Day 35 (S23-25)

day 9 of DI. Rina day 30
Started going to Greenwarf, Ended in Bloodletter contest

They got up 8 hours later, the Tiny Hut disappeared and they woke up to the sun.
"So, we are here to gather information about the Missing Fish from Lightwash Lake?" Rina asked.
"Yes, you said you didn't want to go into the city, though, so you and I can just do some research on the outskirts of town," Alice suggested.
"I want to go with you two," said Neely.
"Nice! Girl's day!" Rina said.
"Then I guess Aurelius and I will go into the city and talk to people at the Greenwarf adventuring guild... I think it's called the Gallian. We still have quite a ways to go before we even get in view of the city, so we should start walking," Kin said.

They got to the edge of Greenwarf. They were many dozens of feet above the city itself on rocky hills. The city of Greenwarf sat on the water tapering off to the north and south edges. The city tied into docks on Lightwash Lake from the farthest north home to the farthest south - this was a fishing city.
"This city feeds the entire country of Asmery," said Aurelius, "If the fish are missing, it affects everyone."
Kin put the sapling from earlier into a patch of dirt and used Plant growth on it to make it grow into a large tree. "There, now we have a tree to treestride back to that's a lot closer."
"I hope it doesn't get cut down or something..." Aurelius said, "There's no trees around here because they've logged the whole place to nothing."

Alice, Rina, and Neely all headed toward the south end of town, all of them riding on the Golem that Alice can now control with her mind.
"There's a lot of homes in the south outskirts," said Rina, "The people there are usually easy to get information from when they have something to complain about."
"How would you know how they're going to act?" Alice asked.
"I've met tens of thousands of people," Rina started, "I have seen almost as many countries as I have years in my life. I've seen happy countries, and angry countries. I just have a lot of experience with this kind of thing."
At the southern edge of the city, a large group of fisherman were going in and out of their boats with nets and bobbers and poles.
"Excuse me!" Rina said to one of the men as she jumped down from the Golem, "We are an adventuring party, and we're looking for your personal experience with fish going missing here."
The man looked at the golem with hesitation, then looked back at Rina. "You're an Elf... are you the adventuring group called The bound?"
"Yes, that's us!" said Alice, "We want to help fix your fish problem."
"Well," the man started, "All I know is that there's still small fish, and there are some big fish, but the size we eat... seems like something big is affecting them or eating them."
"Are you finding the fish dead anywhere?" Alice asked.
"Yes, lots of these fish are found dead on the shore. And it's not like we can eat them when they're found like that!"
Alice got down from the golem, walked a couple of steps into the lake water, then used commune with nature in the lake. Through this, she was able to glean that there is some sort of parasitic relationship that's causing the issue, and the source of the issue is coming from far below the lake itself.
"So, there's multiple things causing the issue, they have a parasitic relationship, and the source is... in the underworld?" Rina asked, "What does any of that mean?"
"I don't know," said Alice, "Maybe the guys will find something out that will put the pieces together."

Aurelius and Kin headed toward the center of town, "I assume the adventuring guild will be easy to find," Kin said.
"We could also ask around if we get lost," Aurelius said.
It wasn't long before they saw a large ship up out of the water that had been made into a building. The sign on the outside said "The Gallian."
"Let's head in and just ask the other adventuring parties if they know anything," Aurelius suggested.
They walked in to find a large man holding a smaller man by the shirt, "We are going to get that prize! Not some scum like you!" the large man yelled at the smaller man.
"You may have muscle, but you're lacking in the brains to figure this out!" The smaller man yelled back.
Kin walked up to them, "Hey, fellas... let's not get into it inside the building."
The large man turned around, "You want in on this fight, baldy?"
Kin pulled out his sword, as did Aurelius, and so did 6 other men from the other two adventuring parties.
Aurelius used his blending connection to say "Danger!" to Alice and Rina.

Alice and Rina looked at each other immediately when they got the message.
"We have to go help them," said Alice, "they wouldn't call for no good reason."
"Ugh, I just didn't want to have to go into the city right now!" Rina said.
"Gotta suck it up," Alice said, "Neely, we've gotten word that Aurelius is in danger, we need to go help them."
"Oh, um, ok... how? How do you know?" Neely asked.
"We all blended together," said Rina, "I know you did the blending on your own, but since we did our together we can sort of talk to each other telepathically."
"Get on the golem!" Alice said, so Neely climbed on.
Rina sighed, "Fine... I'll go."
The golem picked her up like a baby and began to run into the city.
The golem left footprints in the stone streets as it ran, and destroyed anything it hit - signs and sidewalks.

Suddenly, the girls saw a group of soldiers turn the corner in front of them, and see them immediately. They had white an gold garb with the 9 Pointed Star of the Church of Luminus.
"Stop!" Alice yelled at the golem.
"Alice, tell it to put me down," Rina said.
The golem stopped and put Rina down, Alice and Neely each stood on a shoulder of the golem.
The leader of the group of soldiers immediately looks up and sees the Gold circlet on the golem's head.
On a roof, Rina could see a young boy with sandy brown hair. He smiled and waived at her, some icy blue magic moved with his hand. Rina immediately realized this was Caspian, and another of Agronoch's Warlocks.

