Note the date change on the event! It now starts Dec 6 instead of Dec 8!

WARNING: If you don't want the details of the new Frostfell quest "spoiled" you do the new quest, or if you object to a bit of creative license with regards to the Nye'Caelona memory spell, then scroll down to the horizontal line partway down the page before you start reading. For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy this short little romp from the perspective of a quest NPC!

Greshdek sometimes felt he was one of the unluckiest goblins in Kunark. First he'd gone to see if he could get through the mine tunnels between Obulus Frontier and the Fens of Nathsar, and had his memories wiped by tricksy elven magic. Then he was treated as a near-slave in the Temple of Nu'roga because he couldn't remember any useful profession (if he ever knew one!), then he was brought back to his old home in Twark for a bittersweet reunion that only reinforced what he'd lost, and now ... this.

At first his return to Twark started out well enough with some fuzzy memories of his clan-sibs starting to surface through the mental muck. He was home, with others of his clan, and he finally knew why his memories were gone.

But the memory loss was still too great and it became uncomfortable to be around them all when they talked much of things that he either hadn't been there for, or had been there for but didn't remember.

And, oh, those sidelong looks they gave at all his loincloth-wearing glory. He was used to wearing just that after his stint in Nu'Roga, as he hadn't ranked highly enough to merit additional clothing. But here, they expected him to wear clothes. With no possessions, no knowledge of any proper profession, and enough pride to make him not want charity, it made an uncomfortable position even more uncomfortable.

So, he left Twark once again, in search of a job. If those snotty elves wanted to steal his memo-...

... Lost again. He wasn't sure exactly where he'd been going, and while he sort of remembered his home, his memories felt gooey and very much full of holes. At least the music here was cheery, whereas thoughts of home made him sad.

He had the feeling that big, tall elves were not to be trusted, but he found himself rather taken with these small elves, and the Gigglegibber goblins that worked alongside them. More, even though the scrawny-looking goblins (who insisted on speaking Common due to their elven co-workers) had odd accents that made it hard to understand them now and again, they were at least goblins!

He envied these goblins their bracers and ankle gear and coveted the candy canes that the elves carried around. He remembered something sad about clothing, but the thought of this clothing made him excited. If only he had a way to buy some, or knew how to make some for himself!

The Gigglegibber goblins seemed to feel sorry for him, and helped him to get a job in the Frostfell Workshop. Sadly, his crafting was pitiful enough to "make a cat laugh" (whatever that meant), so they sent him out on a delivery.

When one of the mushy-speaking goblins sent him out to decorate and deliver gifties to some sleepers, he was all excited until he got a good look at the place. It was huge, dark and scary-seeming. But maybe that's why they needed good gifties and decorations, and Greshdek was determined to do a good job at making them happy!

Then the sleepers started to wake up before he was done and chased him all over the place! His presents scattered, his pride in tatters, he finally ended up cowering behind a tree hiding from a pair of very grumpy gargoyles.

Maybe his middle name was "Badluck?"

Things seemed dire until a tiny redheaded halfling with a very impressive fastball threw snowballs at the gargoyles, freezing them in place. He sort of remembered her rescuing him before ... kind of ... almost ... yes, the Knee-AH-mee person. Her accent was almost as hard to understand as those Gigglegibbers!

"Hello! Help!" Greatly daring, now that nearby sleepers weren't after him, he waved frantically.

"Och! Ye again? This is getting tae be a habit! Ye're getting lost delivering Frostfell presents now, are ye?" The look she gave him seemed to be half exasperation and half amusement, as she pulled another snowball from a bag.

He nodded, "Yes, I be deliverin' Frostfell gifties to sleepers, but they started waking up, and now I be stuck! They not be lookin' very nice to me."

"Looks as if ye got yuirself a little lost again. Ye were supposed tae check th' sleepers' TOME, nae deliver presents tae th' Sleeper's Tomb."

So much for his new clothes. "Oh noes! I be losin' new job for sure, and I already be losin' several presents runnin' away when they started wakin' up!" Darn those Gigglegibbers and their sloppy pronunciations of the Common tongue! Why couldn't they have explained it in Goblish for him?

Thankfully the Knee-AH-mee of the wicked snowball-throwing arm seemed willing to scamper off, recover the lost gifties, and then escort him back to the Frostfell Workshop. Better yet, he somehow not only had managed to hold onto his very own candy cane, but overheard his new boss mention he would still be working there preparing gifts.

But the best gift of all was when he overheard Knee-AH-mee, who seemed to be also called "Mum" say that she'd send over some clothes for him. "Th' Gigglegibbers are happy th' way they are, but Greshdek's folk tend tae like a bit more in th' way o' clothes. I'll see what we can whip up frae him that's properly festive."

Clothes soon! Maybe his luck was turning at last!

