Letter to Ileas 7

Ileas,
 
It seems like this small village of Dogville, soon to be Wolf's Rest, holds more surprises and secrets than we could have discerned at first glance. But maybe for something more cheery: Dorr showed up, wanting to help us build the keep back up with a band of dwarf friends. While I know this is naive: this could the change Dorr needs to have a life of legitimate business, and less a life of eternal trouble with guards.
 
We gave him some initial ideas and left him to inspect the building and make us a price, hoping our gold reserves would suffice as we moved into the part that will never make any stories or songs: discussions on taxation. Nordick left some papers about the number of people living there and what taxation we are owed to the King, about 4000 silver pieces. This is taking the initial population in mind of course, and whenever the King's tax collector looks over the Lorerun river he'll quickly notice there's a lot more people living here. We set out on calculating what we could collect and what we should invest in well into the afternoon. At which time Liliana, Dadroz and myself went into town to help out people. But by the time we came back we learned some strange creature might be haunting this keep and switching items around. Luke and Hayley already theorized it would be comething called a Boggle, a fey that could phase through walls and floors, making it hard to catch. Dadroz suggested he could take up watch in the night and take a shot at capturing it.
 
Which of course meant that our peaceful sleep was interrupted by Dadroz wiggling a strange fey creature in our noses. After tying it up so it couldn't get away those who spoke Sylvan started interrogating him, he was called Pim and has been living here for years and just can't help but move things around. In the end we struck a deal with him, he leaves all the items in a dedicated chest so we can reclaim them and we leave some sweets in said chest for him. We'll just have to tell all the people working in the keep to look for their stuff there if it's missing. Luke also asked Hayley for a scroll with which he could bind Pim as a familiar, like Hayley has Fiachna.
 
Going to bed was harder than expected as I woke up the next morning with a massive headache. But I barely sat down to grab a piece of toast as Pim appeared over the table and announced something in Sylvan, someone was at the door. It was the new miller, Tharven Miller, who had spotted some strange cave under the hill his mill was placed. And indeed, when we looked the cave had a magic circle with a few menhirs at its edge. We deduced that it had something to do with Neverhold since the runes corresponded with those at our home in Hillfield and that there had to be some ritual tributes being delivered here, as we saw baskets of fruit and sweets and plenty of tracks. Seemed like Dogville was in some strange deal with the fey.
 
But neither Darrion Farrick nor Thomas Teller would give us any information, despite clearly knowing what we're talking about. They only mysteriously said we shouldn't interfere with the magic circle, seeing as we dropped a hint that we would brick up the wall as we would need to play it safe on something we don't understand.
 
A few hours later, Darrion and Thomas came to our keep with Leen Dresner. They brought a big cake a begged us to eat from it so we can talk freely about what's going on. Immediately struck with paranoia on what we would be roped in we tried to pry more before suddenly the cake withered away, Hayley had used her magic to push into Thomas' mind and learned the details: generations ago when settling these lands the farmers of Dogville made a deal with a Fey for bountiful harvests, they claimed these lands used to be hard to farm. And in return they left some food in the cave. And not discussing the deal with outsiders was part of it. They had hoped us eating the cake would let us into the deal. I was struck with guilt and pity as I saw them shuffle out, looking defeated. But I hoped that with the new influx of citizens, and our help, we could rely on each other for improving this land, not a mysterious deal coated in silence.
 
Regardless, at the time what was done, was done and we set out to check on the magic circle again for signs of change, but it looked the same as always. So we decided to set camp here tonight to see if any emissary would show up.
 
So while Gael and Luke went to Keralon to buy supplies I, perhaps out of that feeling of guilt, bought a puppy from Thomas. A cute little brown and black one I named Lore, after the Lorerun river that runs past our little district. Wonder if I could teach him to fight with a sword in his jaw?
 
Thomas, though, was quite disinterested in any conversation besides what is necessary and was clearly still upset about the deal being blown up, which wasn't hard to empathize with.
 
But Lore's first night would be in the open as we made camp near the cave and around midnight, the circle lighted up and a Shiny Eladrin, flanked by two redcaps, came out. He introduced himself as Galaron and was here to find out why his deal was broken and forge a new one. After being informed about Hayley's mind reading he expanded a bit on the purpose of the deal: the food left in the cave was for feeding the fey in the area who passed by, a mutually beneficial deal at first glance.
 
It's when he said he would be negotiating the deal with the farmers in private that we had to resist. Some farmers that are scared for their harvests could be easily persuaded into the safety of the previous arrangement and would be forced into silence again. In the end Galaron would allow Gael and Liliana to come along if they joined in on the deal that was made. While my instincts were screaming at me not to trust a deal, would we really prefer it if Galaron snuck back later on and made a deal anyway? We just had to put faith in Liliana and Gael that they could negotiate a good deal, and hopefully could talk about it after.
 
Though an hour later we would learn they could not divulge anything, and were adamant that it would be good for the people here. Maybe it's the paranoia of our family's history with Fey deals (especially with fey from the Neverhold), but I could not help but be a bit worried. Especially the emphasis on silence again, if the deal is good for both sides, why withhold it? Is food for wayward fey really all they get from this? Or is the threat of withdrawing it and the power that gives?
 
Galaron did want to show he held no ill will to us and told us that the fey that ruled here, Quin, would show up at the ruined church on a full moon. And if I'm not mistaken the next full moon is in two days. Time will tell what type of Fey we would find at that church, and I'll let you know when we met with him.
 
Stay safe,
 
Alistan