Geldenstag's Rest was precisely how Mallory had left it – shoddy, rundown, and almost entirely without guests. Moyrah had accompanied Mallory on the short trek back, wishing to get to the belongings she had stashed in her own room after the long journey. Arno and Salim both were content renting a room in the Northlook despite the steep rates, as the funds they'd received from the Speaker would last them a while.

Dannika was situated by a roundtable in the taproom, her notes and supplies sprawled. It was better with some company, even if that company comprised mostly the borderline bothersome Myrtle. The Half-Elf was, however, not her usual self. Her face was bandaged, she had a pad over one eye while the other was blue, and several red scratches were visible in spite of the patchwork. Likewise were her fingers injured in a similar manner.

Despite her condition, she seemed engrossed enough in her research to not notice Mallory immediately. When she did, her enthusiasm was diminished as she averted her gaze in a futile effort to hide her visage. But she did eventually stand to embrace the Neverwintan noblewoman, wincing slightly upon the touch. "How was Caer-Konig?" she asked. "I hope everything went well during your exploration of the Spire. I was worried sick! Tell me everything."
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:38, Fri 12 Apr.

For as eager as Mallory was to see her scholarly friend and heap presents upon her, all that enthusiasm vanished at the sight of the poor woman.  The state Dannika was in drained the color from Mallory's already naturally pale complexion and she rushed to Dannika, albeit in quite a bit of fretting over whether or not to dare touch her.  Gloved hands kept reaching out to take her friend by the shoulder or cup her cheek, only to stop halfway in the gesture as if afraid the contact alone might cause more pain; eventually she could only helplessly fuss where she stood.

"Dannika, darling!" she gasped in horror at the state of her friend.  "Gods, what happened to you?  Don't tell me you went out on an expedition yourself?!  Sit, sit!" the young noble fretted about like a mother hen as she pulled Dannika's chair back to her insistingly.  No matter how much the Half-Elf wanted to hear about adventuring escapades in the tundra, Mallory wasn't about to let a word slip on the matter until Dannika explained her state first.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:46, Fri 12 Apr.

"I–" Dannika began, trailing off as Mallory doted on her. She knew this would be the case and merely sighed as she sat down. "I've been here the entire time," she explained as she felt a particularly gnarly scratch on her cheek. "It was the Chwinga. Went completely rabid last night while I was just falling asleep . . . I'm not sure what's gotten into it, although it happened a couple of nights ago too, although to a lesser extent."

She turned her attention to an upturned mug beside her notes, lifting it slightly to allow the mask of an exceedingly remorseful Chwinga to peek through. It was of course not bound to such a material prison except voluntarily, and while Dannika wasn't the type to hold a grudge, she felt the need to keep some form of control over it until she was sure it was calm.

"I think it has to do with the storms. As if it doesn't like the howl of the wind or the sleet against the window. Before it went into a frenzy it was positively petrified. I tried to read up on similar behavior, but I've come up short . . ." Dannika shook her head. "It hasn't at all been documented in the Chultan Chwinga, nor in the ones inhabiting the Anauroch desert."
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:23, Sat 13 Apr.

Having seen Dannika in a state of injury at all had gotten Mallory terribly worked up at first brush.  Though as the two of them sat and she had more time to look her friend over, she realized the wounds were perhaps no worse than one might obtain from a particularly peeved housecat in terms of severity.  Still, nothing to dismiss even if it was a relief that Dannika was in no particular peril beyond lingering aches and perhaps a few minor scars.

"I never would've imagined... I've read that Chwinga can cause mischief with their innate magics, but injury?"  The very idea dumbfounded Mallory.  When the tiny culprit poked its masked head out looking abashed in its posture, however?  Mallory gingerly opened her gloved hands to it just the same as she'd always done; clearly unafraid and not holding its behavior against it.  Something had clearly gone awry that was neither Dannika nor the Chwinga's fault.

Indeed, who's fault was it, then?  If other examples of Chwinga in different regions didn't display such hostile shifts in behavior, then it seemed rather apparent to Mallory.  "It must be the weather; rather, this perpetual winter malaise Icewind Dale has been locked in.  It's not natural in the slightest, after all."  Ask anyone around Ten-Towns and they'd point directly at Auril as the cause of the endless twilight.  "Chwgina are Elemental spirits... the state of this area must be wreaking havoc on the poor things even more than it is the wildlife."  A theory, but it felt like a solid one by Mallory's assumption.  Chult and Anauroch had their own magical affairs that compromised the regions, but they'd certainly never had a wayward deity futzing with the weather.  She shifted a hand into her satchel to withdraw a stout tome Dannika herself might have recognized, depending on how often she delved the archives: "Anatomical Studies of Magical Creatures III" - penned by Eviure of Candlekeep.  The young noble had no idea if the book might contain any information on Chwinga but skimmed through all the same in hopes that something might come up.

