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The hull of the Grinning Pixie creaks and groans in the freezing waters of Kalsgard, at the mouth of the Rimeflow River. Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry, the half-orc captain of the vessel, shivers as she strides in to her well-furnished cabin and out of the bitter winds. A Varki woman clad in leathers and a snow leopard fur coat is already seated inside the cabin. “Welcome to the Linnorm Kingdoms,” says Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry.
She takes a long drag from a hip flask before continuing. “The North is no place for a free captain, but here we are. Oh, Kalsgard is fine—they’ve got stiff drink here—but you’ve got to head inland, where it’s even colder.” She pulls her mammoth-fur coat tighter across her body as she continues. “I hope you all weren’t planning to freeze to death and packed for the weather.”
“You’ve all heard of Jormurdun? Well, that dwarven sky citadel contained an artifact called the Sky Key. King Gutheran broke it into five pieces and gave four of them to his heirs as they fled the invasion, keeping the fifth for himself. One of Gutheran’s heirs, Naldak, traveled into what is now southwestern Irrisen and established a small town called Naldak’s Point. That’s where the trail goes cold. Most likely, Baba Yaga wiped them out when she invaded. The piece of the Sky Key and the ruins of Naldak’s Point are probably buried under a millennium of ice and snow, just waiting for someone—you—to go dig them out.
I’ve packed you ten blocks of blackfire clay to make the task more manageable,” the venture-captain says, handing over a backpack stuffed with black bricks. “Don’t forget to take these with you.”
You can apply blackfire clay to your skin as a full round action to gain a +4 alchemical bonus on saving throws to resist cold weather for one hour. Alternatively, you can combine 5 blocks over the course of a minute to create a heat source equivalent to a small campfire. More information on of blackfire clay can be found on page 102 of Pathfinder RPG
Ultimate Equipment.
“You’re heading east, up the Rimeflow and Thundering Rivers, past the Grungir Forest, and into Irrisen. Desna smiles—the site is
about half a day’s hike north of Dalun, a small trade city on the Irrisen border. Take a small river boat packed with supplies and a letter of trade, make nice with the city officials, and see if you can get permission to travel inland. Head to the site and find our missing Sky Key piece. You’ll know you’re on the right track if you recover signs that the royal family settled there.”
"Watch yourselves in Irrisen. Antagonizing the locals is like poking a sleeping ice bear in the eye, except it won’t kill you as quickly. The Society is not especially welcome in Irrisen, so try to keep what friends we have, and if you can, make new ones. With that it mind, I’ve hired a local to bring you safely to Dalun.” Venture-Captain Benarry gestures toward the Varki woman. “This is Haltani, and she will guide you into and out of Irrisen alive.”
The Varki woman springs to her feet gracefully and addresses the party. “It is always a pleasure to meet travelers from faraway lands. It is true that Irrisen is a harsher land than most. Keep your wits about you, and your journey should be profitable.”
Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry says; "Do you have any questions for me before you start moving?" as she hands you some items.
She provides you with a map of Irrisen. The rough location of Naldak’s Point is marked on the map. In addition, she gives you a letter of trade, which they can use to trade for goods in Dalun and 10 blocks of blackfire clay.
Finally, Venture-Captain Benarry loans you the use of a small sailing boat.
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(1 check per skill, you can read the spoilers up to the result you got)
Knowledge (history)
You may already know the following information about Irrisen’s history.
: Irrisen has a violent history with all of its neighbors,
but especially with the Ulfen from the Linnorm Kingdoms.
Jadwiga sometimes capture and enslave Ulfen people.
: Baba Yaga and an army of monsters, including ice trolls, winter wolves, and evil fey, invaded the eastern portion of the Land of the Linnorm Kings in 3313 AR. They took only 23 days to conquer the entire region now known as Irrisen.
: Every 100 years, Baba Yaga returns to Golarion and
replaces the current queen with a new one. She takes the old queen away with her in a magical hut that stands on a pair of chicken legs. No one really knows where Baba Yaga takes the monarchs or why they never return.
Knowledge (local) or Diplomacy (gather information)
You may already know the following information about modern Irrisen.
: Irrisen is known as the Land of Eternal Winter, as it stays freezing year round. Powerful witches known as the White Witches rule the nation and allow monsters the same rights as humanoids. The human descendants of Baba Yaga are called Jadwiga, and are the aristocracy of Irrisen. Ulfen people who find themselves in Irrisen at the bottom of the social hierarchy; the fortunate are serfs, and the rest are slaves.
