"Thank you for your hospitality. If it wouldn't be too much to ask, could you spare a few arrows? I'm not sure how long we may be in the forest and I'd rather not find myself without any to protect myself."

"Sure, you can pull them from your back after we loose them at you. I'll give you a head start," the elf responds.

"There is another lead. The hag."

Serelis's face turns pale. "What hag, Serelis?" the elf asks. The ranger turns to the elf, opening and closing his mouth but seeming unable to find the words. The elf raises his brow, and eventually Serelis clears his throat. "Jeny Greenteeth. I didn't think there was a chance she was actually involved," he says. "I wouldn't have accompanied them if I knew."

The elf turns back to the party. "Explain," he says simply.

A string of curses crosses Auriel's mind when the elf replies to Hex about the arrows. He is growing increasingly angry with each of his words, and ashamed that this is the behavior his companions get to witness from the elven community of Greenhall. However, since the elves are in a clear position of power, he says nothing about this and the only visible manifestation of this anger is a deep scowl.

He looks towards Serelis, not expecting that he would be so uncomfortable discussing the hag in the presence of these people. Has he caused the half-elf a problem by mentioning her? In any case, there's literally no other clue they can follow so he simply couldn't remain silent about it. "As Sylyra said before", he begins, "one of the farmers was sent back to Kabel's Hill, almost a corpse. His eyes had been removed and replaced with stones bearing Greenteeth's sigil, and his chest pierced deeply with a bone pin. We are not entirely sure if she’s involved or if anyone else did that pretending to be her. But since you don’t have the farmers here and we haven’t found any other clues about their whereabouts, Jeny is the only other lead we have."

Hex rolls her eyes at the elf's hostility and decides to ignore them.

When Serelis acts as though it was the first time he had heard the group mention the hag, she looks at him confused. She goes to ask him what he's talking about when Auriel begins to explain the situation to the elf. It gives her a moment to think and decide it might be better to not say anything and just go along with the guide's feigned ignorance for now.

Carl pulls out the bone pin and shows it all around, like it is show and tell.

Sylyra raises his hand to hide a grin in response to the elf's playful threat against Hex. All mirth vanishes, however, as Serelis tells the elf that he wouldn't have come if he'd really thought the hag was involved. Sylyra scowls and looks at Serelis again. "What do you --" but he is cut off by Auriel. Sylyra continues to glower at Serelis as Auriel explains and Carl produces the bone pin. He turns back to the elf, pointing a thumb at Serelis. "How does this one know about the hag, but you don't?"

"We are all too aware of Jeny Greenteeth. She is an ancient creature and not to be trifled with," the elf says grimly.

The entrance to Greenhall is suddenly filled with a chorus of shouts of disgust and alarm as they see the pin held out in Carl's hands. The pair of elves that are still serving bread and water to the party wrenches any remaining away and retreat behind the line of soldiers. "You would dare bring her presence with you into Greenhall!?" the speaker shouts over the ruckus. "Leave immediately! You have no idea of the danger you have brought to this place today!"

The cries and shouts fade, replaced the drawing of more bows and nocking of more arrows from the treeline above.

"An i alladron, hana úve," Auriel whispers in exhasperation as the chorus of shouts begins. It was like being at Kabel's Hill all over again, except for the bows aimed straight at them. He could understand these people's dislike for outsiders, and their concerns about Jeny Greenteeth, but it was as if the party had been destined to fail in speaking with them from the very beginning. What a waste of their time - and, more importantly, of the Hill's folk - this had been. And how painful for him in particular. 

The eladrin took one last look at the the glade and then made a perfect bow towards the speaker. It was a habit of his: the more frustrated he was with the person in front of him, the more determined he was to show good manners.

With this, Auriel glanced at his companions. "We should better get going. Nothing left for us here," he said, and turned to leave. He didn't really stop to see if the others followed or if they preferred to try to speak to the elf. He just didn't want to be there anymore, and began to walk away, lost in his own thoughts.

Carl nods to Auriel, tucking away the bone pin in his pocket, out of sight.  Then he silently follows Auriel, uncertain of what would be most effective as a way forward from this impasse.  

As the situation suddenly escalates and the sound of drawing bows fills the air, Hex instinctively reaches for her bow. She grips it behind her back, barely moving an inch, until Auriel suggest they move on. She releases her grip on her bow and turns to follow the paladin, not giving the elves a second look.