"If it makes you feel any better, I've brought more than just stories to share with you and our... troubled... little friend here.  Amid all the other frankly horrible experiences I've had in the past few days, I did get the chance to Teleport to Luskan for a brief reprieve.  It was technically a business trip, so to speak, but I acquired a few treats which might help lift your spirits."

The Chwinga was hesitant to exit its timeout chamber, doing so only after receiving Dannika's approval. Once in Mallory's hands, it fiddled passively with its hands and sang a low minor note.

"I think you're right," Dannika concurred, staring at the apologetic little elemental. It had of course been forgiven, although Dannika wasn't sure it understood. "This isn't normal behavior. I'm not sure what I'm to do with it going forward. The wounds may be superficial, but the incident was uncomfortable enough that I don't fancy a repeat. I would have to device some sort of strategy to contain it once a storm blows in, although I'm not sure how." Chwinga could, as it had demonstrated prior, phase through inanimate objects at will.

Onto matters more pleasant. She happily took the book, flipping through it briefly. It was dense, so there was a chance there was something on Chwingas here. She'd read some of Eviure's other works, although her tenure was prior to Dannika's own time in the hold. "You were in Luskan? When? Why?" Befuddlement struck the Half-Elvish scholar as she scrunched her brow. To her knowledge, Mallory didn't have the ability to teleport — such a skill would have undoubtedly be useful for all the other traveling she'd been doing. "How?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:53, Sat 13 Apr.

Containing a Chwinga was a far easier-said-than-done situation to even speculate on.  Mallory didn't have the slightest idea of how to attempt it... at least, not in any way that wouldn't be a wild level of overkill.  Protecting Dannika from the Chwinga's tantrum would be an easier task, though the young noble was uncertain of how much time she would have to develop a method.  "I could help fashion something for the sake of protection, but it would only be a stop-gap..."  She would need at least a day's time to enchant a necessary spell of protection into a device that Dannika could actually make use of, but there was no telling when the next fit would take the poor Chwinga's manner in the meantime.  Delicate fingertips stroked down along the Chwinga's back in a soothing gesture and she hummed a few bars in return - the same idle, sing-song tune as when they'd met each time prior.  The chaotic experience couldn't have been good for the poor little sprite either...

Dannika's surprise and confusion was met with a soft smile.  "I recently came into the employ of a Madame Harpell - yes, the Harpells - while in Caer-Konig.  In the follow-up to that, I accompanied her and a fellow scholar back to Luskan to visit the Host Tower of the Arcane Brotherhood via Teleportation.  Just a few days for a bit of research and some shopping.  I met some truly fascinating gentlemen while I was there..."

While Mallory was quite happy to divulge the whole of her experiences since leaving Bryn Shander with Dannika and Moyrah over lengthy conversation, the hovering presence of Myrtle was another matter.  Her dark gaze bounced back and forth between Myrtle and Dannika a moment before she primly cleared her throat with unspoken but obvious prompting for privacy.

The Chwinga remained destitute in spite of Mallory's comforting as it clung to her fingers. Not even the sight of Astre was able to cheer it up.

When instructed to leave, Myrtle cast an upset gaze Mallory's way but took the hint, retreating to the corridors with the rooms to do some cleaning and change the sheets. That allowed for some more private conversation, although she was wont to return at an opportune moment to continue her eavesdropping. But it was enough for now. That Mallory had been in contact with the Harpell's struck Dannika as a strictly positive development. That she had been involved with the Brotherhood did not. "Was it all in regards to the Spire?" Dannika prompted. She'd pry a bit further to make sense of it as there seemed like there were several pieces of the puzzle she was not privy to. This seemed like it could be a lengthy conversation.

"At its core, yes.  Though the events and trappings that surrounded that endeavor were another matter entirely..." Mallory remarked dryly as she settled in for a long talk.

Before that, however, she sorted about through her satchel not only for gifts but for demonstrative items; she'd collected quite a bit from The Spire and elsewhere, and much of it would help in elaborating on her tale.  For the gifts, however; Mallory withdrew two plump persimmons - one handed to Dannika and the other, after a brief glance to spot Myrtle peering from around a corner, was gently lobbed the eavesdropper's way.  She could take it as an apology or a bribe how she pleased, so long as she didn't skulk about too much.  For the Chwinga, meanwhile - it didn't eat, but Mallory produced a small cloth bundle which contained three tiny little outfits.  Doll's clothing, finely stitched and dyed - a lovely (if out-of-season) yellow summer dress, a simple tunic and sash set that looked to be akin to the fashions of Cormyrean Elves, and a sturdy, high-collared woolen long coat with the tiniest of tiny brass buttons stitched along its lapel.  She laid the outfits out on the tabletop before the Chwinga with a smile and a gently encouraging nod for it to help itself, should it please.

