The Cold Lady is a large, twisted humanoid woman of considerable age that makes her home in a cabin located deep in the eastern Scratchwood. She is often referred to as an oracle of sorts as she possesses a strange crystal that affords her sight between worlds, allowing her to collect all sorts of information. She offers this service to those that seek out her home, but requires a meaningful trade in return. There is a chance she might be some type of hag.
Description
The Cold Lady is an imposing figure that can easily stand up to 8 feet tall, but generally hunches down to round 6 or seven feet. She has sallow, greying skin that almost appears to be decaying, stretched taut against her long, thin bony arms and legs. She has a long, slightly crooked nose that constantly leaks, and piercing, fearsome eyes with silver irises. The Cold Lady's hair is long, grey, and unkempt, and her breath exudes a terribly foul odor. She always shivers as if freezing, and swaddles herself in thick blankets and furs at all times.
The Cold Lady is territorial and vindictive against those that displease her. She appreciates deference to her power, and wishes to be afforded respect. She appears to be interested in people's suffering, and harbors a particular taste for fey meat.
Skills and Abilities
The Cold Lady seems to command a number of powerful abilities, hinted by the fact that she lives unbothered in one of the most dangerous places in Utheriath.
Foresight and Scrying
The Cold Lady is a known oracle and gatherer of information. She has proved capable of knowing when the flowers she has planted across the Scratchwood have been disturbed, and uses a strange, fragmented crystal to peer across space, seemingly able to pinpoint obscure information with a simple glance. When dealing with outsiders, she requires some sort of trade before she uses this power; however, it is unknown whether this is required to trigger the ability or not.
History
In Iron 989, a party of Initiates led by the Claw Erdo Elfast from Cloverhall made an expedition into the Scratchwood to have the Cold Lady reveal the true nature of the beast that slew his friend Jumps Through Lies. After being provided with a mysterious, wriggling sack, the Cold Lady peered into her crystal and discerned that the beast was a lathotas, a normal tame bipedal beast not native to the area. She elaborated that it had been enraged with a strange enchantment. One of the Initiates, Lambchop sought information about a supposed "golden squirrel" in the forest, and in return for the hand of a fey man, the Cold Lady pointed the half orc in the direction of Foxmoon Cairn, located on the other side of the forest to the west. After feeling insulted by the Initiate Merjquinallurjafrey Acridoneypso, the Cold Lady refused to trade further and advised the party to leave as quickly as they could.