Tales from Icewind Dale - Session 5

Session 5: 7th of Hammer, 1490 DR

Rested in Bremen, our heroes awake to a banquet prepared for them by Cora Mulphoon, the proprietress of The Buried Treasure inn, and paid for by Ta'Lua. The meal suits the party well as they celebrate, but the good times can only last so long. While our heroes were trekking to Lonelywood, Speaker Shalescar wandered off into the a blizzard, and a party consisting of Cora's son Huarwar, the local blacksmith Bilen, and some other boys from the town went in search of him. While Bilen found the Speaker, Huarwar did not return until the next day, his hand almost frostbitten off. Miraculously, he recovered, but his personality had changed completely. Where once he was a helpful, good natured boy, he was now angry, confrontational, and had taken to wearing a strange necklace of black glass in the shape of a sword. Not long after, a pair of Tieflings arrived in town and spoke to the boy at length. The Tieflings, one male, one female, seemed to convince him to leave the town and they had fled not long before the party arrived.

[Bilen, store owner and self-appointed Blacksmith of Bremen]

Pledging to rescue him, the party asked around the town and spoke to Bilen, Tali, and Susan. Bilen recounted the night of the blizzard, but didn't know what had happened to Huarwar, while Tali identified the black sword as a symbol of  Levistus, Archdevil of Ambition and Betrayal, and the imprisoned lord of the 5th hell. Susan noted that he had seen the Tieflings leave with Huarwar, and that they had taken the turn along the Eastway, towards Bryn Shander. Tyriel had left the party to their own devices, and decided to check up on the town speaker. Using mind magic, he invaded the speaker's fractured psyche and found a traumatic memory of the night of the blizzard, of being chased by invisible humanoids who wished to steal his Chardalyn wedding ring. Chardalyn was known to the Town Wizard, who recognized it as a type of black volcanic glass that took to magic, especially evil magic, very well...

[Targos, the iced over rival to Bremen and Lonelywood]

Our heroes stopped off in Targos on their way to Bryn Shander, keeping Sahnar in tow, who was content to merely watch and observe how the world had changed since her time. Arriving in Targos, they stumbled across the gallows, where someone would be sacrificed come the New Moon. Targos' high population and low food stores meant that it made the most sense, and the bitterness towards Lonelywood and Bremen for having warmth and food to spare for the Frostmaiden was a sore spot indeed. At the very least, they were content that the other towns were suffering as well. One of the Gallow-cleaners noted that Caer Dineval's Speaker had been stricken by an illness, and hadn't been seen for months! The party inquired about the missing Huarwar, and the story seemed to have changed from Bremen. Allegedly, Huarwar and the female Tiefling were wed, and had rented a dogsled from Triglio, the local store.

Approaching Triglio, the party meets with the owner, a one-handed scarecrow of a man by the name of Jestin. A few bribes and some sweet-talk later, Jestin reveals that the male Tiefling was wearing a fancy jacket with the crest of Caer Dineval upon it, which struck him as strange, as said jackets were usually worn by speakers, and Caer Dineval's speaker was a human, last he checked. With some slick haggling, Ta'Lua managed to obtain a Robe of Useful Items from the shopkeep, in exchange for his +1 Club from Lonelywood, and a tidy sum of gold. Stepping away from the store, the party is approached by a frantic sled dog, trailing a broken harness. Panicking and trying to get the party to follow it, it lifts Preach by the scruff of her neck and took off towards its home. 

Several apologies later, the owner of the dog, Keegan, reveals that the dog, Boy, was with his husband, a sherpa named Garret. If Boy came home alone, then that means that Garret is in danger! Without much else to turn to, Keegan implores the party to head up the mountain at Caer Konig, and rescue his husband and the adventurers he was guiding. The party agrees, and leaves Keegan's house with Boy and a borrowed Dogsled, but not before Harradin decides to check the local notice board...