: Intelligent monstrous races, such as ice trolls and winter wolves, are citizens in Irrisen. Though not as socially powerful as the Jadwiga, they command considerable respect and are often able to do as they please without consequence.
: Recently, some younger Jadwiga have begun to question the insular culture and closed borders of Irrisen.
They seek to learn about peoples outside of Irrisen, the more “exotic” the better. The White Witches have dubbed them the stilyagi, or “culture crows,” as they disregard the culture of Irrisen and mimic the cultures of other foreign lands. However, because they rarely have the opportunity to interact with foreigners, their depictions are often wildly outdated, stereotypical, and even downright offensive.
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Rhuul listens carefully, pondering what the captain has to say, as well as his own knowledge of the region.
He'll spend a bit of time also talking with the locals, many of which he knows from previous trips up north.
"Be careful here Pathfinders, the Irrisen are quite insular - their nobels are descended from a demi-god called Baba-Yoga, and are known as the Jadwiga. They tolerate all sorts of monsters that more civilised lands don't - so just because you see a troll - don't try to stick your axe in it. Some of the Jadwiga have started to express an interest in the areas outside of Irrisen, they are known as the Stilyagi. They might prove offensive or plain funny - they don't have a lot of outside experience to work with. Thing to remember is they are not trying to be funny or offensive - rather likely to be trying to find out more about the places we come from."
He looks at the captain.
"I take it you have no other word of the people of Naldak? What of the other allies you mentioned. Do you have names and contact details for them?"
While dressed for the cold, Rhuul doesn't seem to feel it.
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Zuriel stands taller than most others from Minkai, a gift from his mother's people. His armor and weapons are well-polished and cared for and he stands at attention, shivering slightly as he tries not to show how much the cold bothers him. He smiles faintly and bows at Haltani, but says nothing.
He listens respectfully to Rhuul's information, and offers a response to Captain Benarry's question.
This mission sounds important, and I promise to do all I can to secure the lost portion of the sky key. I only ask--is it dangerous? Do we need some means to transport it safely?
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At Rhuul's questions;
"What do I know about Naldak’s Point? “Not much. I found the name in an old book, and then found the location on this old Ulfen map that predates Irrisen. It’s mostly a dwarven town, so it was probably underground.”
"I meant friends as more a general statement, not as in actual people. Try to not make a bad impression on behalf of the Society"
Venture Captain Benarry cocks her head as she contemplate Zuriel's question
"It couldn't hurt to wrap it in a blanket or something to prevent it from getting jostled as you bring it back. But I don't expect it to be of danger to you during transport."
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An athletic female, dressed in old scale armor with bits of fur and bone strung here and there, enters the room.
She is comely, with intelligent eyes, yet she seems cold and distant. She nods to the rest of the room, then promptly finds a seat in the corner.
The look on her face is determined, and conveys a distinct message: Don't mess with me.
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A young woman of Chelaxian descent and average looks idly listens to the mission briefing while the raven on her shoulder prances about nervously, "Yes, Morrey, I see the bird on the elf's shoulder too." She says to her familiar with only a slight interest in calming him.
"Perhaps Haltani might be better suited to answer this question, but what sort of dangers might we expect besides the cold, Baba Yaga's minions, angry Ulfen, or ice bears?" She asks after the others, "Are there any recent political or cultural events occurring that we should be aware of besides those mentioned by Rhuul?"
It probably doesn't make a difference in this scenario, but Rowanna has a boon tying her to Baba Yaga from the first Reign of Winter AP.
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Haltaini answers, “Not all of Irrisen is bad, but the land is dangerous. Ice trolls, snow goblins, or even winter wolves can accost unwary travelers. Dalun is safe, though; they accept outsiders and are eager for trade. I’ve spent quite a lot of time in the city and have many contacts there.”
Since you have no more questions the Venture-Captain leaves you in the capable hands of Haltani who checks if any of you have experience with sailing a boat (profession sailor for example), if you do she will assist you..if no one of you knows how to operate a boat she will do it and asks for the occasional hand to help her out.
The wind carries the small sailing vessel upriver. On the banks, the occasional elk or deer dashes away at the sight of the ship. At night, the temperature drops dramatically while wolves howl in the distance. The trip up the Rimeflow and Thundering Rivers takes several weeks, but passes in relative safety. Most of the landscape is comprised of rocky grassland and rough hills. The Land of the Linnorm Kings is a rugged land with rugged people. Occasionally you pass fishing villages where grim people give them evaluating gazes, scowl at them, or ignore them completely.