Dannika, meanwhile, received a pristine - albeit aged - tome which lacked an author's name but featured the promisingly lurid title of 'From Ghouls to Ghosts'.  "This is actually quite a lovely read, even before bedtime.  Whomever the author may be, they have a wonderful knack for interesting turn of phrase.  Given your study of odd creatures, I immediately thought of you when I came across this, darling."

From the satchel came a small stack of other tomes - far, far older and written in dense Loross.  A carefully managed spellbook filled not only with arcane knowledge but maddened scribbles and screeds.  Delicate potion bottles recovered both from long-locked Netherese storage and strangely manifested magical means still beyond Mallory's precise knowing.  And along with it all came a tale.  A long, involved, accented with conjured illusions and likely repeatedly side-tracked-by-questions tale.  While Mallory took care to not let Myrtle overhear too much - Astre was very good at keeping an eye on her and warning Mallory as needed - Dannika was otherwise told everything.  In past recounting to various people, even Vellynne Harpell herself, Mallory had held her tongue and not revealed the full extent of her experiences.  But Dannika was given the full story since they'd last parted ways from Bryn Shander.

The strange happenings of Caer-Dineval, the meeting of Vellynne and Idrianthe, the unusual circumstances of finding The Spire.  Mallory spoke of her personal quest to find the lost mercenary adventurers left to their awful fate by Dzaan and his Simulacrum.  She spoke of the trio of Bugbears they'd befriended and of their alleged town of Karkolohk, of all the bizarre wonders and mysteries The Spire itself contained within its fractalized, upside-down halls.  Of the dangers - the encounters with the Ceremorphized Bulette and near-death experiences.  Of the ancient engineering and combination of magics that featured within The Spire's relic, half-submerged in a pool of black acid and potentially forever lost.  Of poor Miss Apple and the horrid Pearl of Hadar.  Of Shield Guardian Amulets, of Infernal Iron containing the soul of the very same Wight that had nearly killed Dannika prior, of Gnomish Illithids and a lost Goblinoid friend slain by their cruelty.  Mallory spoke of cannibals and lycanthropes, of Dragons and skeletons, of conversations with dead spirits called back from beyond, of the wonders of the Host Tower's archives, of the charming company of those such as Harai and Colmarr.

In past reports and summaries - to Dannika and others alike - Mallory had a knack for keeping things dry and curt for the sake of professionalism.  But as she spoke with Dannika again after so long, the words just tumbled out of her painted lips with every drop of emotion they'd come with.  The fear, the anxiety, the anger... everything the young noble had pushed away from her thoughts in order to try and just keep going.  Her feelings of affection for the likes of Rhydd, of admiration and respect for Khulekani and Idrianthe and Farwalker; her steadfast allies who had risked so much at her request and whom she felt she could never truly repay.  She felt as though she needed to get it all out.  To give her thoughts and words to someone else to carry on... because, after The Spire, what had been a mere abstract fear to Mallory prior had been brought into crystal clarity: she very well might not make it out of Icewind Dale alive.  The idea that she may be lost to the cold and snow like all the other things she'd faced thus far, that her family may never know what became of her otherwise... she couldn't abide by it.  So everything was shared with Dannika, both an avid scholar and - at least by the young noble's heart - a fast friend.  One she could trust would make sure such a story would not fall to the wayside.

It was the culmination of that whole, strange, involved retelling that the full weight of it all came to bear with the last revelation.  One that Mallory made absolutely certain Myrtle was not within earshot of.  Mallory spoke of her visit to the Winter Palace in Luskan, of her lengthy discourse with Father Mathur, and how it confirmed the truth of her final experiences within The Spire.  When she and the others cowered within her conjured pocket space while an entity far beyond them stalked the halls with frozen steps.  "I don't want to believe it, honestly.  Were it just the fears of the local towns, were it only Father Mathur's zealous faith, I'd still doubt it.  But I saw her, Dannika.  She practically passed within arm's reach." Mallory's words were hushed and her eyes unfocused as she recalled so vividly the cold in the air at the Frostmaiden's approach and the blast of frost she'd witnessed through Astre that had temporarily doomed her poor Tressym.  "Auril is here, fully manifested upon this same Plane along with the rest of us.  Yet, the strangest thing is I... for all the terror I've felt time and again, for the way I cowered from her gaze... I... when I think of her, I don't feel afraid.  I should, but... I don't.  And I don't know why."

When Mallory presented the Chwinga with its clothes, it was clear it took an interest in them. Although it remained inconsolable, it squeezed Mallory's finger in gratitude and to silently communicate that it would try them on later. Dannika and Moyrah were also appreciative for their gifts, even if the Half Orc was confused as to what the persimmon was when Dannika offered to share it. Myrtle recognized it as a kaki plum, a rare delicacy in the Frozenfar, and scuttled off to tend the rooms.

