The Feast of Winter’s Veil: He’s a Mean One…
BEGINS: Year One, Month of December
ENDS: End of Jump

'Twas the feast of Great-Winter
And all through the land
All the races were running
With snowballs in hand.

The cooks were all frantic
And for those "in the know"
Swoops and owls were crashing
Like new-fallen snow.

Cookies and eggnog
Were consumed by all
As the snowballs flew freely
And drunks smashed into walls.

May your feast of Great-Winter
Be one merry and bright
And from all here at home
We wish you a fun night!

Introduced to the world at large by the dwarves of Ironforge, the Feast of Winter’s Veil celebrates the time when Greatfather Winter blankets the world in a veil of snow and ice, putting much of the world to a comforting rest until the onset of spring. As Winter walks the land, it is said he will provide a great bounty for those who welcome his presence, who greet the snow not with sadness, but with acceptance.  A day where a whole community would come together in merriment, feasting, and celebration. All in anticipation of the coming renewal.

As of late, however, the celebration of the Feast of Greatfather Winter has been… to put a point, ‘commercialized’ by a recent neutral party - the Smokeywood Pastures goblin cartel, split between the Copperpinch and Jinglepocket families. Selling holiday treats and pre-packaged gifts to “help celebrate the holidays and spread Winter Veil cheer,” to the point of even working to cease hostilities between factions such as the Horde and the Alliance for the winter months, at least. While Smokeywood Pastures does help those less fortunate be able to celebrate the holiday along with everyone else, the elderly and those steeped in lore make a point of how they have twisted an ancient tradition to their ends.

And as of late, two figures bound to Father Winter have awoken as well: The Abominable Greench, a great mountain yeti who serves as a warning for what happens to those who venture out into the blizzard and ice unprepared; And his brother, The Grumpus, a wendigo who exists as a cautionary tale for naughty children, for The Grumpus will come to snatch them away. In reality, though the two are perpetually grouchy, violent, and distrustful, they are gentler than their appearance seems. The Greench could simply devour those who trek the Alterac Mountains, but instead he steals from them and sends them scurrying back to their homes in shock and terror. And the Grumpus? He abducts the worst of children, only to just expose them to his horrifying contraptions and terrifyingly-tinkered toys as a way of “scaring them straight.”

But this year, is different. Smokywood Pastures has put out a bounty on Greench and Grumpus, accusing them of highway robbery and disruption of Smokywood supply caravans, as well as the abduction of their mascot - Metzen the Reindeer. Embarking on this bounty will mark this quest as Accepted.

You’ll find the two in the mountains of Alterac, in a massive cavern close to the old ruined city of Perenolde. It appears true - in the back of their cave is a massive stockpile of Smokywoods’ smoked meats and sugary treats, and… is that a reindeer? Okay, yes. That’s Metzen the Reindeer, judging by the collar. It looks… horribly spooked, yet apart from mussed-up fur and a chipped horn is remarkably unharmed.

The massive, green-furred yeti will approach you, while his red-skinned brother hangs behind him in caution. In broken Common, the Greench speaks.

“You come from goblins. You is know of pa-pa winter. Would be knowing of why we act?”

If you accept, the Greench will - struggling to speak through jagged tusks while not biting his tongue from Common speak - tell he and his brother’s side of things. They have discovered that as Smokywood Pastures’ propagates their sales and monetization of The Feast of Winter’s Veil, that the memory of their Greatfather Winter has been mutated. You ask any merrymaker who they think Winter is, they will state either the red-robed dwarf sitting at the tree in Ironforge, or the wizened old orc with his list in the city of Orgrimmar. The icons of Pastures’ commercialization, and not of the old spirit who cloaks the land in a blanket of snow, to encourage rest and repose until spring’s arrival.

The two brothers have had enough of this disrespect to Greatfather Winter, and so have begun taking action by sabotaging the cartel’s trade.

“You… Friend? You help?”

