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 Chowbask 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.

Several months pass between the bizarre and terrifying affairs that see much of the Angelfall population flee underground while the Vassal Knights desperately try to cling to order despite the inquisition of High Priestex Confidence. With the Werebear plot revealed, Sister Providence takes her place once again as Priestess of the Temple, and the Vassal Knights work to restore law and order. The hole under the well is covered over, and the damages done by the werebears are repaired slowly by virtue of taxation on the townsfolk.

Though the number of gate-related incidents reduces significantly with the Feywild settled down, Angelfall finds its population dwindling as residents leave for warmer climes as despite the seasons moving into Spring and Summer, there is a perpetually chilly mist around the town, and the eponymous waterfalls completely freeze over. The river still flows, but its banks are severely reduced, bringing cause for concern to Magnus and Farvyn.

Mar, having acquired and trained a gang of youths in the art of effective delinquency to keep an eye on the town while he's away, takes some time to travel to nearby villages and towns that the Angelfall townsfolk are leaving the hills for, to see if he can pick up rumours or gossip. The overall sentiment from nearby villages is that something is wrong with Angelfall these days, though it's only a recent reputation the town has acquired as the people leave. Picking through the nonsense, Mar starts to hear rumours that Angelfall isn't the only place starting to see strange creatures and purple portals. It seems the problems are worsening, and the breach into this plane is no longer limited to Angelfall itself.

The town's gloomier outlook is reflected in its star bard as Inamoira finds their tunes becoming more sombre and taking a more frequent minor key. Though their music continues to cheer the folk and inspire them, it's clear that the mood of the town is as downcast as the weather. Through time spent at the Anxious Dragon, Ina notices a steady decline in visitors and travellers, as it seems that the town is becoming known as a spot to avoid.

Ina receives replies from their elven friends about the strange happenings in Angelfall - presented as folktale - and finds that this story has been seen as familiar to one of their friends who is close with dwarven culture. The story, they say, sounds very similar to story of the goddess Erathis (goddess of Civilisation and Invention) who it is said vanished one night behind a door that she sealed with Six Locks. The stories of Locks and Keys sounds a lot like that, though obviously it begs the question of where the Sixth Lock is. Comparing notes with Providence, Ina is unsurprised to corroborate that Erathis is indeed part of the Old Dawn Guard trapped in Limbo - a Lawful Neutral deity whose symbol is the upper half of a gear.

One night, while reading another reply from their elven friends to whom they've written asking about the strange happenings in Angelfall as if it were folktale, Ina encounters some strangers at the bar. Given the downturn of travel, this piques their interest and they watch as five hooded individuals make their way to the bar, speaking in a deep, strange tongue that Ina vaguely recognises as Draconic. Looking closer, they're able to make out the unmistakeable glint of scales and claws underneath. They come up to Aelbert and start asking if the town is having any problems with beasts or monsters. Aelbert starts to answer but is interrupted when Ixilik and Rynn enter the tavern and sit down with Ina. This seems to perturb the visitors enough that they promptly leave, and make their way out, seeming to vanish shortly after turning past the doorway.

Ixilik and Rynn explain that they have had a breakthrough on a means to repair Lady Joxisys, which Ixilik believes will be essential should the party wish to travel to the original location of the Library - a trek far north into the mountains - to return it to this plane. Leaving without Joxisys stabilised could see the boundary between realities shatter, and render bringing the Library back somewhat moot. Rynn explains that they have devised a ritual, and have asked Mar to lift the appropriate crystals while snooping around the nearby towns. The ritual itself will still require a lot of willpower from the town, as well as memories from the Vassal Knights.

Valaea, of course, is primely situated to channel that good will and speak to the Vassal Knights. Since her return from the Feywild and perceived spearheading of the banishment of the werebears, Valaea has been in constant demand and attention by the Vassal Knights. Ser Silvia has been preoccupied with caring for the Lady and the Manor, so it has fallen to the remaining Knights - notably Ser Caeda and Ser Sarris, alongside Ser Valaea - to oversee the town, to give reassurances against the growing fear and melancholy, and to continue to raise the funds for recovery. With losses taken to the Knights from the Inquisition's grip, Valaea has found herself high ranking by virtue of still being alive, and finds herself in a position where she calls a lot of the shots. While this predisposes herself to being able to make calls about whether she stays or goes out adventuring, the consequences of those decisions do now also land at her feet.

Regarding consequences, Valaea reluctantly sits down with Estrella to discuss the topic of her father. The story, as she expected, is that her father was indeed the high elf Loth that they encountered in the Feywild. Loth did, as Valaea distastefully predicted, sleep with her mother and then leave unexpectedly, and the reasons as far as she can tell were not noble or selfless. Estrella did her digging when Loth returned to town years later when Valaea was young, and discovered that Loth was in fact a half-drow half-eladrin Ambassador between the Feywild and the Underdark. Loth suggested that Valaea should be brought to the Feywild with him to embrace her elven side, but Estrella categorically refused: not only did Loth have no right to have a say in Valaea's life, but Estrella wanted nothing to do with these Fey Courts that saw fit to wander in and out of the world. She decided never to mention any of this to Valaea, and as time passed, the Feywild and Underdark began to slip from her mind as Fey things so often do. She never regrets not telling Valaea any of this until now, particularly since it took for Valaea pressing for the details for her to remember it all in its entirety.

Of other visits made, Ixilik spends time visiting Chaubask, and as time ticks on it becomes apparent that this dragon is aging remarkably fast. By summer, Chaubask is well into his Ancient years, being the most powerful and formidable. He has no choice but to leave the cave and establish a lair that encompasses the entire top of the Falls, which he is highly reluctant to abandon. He is well, but as time progresses he begins to become withdrawn and ruminates on something he won't tell Ixilik. Ixilik finds Chaubask muttering under his breath in old Draconic, something about “what does it mean” and “just one more dream to understand”. Chaubask pretends he didn't say anything, though.

With all these goings on, there's yet more digging under the town, but for once it's not nefarious. It takes remarkably little persuasion for Mar to convince Priestex Providence to convert the cellar beneath the Temple into a saferoom of sorts for use in dealing with locks and gates, and aside from the presence of all the dubious blessed and cursed items, it makes quite a good location. While this is happening, Patience shows their face again. After a terse discussion with Providence, the newly renewed Deacon Patience joins the Temple under the guise of rejoining their order, but in fact is co-opted into maintaining the Saferoom under the Temple. Their expertise is particularly helpful in warding the place, but there are still tensions with Patience as they still seem to be holding some cards close to their chest.

What they are able to do, however, is start working on attunement into teleportation circles. These will obviously take time to come to fruition, but Patience explains that they are hopeful this will expedite matters of getting back from far across the world, should an expedition need to take place.

Now, upon Mar's return to Angelfall with the Crystals for restoring Joxisys, the party find themselves in the cellar of Joxisys Manor, ready to attempt Rynn's ritual before setting out any further. It's been a while since the party have all been together like this, but for once there doesn't seem to be a purple portal involved…