i was so focused on skinning this lion that i forgot to skin these people

The gang hunts down the fleecemane lion. By chance, the lion was not in today, and they staked out the joint. Blikz laid down some clutch snares and once the lion returned to its lair, to come back to the deer it had killed earlier and dragged into the cave. But instead it found the deer outside, escaped some snares, and rushed into its cave, only to get snared there too! Shucks!

The gang proceeded to just beat the shit out of this lion. It was rough stuff. Skadi let off an arrow and killed the poor thing.

Some elven scouts arrived, firing arrows at the party, telling them to surrender and that they had killed a protected animal! Helewynn, Skadi, and Blikz started to surrender their weapons and Helewynn convinced them to let them try to explain their actions, but Buck said fuck that and attacked one of the scouts. The party popped off and attacked the other elves, killing three of them while the fourth fled to get back-up.

The heroes (?) skinned the face off the lion along with the fleecemane. Weird vibes, but OK. They carry it back to Meretesk, fording the river, and arriving at dawn, completely exhausted.

Helewynn wakes up to Nana Selawynn asking her how she slept, sleeping in and all. Helewynn asks for some of the goody good (porridge with figs and orange peel) and Nan brings it back to her as Helewynn asks her nan about the Snarlwood and the creatures that live there. She asks about the witch of the woods, and Nan asks if she ate from her table, if the witch touched her–she had. And she grabs Helewynn by the shoulders, her face turning gnarled and orange, her eyes like fiery coals, horns curling from her head like Snallygaster’s, and she says, “Helewynn, wake up!” She shoves her back into bed.

Nan is making the porridge and brings it to her. Helewynn thinks better than to ask about the witch, and instead asks after Jenny, if she had given birth. “Yeah they thought her water broke but it was just some kids who dumped a bucket of water in front of her.” Weird prank but OK.

Blikz visits his contact, a dwarf fence in the Wefting working out of a weaver’s shop, called Vasily. He asks Vasily to keep an ear to ground about elves coming into the city to hunt for them, but Vasily tries to reassure him that elves from the Snarlwood never come to town.

Buck goes to the town barracks and chats with Attamis the one-footed, who insists on joking about Buck’s surname, Dirtyhands, and Brannifer, who has an on-again/off-again relationship with a mildly well-to-do merchant’s daughter who thinks of Brannifer as her bit o’ rough – who likes to slum it with the boys from time to time – and it’s a real nonsense. The guards give Buck shit for missing shifts even though they were excused.

“Ever since you started taking leave and Gert’s face was blown away in that freak kitchen accident, we’ve been short-handed.” Buck agreed to work his shift tomorrow and mocked Attamis for losing 8 gold in a dice game with Brannifer.

The gang then goes to Hespero’s to deliver the fleecemane lion’s face and mane. Hespero invites them to sit (there are no seats) and tries the face on his face. It’s eerily appropriate.

Blikz tries to get some more info out of Hespero, his dreams, his wishes, his ambitions.

“What are you most proud of?” he asks.

“The iron grip i have on this city,” Hespero says, “it’s really tight.”

Hespero accepts the fleecemane, saying that he’ll make it into a magical robe (and preserve the original color of course, since it’s a now extinct animal) and forks up the cash in platinum. Good luck moving that. Helewynn asks after Snallygaster, whom Hespero seems to know, asks after clerics who might heal people (might be an abbey thing, try to Maro Abbey on the coast). Without more leads, the gang leaves and wanders around in search of leads to bigger and better treasures and contracts.

Blikz heads to the Bounty Hunter Guild Hall and sees folks carousing, sees Bourbon Maduro, his rival, with all those mustachios, and says he got paid for a job. Bourbon says, “Still counting pennies, short stuff? Got 25 gp for my last contract. How bout that?”

Blikz sets his similarly sized bag on the bar and takes out a platinum piece, to the stunned silence of Bourbon, and pays for everyone’s drinks, “Except that guy,” he adds, pointing at Bourbon, to everyone’s joy and amusement.

But the bartender stops him, tells him a goblin named Johnny came by asking after him, said he had a contract for you and no one else.

Some background info that Blikz would know about the Goblin Town:

• The mines of the old Goblin Cities below have been sealed away for centuries, for reasons unknown and mythical now. The Grimstar Dynasty fell long ago when Ragrat the Martyr was killed and his son Unblart the Unready was unceremoniously dethroned after the unfair treaty that Unblart signed with the Gomoteski.

Helewynn visits Jenny and gives her 1 gp, to be nice! Helewynn, Skadi, and Buck visit Hespero’s Market of Wonders and strongly consider buying stuff and Blikz joins them later after spending 1 platinum on pettiness.

The heroes are in Meretesk, looking for leads from family, friends, and acquaintances on what to do and where to go next.

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