Halia Thornton

## Overview

Halia Thornton is a middle aged Human woman living in Phandalin. She is guild mistress of the local miner's exchange and so deals with a lot of the locals. She has a big hand in the economics of the town as most of the trade within the town involves mining. Always with her ear to the ground, she has been called a gossip (and worse) by locals but none would be so bold as to cross her. She is secretly a member of the Zhentarim, overseeing their activity in the area. She also inducted Wobbly Killa and Yamcha into the ranks of the Zhentarim, acting as their handler,

## Physical Description

Halia is of average height and weight for a Human. She is in her early forties but still has straight jet black hair the reaches to her lower neck. She wears a small grin which tends to unnerve those she meets. Despite her job being mostly administrative she wears good quality clothing, with thick hide boots and a leather coat.

## Involvement

### The Lost Mine of Phandelver (Campaign)

Halia, or rather her position as the guild mistress, is first mentioned by Neesa Lanstrider when the party (Ellaria Nightwood, Yamcha, Wobbly Killa and Ravaaga Laughshield) returned to the town after their outing to seek Agatha the Banshee. Neesa told them of the rumors that the townsfolk had confided in her, including that the Red Brands avoid the miner's exchange so they don't cross the woman running it.

Later that same night, after the Red Brands' hideout had been raided, Halia showed her face for the first time (the party having yet to seek her out at the miner's exchange). She, along with the other town leaders Sister Garaele and Harbin Wester, followed Neesa to the Alderleaf farmhouse to investigate the ruckus. The party was unable to identify her at the time but Gwendoline Wood (who had taken the place of the dead Ravaaga) made note of her when she made a clearly ominous offer to buy Droop from them intending to use him a a personal servant.

Ellaria and Gwen encountered Halia again as the visited the miner's exchange upon returning from attacking a Cragmaw hideout. She formally introduced herself on this occasion and told the girls that their "heroics" in dealing with the Red Brands caused problems and interruptions in her own plans. When prompted as to what they could buy from her, Halia agreed to sell information about the locals to them for a few gold pieces per tidbit. She told them that Harbin Wester was until recently under the thumb of the Red Brands and too fearful to do anything about them. He now fears
losing his job should the townsfolk find out he is weak to intimidation. Unable to recount anything on either Gundren's disappearance or on the "Black Spider" instead Halia told the duo about the info she had dug up on Sildar Hallwinter, mainly that he was a member of the Lords' Alliance and that certain powerful people will be angered to hear he has been
killed. With business concluded at the Exchange, Ellaria, Gwen and Droop left to explore the house at Tresendar Manor but not before calling Halia a gossip.

Later, after the group returned from Thundertree, Halia struck up an arrangement with Wobbly and Yamcha. Revealing to them that she is in fact a Zhent agent and aware of their past activities, she offered them initiation into the exclusive and powerful organization, should they prove skilled enough to join. She tasked them with providing proof to her that Sister Garaele is actually a member of the Harpers as she suspects. They must not incriminate themselves or her if they are to win her favor. Yamcha was quick to take the deal and Wobbly also accepted after some convincing.

A few days later, the boys managed to sneak into the house of Sister Garaele, Wobbly doing the investigating while Yamcha provided a distraction. Within Wobbly found a number of Harper related paraphernalia hidden in a locked hatch beneath a rug. He took two letters bearing the Harper's mark with him as he left as well as a *Potion of Healing* before leaving and covering his tracks. He turned them over to Halia who was pleased to get them, locking them away in strongbox in her office for safe keeping. She then inducted them both into the Zhentarim as their handler.

Later Yamcha and Wobbly turned to Halia in hopes she could used Zhentarim forces to locate the Wave Echo Cave for them. She agreed to do so on the condition they bring back the Black Spider alive as the Zhentarim will want to know all her does about the Forge of Spells. They all make a deal and a few days later Halia tells them where to find Gundren and his brothers' last dig site, presumably the location of the cave. Her information was later found to be accurate. She also gave her compatriots a smoke grenade each, telling them its no shame to retreat to fight another day.