As the story was subsequently started, Dannika found herself quickly enraptured. That it was elaborated upon to exhaustion suited her perfectly, and she would quickly ask clarifying questions when something was unclear or, at times, before Mallory had the opportunity to clarify. A part of her wanted to take notes, but they weren't her notes to take. This was Mallory's – and her companions' – endeavor. The tale was thrilling, exhilarating, and, above all, dangerous. She shared in Mallory's emotion and shock, a visible shudder running down her spine when the presence of the Frostmaiden herself was mentioned. All the while, Myrtle intruded only once to set a pot of kaeth on the table.

"Perhaps then my own project will prove futile," Dannika said after allowing the implications to bloom. "If this all truly is the Frostmaiden's doing, the Chwinga may be of little importance."

---

Myrtle informed Mallory a letter to her had arrived to the Geldenstag's during her absence. "I have however forwarded it to Caer-Konig, I thought that was best," the beldame said, then went on to preempt some potential questions; "It was delivered by a guard. No, I did not open it, so I don't know the contents, nor the sender."
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:07, Wed 17 Apr.

Mallory mulled for a few moments while she eased her throat with a sip of kaeth.  She'd spoken at greater length than even was usual for her talkative self, so she felt inclined to dwell a short while with her thoughts as they'd since been cleared at long last.  She certainly felt much better to have gotten it all out.  Though for as much as she treasured her companions, there was a part of her that didn't quite feel she could express her fears to them the same way she did Dannika.  Memories of how pitiful she must have seemed in the wake of the Bulette's attack still lingered.  They had all been wounded, yet she wailed more than any, to her remaining shame.  That Dannika still looked at her with eyes wide in marvel... Mallory didn't quite know how to feel about that, either.

"I believe things will get worse from here on out and, in all honesty, you would be best served fleeing Icewind Dale while you can." Such a warning was given to both Dannika and Moyrah alike, earnestly.  Yet, as Mallory still cradled the Chwinga in hand, she spared the tiny figure a soft, genuine smile as she caressed its back.  "But... I don't think such endeavors are without their value, darling.  It's in times of woe and struggle that the small efforts become the most vital.  That salvation rises from the most unlikely of sources."

Mallory set the Chwinga back to the tabletop and shuffled through her satchel once more, from which she drew a finely loomed sapphire-blue scarf.  Quality silk wasn't likely someone who'd grown up supping on scraps of fish stew in a shack was likely to have come across, but Mallory didn't hesitate to gently loop the tasseled length across Moyrah's burly neck and secure it in a tidy, decorative knot.  "And it's in times like these we must take faith with one another, as well."

---

When Mallory eventually made to leave in order to attend her meeting at the Speaker's Palace, she ended up more than mildly miffed with Myrtle's misplaced missive.  Still, there was certainly no point in raising a fuss over it at that point.  Getting upset wouldn't magically return a letter to its sender... though there might have been some value in researching such a spell, come to think of it.

"A guard?  Well, that certainly narrows it down..." There were only two options that rose to mind, though she really couldn't be certain which was more likely.  All the same, Mallory raised a palm to render another of her convenient illusions and presented Myrtle with the heavy-lidded appearance of her presently absent Tabaxi relative.  "Before I forget; you wouldn't happen to have heard anything about my Uncle Hukkush, have you?  He was supposed to have opened an exports office in town some time last year, but I've heard he's been roaming about the Ten-Towns despite expecting my arrival.  I don't fear for his safety overmuch, but I'd rather like to hear from him all the same."

Moyrah had also had quite a visceral reaction to seeing Dannika injured, even if hers had manifested in anger at herself. Out of anyone, the fault rested on her shoulders. Had she been there, she could have gotten the situation under control, even if that meant sustaining the aggression in her stead. "I won't allow this to happen again," she swore. "I won't."

When the prospect of leaving Icewind Dale was brought up, Dannika was first flabbergasted at the mere proposal, but she was soon only skeptical as the idea simmered. She adjusted her glasses, realizing the wisdom to Mallory's caution. "I've only just gotten here. Even if it's not immediately beneficial, I still would have liked to study the Chwinga more. Can I return to Candlekeep with so little of substance?" Ultimately, Dannika requested some time to consider it. She would have to arranged transport back as well, which she recognized could easily be as great a hassle as getting here.

---

The illusion earned a squint from Myrtle. Although not chewed out, a part of her did recognize that she had erred in choosing to involve herself. The extent of that acknowledgement was however uncertain, and this likely wouldn't be the last time she meddled to unfortunate outcomes. "Hukkush, yes. I know him. He used to live here, in Bryn Shander. Had a parcel company, although I don't think it's operational anymore. Last I know he traveled westward on some other business. This was months ago."