End session
Session 24

The man at the front of a group of soldiers was one of the Cardinals of Luminus, "It seems you have something that belongs to us."
"The golem was in the hands of a bunch of bandits," said Rina, "they no longer have control of it, we do."
"Who exactly has power over it?" he asked.
"I do!" Alice said as she stood up on its shoulder.
"We know that the Gold circlet belongs to the Middle finger of the Church of Luminus," the cardinal said, "just give it back to us and there will be more more trouble."
"Fine," said Rina, "we don't want any trouble either."
Alice gave Rina a dirty look, Rina gestured for Alice to bring it down.
The cardinal walked closer to them with his hand out expectantly.
"Alice.. please?" Rina said again, she didn't want any attention focused on Caspian who was just above them.
Alice pulled up on the circlet, it came off easily for her. The golem stayed standing, the circlet itself was not what was keeping it up.
Alice read a name on the inside, "Roscoe Baldwin, Finger of Luminus."
Alice handed it over reluctantly.
"Thank you, now be on your way," the Cardinal said as he handed the circlet off to the soldier next to him.
"We were actually heading in the direction you're standing in," said Rina, "Maybe you should go first."
The cardinal nodded, and he and the soldiers marched off, a few of them whispering to each other, "Isn't that The bound... They're an awesome adventuring group... It's so cool to see them here... I wonder if they will help with the fish problem..."

Rina looked up to see Caspian holding an icy fireball over head head aimed at the soldiers.
"No! Do not throw that thing!" Rina said.
"It'll just blow up on me if I keep holding it!" he said, "What do we do? How do we stop it?"
"The bag of Colding!" Alice said as she grabbed it off Rina's belt.
"Oh no!" Rina said, "We cannot trust you having that End Medallion!"
"Guys I can't hold it!" Caspian yelled.
Rina then opened the Bag of Colding as wide as possible, "Throw it in here!" she said.
Caspian threw it perfectly into the bag, "Phew... now maybe it wont blow up until we bring it out," Rina said.
Caspian game down from the roof and walked up to Rina, "So you're Rina! You're Enoch's other warlock!"
"Shh, keep it down, kid," Rina said to him, "We aren't trying to advertise that around here."
"Why not?" he asked, "Enoch saved me, then he told me to wait for you."
"How did you know who I was?" Rina asked him.
"Enoch told me to look for a beautiful Elf traveling with a halfling and a couple humans. Plus, I could just sense his magic in you."
"So... you're a warlock of Enoch, too..." Rina started, "How long have you known him?"
"About 3 days," Caspian responded.
"Three days... and he calls you his friend," she sighed to herself. "What else did he tell you about me?"
"Just that you were really powerful, and his first Warlock. I'm number 2!"
"I was his first warlock? I didn't even know that."
"He told me to wait for you, I need your help."
"Yeah, he mentioned that to me, too. Come on, we need to get to the Gallian to talk to the rest of our party members before we do anything else."
Alice then grabbed the chain of the golem and told it to sit, it sat. She asked it to stand again, so it did.
"Looks like I can still control this thing, even without the circlet."
"I wonder what the purpose of the circlet was, then..." said Rina, "Maybe it was to hold the soul of the elemental to the golem?"
"Either way, lets get on this thing and get to the Gallian!" Alice said and she climbed back up.
The townspeople left in the wake of the Golem walked up to complain to Alice, "You're... rock guy destroyed my sign!"
"And left all these holes in the road! How are we supposed to get carts through here?"
Alice then just started tossing silver in the street, and everyone seemed grateful.

Back at the Gallian, Aurelius and Kin intimidated the men enough that they were able to deescalate the situation.
"We aren't trying to fight you, but we will," Kin said, "We've fought creatures much larger than you."
One of the other guys in the room put his hand on the large man's shoulder, "We don't need to get roughed up in here, we need to get that mission done."
The larger man backed off, along with the members of the other party.
"We will see who gets that mission completed first!" the larger man said as he left the building.
Just as he was leaving, the girls arrive with Caspian and the Golem in tow.
"What's going on here?" Rina asked, "You asked for help, but there's no one here."
"Oh, yeah, that..." Aurelius started, "I thought we were about to fight a guy, but he backed off."
"You mean you called us here with an emergency, forced me to come into the city - which you know I didn't want to do today, and you weren't even in danger?!" Rina yelled.
Aurelius just laughed.
"Who's the kid?" Kin asked as he pointed to Caspian.
"That's the kid Enoch had me meet," Rina said to Kin, "That's his 2nd warlock, Caspian."
"Hey guys!" Caspian said as he waived.
"I thought he would be more... interesting," said Kin.
"Me too," said Rina, "I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought we might be meeting some other devil or some ethereal being. But he's just a kid."
"I'm not just a kid," Caspian said, "I'm 18 years old!"
"To me you're just a kid, Kid," Rina said to him.

