House+Vadalis+Sabotage

**Zarantyr 998 YK**

 * Winter Wolves escaped PrairieHearth, the vast House Vadalis ranch-farm-kennel complex north of Diamond Gulch, near the Orien trade route linking Sterngatge to New Cyre. The Wolves attacked a small caravan (incluidng the party) on their way to New Cyre
 * These Vadalis-bred Winter Wolves -- smaller and less feral than those found in the wilderness -- bore the House crest as a brand on their right haunches
 * Vadalis reps who met the attacked Orien caravan claimed that their pens were sabotaged, allowing a small number of dangerous animals to escape.
 * Further, they blamed Goblins for this incident, but didn't discuss if they had stolen other Vadalis-bred creatures
 * Either way, Goblins encountered from the "Dark Hands" had small Winter Wolves with them, even riding them as they do Worgs
 * Worgs, Krenshars and miniaturized Winter Wolves were also found at their base in the Seawall Mountains
 * The Vadalis reps seemed suspicious when I started asking questions
 * New Cyre Livery stable owner/operator, Brunt d'Vadalis, agreed to visit PrairieHearth at the request of Nina Moondown, a Warden of the Wood Druid from the Eldeen Reaches (where House Vadalis is headquartered)
 * During Faye's captivity, Brunt sent Nina a message via Sivis speaking stone, but was not heard from after that (he was eventually found in a drug-induced comatose state inside the Vadalis mansion in PrairieHeath...and died soon after in the basement of that same building)

**Update, 22-24 Olarune:**

 * It has now been more than two weeks since Brunt d'Vadalis last sent a speaking stone message to Nina.
 * At Sterngate Stablemaster Dover d'Vadalis abruptly left the fortress the day before the airship flotilla arrived from Wroat with reinforcements in response to the Marguul Clans' aggressive moves. His assistant, the Warforged called Husband, claimed Dover had said he had "urgent business" at the House Enclave, then saddled his personal magebred horse and rode off.
 * Sir Rhye ir'Dorn reported that the annual delivery of two dozen yearling magebred horses from the Vadalis Enclave had not arrived in Mistmarsh. His uncle, Baron Curzon, made his usual payment in mid-Zarantyr (just before traveling to Wroat for the emergency session of Parliament). The horses are more than a week overdue, and none of the lords he visited on the way to Sterngate had seen them.
 * Sometime in late Aryth 997 YK, Dover d'Vadalis received a visitor: Kogaa, a warlord of the Gan'duur Clan of Darguun. The fact that he flew to Sterngate, alone, on a Manticore was cause for some speculation, mostly along the lines that House Vadalis was being consulted on an issue relating to the Manticore's health.
 * Sterngate visitor logs confirm two more visits by Warlord Kogaa to Dover d'Vadalis, including a brief nighttime meeting outside the fort near the Dwarven outpost at the north wall of Marguul Pass just before the first warning of the Bugbear threat came.