Once they've put a little distance between them and Greenhall, Hex lets out a sigh and gives Carl a pat on the back. "Alright, lesson learned. Don't bring out Jeny's stuff to show people. I was a second away from showing off the stones, honestly."

Sylyra doesn't know what to think: To show such fear of the pin. Is it possible they think the hag is unaware of their presence? Is it possible she does not? As the others turn to leave, Sylyra raises an open palm. "One last question," he calls, none of his usual bravado coloring his tone. "We have been both helped and hindered by the denizens of this forest ever since we entered -- creatures large and small, and even some unknown. How is it that this forest is united in its understanding that we are outsiders, and yet you are all independent at the same time?"

"One last question," he calls, none of his usual bravado coloring his tone. "We have been both helped and hindered by the denizens of this forest ever since we entered -- creatures large and small, and even some unknown. How is it that this forest is united in its understanding that we are outsiders, and yet you are all independent at the same time?"

"Town stink is a noxious stench," the elf says sternly as the party departs.

Once away from Greenhall, Serelis gazes in its direction for a moment, hands on his hips as he takes in a deep breath and exhales. "I was expecting worse, to be honest. I think they only reason they didn't shoot us on sight was Auriel and Sylyra's presence," he says.

"Jeny Greenteeth..." Serelis turns to face the party. "I will not accompany you to her presence, if that is in fact where you wish to go."

"It seems as if we have no choice," Sylyra says, still feeling surly about the elves of Greenhall. His attraction to them remains, and it makes him all the more frustrated. Town stink? True, the druid was of two minds — loving both the conveniences of city life while also cherishing nature. He was an enigma to many, including his own family. Despite their prominence in Waterdeep, they saw his connection to nature as a positive thing. In fact, it was his indulgence that they wished to squash. Perhaps they'd also describe it as town stink. "Is your connection to the people of Kabel's Hill so thin that you'd abandon them to the hag?" Sylyra asks, knowing the only reason he was involved was because of gold, but taking the opportunity to pull at Serelis's strings for the fun of it.

Auriel arches his eyebrows when Sylyra asks his question but quickly turns his attention to Serelis, clearly interested in the response. He adds, "You will tell us how to reach Jeny, won't you, Serelis? It seems to me that’s the least you could do now, given that we will be the ones securing what both you and the deliciously friendly elves of Greenhall desire the most: keeping the Quivering Forest free from intruders for good."

Carl nods to Hex, saying “I was just trying to help.  Didn’t think they would believe us.  Well, it appears they do.  But they want nothing to do with it.  An ole Jeny, she’s probably just cacklin her ass off as she pits these two against each other, stirrin up one side, then the other, giggling about the death and destruction she’s causing.”  He looks up as they are walking, his gaze far into the distance.  “Why do evil ones delight in such things?  Makes no sense…”

"Is your connection to the people of Kabel's Hill so thin that you'd abandon them to the hag?"

"My responsibility is not to Kabel's Hill. My responsibility is to help maintain the pact between Phlan and the fey, something that I failed to do by allowing the villagers into the forest to search for their woodworker in the first place," Serelis answers. "If you wish to see the hag, I cannot stop you - you are all stronger than I - but I will not walk into her den with you."

"You will tell us how to reach Jeny, won't you, Serelis? It seems to me that’s the least you could do now, given that we will be the ones securing what both you and the deliciously friendly elves of Greenhall desire the most: keeping the Quivering Forest free from intruders for good."

"Unlike the villagers of Kabel's Hill, I do not believe you will do more harm than good. I would direct you to Jeny if I knew where she made her home, but unfortunately...I do not know where that may be," Serelis answers.

"I do," a demure voice says amidst some rustling in some nearby brush where an elven woman has emerged. Her hair and skin tone an auburn color, an Eladrin in the season of Autumn. "It is good to see you again, brother. I heard your conversation with Daemaris," she says.

Sylyra spins to look at the newcomer. Taking advantage of Auriel's temporary speechlessness, the druid steps toward her, his smile warming and brightening his features. "Well, well," he says, "the paladin's sister." He reaches out to take her hand, and if she gives it, Sylyra brushes his lips across it before letting it go again. He turns back to Serelis. "Thanks for nothing. You may go."