Just then, a young guy walked over to them from he corner of the bar, "Hey, are you the bound?"
"Who's asking?" said Alice.
"My name is Guppo," he said, "I heard you say you have defeated big monsters before."
"Yes, giant lizards and a whole town of goblins. We've also fought an ogre and some other monsters," Rina mentioned.
"Listen, I believe you guys have the best shot of anyone to complete the Missing Fish quest, so I'd like to work with you," Guppo said, "I have some information that no one else has about it. Work with me, use my information, use my boat... and I want a cut."
"How do we know you can actually help?" Aurelius asked.
"You should meet my brother," Guppo said, "He's the brains of the operation."
"We will talk to your brother, then decide."

Guppo lead them to a small house on the water, made of stone like most other homes in the area.
Alice told her Golem to wait outside, so it posed itself away from the door just far enough away for people to get through behind it.
"We've gotten some home renovations done to get this figured out," Guppo said as he opened a small hatch in the floor.
They all went downstairs to find another man working at a bench that was covered in papers.
"Darwin!" Guppo yelled down the stairs, "I brought an Adventuring Party to help us work on the fish thing."
The man looked up from his papers, his arms and hands covered in ink, "Oh, hello," he greeted them all with a nasally voice, "What do you all know about this, then?"
"We're the muscle!" said Aurelius, "You're helping us."
"Ah... I see. While you're right, I know more about this with my research than anyone in the city," Darwin said, "We would be working together. As equals."
Rina turned to the others, "Guys, let's be reasonable. We need this information, and we need it soon. This will expedite the process, and time is running short for us. We only have like 5 days left of the 2 weeks of diplomatic immunity."
"I agree," said Alice, "let's work with them, its not like it'll hurt us much to split the profits."
Kin didn't like it, but conceded, "I don't like splitting money with people who don't actually put in the hard work, but I do like saving time."

"We need to understand how what you know will help us," said Alice.
"And the two of you should also fight whatever it is with us, too," Aurelius said.
"If I'm providing all the information, then I'm not fighting," argued Darwin.
"I can't really fight," said Guppo, "but I can captain a ship out onto the water."
"Oh, no..." Rina started, "I forgot we'd have to actually get on a boat."
"So, what's the information that you think you have?" Kin asked Darwin.
"I'm not telling you everything right up front... but I'll give you some information to show you I'm not just making stuff up."
Darwin then walked over to a bunch of barrels next to a glass tank he had built. He put on gloves, then used a small net to get a small fish - only a couple of inches long - and put the small fish in the glass tank."
"See this thing?" Darwin asked as he tapped on the glass with the net, "See how normal it's acting right now?"
Everyone nodded.
"Now watch what happens when I put a larger fish in with it." Darwin then grabbed a largemouth bass out of a different barrel, and dropped it in with the small fish. Suddenly, the small fish darted toward the larger fish as fast as it could, as if it was acting like a completely different kind of fish. It then buried itself into the gills of the larger fish, and slowly suffocated it to death. Once the bass was dead Darwin removed the dead fish with a net, pulled the small fish out of its gills, and put the bass into another barrel of now-dead fish.
"These little fish are known as Kandaroo," Darwin said as he placed it back into the glass tank, "They lay their eggs in the gills of other fish, but they aren't usually so aggressive out of breeding season.
"And after you pull it out, it just goes back to normal?" Rina asked.
"Yes, I've put this whole barrel of bass in there in the last day," Darwin responded.

"I wonder if the Jarl has anything to do with this," Kin said as he reached his hand in the tank to try and get into the mind of the Kandaroo.
As soon as he touched the water, the fish seemed to become sentient. In the fish's mind, Kin could feel it felt in danger. It then jumped out of the water and went up his nose and into his lung.
Kin used spirit guardians to completely destroy the fish out of his body.
"Oh no!" Darwin yelled, "That was the only one of those I had!"
"That fish became very different once I touched the water," Kin said, "It seemed to be on a mission, like it was forced to enter a host even though it didn't have an inclination to lay eggs. It also... shocked me. It reminded me of when I used to catch Electric Catfish as a child."
"They don't usually spend much time in the gills of other fish," Darwin said, "they usually just lay eggs and leave. But they seem to be trying to live in the gills of the hosts they pick, which just kills them."
"Have you seen them in the gills of larger fish, too?" Alice asked.

"I'm not giving any more information until we come to an agreement on splitting the money," said Darwin, "the country is paying 35,000 gold to the people who fix this issue. Guppo and I each get a share, and we want another share for paying off the debt we incurred to get this lab built."
"Plus a share for our family," said Guppo, "We have a sister who we have to support, also."
"Woah now, it isn't our problem that you took on house renovation debt," Alice said.
"Your sister is also not us to us to support," Rina said, "You aren't the only one with family in this group. If you sister gets a share, then so would my son."
"Okay okay..." Darwin started, "Guppo and I get a share, then one share for the house. I couldn't have even done the research without this lab."
"Fine," said Rina.
"Not fine?" said Kin, "I'm not paying for their house."
"The use of my boat and the use of my brother's lab are what you're paying for," Guppo said.
"So, you're both also going to help us fight the actual thing causing this, right?" Aurelius said.
"Also, how much is your debt?" Alice asked.
"It's 1,300 gold..." Guppo answered.
"Why don't we just pay off your debt, then each of you get a share?" Alice suggested, "You don't need over 4 thousand gold for your house!"
"Fine!" said Darwin, "We can do the math later. You pay our debt, Guppo and I will be on the boat. But I can't fight, okay? I'm just there for information and help with the ship."
The Bound and the brothers shook on a deal of giving 1 share to each brother, and agreeing to pay their house debt.

