Recent Happenings

The joyous news of Lady Joxisys's recovery is marred by the tragic loss of the Vassal Knight Ser Zarah. A quiet funeral is held by the Vassal Knights alone in the Temple, but with a burned Manor to rebuild, the town is abuzz with the news of the acceptance of local hero Valaea Hodgkin into the ranks of the Vassal Knights. Her knighting, by the reclusive Lady of the Manor herself, is set to be a bright event in chilly and gloomy times for Angelfall.

All of this also happens against the backdrop of a change of leadership at the Temple. Priestex Patience, who quiet whispers suggest has been embezzling from the offerings given at the Temple, has vanished. Their house is left empty, and they haven't been seen since the fire at the Manor. Perhaps the gods were judging Angelfall for the actions of its Priestex, since the river has started to thaw, and a miraculous harvest was had by both Silverbell and Southwind farms just in time for the annual festival. If the gods were judging, their judgment may soon take mortal form as High Priestex Confidence from Ardglass is said to be on their way.

Spirits are high in the town as things get back to normal. Hearts are lifted every night at The Anxious Dragon as Inamoira plays their socks off, and new faces are being seen in town, perhaps drawn by the new intrigue. With a new workshop set up to take the pressure alongside with Smidge's Smithy, Angelfall is definitely doing well for itself, despite the recent disasters. Of course, beneath the surface things are afoot. There are things still waiting in the shadows, and the rumours that Lady Joxisys is not all she is said to be are circulating.

All that aside, though, the town is excited for a celebration - the knighting of a new knight is an anticipated event to bring everyone together, and people can't wait!

• Inamoira spends a lot of their time performing at The Anxious Dragon, their time after carousing and wagering with the crowds they attracted. During the days, having slept off the night before, they count their earnings and find themselves able to more than afford some luxurious upgrades to their house and to their wardrobe (upgrade to a Wealthy Lifestyle at no additional cost from modest). They make a good rapport with most of the town's residents in the Dragon, and Aelbert is certainly keen for them to keep performing. Repeatedly they encounter a new resident in the town, a pasty Elf going simply by “Loth”. Loth hangs on Ina's every word in their songs, and their interest in the goings on of the town keep them talking in the Inn late into the nights. They seem genuine, saying they hail from a small village of Hagsprite not too far away, though Ina does begin to suspect they've never heard of such a place… On the night before Valaea's knighting, having made a great 32 golden priests from a game of cards, Loth seems paler than usual, and when asked about this by Ina says they're going away for a bit, but that they will take Ina's songs in their heart as they do. Indeed, the next day Loth has paid up and left Aelbert's.
• Ixilik gathers books from across the town, and from Sister Providence's collection, and pores over their notes to work out the meaning of the Raven Queen's words about the location of the Library of the Gatekeepers. Ixilik quickly determines that the only possible location that would be home to faeries and elves would be the adjacent plane of the Feywild - accessible through small places in the material plane that don't seem quite right, and rumoured to be where all lost things find their way eventually. How the library got there if it was supposed to be in Limbo is beyond him, though the last lines about not reading from the Library till it is returned align with the theory that everything leaving Limbo is corrupt in some way. Ixilik forms a robust hypothesis that the Library was in Limbo but has been relocated directly from Limbo to the Feywild. Ixilik also spends time with Magnum and Farvyn at both farms having been spotted casting magic over the fields to ensure a rich harvest. He gets to know them, and gains their gratitude for helping them. Magnum even invites him to a farmer's lunch where she goes into great lengths comparing her proud half elven half dwarven lineage with what she can glean from Ixilik about his.
• Rynn purchases an abandoned workshop from the Vassal Knights and sets up her own workshop with her tools and equipment. Not to take business away from Smidge, but with her specialisation in enchantments and the mechanical she provides a different service and the whole endeavour only ends up costing her a 10 golden priest startup cost in the end. She makes some good customers who want things looked at or identified, and spends much of her time working on new magical items - Warding Bond rings, and +1 enchantments for her own shield and Valaea's. Rynn also collaborates with Smidge on the repairs to the Lady Joxisys construct. Upon Rynn's inspection, the construct is damaged more than superficially - there are dents and damage to the larger mechanisms, but rust and age have taken hold of some of the more intricate internal mechanisms. Rynn and Smidge are able to repair a large amount of the rust and replace some of the more mundane parts - giving the Construct a little bit more awareness and ability to move and walk in a way that passes for human - but Rynn identifies that the resonance crystals that seem to relay Joxisys's “soul” to all parts of the machine are dulled, heat damaged, and wearing - new magical crystals will need to be found if the construct is to survive more than a few months.
• Mar makes himself busy practising his time honoured profession of nicking things that aren't nailed down. He manages to pilfer a lot of the supposed sacrifices for Chaubask along the river before turning his attention to the temple. With Priestex Patience's absence at the temple noticed by the people, he starts spreading rumours that the Priestex has left her post to Sister Providence and is taking some time off. He attempts to put across the nuance of why, but ultimately what people remember most is the idea that their Priestex was embezzling funds. The rumour that Patience is taking time off - unfounded as it began - turns out to be true though when Mar pays Patience's house a visit and finds the door left ajar and the house emptied. Patience is nowhere to be seen. Returning to the Temple to check that Mar isn't there, Mar bumps into a very well dressed person radiating authority. Asking where Priestex Patience is, Mar repeats the news that Priestex Patience is taking leave and that Sister Providence is in charge. The horned individual, who introduces themselves as High Priestex Confidence, remarks on Mar's impressive knowledge of the area and asks - if Mar is willing - if Mar would see them at the Temple after the new knighting (of Valaea) as they could do with a guide to this town who is in the know.
• Valaea makes her way through the initial introductions with the Vassal Knights, with the help of Ser Silvia. She explains that she and her friends stopped Ser Zarah from completing the ritual and saved the Manor and the town from destruction. The news that Ser Zarah was working against them surprises but does not shock the Vassal Knights, from whom Zarah kept an odd distance. Valaea notes that the Knights are all non-human, as Zarah implied. With the awkward introductions passed, the Knights are keen to welcome Valaea into their fold. They start consulting her on the Manor reconstruction, the state of the town, and understanding she has already performed significant heroics for the town her knighting at the hands of Lady Joxisys is brought forward for the imminent weekend, at which point her inclusion into the Knights will be recognised by the whole town. Estrella is thrilled that her daughter is joining the Knights, though word filtering out suggests that the Knights are hiding something - some dark secret about Lady Joxisys - and certainly attempts to press Valaea for information about the Lady's hideous visage (as she heard it). Valaea, of course, is the source of these rumours, spreading the idea the Joxisys is not what everyone believes she is.