Welcome to Frostfell 2016! This year's annual midwinter event will run from December 6, 2016 at 8 a.m. Pacific through January 5, 2017 at 7 a.m. Pacific. (The odd times are due to the fact that this event actually requires server uptime and downtime in order to get some of the city zone art and music to work.)

This year's even will include three new Frostfell recipe books, one new quest, seven new gifts from Santa Glug, 8 new buyable items, and "nearly the full live event" for Stormhold (the TLE server).

New Crafted Goodies

The three new recipe books, sold on merchants in the Frostfell Wonderland Village are "Frostfell Feasts and Decorative Crafts IX", "Frostfell Outfits You Can Make IX", and "Scholarly Pursuits for a Festive Frostfell IX" (Four of the items are still awaiting an art patch on the Test server, and screenshots will be added to this article once available.)

Frostfell Feasts and Decorative Crafts IX

Frosty Vesspyr Oak*	Jolly Blizzard Bramble	Rosy Blizzard Bramble
White Poinsett Flower in a Radiant Pot	White Poinsett Flower in an Alabaster Pot	Elegant Snack Bowl
Cool Mint Sugar Plate	Cool Mint Teacup	Cool Mint Teacup Stack
Cool Mint Teapot

*Tree is animated - some of the branches sway gently

Frostfell Outfits You Can Make IX

Merry and Bright Frostfell Chain: Boots, Bracers, Chestguard, Gloves, Greaves, Helm, Leggings, Sleeves
Merry and Bright Frostfell Plate: Barbute, Chausses, Cuirass, Gauntlets, Greaves, Gussets, Sabatons, Spaulders, Vambraces

Chillburn Dagger	Chillburn Scimitar	Chillburn Tower Shield
Chillburn Wand

Scholarly Pursuits for a Festive Frostfell IX

Cool Mint Glass Lamp	Cool Mint Gumdrop Sconce	Flat Frost Wrapped Present
Flat Festive Vine Wrapped Present	Flat Regal Tartan Wrapped Present	Square Envious Vine Wrapped Present
Square Festive Tartan Wrapped Present	Square Regal Tartan Wrapped Present

New Quest

Meg Gingersnap in the Frostfell Workshop (portal to the zone is behind the magic cabinet in the Frostfell Wonderland Village) has a new quest to offer players. Rewards are your choice of Attacking Gargoyle Ice Sculpture, Dormant Gargoyle Ice Sculpture, or 3 Frozen Token of E'ci.

Attacking Gargoyle Ice Sculpture

Dormant Gargoyle Ice Sculpture

Quest Tracker

Again this year Casdoe of Maj'Dul has kindly put together a Frostfell quest tracker spreadsheet, so you don't miss any of the holiday goodies on your alts. This year she has put it in both Excel (xlsx) form and PDF form. Thanks again, ma'am!

Santa Glug Goodies

Every 18 hours you may speak with Santa Glug in the Frostfell Wonderland Village and receive a gift. This year there are 15 possible gifts, 7 of which are new. The returning gifts this year include:

• Blizzard Elk Antlers
• Gigglegibber Frostfell Cushion
• Ornate Frostfell Snowflake
• Poinsett Flower in an Alabaster Pot
• Sack of Coal
• Scamper Wheel Snowglobe
• White Frosttail Reindeer
• Wicked Gumdrop

The new gifts are the following:

Envious Santa Glug Beard and Hat	an alabaster pekin (tradeable housepet)	a domestic mallard (tradeable housepet)
Lemon Yellow Gumdrop (fluff pet)	Nye'Caelona Snowglobe	Purple Banded Knit Scarf
Gigglegibber Frostfell Pillow

New Buyables

Giggawat and Garsleblatt Gigglegibber in the Frostfell Wonderland Village sell two new musical snowglobes, at a cost of 12 gold each.

Grand Gates To Gorowyn Snowglobe Tune: "Bred for War"

Darklight Palace Snowglobe Tune: "Her Grotesque Gloriousness"

Gerbi Frostfoot, the vendor that sells items for Frozen Token of E'ci within the Frostfell Wonderland Village, sells six new items.

Glacial Canopic Jar 4 tokens	Frosted Hedge 10 tokens	Illuminated Frosted Hedge* 15 tokens
Snowman Knit Cap 6 tokens	Petamorph Wand: Elder Frostbiter Basilisk** 4 tokens

*Illuminated Frostfell Hedge has multicolored lights that twinkle on and off.

**I think this wand is new this year. Otherwise, I missed something and someone will poke me with a correction eventually. :D

And last, but not least, Gerbi sells a new mount for 500 token of E'ci:

So, What About Stormhold?

I'm Confused! I'm New to Frostfell!

Dec, 6 update: I'll work on a master Frostfell article "soon" that explains things a bit. I can't seem to find my brain right now.