Kin used commune with nature to determine anything else he could concerning this issue.
He could see that there was a massive colony of Kandaroo coming from a single source somewhere at the bottom of the lake. He then sees a vision of the Spliced soul they saw in the Golem. He confirmed that the source was far below the lake, on a different plane.
"It reminds me of what I've been told is the underdark," Kin said, "it looks like a world that's opposite of our world. Or... an upside down version."
"So, there's something large at the bottom of the lake that these things are breeding in," Alice started, "How deep is the lake?"
"About 500ft deep," Guppo answered.
"This is not something we have time for today," said Neely, "The sun is already setting."

Rina went upstairs and looked solemnly out the window and the setting sun.
"Rina," Kin started as he followed her up, "you want to head back home to do the Bloodletter contest? It's tonight, right?"
"Yeah... it's tonight," She said, "but it's ok if we can't make it. They have it every year." She turned and smiled at him, "Besides, I have Caspian to worry about now. I'm sure Enoch wouldn't be happy with me if I just left after coming here."
"Well, fuck Enoch," Kin said, "you have time to impress him. What have you done for yourself since getting here?"
She thought for a moment, "Nothing, I guess. I'm here on this continent for my son. I started travelling with you to help you get into the Sprite Light coven. The trip to Mt. Ivatim was to help the Fearsome 5. I even gave my question for Therius to Enoch. I still chose it, but I wouldn't have asked what I did if it wasn't for the contract."
"I think your... devil friend can wait another day," Kin said as he put his hand on her shoulder.
"Friend... right..." Rina whispered to herself.

"Come on everybody, we're going home for the night," Kin announced.
"What about me?" asked Caspian.
"You're coming, too," said Rina, "We will get your story, then help you with what you need tomorrow when we come back here."
"We can ride on my golem!" said Alice, "I bet it can carry us all, and I know we can move faster on it than on foot."
The Bound, along with Neely and Caspian, all climbed onto the golem and went back to the large tree that Kin had grown earlier that day.
Surrounding the tree were about a dozen young boys, all under the age of 10.
"I bet if we cut it down we can sell it for food money!" one of them yelled.
"We will be rich!" another said as he jumped up and down.
"Hey, kids," Rina said as she jumped down from the Golem.
"Woah," one of the boys said as he looked at her, "You have pointy ears! Like an Elf!"
"I am an elf," she smiled.
"I heard elves are like magic or something," said another boy.
Rina then used some Prestigitation tricks to show them a little magic.
"Are you all orphans?" Aurelius asked.
"Yeah, we don't have homes. We usually just... run around and try to find stuff to sell."
"Listen, kids," Kin said as he approached the tree," we need this tree to stay standing for ever, and we need someone to protect it... do you think you can do that?"
Many of them jumped at the opportunity, but one said, "If I get more money cutting it down, then I won't protect it!"
Rina got out the 7 silver pieces from the meat she sold in Duskford from Boggy Roger and handed it out to them, "This money is from a magical man named Boggy Roger. He lives wherever there are streams, marshes, or lakes. This payment is for you to remember him, and keep this tree safe."
The boys leapt at the chance to take the money, "We will protect it magic elf lady, we promise!"
"Good, now we will see you soon," she said as Kin opened the treestride gate.

On the other side of the gate they see the great Castle Frey.
"Ahh... Home..." Rina said, "the contest doesn't start until after the sun sets. Let's get to the house first, then to the contest."
"I'd like to take a bath," said Kin, "I smell like fish."
"Then let's all get home and freshen up!" said Alice as she started marching in that direction.
On the way home, Rina and Alice got into an argument.
"What's your deal with hoarding money?" Rina asked.
"I just take what's rightfully mine," Alice replied, "You're just jealous I have more money than you do."
"It's not so much about me," said Rina, "every time money comes up, you're really stingy about spending or letting anyone else have their fair share."
"I'm paying for Daria!" Alice defended.
"And I'm paying Neely, who has arguably been way more help, and we are paying her way les than Daria," argued Rina.
"Then maybe you should pay Neely more," Alice retorted.
"I don't have more to pay her because you are hoarding all the money!" Rina nearly yelled.
As they got into the house, Alice immediately went up to Daria and whispered something to her.
Daria then began working in the kitchen on dinner.
"I'm first in the bath!" said Aurelius as he ran upstairs.
"I get it second!" yelled Alice.
"...but I'm the one who smells like fish..." said Kin.

