"Well, we can always sleep under the stars!!" Droknin jokes with T'laren.

Next to the Wood Elf, walk a tall and muscular Leonin. His fur as white as snow, he carries a double scimitar, and has a longsword sheathed next to him. If their gaze meets, he bows slightly to the human female, as they make their way to the tavern.

The third in line is a grizzled, disheveled, fairly dirty dwarf, holding a map in his hands and looking down at it frequently, finally putting it away as they walk into town.  He is taking in all of the sights, taking note of each building and the paths, walking with a walking stick.  He rubs the wolf skull cap on his head, scratching an itch, asking T’laren and Droknin “D’ya know where a feller can get a drink in this town, I”m guessin you know this place pretty well?”  He has a shield on his left arm and he’s wearing leather armor with studs, he has well worn leather boots that look like they have walked many miles.  He cocks his head regarding the new folks that he’s never met before, looking to T’laren and Droknin to lead the way.  

Aranea nods, pleased that the town master appears amenable to her help. She is about to take up his invitation to step inside when he appears to gesture to others behind her. She turns around and watches a group of very different men approach: an elf, a dwarf, and what appears to be a lion. Aranea tries not to stare at this last member of the party. She has heard of the race called Leonin before but never encountered any before, not even in Neverwinter. She didn't think they were native to this area of Faerun.

Aranea turns back to Harbin Wester. "I take it these are adventurers or mercenaries you've hired to help already?"

"In a round about way," Harbin agrees.  He waits for Droknin, T'laren and Barkas to come down the street and step inside, before he bars the door shut from the cold winds outside.  He shakes his arms to ward off the cold and then puts on a pot of coffee.

T'laren gives the newcomer a nod, before turning his focus on the Townmaster. "Good to see you're healing."

"Did Keashirryl and Gundren make it back to town alright?"

"Yes, they did.  Two days ago.  And no sooner did they arrive, then the tiefling priestess departed for points unknown, and Sildar and Gundren saddled up and rode off into the hills on some 'important business.'  Oh, that reminds me...".  He turns away and opens a closet, moving aside a cloak and pulling out a cloth sack.  When he sets it down on the table in front of you, it jingles with coin.  "Sildar left this for you.  500gp for dealing with those goblins and for rescuing the dwarf."  He slides the pouch across to T'laren and Droknin.

He then gives a brief summary of events - some of it old news for Aranea's benefit:

More than a month ago, a band of villains calling themselves Redbrands moved themselves into the ruined manor on the hilltop.  They began harassing the townfolk and setting up protection rackets.  During this time, they kidnapped Harbin and replaced him with a doppelganger, effectively putting them in complete control of Phandalin.  

A tenday ago, the white dragon appeared, frightening the Redbrands and luring adventurers to the town.  Droknin, T'laren, and others laid siege to the Redbrands' headquarters and drove them out of Phandalin, freeing Harbin and several other hostages in the process.  Sildar Hallwinter, a knight from Neverwinter, had also come to town and was seeking his kidnapped ally, Gundren Rockseeker.  T'laren, Droknin and the other heroes departed Phandalin to seek out Gundren and to eliminate the threat of a goblin castle in the nearby Neverwinter Wood.

While they have been gone, matters in town have been stable, but news from outside is not good.  Many of the local mines have evacuated, either from fear of or under direct threat from the dragon.  Just as bad, many of the roads around town are no longer safe, as Orcs and monsters are on the prowl... either driven out of their holes by the dragon, or looking to take advantage of the chaos.  Finally, before Gundren and Sildar left, they warned Harbin to remain vigilant as to the whereabouts of a man called Iarno Albreck - a mage and former leader of the Redbrands, who is also passing under the alias 'Glasstaff.'  He escaped the heroes' siege of the manor ruins and remains at large.

"Dwarves plural. This here is Barkas, seems the ol' King was starting a collection.", T'laren corrects Harbin.

He'll provide a terse summary of them leaving Phandalin, tangling with a wereboar, their parley with the injured green dragon who also views the white as an enemy, and their liberation of the dwarves, and presence of a Thayan wizard holding council with the goblin King.

Aranea listens attentively to Harbin and T'laren's summaries of the past events. Occasionally she murmurs something quietly and jots down notes in a journal she carries with her at all times.

"Before we go any further, I should introduce myself to the others," she says. "Aranea Kendrick, investigator with the Wintershield Watchmen in Neverwinter. I came when I heard rumors of the dragon and other threats plaguing Phandalin. I want to help in any way I can."

Aranea studies the other members of the team and offers her hand in case they want to shake.

