by the expanding ice and some that looked like they were being taken care of so they were not damaged. We looked around the dock outside of the ship and saw signs of heavy traffic in and out of the ferry and the sail pillar thing was missing. Krevek confirmed it looked like small dwarf footprints and we boarded the ship to look around. I stuck my head into the hole and saw what the ship contained, mostly netting and boxes, but nothing stood out to me. Krevek then listened to the cabin at the back and almost got his ear stuck to the metal. He did not hear anything so we formed up and he entered.

As he walked in, a pale skinned dwarf screamed to "Kill the all" in dwarvish and stabbed Krevek. Krevek roared out in pain but not from the puncture, he was holding his head. The dwarf looked at Illy and said something I didn't catch, then Illy turned around to hit another invisible dwarf but hit me instead! Wow is he strong, I was knocked down to a knee and blood was welling up at the slice. Krevek, Illy, and Faelen all rushed into the room to take on this dwarf, scoring some good hits. Suddenly, a blue skinned dwarf boarded the ship, making its way toward Urzha and I. I knew we had to stop him in his tracks so I called upon vines to bind him to the floor of the ship. It was a success, he was stuck! Urzha let loose a spell that hit the dwarf and then sent a word of healing to Krevek.

Krevek then tried to hit the first dwarf but it was too cramped in the cabin and his axe almost got stuck in the wall. He then appeared right beside me in a flurry of snow and fog! That was very surprising to me and Urzha. Then another dwarf appeared also wrapped up in my vines. Both of the dwarves outside the cabin then grew to a size bigger than Krevek and Illy. They still couldn't move and were very mad. Urzha threw another one of her spells at the dwarf and then casted a druid spell that I recognized, shillelagh, on her staff. I gave myself a word of healing to patch up the accident that Illy had, then I threw my fire I conjured at the dwarf, searing it.

I heard commotion in the cabin and saw the first dwarf fall to the ground, not dead but unconscious. Illy tied up the unconscious dwarf and made his out of the room. Krevek then rushed the dwarf I had just flung fire at and chopped right through his leg, killing him. Then Faelen threw a dagger at the last dwarf, hitting him hard! The dwarf saw that he was the only one left standing and tried to make a break for it, we all ran to the front of the ferry and I yelled in Dwarvish: "Come back here you sorry excuse for a dwarf! I bet your mother doesn't even have a beard!", I was trying to taunt him and used an insult I remembered from some dwarves on the caravan. He might of not heard me as he kept running away, I cast a Starry Wisp at him to get his attention but he just keep running.

Urzha cast another one of the same spells at him, hitting again. Krevek got off the boat and threw a hand axe but missed. Illy charged after him and swung his axe, barely clipping the dwarf doing a bit of damage, but then something unexpected happened.

Urhza became fast as a hare and bolted to the dwarf almost 60 feet away! She then swung her imbued branch at the dwarf, ending his life and the battle in one last fierce blow!

But who are these dwarves and why do they look so different from the dwarves I've seen or read about in the grove? Why did they attack us? Why were they on Scython's ferry? Will we get a reward for turning in the first dwarf? What was up with the dagger he had? These are all questions I needed answers to.