In small towns, precious stones were hard to come by. Tourmaline was the most abundant, but occasionally, gems of Dwarven excavation found their way amid the jewelry and accessories of the townsfolk. What Bryn Shander, along with the rest of the Ten Towns, excelled at was scrimshaw, furs, and at times textiles. Heavy and thickset wool harvested from the endemic Rams were a perfect insulator against the ruthless cold, and the tradespeople in the region were skilled at working the coarse fleece into elegant items of clothing, often dying them in elaborate patterns.


Rendaril's Emporium:

Item	Quantity	Additional Notes	Price
Yew Fishing Rod	10	-	1 gp
Scrimshaw Accessories	-	-	5 sp - 5 gp depending on the make
Mithral Fishhook	20	-	1 gp
Mithral Handaxe	3	-	20 gp
Mithral Spear	2	-	5 gp
Mithral Dagger	5	-	10 gp
Wool Textiles and Yarns	5	Most of it is Ram, some of it is Yak	1 sp per spool, or 4 sp per metre
Pelts, Furs, and Hides	20	Reindeer, Fox, Mink	5 gp
Yeti Fur	2		15 gp
Weaver's Tools	-	Thread, pins, needles, scraps of cloth	1 gp

---

Near the Southwestern Gate, a lovely little shop sat nestled in a corner of residential homes. It's owner, a middle-aged Human named Helka, would first be taken aback by the presence of a Goliath, then she would inquire about the purpose of her visit and if she had perhaps come because of the note she hung on the town's notice board.

Helka's Chandlery:

Item	Quantity	Additional Notes	Price
Candle	50	Scented or otherwise. Made from all kinds of wax and tallow.	1 cp
Flask of Oil	50	Meant for burning. Typically Paraffin, or made from Seal or Flax	1 sp
Cosmetic Lotion	20	-	1 gp
Moss Agate	10	A semi-previous gemstone featuring green filaments and other patterns suggestive of moss	10 gp
Blue Quartz	7	A hard, crystalline mineral	10 gp
Polished Jasper	50	An opaque mineral typically in a red, yellow, brown, or green color	10 gp
Zircon	5	A gold-hued semi precious stone	50 gp
Tourmaline	25	A compounded gemstone in a wide variety of colors. At times multicolored.	100 gp
Alexandrite	1	A valued precious stone. Purple and Green.	500 gp

---

There's also Geldenstag's Rest, an inn where Farwalker might bump into some merchants peddling more exotic goods. We should start off with an Investigation/Insight Check if she wishes to gather any information from them, and a Persuasion/Intimidation Check if she wishes to barter on any of goods they might be inclined to reveal.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:23, Thu 07 Apr 2022.

Finding a buyer for the Troll parts was simple enough. Finding one that was willing to pay Mallory's price was anything but. Furs and hides were hot commodity, but most of the merchants in town did not operate in large enough scale to warrant a bulk purchase of the more esoteric components with usage only in esoteric magical crafting. There was, however, one interested party — Helka Jaggerath of Helka's Chandlery. While she was not an alchemist, Troll fat could be rendered into particularly long burning oil and candles, and the blood could be found some purpose for given time. Out in the cold, it would keep.

Trappers and furriers within the town perimeter would be interested in both the fur and the heart. Although in this day and age, they were fewer and farther between. Alma stayed in the stables, helping out with Horses and Axebeaks. Among others, the rowdy and stubborn Wyfni found herself in the woman's care. If someone would be willing to purchase an Ice Troll heart, she or the stablemaster would know where to locate them. And sure enough, on the outskirts of town, beyond the city walls, an old trapper kept a cabin. 'A cursed artifact', was all he commented on it before offering up a measly 50 gold pieces.

---

Blood and Fat: Helka will buy Mallory's entire stock of Troll fat and blood for 600 gp, half of which she'll pay in tourmaline.

Heart: You'll get 50 gp from the old trapper.

Furs, Hides, and Hairs: Rendaril would be interested in the fur, hide, and hairs, if Mallory is willing to part with any. Let's say she would have enough material left over to craft her sets of boots (with room for error) if she sold for 150 gp.