There is a reason that Droknin leaves the talking to others. There were a lot of details in the summary that the Leonin totally forgot about it. Meaning, if it didn't have much to do with the White Dragon, it wasn't that important in his mind. Then the new Female Human introduces herself. Droknin only caught the first name, and something about winters. He heartily shakes her hand. "Ahh, it is very nice to meet you Ara... nea, right? Yes, of course it is. Name's Droknin." The large Leonin gives his signature broad smile proudly showing his very sharp canines. "It is good that you come from Winters, wherever that place is, but I will take that's very cold. I heard that the White that we hunt likes cold too. You have come to the right place, indeed." Droknin tries to impart some wisdom to the newcomer.

Harbin Wester listens to T'laren's tale of green dragons and Thayans with a look on his face that suggests a sour stomach.  "The Tiefling and Gundren mentioned none of that.  Helm preserve us.  It sounds as if everything that can go wrong, is going wrong."

"Oh, I'm sure there are things yet to go wrong that we haven't even thought of yet,", T'laren says dourly.

Turning to Aranea, "Watchmen Investigator... that mean you're law enforcement?" 

His still features attempting not to show what he thinks of the profession.

Aranea smiles at the Leonin. He wasn't paying too much attention to what she said, but his heart is clearly in the right place. "Nice to meet you, Droknin. Yes, I hope I have come to the right place."

Then the investigator turns to the wood elf, T'laren. "Of a sort," she replies. "I don't go on patrols and things like that. I'm the one they call in for a murder or another crime they have trouble solving."

(I didn't notice Droknin uses the color dark red so I am changing Aranea's color haha)

T'laren gives her a nod.

Barkas scratches his head and smiles at the “collection of Dwarves” comment, merely interjecting “Yeah, he kept me around as a punching bag.  Would’a been a goner if it wasn’t for these two.”  

“Aranea, pleasure to meetcha.  Barkas Reedfellow.  **shaking hands, vigorously**  Star finder, map reader, guide to these souls along our path, our true path!  I suppose.”  He pauses to turn and look at Harbin and the coffee pot, saying “Eh… have anything, stronger?  Hair of the wolf hound that bit ya?”  He turns and looks at Aranea, appraisingly “Nothin illegal bout that… it’s after noon, right?  Coursn I never put anything too weird in my brew.  But sometimes it helps me find my way.”   He pauses, considering.  He pulls out his star map, scribbled on and incomprehensible.  “D’ya wanna see?”  He has real hope that someone else will see the wisdom in his charting…

T'laren belatedly shakes Aranea's hand after the other two do so, though his is more restrained and not nearly as exuberant. 

Aranea chuckles at Barkas' comment. "As far as I know, spirits are still quite legal in Phandalin," she says. "Even if not, I am not here to prosecute petty crimes but rather do what I can to assist the village as a whole, namely mitigating the myriad threats, most dangerous of which seems to be this white dragon."

She looks down at the star map with unconcealed curiosity. "Of course, show me," she says,  clearly intrigued.

You notice the eyes go wide on Barkas and a smile as large as you have ever seen on a dwarf.  “Show ya, well I’ll be glad ta!”  A live one!  He has a spring in his step as he quickly pulls out his star chart and sets it on the table, spreading everything out and unfolding it, using his hand to flatten out the wrinkles.  “Why lookie here.  It’s plain as day!  Lookit that constellation, the lion, arching over thisaway, and then the elf sneakily marchin this way, and they cross right over… Phandalin!  Who woulda thunk it?  I thought for sure they were leadin me to this place called Chult, the stars.  But I know that it ain’t a matter o chance that I met these two.   Can’t ya see!”  He points to his notes and scribblings on the side, as a matter of further “proof., then starts to use his hands with thumb and pinky outsplayed as a protractor, measuring distances.  “Now you, Miss Aranea… hmmm, what mighta foretold you’re arrival….. let’s see…..”.  He starts focusing hard on the star chart, his body almost starts to shimmer and twinkle with excitement, he takes no notice of this..

Aranea studies the chart with interest. Yes, she can see the constellations of the lion and the elf.

"So these charts can predict the future?" she asks. "Have you seen anything else regarding the fate of Phandalin? Anything about the dragon?"

At first, Droknin has no interest in the Dwarf's map, for he can't make anything out of it. Then the female human mentions something about the dragon, his feline ears perk up, and he gets a little closer to the conversation.

“Huh, the dragon…. Heh.  Here we go with dragons again.”  He turns his map around, this way and that, getting down close and examining his scribblings.  “Ummm.  Nope.   Can’t say that I’ve seen anything about dragons.  At least, nothing known to me.  The stars are fickle little *****es.  They yield their knowledge and shine as a guide, then they hide their face, laughing at ya.  Whooo weee.”  He pauses looking over at Harbin, saying “Ifn you please, you mentioned coffee earlier.  Do you have anything with some kick to it?  A nice ale or stout?  I need it to ah… I need it cause it helps me to be able to see things… in the map I mean.  Brings out patterns and whatnot.  Medicinal purposes like.  Eh?”  He looks at Harbin as if this is a totally reasonable request.