During the trip, usually when the group camps for the night, Uliyara speaks with each of you individually. She asks you about yourselves, bringing up topics such as their homelands, your religious beliefs,your roles in the Pathfinder Society, the strange lands they have visited, and any unusual or noteworthy objects they possess. Her questions often show how little she knows about the rest of Golarion
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Well I... I joined the society a couple of years back after leaving Kyonin, my homeland. I did so because we share the same main goal, the pursuit of knowledge. My travels as a pathfinder have taken me mainly to Varisia with its many city-states and villages. But I have also been in the shackles and in Taldor where, near a town called Heldren, I met some of Irrisen's stranger citizens. I believe they were Icetrolls, but that is a tale for another time.
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To avoid spoiling too much of the AP for you, it basically forces you to assist her with something, but with the modular nature of PFS play, I'm fine with just ignoring those aspects for the sake of ease in this case.
In response to Haltani's queries, Rowanna tells her a little about herself and her homeland, "I'm from the nation of Cheliax, dear. I'm not sure what rumors you've heard about it, but many of them are baseless lies. I come from a noble and magnificent family that was debased by the political machinations of another lesser family. It's probably not unlike tribes who go to war over territory, except instead of weapons, they use words which can be just as lethal as steel in my homeland. To restore my family's pride and prestige, I acquired my arcane powers and joined the Pathfinder Society, in the days when most of its factions were political."
Rowanna then goes into a more detailed account of how noble families operate in Cheliax for as long as Haltani appears semi-interested. She does, however, carefully leave out any details about the state religion to avoid spooking the other woman.
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"Well, I grew up a typical dwarf..." starts Rhuul. "But I've never really been cut out for the mines. Come from a family of smiths.. Thus the name - irontoe. Lets just say that Rhuul and smithing don't quite go together hand-in-glove. I tried, but realy, I'd rather be making folk happy than hammering a blade."
He looks around.
"I joined the Pathfinder society a few seasons back now. I've done my rounds - routed the Spider from Andor even. Up here.. well, I have a couple of stories about Ulfen lords I've helped over the years. One was dead of course, and the second so close he may as well have been. "
He breathes deeply of the cold northern air.
"I love the fresh air up here. Perhaps my best story is of my recent expedtion up here. I was up in Winterthrone, helping out with a bit of bother under an old brewery. Ended up toe to toe with a dragon!"
He shakes his head at the unbelieving stares.
"True, small dragon to be fair, but viscious as they come. From there I headed north. I was made an honoury member of the Snowmask tribe of Khelid. Long story there about them having taken an Ulfen overload many years ago and his flaming axe. The shadow lodge tried to steal it and put the hurt on the Snowmask. Me and some other pathfinders managed to put a stop to their plans and returned the axe to its icy tomb."
Trying to avoid too many of those, but Shades of Ice series and Frozen Fingers of Midnight scenarios, Rhuul will go into in a bit of detail with Haltani. I'll not say more here to avoid spoiling the games for others who have yet to do them.
Curious about their guide, Rhuul tries to find out about her. Is she one of the Jadwiga?
Rhuul will again take ten on diplomacy if he can for a 25.
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Zuriel, now protected from the elements by a magical change in his clothing, shifts uncomfortably when asked about his past.
But we were ordered to make new friends for the Society, and not alienate the ones that we already have...
The half-elf gaves off into the distance to survey the passing landscape, and begins his tale.
I was born Heihachi Wakahisa, in Hiyosai in Minkai. My father was a soldier--he taught me how to use a blade, but also how to conduct myself with others. But my whole life his thoughts seemed elsewhere, and I never knew why until my mother returned. I'd never seen my father happier than the day she walked through our door. She was tall, and beautiful, and though I'd never met her, she told me I had a great destiny ahead of me. She called me Zuriel, and told me it meant "Strength of the Gods" in her language. She said I had arcane power, like her, and tried to instruct me how to unlock my potential. But the work was hard, and bore no fruit. The months she stayed with us passed by like a dream, but she grew impatient with my lack of progress and one morning when we woke, she was gone.