"I'm going out for a while," said Rina, "At this rate I'll have better luck in the public baths. Besides, I want to respond to Darrian's letter... I know what I want my Bloodletter to be, and I want to make sure he gets a copy."
So Rina left the manor and went to the post office, writing to Darrian,
"Darrian, My Son-
Did I mention how so very proud I am of you? I have no doubt that you are an amazing leader. Remember to let other leaders help you when the need arises – even those with Fangs.
As for The Kingdom of Bolgroth – the most dangerous people are the desperate, and other innocents don’t need to starve for your freedom… they may see you as the reason for their suffering. Remember, too, that a King – even one like Garrison Bolgroth – being indebted to a Michaelis can work in your favor. And even the threat of cutting off resources can be used as a bargaining chip in the future - If it comes to that.
I look so forward to seeing you! I could use some good news. The only reason I travelled here in the first place was to be with you, after all. The “nature” of elves, from my experience, is that they abandon their children. I hope you know that I never will – your father knew. For what it’s worth: there has been no one since him, even though it has been years now since his passing. Nothing as felt quite right. I hope you find (or have found) someone who feels right for you, if that’s what you want for your life.
By the way, I met a Half-Elf named Rivo. She is feeling the loneliness of the long-lived, as I’m sure you are as well. I mentioned you to her - so if nothing else, you have a friend who shares your struggles.
Stay safe, remember that I love you. Being 3/4 elf yourself, remember to pray to those ancestors, too… they have not forgotten you. Neither will I.
Love, Your mother - Rina Afrisa Michaelis"
Rina then went to the public baths and was happy to find the women's side empty. A quiet bath for the first time in over a month was nice to her.

She then went home to find that dinner was prepared.
Everyone sat down at the table, including Neely and Caspian, and Daria brought in everyone's meals. Everyone had either chicken or ham, with some little veggies on the side.
"Daria, I didn't know you could make vegetables," Kin said sarcastically.
"I do not," she answered, "Tomas make them, I see no point."
"Thanks, Tomas," said Rina, "we all could use a little more fiber around here."
"Don't thank him yet," Alice said with a giggle.
Daria then brough out Rina's food, which was the last to the table. It was nothing but chicken broth in a bowl.
Alice continued to giggle, "Serves you right for being so judgmental about my money spending! Don't piss off the person providing the food."
Rina smiled and pulled out the dried deer jerky from the bag of Colding and put small pieces of it into the broth.
"Nothing like deer meat soup," she said as she ate it anyway.
"Alice, don't you think that was a little mean?" Neely said.
"Not as mean as judging me for my money choices," Alice retorted, "She treats us all like children when we're all adults here."
"You know what Alice?" Rina started, " I realize that having an opinion different from yours will obviously not get me anywhere. So, I'm done arguing with you."
"Good! It's about time," Alice responded.
Rina finished her soup and stood up.
"Caspian," Rina said, "Whenever you're done eating, please come talk to me in the library."
"No, say it here with all of us," Alice said as Rina started walking away, "We're all a team, right? We should all know what's going on if there's some other quest from your patron."
Rina then stopped at the edge of the room, "Sure, fine. You're right, Alice. Like always. That's what you need to feel tall around here, isn't it?"
"Hey! I can't help it that I'm short! You can help it if you're a bitch."

Rina just sat next to Caspian and started asking him questions.
"So, what do you need from me, kid?"
"I need you to help me get revenge," Caspian answered.
"An 18 year old needs to become a Warlock for revenge?" She asked, "Aren't you a little young to need that much power for revenge?"
"Well, he came to me and offered it when I was... well, when I needed help."
"Ahh, he picked you? That makes sense..." she said, "He did the same to me. I didn't have much of a choice in the matter."
"And I'm paying a high price for this... he's getting my soul."
"I know the feeling," Rina said, "So tell me more about this revenge list."
"I need to kill Edward Falsewater," he said.
"You got a name?!" Rina exclaimed, "Lucky, I didn't get a name. Even when I asked for one."
"Is this Falsewater, like... the Barron of Fishes? The mayor of the city of Falsewater?" Aurelius asked.
"Edward is the mayor's son. He kidnapped my sister, Elysia," Caspian said, "He took her when she was... too young. She did come back, but she was... not the same afterwards. She was... broken."
"So you want us to save your sister, and help you kill Falsewater?" Kin asked.
"If we can just get Falsewater, that's all I need," Caspian said, "that will save my sister, and all the other girls he does this to."
"Well, I'm down to help you," Rina said, "How about the rest of you?"
"I'll help you!" Neely said immediately, "I know what it's like to be around... creepy old men..."
"I'm down to help someone get revenge," Aurelius said.
"I care more about the girl..." said Alice.
"I'd help with the girl, too," said Kin, "but I'm not about killing a random guy based on a story we haven't confirmed."
"It happened!" Caspian said as he slammed his fists on the table, "He hurt my sister, he hurt me, he's destroyed my family!"
"I'll go with you, Caspian," Rina reassured, "even if the others wont, I will make a point of helping you."
"Thanks, Rina," Caspian said, "Enoch was right about you... you are a really powerful and charismatic person."
She looked taken aback, "What else did he say about me?"
He shrugged, "Not much."
"Cool, so he tells me that you're his friend who needs help, and I'm... what? Chopped liver?" Rina complains as she gets up from the table and heads downstairs to her room.
"I though you liked liver," Alice yelled as Rina went down the stairs.

