Daisy and Dovienya search the destroyed halfling village of Willowdale. There are no survivors. Some monstrous entity or entities came in and butchered everyone, did some haphazard ransacking, and set the village ablaze. Dov determines that the bodies were hacked at by blades, but there is no sign of the murderers’ identity nor where they headed next. The two agree they should check out the site of Daisy’s brother’s slaughtered flock for more clues. It’s a half day to travel and happens to be on the way to the nearest town, a human settlement called Smidge, whose human folk trade (traded, sigh) with Daisy’s village. Dov considers taking the road, rather than cutting across the wilderness, as it would be faster and allow him to pray for Brega’s much-needed blessing at a roadstone en route, but it occurs to him there might be people lying in wait for him. So the two unlikely partners, joined by Daisy’s loyal sheepdog steed friend Ambrosius, head out through the forest of willows in pursuit of the villains.

Several hours pass without incident until Ambrosius catches the smell of something odd ahead and runs forward excitedly. He and Daisy come upon what looks like a creature of the woods – like fae from legend – standing in their path: a golden-skinned half-elf with weird ear jewellery, bedecked in exotic robes. She’s clearly not from around here.  To everyone’s surprise – even the stranger’s, a tree branch suddenly falls from above and lands directly between her and Daisy, seeming to point its leafy fringes like an accusing finger at the foreigner.  After this initial awkwardness, Dov catches up to the group and everyone introduces themselves. The stranger’s name is Nim, and she seems to recognize the symbol on the seal that Daisy is wearing proudly on her chest.

With her unusual accent, she expresses an earnest desire to join them in their efforts. The halfling cavalier agrees to have her accompany them, but feeling self-conscious, tucks the seal back into her clothes. It’s getting late so the group decides to make camp, and Daisy finds a good spot. The new allies are guarded with each other as they chat over a shared supper – Daisy likely still shell-shocked but holding strong, and Dov keeping his cards close to himself.  Nim finds significance in the fact that all three just met that day.  At one point, Dov and Nim speak Elven to each other out of Daisy’s earshot.

During the night, the campsite is besieged by several starving wolves, but the party is prepared and quickly dispatches them. They find they work well together under pressure. In the morning, they break camp and continue to the nearby site of what remains of Daisy brother Tumn’s sheep. There’s no further sign of Tumn, and any trail that could lead to the sheepkillers has gone cold, but Dov finds footprints of both halfling and bigger humanoid that he thinks are recent.  Nim casts a spell to Detect Magic in the area, but can find no sign that a spell was cast recently.  However, auras spring up around Daisy herself and she appears to have spells about her from Evocation and Abjuration schools of magic.  Nim mentions to the halfling that she’s magical, and Daisy takes that information in. It’s been several days of baffling surprises and unwelcome horrors.