Zuriel casts his eyes downward, avoiding eye contact as he continues. After that, my father couldn't stand to look at me. He blamed me for my mother's departure, and said I was no longer his son. When I left home, I learned my mother was right--whatever powers she had had passed to me in some way and it was hard to keep them from boiling over. Lest they consume me, I sought some way to understand them. So I joined the greatest group of thinkers--the Pathfinder Society. I've been to Andoran and Korvosa, but mostly Absalom. At first I was just trusted to follow leads that weren't very promising--in the sewers, no less. But more recently I rescued the daughters of an influential family--we traveled to a bridge between our world and the Plane of Shadow! I've also uncovered long-hidden information about this "Sky Key", which is why I believe the Decemvirate has decided to send me on a mission of this importance.
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Haltani is particularly curious about your backgrounds and excited to have the opportunity to speak with outsiders. She's not overly impressed with Rowanna's telling of the nobles of her home country, but she likes the stories the others have told her. Her attitude changes from being mostly indifferent to becoming friendly over the course of the days your are traveling together.
She's a bit evasive about answering question about herself though she remains friendly and quickly changes the subject as Rhuul tries to find out more about her
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Hearing half elf's tale Variel's mind wander back to the past dwelling in memories he would rather forget. The elven people's expectations can be hard to live with. Great traditions can brew... great stubborness. There is nothing back home for me either mr Heihachi, family did not approve my taste for the... exotic. He says with a sad smile grabbing some seeds from a pocket to feed his thrush.
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Evenstar is a bit too closed of for Haltani to warm up to so she avoids Evenstar as far as that is possible on a small boat, cramped with people.
Over the course of a few days it seems you as a group made a strong impression on Haltani who already was a bit different to you to start with.
Haltani regulary takes out a a pale blue diamond necklace from under her furs and gazes longingly at it as if remembering something and then puts it back, she has been doing that from time to time ever since you got on the boat with her.
As you continue your trip along the river;
A bend in the river and several large rocks cause white-water rapids across most of the water’s breadth; only a narrow channel with a swift current flows without obstruction near the southern bank. Tall trees grow on either shore, casting shadows with their large overhanging branches.
At that point a net springs up in the water with your boat heading towards it - and will soon be caught in it which will stop your ship from moving further - and 2 humans of Ulfen linage step forward from behind some foliage. They carry longspears and have some javelins strapped to their backs. "Halt!, We demand to know what business you have traveling toward Irrisen, and to search your ship"
The guard’s weapons are not drawn.
You discern that the guards are wary, but that they don’t intend to initiate violence.
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While talking with Haltani, Rhuul can't but note the gem she takes out from time to time.
"Lass, I'm sure there be a story to that necklace. I'd love to hear it some time."
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"Hello the shore!" calls out Rhuul. He gestures for the boat to be turned toward the shore.
"I could do with a stretch of me legs. Dwarven feet are not made to rest too long on boats."
He jumps ashore when the boat touches the river bank.
"Our task is to explore, as ever it has been. I be known as Rhuul, of the family Irontoe. Would you fine lads be willing to share your names and task while you have a brief look at our boat? Maybe if you let us know what you are lookin for, we may even be able to help you find it."
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As Rhuul asks about the necklace Haltani explains it's an ice diamond a rare type of diamond which is only excavated from the mines of Hope Lost, approximately 70 miles east of Dalun. They range from pure white to light blue in color, are harder and denser than standard diamonds, and are particularly receptive to magical enchantment. if asked how she got it she simply replies that “It was a gift" and is reluctant to say more.
The guards respond to Rhuul as they do a quick glace through the boat;
"I'm Schorie, this is my brother Morie. I'm sorry about the inconvenience but I'm afraid we are going to have to insist you join us back at our town and have a talk with someone way above our paygrade about your business here. don't worry. I will guide you there and Morie will make sure nothing happens to your boat"
The guards are very friendly about it
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"Sorry, I'm just following orders here" Schorie shrugs
"If you'd be so kind as to follow me, my leader will talk to you and answer your questions.
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You dock your boat somewhere out of the way (for as far as that is possible) and get out and prepare for travel.
The guards understand that walking through a country that has bears wandering around (not to mention Ice trolls, wolves and even worse things) without your armor and weapons isn't the most.....health conscious choice so they have no objections to you putting on your armor and taking your traveling gear (including weapons) with you.
One of the guards stays behind while the other one guides you back to his leader.
Haltani stays quite the entire time, she seems nervous and doesn't seem happy about the circumstances.
The village of Whiterook sits against a tall cliff wall. A line of close-growing birch trees and tangle of vines shield the village, acting as a natural palisade. One of the larger birches bears a carved bird, which lends the village its name. In the center of the village, a massive fire pit sits stocked with timbers and dry brush as if ready for a massive bonfire.