Everyone got dressed and ready for the Bloodletter contest. Neely and Caspian stayed at the house, while the rest of them went to submit their sentences of love.
As they approached the center castle, everything was lit up with decorated, red lanterns. They lined an area that went down into a lower area of Castle Frey, the area that most resembled the caves that the original Druse people - also known as the mushroom people - lived. Painted mushrooms were hanging from the ceiling, and many young children could be seen hanging more. Hundreds of people gathered in the area, all of them submitting their Bloodletters.
King Sullivan Frey was sitting at the end of an even longer table than was in his typical dining room table. His table was up on another level from the rest of the festival, with stairs that lead up to it near the far end of the table. The party could see him sitting next to a blonde woman, they were laughing and having a good time. They walked up the stairs and everyone gave him a respectful bow.
"Ahh, friends," he started, "Come sit with me, meet my oldest friend."
The blonde woman, seated to the left of king Frey, turned to them and smiled - she was also a vampire. "Good evening, I'm Zina," she said.
Francis, who sat on the other side of King Frey, got up to greet them all.
"Ahh if it isn't The bound! We have snacks and drinks, please help yourself."
"Ahh, real food. Good!" Rina said as she glared at Alice. Alice smiled and shrugged.
Other Dhampir were also seated at the table. Godfrey sat next to Zina, and Drake sat next to him.
So, Rina sat next to Drake, Aurelius sat next to her, and the other party members sat on the other side of the table across from them.
"Zina," Rina began, "Sullivan says you are his oldest friend, how old are you?"
"It's that kind of rude to ask?" Alice said.
"I don't mean for it to be rude," Rina said, "I'm almost 300.. I'm not used to being around people who are older than me."
Sullivan laughed, as did Zina.
"Ahh to be that young," Zina said to her.
"Zina is a year older than I," said Sullivan, "She's been a close friend since before the great war."

They all ate some small snacks and had some wine before Sullivan spoke again, "Ahh, it is almost time for the reading of the Bloodletters, have you all submitted yours?"
"Not yet, but I've been writing them all week..." Rina said. "I know I can pick just one, so I'm picking the one that makes me cry when I read it."
"We still need to write ours," Aurelius said, "I don't suppose you have paper?"
"Go down to the center of the festival area," said Francis, "There's paper and ink and pens down there."
They all got up and bowed again, the king nodded at them.
In the center of the festival there was a large, glass vase, nearly full to the brim with little bits of paper.
Rina dropped hers in immediately, and the others went to the tables on the sides to write theirs.
"Hey, can someone hold this for me?" Kin asked as he held up a half-empty container of ink.
Alice held it as Kin cut his own hand and put blood into the ink.
"It's a bloodletter," he said, "can't hurt to write it with actual blood."
"I'm surprised you're fine with bleeding at all around here, what with all the vampires you see to dislike so much," teased Rina.
"If they're as good as you say they are, then I have nothing to worry about, do I?" he asked in a snarky tone.
Aurelius and Alice then both wrote theirs, and put them into the vase.
"Let's see what fun stuff is around before they start reading," Alice suggested. Aurelius followed her, but Kin and Rina stayed back.

Eventually, King Sullivan Frey stood up and addressed the people, "Everyone, we are gathered here today to speak of love. As most of you know, the Bloodletter Contest is very special to the Druse people, and keeping the tradition alive is a reminder of where we came from. Before the great Vampire war, we all lived in fear of them. We were hunted to near extinction, and forced to stay as quiet as possible all day, every day - or possibly pay the price with our lives if we were heard. To continue living, and to continue loving, we spoke as little as possible. Some days we could speak only one sentence to those we loved, so we made it count. Today it is your turn to make it count. We will now commence reading your single statements of love."