It looks like you have a choice to make.
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Route 1: Smokywood Cheer

You came here to fulfill a bounty, and that’s just what you’ll do.
The two brothers are a difficult fight - The Greench stands at forty-feet-tall and an ungodly weight, with raw muscle enhanced by his own control over the wind, ice, and snow. The Grumpus’ technological trickery will also work to bamboozle and make a fool of you - anywhere from bombs to spontaneous holograms to grenades that force your body to dance uncontrollably for more than a few seconds.

Slay the two as the Pastures have asked, and their bodies will vanish into a flurry of dust and snow - leaving their looted spoils and a very perturbed reindeer. Report back to the Jinglepockets and Copperpinches, and you will be duly rewarded, and a special Winter’s Veil celebration thrown in your honor. Complete with donations to orphanages and individuals of your choice.

But the bounty will be renewed when Winter’s Veil comes around the next year, and the year after that. For the two brothers, Abominable Greench and Grumpus, are but natural spirits bound to Greatfather Winter’s tale, and they will hold to their crusade to ensure Smokywood Pastures regrets their disrespect of the old man of the snow.

Your duty is made clear. You must ensure that either the two mountain-dwelling monsters stay put down for good, or be scared away from ever interfering in the celebrations of mortals again.
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Route 2: The Old Tales

Well. This might just make you a public miscreant, but… The Greench and Grumpus have their hearts in the right place, even if their methodology is questionable. You decide to help them in their endeavors.

It’s going to be difficult, for the Smokywood Pastures have a lot of money behind them to hire mercenaries and pay off public officials & nobility.  You must help Greench and Grumpus gain legitimacy, and help them spread the original message of The Feast of Winter’s Veil. You will have support however - for many of the old loremasters and storytellers will find a sympathetic notion towards your cause.

And so, battling economics and charity, you must achieve victory in this quest by ensuring that the true spirit of Winter’s Veil is strong in the minds and hearts of all beings. That while Smokywood Pastures might still be the premiere holiday vendor, they do not control the season with anywhere as much power as they do now.
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Regardless of which route you chose, if at the end of your stay in this world you have obtained victory, then…

Quest Complete!
You Will Receive:

IF ROUTE 1:
Smokywood Pastures Sponsorship:
	In recognition of your efforts, the Jinglepocket and Copperpinch families have opted to be your eternal sponsors. At the beginning of every jump past this point, you will be given the option to ‘import’ their vendors with you. If accepted, Smokywood Pastures will be able to move some of their cartel’s assets to that world, and begin with the business and the money-making and the celebrations. You will be able to call on their assets for anything you wish as a result of this - be it asking for a loan, aid in payment or supply, or even helping you manage and run other organizations and events. As well, you’ll get three crates of Smokywood Pastures quality-guaranteed fruitcake (actually quite tasty), smoked meats & cheeses, and treats galore every Winter’s Veil - along with a stocking full of assorted knick-knacks, goodies, and fun toys for yourself and all your Companions.
	Also, despite being goblins of the monetary-seeking orientation, they have the sensibility and respect to not advertise their holiday goods five months before Winter’s Veil. Because doing that would just be tacky.

OR

IF ROUTE 2:
COMPANION: The Abominable Greench & Grumpus
	With the story of Greatfather Winter now entrenched in the minds and hearts of Azerothians the world over, the Greench and Grumpus have become fond of you - thinking of you as friend and family. So when you attempt to leave the world of Azeroth for other worlds, you’re going to find… both yeti and sasquatch coming with. With all their good-natured grouch and grump.
Greench: Should it be necessary, the Greench has the magic of winter in his hands, and can call up a flurry of snow and ice, manifest massive snowballs and iceballs to pummel and bury a foe, or throw blunt icicles.
Grumpus: The Grumpus, red skin and dusky fur often stained with oil from his tinkering, has an astonishing skill at clockwork engineering. His large hands are surprisingly gentle for their size, good for his delicate tinkering and for working with fragile things.
Both: The two brothers are… massive and strong, to put it bluntly. Bigger than some ballistae and catapults, they have the muscle to support their frames. Oddly enough, they move just such that they avoid shaking the ground they walk on - making them mysteriously stealthy.