Several humanoid bodies hang naked in the trees outside the palisade. Hanging next to them is the skinned corpse of what appears to be a bear-sized wolf.
Haltani stares at the hanging bodies, muttering under her breath, “Savage butchers… monsters all.”
The guards lead you into Whiterook, their small but well defended village. The people here are tough, worn down by regular raids from the forces of Irrisen. While going about their daily chores, they give you wary looks
The guards lead you to the center of the village, near the unlit fire pit, while one of Whiterook’s citizens fetches the village’s battle leader, Halvor. He is a tall man with massive muscles, long blond hair, and a thick beard, whose face bears numerous battle scars.
Halvor says: "State what business you have this far east"
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Rhuul steps forward.
"I am Rhuul Irontoe. And my business is that of exploration! Actually, maybe you could help us? We were hoping to find the location of an old dwarven village..."
"You certainly are a hardy folk who live up here. Nice to see trees and not just ice though."
Rhuul idley twines his pathfinder round his fingers as he talks, taking note of whether Halvor (or anyone else) takes an interest in it.
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Rowanna grimaces slightly when Rhuul produces his Wayfinder, then says something to Halvor in Skald, "Jag är rädd att överge vår uppgift är helt enkelt inte möjligt, även om vi verkligen skulle kunna använda vad specifika överlevnadstips en erfaren och mäktig krigare som själv kunde erbjuda sig att hjälpa oss i våra resor."
"I'm afraid abandoning our task is simply not possible, although we certainly could use whatever specific survival advice an experienced and powerful warrior such as yourself could offer to help us in our travels."
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Halvor seems oblivious to the wayfinder.
"You people seem friendly enough, so let me give you a free piece of advice ; we are about to launch a strike force at the town of Dalun. So if you don't want to get caught up in the conflict I suggest you turn around and head back. Or if you want to fight at the side of justice you can join us and we extract our revenge!"
Let me tell you of Dalun their so called claims of peace. I believed those claims myself, up until the last moon. They sent envoys to talk of trade, but as we were about to let them in, we were attacked by winter wolves, ice trolls, and a dozen Jadwiga soldiers.” He spits on the ground before continuing. “We slew enough of them to scare them off, but lost many good warriors. I just wished we had captured that Jadwiga witch while she was here, but she vanished into the night.
“My warriors demand retribution!
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Halvor says:
"The envoy was lead by the daughter of Baroness Nadya, the ruler of Dalun. I suspect that she used magic to vanish when the fighting started. She had long blond hair, pale skin and ice cold blue eyes - like all of them do."
"So what say you? Will you you me and mine on this quest? We will leave at dawn!"
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Rhuul looks concerned.
"Halvor, while there was treachery, it is not clear that the people of Dalun, or even that Baroness Nadya knew of it. Could the daughter be acting without her mothers blessing? I understand there is little maternal affection between the various witches of Irrisen."
He thinks.
"Could we not to in advance of your force and get a feel for the mood of the town and maybe the Baroness? "
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Zuriel nods his assent.
It's true that the Baroness may have no knowledge of her daughter's activities. More importantly, you said yourself that the woman who led the assault was a sorceress. If she can make herself vanish, it would be an easy thing for her to alter her appearance. It may not have even been the baroness' daughter, or even a woman for that matter, but someone else who would benefit from hostilities between Whiterook and Dalun,
The half-elf sets his blade on the ground and approaches the warrior unarmed, extending a hand toward the outspoken leader.
You are brave and strong, and you have much love for your people. But what if what I said is true? Your town's strength has been weakened by the last attack. If you send the bulk of your strength against Dalun and they weren't responsible for the assault on your village, then you are leaving your home undefended against a return by your true enemy. Rhuul is right--let us go in your stead. We are no soldiers, but we all excel at finding information and reporting it accurately. We will discover who was the mastermind behind the heinous assault on your village, and maybe we can broker a lasting peace between you and Dalun so that you can defend against further attacks together. Perhaps you can send Schorie and Morie as envoys with us, to represent Whiterook?
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"Hmm..you seem to know what you are talking about. I like the idea of sending an envoy along with you to find out what is going on. So Schorie and Morie along with their 10 brothers and cousins will accompany myself and your group. We will leave in the morning and set sail for the town of Dalun and get to the bottom of this. So I have spoken, so it will be!"
Halvor provides you with a place to spend the night and hands you 2 potions of resist energy (cold)
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Rhuul stands and following his understanding of local customs thanks Halvor for his wisdom and the potions - probably involving a lot of shoulder punching and back slapping.