Three Dhampir in robes picked up the large, glass vase and walked it up to King Frey. The entire table that the party ate at was now full of Dhampir and other elders of the city. Each of them grabbed a handful and began reading. They made little piles around them signifying "No" and "Maybe" piles. Then the "Maybe" piles were sorted through again, then again, then again, until each of them only had a few to be decided on by the Three Fangs.
Sullivan, Godfrey, and Drake all went to a back room to discuss which statements they thought were the best.
"We have the top 10 submissions chosen," Sullivan announced as the three of them exited the room.
Francis read them each out loud from the 10th place to the 1st place:
"10th place is.... 9th place is..."
"I wonder if any of us got into the top 10," Aurelius said as Francis kept reading.
"4th place is Aurelius Ravenwood, with his statement" 'Writing is Telepathy.'"
Many people clapped for him, but most just looked confused.
"3rd place is Rina Afrisa Michaelis: 'Son i never saw you as temporary, your short life only means that every breath you breathe is that much more precious to me.'"
Many people clapped again, but it really only caught the attention of the Dhampir, all of whom were muttering amongst themselves, some even seemed to shed a tear. The ache of the long-lived is not something that could relate to many citizens. Drake, however, was looking only at Rina - with a soft expression, for once. She was looking at him, too, and she smiled. He smiled back for a moment, then proceeded to listen to the next readings.
"2nd place is Kin Ray with his statement: 'Home and Family.'"
Everyone clapped again, even louder this time.
"And 1st place, from someone who is new to town and recently became a citizen, Alice Moondance!"
Everyone cheered, and Francis waived her up to the stage.
He handed her the bloodletter she wrote, "Please, read it out loud to everyone."
"Don't let anyone dim your light" she read off the paper, and the whole crowd cheered.
"Alice, you now have 10 tickets to the Vampire Lottery," said Francis, "And one thing from the ShapeSmithing shop."
Drake got up from his seat and handed Alice a box without saying a word.
"Is there anything else you would like to say to the crowd?" Francis asked her.
Alice shook her head, "I said everything I needed to already."
"That is the spirit!" said Francis, "Now, please write down the names of everyone you would like to enter into the lottery, and place them in that box over there."
Alice looked at Rina and raised her glass up her Rina's direction. She then wrote on the 10 papers, and slipped them into the box.
Kin tried to sneak a peek at what she wrote, but could not see any of the names.
"Whose names did you put in?" Aurelius asked excitedly.
"None of your business," Alice responded.
"Is it al all my business?" Rina asked, "You did give me a weird look when you got the tickets."
"Rina, I'm always looking at you weird," Alice said with chuckle.
"I couldn't see whose names she put down," Kin said to Rina, "I just hop it wasn't mine."
"What did you get from Drake?" Rina asked her.
She opened the box to find a bag of Holding, "Oh yell yeah!" she aid excitedly, "Now I don't necessarily need the bag of Colding back - for now anyway."
"Be careful with that one," Drake said from behind them, "It was made by a student who ended up failing the class. I cannot vouch for its... effectiveness."
Alice shrugged and put it on her belt, "Now there's some other stuff Aurelius and I want to do before going home - there's other food to eat and games to play. Either of you want to come?"
Kin and Rina looked at each other, then both shook their heads 'no.'
"Okay then, let's go Aurelius!" Alice said as she started to walk off.
"I'm just going to sit back and watch the festivities," Kin said, "I'll also make sure those two don't get into trouble."

That left Rina in the main dining area leaning against the wall, the Dhampir and a few other people were also around.
Drake came up beside her to lean on the wall next to her. She smiled and had a small look of surprise on her face.
“Hey, Drake. How are you doing?” 
“It was a good day, the Bloodletter is always uplifting.” 
“You must have read a lot of them today,” She said.
“Yes,” he started, “It helps me understand my people and know how they are doing.” He paused, “If you’re asking if I read yours-" 
She interrupted, “That… isn’t what was implying, but…” 
“I did,” he continued, “I really... felt it.” 
“Have you had kids?” She asked. 
“I… used to,” he said quietly, “but time caught up with them.” 
She answered quietly, “That must have been devastating.” 
He nodded and they had a moment of mutual understanding. Rina may not have won the bloodletter, but she may have won the heart of an ancient vampire. It is obvious to both of them now that they're both attracted to each other.

The moment interrupted by a Long Necked man with an ostrich head entering the room with Marie. Rina just ran up and hugged him - happy to see him safe. She knows this has to be Long neck Razorbeak, The other Fearsome 5 member. The Salt Slayers came in behind them, as well… But without Gunther.

End session
S25

"Wrreeh, who are you, elf woman?" Longneck asked her.
"I'm Rina! My party and I are the ones who saved Gunther and Marie... where is Gunther, anyway?" Rina asked Marie.
"Oh, he's back in Drusk," Marie said, oddly calmly, "They Drusk government said they would let Longneck go so long as they could study Gunther. He agreed to stay back for a couple of weeks. We will get him soon."
"Well, I'm just glad you're all ok!" said Rina.

Aurelius and Alice came back with a couple of little trinkets and some food they'd won at the festival, and Sullivan Frey waived Aurelius over to his table.
"Aurelius, have you decided on a game for us to play in exchange for your armor?"
"How about.. Boulder, Parchment, Sheers?"
The king paused a moment, then laughed, louder than any had heard him laugh before. "That is... a beautiful suggestion. Let randomness decide the fate of the Black Dragon hide."
"And the Golden Dragon hide, right?"
"Haha, of course. If you win, you get mine," said the King, "Let us wait until you are finished with your big Missing Fish mission - I would not want to take a man's armor just before a mission."
"You're on," Aurelius said as he walked over to a table to get more ale.
"My husband must really like you," Francis said to the group, "Usually, if he challenges anyone for something... well, he just challenges them to a sword fight to the death."
Alice and Kin looked horrified, "Does he usually win?" Alice asked.
"Not just usually - always," Francis said with a wink.

