Day 40-53 (S30)

The next morning Alice and Rina are greeted with a letter at the front of the tent. It reads:

To the Bound,
I have been called to a mission that  you cannot help me with. Oara calls and I must answer. I have left the key and party fund along with a chunk of my own funds. I get the sense that where I am headed gold will not be helpful. Also I have left the sending stone that has  Valentine on the other side, as well as the orb used for Scrying. I would say “stay safe” but that is not in our wheelhouse is it? I will just say farewell for now. 
Kin

Kin has decided to leave The Bound - at least for now. We are now down to 2 people. Are 2 people still considered an Adventuring Party?

We get back home to Castle Frey to find Neely, Thomas, and Daria all making “Missing” posters for us. Neely is relieved we are ok and gives Rina a huge hug. We discuss that we have 2 weeks before we have to make it to Lloyd's Competition, and decide what to do in the meantime.

Alice goes to Greenwarf to get her Golem first thing, Rina goes with just to check on the orphans - she learns all their names and spends time with them. Alice finds her Golem outside of Darwin’s home, which has now been abandoned. The golem is covered in notices that whoever owns it needs to move it and pay a fine. Alice just removes the notices and scares off a guard who saw her. She brings the golem back to the tree and we all sleep by the tree that night.

A few days later Alice and Rina both go to Vorovni. On their trip they discuss trying to find a common ground since they will be spending a lot more time with just the 2 of them. IRL Alice’s player is AuADHD and Rina’s player is Autistic - this is reflected in the characters quite a lot. Alice likes structure, but that structure needs to change a lot. Rina just likes structure, but likes to try new things just to say she’s done them. That’s where they really find their common ground - they both like to just do/try things to say they’ve done it. For Alice it’s for variety - variety is the spice of life. For Rina it’s to help with memory - experiences are the vessels in which memories are held; being an elf, and incredibly long-lived, it’s hard to remember everything in her life.

Rina looks for information on the missing Fingers of Luminus who was supposedly found Dead in his Chambers, Roscoe Baldwin, but really doesn’t hear anything new - only what Enoch Agronoch had already told her - that he's still alive. Alice gets the guys who owe her a build job to build a little extension onto the house for her golem. The guys stay in our manor overnight in Aurelius’ old room with Volvagia - Rina’s little dragon, who is quite the terror. Khoshekh hates Volvagia.

Alice tries to Scry with both the name of the Finger, as well as the golem. But there’s no luck with either.

Rina went to the ShapeSmithing college to talk to Drake. He was beginning a lecture on making keys that fit locks, and waved for Rina to come stand to the side with his TA. After the lecture was over he took her back to his office to see what she wanted.

Rina asks Drake if he would be willing to help her carve something out of the heartwood she got from the Evertree stump - as it was the last piece of the tree that’s not on Sullivan Frey's ship. He asked what she would make it into, she said a necklace - maybe 2 since it was kind of large for just one. She said she’d give him one. “Huh,” he started, “Usually when people want to learn how to carve it’s to make weapons, but you want to make something… for sentiment? Why?”, she said “I was born in a forest of these trees, I was supposed to raise my own family in a forest of these trees. I just think it’s very fitting that the place I choose to call home forever was built under its influence.” He asked why Castle Frey of all places. She said she’s travelled for almost 130 years on her own, and went to many places, she’s seen almost as many countries as she’s seen years. Pennislovica is the happiest place she’s ever been, which means it was built with great leadership. And the ancient-ness of it was very comforting to her. He said that Sullivan has done a great job at making sure the people are happy.

(Some conversation I forget) “You’re young” he said. “I may be young to you, but I’m still older than everyone around me” she said. He chuckled, “I know how that feels.”

She said she would like to get to know him better, and asked about his family. He said he had a brother, Marcov who died near the end of the war. It has been difficult for him to watch Sullivan Frey and Godfrey do everything together, it just reminds him of what he lost. “Godfrey has his tavern in Youngru, Sullivan has Francis and his dragon quest in the north… but I decided to pour myself into my work here.” He said he had married at one point, and had to watch her grow old and die. Rina said she had to bury her late husband 2 years ago, so she understands how that feels. Dragon

After a bit of silence he stood up and grabbed his schedule book and opened it up on his desk. “I will have some extra time in 2 days” he said, “Then so will I.” she replied. He then erased a meeting he had scheduled, and just wrote “Rina” in its place.

On the day, Drake grabbed a chunk of wood and some chisels and asked her to give it a try to see what she’s got. (Bad rolls… just so many bad rolls) “You aren’t as good at this as I’d hoped you would be.” he said, “I told you I needed help” she laughed, “I like to write, but beyond that I’m not too creative.” “You have to be more gentle, and go at the correct angle” he said, as he put his hand over hers to help her carve gently into the wood, making a small curled shaving. His hands are rough from the constant work, but his grasp was gentler than she expected. The carving was successful, though slow-going.

After the carving, Rina headed home and realized she had not heard at all from Enoch Agronoch since she met him in the afterlife to speak with him - almost 2 weeks now. Not only that, but she noticed her icy-fire was becoming less icy… it was more “normal.” She begins to get really worried, and decides she will burn a letter to Enoch sometime soon if she doesn’t hear from him. Just “Be safe, Agronoch… Please, just be safe.” This letter was more of a plea to the universe than a request directly to him. She knows there’s a good chance he won’t get it, but it’s all she knows she can try. She still has mixed feelings about him, personally. She may not be super stoked about Enoch, but she doesn’t want to be stolen by another devil - especially since they’d likely be worse than Enoch. She’s still thinking about why she made this deal in the first place: Enoch said they were both in it to help the Therianthropes, which includes Rina’s son Darrian - her main priority.

When the 2 weeks leading up to Lloyd’s competition were coming to a close, Rina, Alice, and Neely all made their way to Vorovni.