"And how on Toril are we going to find the ha—" a frustrated Auriel begins to ask Serelis, when a familiar voice makes him stop. He turns around at the exact moment Sylyra does, but while the druid steps forward to greet the newcomer, the paladin simply stares speechless at her. There she was, Nerys Fen'hareth, in all her splendor. And she looked so good, so beautiful, so perfectly healthy—completely different from the last time he saw her, right after the events that had led the whole family into exile.

When Sylyra reaches for his sister's hand, Auriel's first instinct is to rush forward and stand between them. What the hell is that elf doing? How does he dare touch her? If he hurts her in the slightest, the eladrin is going to—! But no. This is not the same situation. Sylyra is not a threat, Nerys is not in danger and what happened in Mithrendain belongs in the past.

"Sister?!" the paladin finally manages to react. He runs to envelop the younger eladrin in a warm embrace, whispering, "I am so happy to see you. I had given up on the idea that I would be able to." He pulls back enough to place a soft kiss upon her brow, as he had so many times before, and adds "Father is going to be mad if he learns you've left Greenhall, you know? And the same goes for Daemaris. What an ass**** he has become, by the way." Despite his words, Auriel is smiling widely, as he hasn't done in a long, long while. He can't help it, he's overjoyed and his whole aspect is displaying that feeling.

With Spring in full bloom, the eladrin turns to his companions and makes the introductions. "This is my sister, Nerys. They are Sylyra, Hex, Carlthuzad, and Uragum. And you already know Serelis." He steps a little away to leave them all some space and stands a little closer to Sylyra, to whom he says jokingly, "'The paladin' ? How cold! Come on ... I've been stripped of my house, title and even my home plane. Don't strip me of my name too, please?"

Then, focusing again on Nerys, Auriel asks, "How come you know about Jeny? Where is she? Please tell me you haven't had dealings with that hag, sister..."

“Hullo there, uh, Miss.  Well uh, any friend of Auriel or ah, family member or …”. Carl kicks a small rock with his foot.  “Goshdarnit.  Words all twisted up.  My name’s Carlthuzad, but you can call me Carl.  Your brother has saved my hide more than once.  Too many to count now.  Pleesetameetcha.  Ifn you know anything about this ole Jeny Greenteeth troublemaker, we’re all ears.”  Carl seems to look up and try to tuck his pointy ears under his hat, where they had poked out.  

When an unknown voice suddenly speaks up, Hex is immediately alert and goes to grab her bow. She relaxes considerably as Nerys introduces herself as Auriel's sister. She rolls her eyes at Sylyra's behaviour and gives Serelis a pat on the back. "Your help has been invaluable and I can understand not wanting to walk into the den of a hag. Pretty lucky that we have Auriel's sister to help now at least."

Hex gives Nerys a casual wave. "Hex, nice to meet you."

"Pipyap," Pipyap introduces himself invisibly from behind Nerys. "They call me the handsome one."

"Well, well," he says, "the paladin's sister." He reaches out to take her hand, and if she gives it, Sylyra brushes his lips across it before letting it go again.

"Oh...hi," Nerys says with a giggle. "Grr," Pipyap grumbles, becoming visible once more hovering just above and behind Sylyra's shoulder with his arms crossed. Nerys reacts with a startled cry, backing away from them both.

"Father is going to be mad if he learns you've left Greenhall, you know?

"Father may be willing to put the rules of Greenhall above his own blood, but not I," Nerys says. "I know you, brother. Your sense of honor would have kept you away until you needed help. We have forgiven you, even if you have not."

"How come you know about Jeny? Where is she? Please tell me you haven't had dealings with that hag, sister...

"No! Goodness, no," Nerys says with shock. "This forest is not so big, and it changes so infrequently compared to home. I can direct you to where she makes her home, though that is all the help I can give. And I must return quickly, before anyone realizes that I slipped away."

 My name’s Carlthuzad, but you can call me Carl.  Your brother has saved my hide more than once.  Too many to count now.  Pleesetameetcha.  Ifn you know anything about this ole Jeny Greenteeth troublemaker, we’re all ears.”

"Pleased to meet you, Carl," Nerys curtsies to the dwarf. "I certainly hope that you will return his favor." Nerys provides direction to Jeny's hovel, within a day's walk from Greenhall.