Rina then noticed a very drunk Godfrey giving Drake a hard time.
"Come on, old man - let us go out and drink some more!" Godfrey said as he put his arm around Drake's shoulder.
"I'd rather not..." Drake answered.
"This is the one night a year you don't have to work in the morning," said Godfrey, "Live it up, why don't you!?"
Drake sighed, "We're vampires, Godfrey, we're already dead."
Godfrey laughed and started walking Drake toward the door.
"Drake," Rina interrupted them before they walked out.
Drake turned to her, trying to see over Godfrey's arm around his neck.
"Is there... somewhere else you'd rather go?" she said, insinuating more than just the words she said.
"Yes..." Drake answered, "I'd rather go home."
"I could walk you home," she said.
"He's not going home!" said Godfrey, "We have bar hopping to do!"
"Yes, and we have things we need to address at our own house," Kin said, interrupting Rina's attempts to spend more time with Drake.
Godfrey and Drake left, and Kin and the others dragged Rina back home.

They enter their house to find Caspian asleep on the couch with a book over his face.
"Oh no, he found Rosa's books..." Rina said.
She walked over to wake him, taking the book off his face.
"Hey kid, you - AH!" She yelled as she saw his entire face was covered in blood, it looked like his skin was almost falling off.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, hold on," he said as he began putting his face back together in front of a mirror. "That'll happen... probably more and more, if I'm honest."
"What do you mean it'll happen more and more?" Rina exclaimed.
"Well, see, that's the... other part of my quest for revenge," Caspian admitted. "See, when Edward Falsewater took my sister this last time... he also killed me. Or, rather, had his guards kill me."
"So, someone used revivify to bring you back?" Kin asked.
"No... not exactly," Caspian began, "See, right after I died, I felt a cold presence, and Agronoch showed up. He told me that he would give me time to get my revenge as long as I gave him my soul. He's the reason I'm still here."
"He said he gave you time? How much time?" asked Rina.
"He gave me about a week," said Caspian, "but that was a few days ago. He told me to wait for Rina, and I'm really glad you showed up - honestly, I think I only have a couple more days left now."
"Enoch didn't tell me this had a time limit," Rina said, annoyed.
"I know where Falsewater is going to be, though," Caspian said, "Maybe I come with you on your Missing Fish job, and we can kill two birds with one stone."
"Ok, what do you suggest, kid?" Rina asked him.
"I know his ship will be coming into Lightwash Lake in the afternoon tomorrow," Caspian began, "if I'm on that boat with you, I'll just go to his ship and handle it myself. I just need to get him alone and he will probably be easier to target on a boat than after he lands."
Kin pulled Rina aside, "I'm not comfortable taking him with us, he could even blow our cover and make it look like we killed him. I think we should all talk this through more."
"Ok, then let's talk it through," Rina said as she got back to the table.
"What else do you know about Falsewater?" Rina asked Caspian.
"I know he's really pompous and would gladly take credit for anything, even if he had no part in it - he's not a good fighter, personally. Maybe we could get him to appear to help with your fish problem, and his boat just magically sinks with him on it? Or maybe we toss him into the water and let those little Kandaroos get him!"
"We need to discuss this among just the party, would you excuse us?" Kin said to Caspian.
"Oh... sure...," Caspian sad as he got up from the table to leave the room, "but just so you know, if I see the guy I will go for it. No matter what. And I don't want anyone to know it was me - I don't need this coming back to my family, too. They've already lost both their kids, they don't need more grief."
"We will have an answer in the morning," Kin said, "Feel free to sleep in one of the spare rooms tonight. We will let you know what we've decided in the morning."

When Caspian was gone, Rina spoke up first, "Guys, just let Caspian, Neely, and I take care of Falsewater. If you can look for his sister, we can handle one random guy."
"He has soldiers," Kin said, "besides, we should not split up."
"His situation has a major time limit on it," said Rina, "I know we have a time limit with the 2 weeks of diplomatic immunity, but he has even less time."
"We do have 5 days," said Neely, looking at their schedule book, "His plan isn't that bad, either - if someone was to ask me."
"I think it's good, too," said Rina, "It's better than our current plan, which is nothing."
"The plan is to take Guppo and Darwin on the boat with us to help, we don't need to add any dead weight," Kin said, "Literally."
"If Caspian is willing to abandon our plan for Falsewater, and Rina is willing to abandon our plan for Caspian... I think we shouldn't even take him with us," Aurelius said.
"What you want to just leave him here?" asked Rina, "I feel like Enoch would be very unhappy if we did that. Plus, what if we don't get time to come get him before he falls apart?"
"We should take him, but maybe just leave him in Darwin's lab until we're done with the fish quest," suggested Kin, "Then we go back and get him, and we can look for his sister while you take him to Falsewater. Deal?"
Rina begrudgingly agreed.
"Let's get to sleep, then," said Kin, "we are on a time limit, after all."
They all headed to their rooms to rest for the night.

Next: Day 36 (S25-28)