"I be thanking you for your wisdom Halvor. I know revenge is sweet, but it's better when directed again your true enemy!"
He looks around the room.
"What is black, blue, brown and lies sobbing at the side of the path?"
He breaks into a grin.
"A brunette who has told too many blonde jokes."
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After the party is out of ear shot of the ulfens Variel whispers.
We just got ourselfs an enemy warparty as an escort while entering the white witches's territory. Things can go south really fast now, we will need to be extra carefull. Specially if the first attack was actually from Irrisen. We maybe end up being shot on sight.
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Rhuul's rowdy humor has a few of the men laughing out loud as they escort you to your sleeping accommodations.
The next morning you wake up, cold but alive and have some breakfast before heading back to where you left your boat.
As you set off for Dalun, a dozen warriors along with Halvor in a longship sail beside you.
As you travel into Irrisen, the temperature drops dramatically, falling to well below freezing. In the distance, log cabins march across the snowy fields, walking on knobby wooden legs. During the trip, you spot a winter wolf on the north bank, following the boat at a distance.
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"Thats one big wolf over there. I bet it's skin would be worth a gold or two - but here they are citizien, and we had all best remember that."
He does pay quite some attention to the odd walking huts.
"Now there is a sight you don't see every day. It's like some demented carpenter with a thing for chickens and an awful lot of magic got let loose."
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The wolf follows along with your boat for some time but eventualy it just leaves without a sound.
Stone cliffs marks the border of Irrisen on the northen bank. Chill winds send flurries of snow over the edge, landing in the river and on the grassy bank of the southern shore where maple trees fight the ice doom of Irrisen's endless winter. A long narrow cart path winds its way up the side of the cliff from the docks to Dalun's iron gates.
As you get closer to the city you can see Halvor shake with barely contained rage.
He turns to you and says "To approach in peace, after all the witches have done...."
You discern that Diplomacy will be particular difficult (but not impossible) in this charged situation, maybe another social approach would be much easier to remind Halvor of your plans to not attack
The guards are far enough away to not be able to overhear any conversation with Halvor at this point.
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Rowanna takes one of the potions of Resist Energy if no one else claims them both. She does not seem amused at Rhuul's blonde joke.
Huddling up in her furs, she remains quiet during most of the trip, not particularly disturbed by the animated cabins or the winter wolf. On the contrary, she seems to watch them with some academic curiosity.
With other, more eloquent and diplomatic Pathfinders, she chooses to say nothing to Halvor while approaching the gates, assuming the others will do a much more effective job than she can. She does, however, cast Mage Armor on herself again.
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"Halvor!" says Rhuul, trying to get the mans attention.
"Our aim is to prevent any more Ulfen blood being spilt. Perhaps the pathfinder team should go in first, and see if there is any trickery afoot. If you don't hear from us, we'll be hoping you come to our rescue. Could you give us a couple of hours to try to sort things out?"
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Halatni softly recites of an epic tale about 300 hundred warriors hanging back from a massive combat to later come to the rescue of the advance scout party and save the day at the back of the party, just loud enough for Halvor to hear it
Halvor is too enraged to be convinced by Rhuuls senseable course of action but then his eyes start to mist over a bit as he takes a bit more note of Haltani's tale and he turns around to walk to his men
To you he says:"We will be waiting here to attack the city if it turns out it's needed. You go first and scout out what's going on inside/"
A little way ahead looms the city of Dalun.
In front of the city gate are some guards. Three of them carry heavy crossbows and have long swords hanging from their belts - not to mention ice bears at their sides. Leading them in a tall, strong looking man on a horse carrying an battleaxe. At the saddle of the horse is an attached banner.
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The guards look over your party, take a close look at the letter and allow you to enter the city.
The grey stone buildings of Dalun stand huddled together, as if the stonework was attempting to withstand the cold. Snowy cobblestone streets lead to a tall white spire in the center of town, its sharp point piercing the blue sky; an icy sheen covers the surface, glistening in the muted sunlight.
Colorfully dressed merchants stand out against the blue, grey and white clothing worn by the citizens of Irrisen, who trot through the white cobblestone streets with immediacy. The occasional ice troll lumbers along, giving non-Jadwiga humans a disdainful snarl.
Haltani gives you the names of several prominent Jadwiga merchants with whom you can trade for such goods as ore, furs, or rare witch-tree seeds which includes a respected jeweler.