Selling the furs, hides, and hairs piecemeal to various merchants would net you 175 gp.

Bones, Claws, and Teeth: Helka, Rendaril, and the old trapper will all come up with more generous offers if they get to purchase the majority of the bones, claws, and teeth. The old trapper will alter his offer of 50 gp for the heart to a +1 Longbow for the furs, hides, hairs, bones, teeth, and claws in addition to the heart (essentially everything except the Blood and Fat).
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:16, Thu 07 Apr 2022.

"Silverymoon," the Old Trapper responded when Mallory inquired about where he'd gotten the magical longbow. "Bow is a bit silly lookin', but I know what I 'ave . . . helped them pointy ears hunt a pack of Gnolls. Turns out I hadn't felled just any Gnoll. A Gnoll 'Fang' or sumthin' . . . looked like a whole darn Gnoll to me. Hit it square in the chest, not its maw. I didn't claim to understand it then, and I don't claim to understand it now."

---

"Oh, I don't carry of a stock if that is what you're asking," Helka responded while searching through her myriad of vials and jars, referring to the Essence of Ether. "My work occasionally overlaps with that of a pharmacologist's. This was manufactured as an anesthetic. The poison itself is fairly harmless, seen in comparison to other kinds. But I sincerely apologize if I have misjudged your characters – if you so desire, we can promptly forget about the whole thing."
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:02, Fri 08 Apr 2022.

A day of proper business dealings did Mallory's troubled soul a fair bit of good.  Their initial encounter with Dzaan and the weight of what little he had revealed was enough to leave her in a state of deep, concerned thought all morning.  Eating and studying were done in a half-daze, distracted as she was.  But when she and Rhydd set out into town to explore and make what they could from the Ice Troll salvage, it was a return to form for the young noble.  A glimpse of what she had been back home; even if Bryn Shander paled in comparison to even the lowliest of Neverwinter's slums, the mere task of trade itself was enough to lift her spirits.

---

"Hm... likely some rank among their numbers; a warrior's title or such." Mallory was a bit dismissive of the Trapper's claim to fame as she was more set in her examination of the longbow.  A scrutinizing eye did her more good than a meager attempt to draw its string, as the mere effort and immediate failure of her shaking arms were enough to embarrass her.  "It's less a matter of what you have and more your potential market options.  A minor enchantment of this caliber would go for no more than five or six-hundred gold by Neverwinter's guild standards, full mark up and fees attached.  Maybe seven if you could authenticate the Elvish craftsman."  An appraisal was something she could offer freely as she handed the bow over to Rhydd for him to examine as he pleased.  "But what's this about missing trappers then?  I saw mention of quite a few awful instances on the public board outside Town Hall, but I hadn't noticed any missing persons statements."

---

Helka's effort to wave off the nature of the poison she offered or her gauge of Mallory's field was taken graciously; the young noble took no outward offense and didn't press the matter at all.  "Oh, nothing to apologize for at all.  I was more curious as to who might have crafted it in the first place.  My work often demands unusual components and ingredients, so I always like to know who's-who when it comes to specialists."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:57, Fri 08 Apr 2022.

Rhydd accepted the bow from Lady Mallory, and tested its draw. "Very nice. Took it off a dead Gnoll, you say?" he asked, making conversation with the trapper who was trying to sell it.

"The draw and flex seem well-suited to me. I wonder if that is a function of its being magical and adjusting to each individual user in some fashion -- or whether it didn't really suit the Gnoll, but then the creature didn't understand the finer points of archery, so it didn't care."

He handed the bow back to its owner. "It *is* quite a fine weapon, but as Lady Mallory, here, has observed, the price that you're asking is too steep -- by quite a lot."

"Good luck trying to find any takers at anything close to what you're looking to get for it."

"Hrmm," the Old Trapper grumbled. "Nine hundred gold pieces. Only reason I'd part with it is because I ain't usin' it much these days . . . I don't fancy being reasonable. But if ya can figure out what happened to those folks who went out a few o'days ago, I'd hand it to ye for nuthin'. They traveled east, into the woods by Good Mead. I heard from one of 'em afore they went, and they weren't to lodge in town. Malcer, a friend of mine . . . nice fellar, helps me with water from time to time. Though we don't speak much these days. I prefer to stay on my own, ye see. Away from all those big city folks." He nodded to the in the direction of Bryn Shander. "Too much yapperin'. If yer to speak, speak with brevity. I ain't keen on listnin' to a whole bunch of jargon, I tell ya. Oh, the trapper? Right. Malcer was to lead a party to fetch fer food. Apparently, there's a food shortage goin' around. Them bein' gone for more than a day rubs me the wrong way, what with this cold and all."
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:56, Tue 12 Apr 2022.

"I hear you," Rhydd said with a nod and a hint of a smile when the other spoke of his disdain for civilized people and places of the Ten Towns.

"I'm of the same mind, myself."

The archer turned and stared in the direction that the trapper had indicated that the wood-cutting party had taken.

"Haven't gotten out in that area myself in quite a while, so I don't know what Malcer and the others might have run into out there."

Rhydd shrugged. "Been some nasty things stirring in the outlands as of late, though."

He turned to Mallory. "See anything that interests you?" he asked the wizardess.

"I prefer to stay on my own, ye see. Away from all those big city folks."

The insinuation that Bryn Shander was a "big city" brought quite a sound out of Mallory.  A bit difficult to place, really - something akin to a sigh, a wheeze, and a pained groan of a part of her soul withering up all at the same time.  Remarkable that she managed to keep it mostly stifled and didn't break her poker face at the same time.

"Indeed.  Well, if you do manage to sell the bow at that price, then I'd be thrilled to hire you to my family's company as a deal broker." she noted dryly, not interested in a haggle when every coin she had was precious at the moment.  The matter of the missing trappers was a bother on her thoughts; given the dangers at hand in the area, it was a rather safe assumption that the poor folk might've been snatched up by a hungry beast.  Odds were the Old Trapper himself was jaded enough by his long life to recognize the likelihood, but it wasn't in Mallory's manner to blurt such outright.  "I can't promise anything, but we may be traveling from town in the next day or so; if it's possible to do so, we can keep an eye out for sign of your associate."

"See anything that interests you?"

"A return to the Chandlery, I believe." she confirmed with a nod.  The Old Trapper, in turn, was given a polite curtsy in parting.  "Thank you for your time, sir."

Once she and Rhydd were along their way back toward town and well out of earshot, however, she heaved out a scoff into the misty cold air.  "Honestly, I could duplicate the enchantment on that bow myself for about two hundred.  Elvish craftsmanship is one thing, but a thousand gold one way or free another way?"

---

To tally things up, Mallory will:

- Keep the Ice Troll Heart
- Sell the Blood and Fat to Helka: +600 GP
- Sell the Fur, Hide, and Hair to Rendaril: +150 GP
- Sell the spare Bones, Claws, and Teeth to Rendaril: +250 GP

Lady Mallory's comment about hiring on the old codger as a deal-maker in the event that he managed to find a market for the obscenely over-priced bow resulted in a snort of amusement from Rhydd, somewhat akin to the sound that a wild pig might make upon discovering an especially tasty morsel.

"Indeed?" he remarked, arching an eyebrow upon hearing his shopping companion's comment about being able to ensorcel his bow for a much more reasonable sum than the price named by the trapper.

"It seems that mayhap you magickers are much more useful to have around than I had supposed," he commented, a hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as he studiously avoided looking at the object of his gentle gibe.

"If we couldn't make ourselves useful, nobody would put up with our nonsense in the first place." A little self-depreciation was a healthy thing as far as Mallory was concerned.  And nobody knew the utter lunacy mages could get up to better than a fellow mage.  She did insist on making a minor nuisance of herself as she leaned into his averted field of view with a cheeky grin.

"Though I wouldn't hear you complaining about warmed boots, safe havens, and helpful cohorts at your beck and call, surely?"  Said cohort - Astre - lifted his head from where he'd been doing a wonderful impression of a furred boa strewn about Mallory's shoulders, content to laze and nap while the Humans did their silly economics.

Rhydd's smile broadened as Lady Mallory's face suddenly appeard within his averted field of vision.

"Ah, well . . . you've got me there, it seems," he agreed when she listed numerous other things that were most certainly helpful. comfortable, or both.

He lifted his hand to stroke Astre's raised head, then thought better of it. He was not *that* sure of his standing with the feline.

As the threesome walked along in companionable silence for a moment, Rhydd considered the recent developments -- some of which had been most unexpected, to his way of thinking.

"What do you plan to lobby for with Farwalker, Torgrim, and Squire Khulekani?" he asked the wizardess.

"As our next course of action, I mean."

Rhydd's hesitation to reach out all the way to show Astre some attention was met with a gentle smile from Mallory as, before he could fully withdraw, she too reached out for him instead.  Her gloved hand gingerly curled to his elbow and the winged feline himself took the opportunity to stroll across their arms like a quick bridge.  So long as he wasn't shooed away, Astre was quite happy to drape himself across Rhydd's far broader shoulders just the same; felines might have been picky about their company, but once they liked someone there was no reluctance to be found.

"Neither of us bite, you know." Mallory assured him with a soft giggle.  There were some rats back in Targos who would disagree.  Though her demeanor turned a bit more to the somber side as the subject of their coming plans came about.

"I'm unsure, really.  I've no idea what's going on in each of their heads; we still don't know Torgrim... Leyon?... his true intentions for accompanying us like this.  Farwalker's willfulness is entirely beyond me and I'm sure Squire Kumalo is of much the same sort.  I'd like to know what their goals are if we're to be able to cooperate beyond simply being thrown into dangerous happenstance together." It wasn't as if Mallory fancied herself any sort of leader... a manager at best, in business terms, but if anyone was to bear a command it would be Khulekani.

"Mrrrl?" Astre chimed in.

"Two days, so it's possible we could do both." the young noble shrugged.  "Really, it depends very much on what we can persuade Dzaan to reveal next.  I'd like to try and help these lost mercenaries his creator hired.  The idea of leaving them to their fate doesn't sit well with me at all... if there's even a chance they might still be alive, we should at least try, right?"

Even though they were both wearing heavy winter clothing, Lady Mallory's taking the initiative to reach out to grasp his arm and her quiet words of assurance ignited a spark of interest and inner warmth that Rhydd had not felt in quite some time. He gave her arm a gentle squeeze by way of acknowledgement of her willingness to reach out to him, and left the connection in place so that Astre could pad over to a new position across his shoulders.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied with a light chuckle, when she assured him that neither  she nor Astre would bite.

He reached up behind his head with his free hand to lightly touch the now-draped feline, and said "Pretty Astre,", maintaining his touch with Lady Mallory until she saw fit to break contact.

"Well," he began hesitantly, "whatever happens, my intent is to remain by your side . . . yours and Astre's."

"For now, any way," he hastened to add.

Astre seemed all too happy to enjoy the attention Rhydd afforded him, be it in touch or compliments.  Yes, he was indeed a pretty kitty and the world needed to recognize that, as far as he was concerned.  He also seemed quite chuffed as he tucked his head in to nuzzle at the side of Rhydd's jaw and found the scruff of his beard nice to rub his brow into.

In the meantime, Mallory did indeed withdraw her touch from Rhydd's arm, though reluctantly so.  More for the sake of crossing her arms up beneath the drapery of her coat to keep them out of the cold wind.  At least that was as much as she assured herself as she tucked her chin down beneath her scarf's edge to demurely mask a smile she couldn't keep off her painted lips.

"We'll be in each other's care then." she hummed, then added in echo "For now, anyway."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:21, Mon 11 Apr 2022.

Rhydd made no further comment to Mallory's statement. It seemed to him that she had the right of it. And seeing as how (by choice and general inclination) he was a man of few words, he saw no need to belabor the point.

He did, however, continue to lightly stroke Astre's fur . . .
This message was lightly edited by the player at 02:07, Tue 12 Apr 2022.