Part V : Of Broken Seers and Reforged Bonds

Syntharia, after an argument with Callistris and Trovik, went to her mother's grave, she brought with her a large stone and carved a eulogy onto its face. As the sun rose, a young boy came to her and told her she had been summoned to the royal palace. She was skeptical until she was presented with a note that simply said "Go with him, Syntharia"; the intrigue alone prompted her to follow. Across town, Yannis followed Ilaeth into an abandoned cellar in an old house. He was branded with the sigil of Baldr, given a strange rifle, and was congratulated; having officially become a member of the Order of the New Dawn, a sect of undead-hunting monster slayers. While Syntharia walked with the strange child to the palace, Trovik gathered the rest of the party, deciding that they deserved to know as much of the truth as he could share. They searched for Syntharia, who was found relatively quickly thanks to Trovik's raven familiar.

Syntharia was lead to the back of the palace, into a garden. She saw a figure with long, autumn-hued hair and pointed ears. After 25 years of absence, her father, Marikoth, was finally making his presence known. His explanations and apologies fell on seemingly deaf ears; they were, it seemed, too little and far too late. He gave her a gift and a scroll declaring that her and her companions were to be allowed entry into the Forest of Fallen Leaves, a secluded elven grove to the west, and told her to seek for answers there. She said nothing and left. 

Trovik led the group back to the cave he and Callistris had been to the night before and allowed her to explain what had happened while he chiseled into the ground. As he lifted his chisel to the obelisk itself, Valravn made his presence known and grabbed his arm, stopping him from defacing this ancient shrine. Yannis attempted to step in and defend his friend from this great foe, but was stopped by Callistris. Valravn stepped back into shadow, seeming to melt away, after Trovik explained why he could not deface the obelisk. Trovik answered their questions as best he could. His patron, originally disguised as an air spirit, was in fact Valravn, one of the heralds of Ragnarok. When he completed the rite the night before, Hel appeared to him briefly; according to him, she seemed disappointed. 

Syntharia headed back to the palace and requested access to the libraries, her father escorted her there and she spent the rest of the day studying. Flintknuckle and Yannis approached her the next day to ask her to come with them as they traveled with Trovik across Aeris to complete his pilgrimage. Before leaving Botwulf's Stone, she told her landlady to no longer accept payments for her rent from anyone but her, and returned both the book and the gift that her father gave her. Flintknuckle went back to his mother's house to find Arris had packed and was preparing to leave to study medicine under Harlan Rudge. He wished her the best and made sure the house was tidy, giving away most of his mother's things, save for a few keepsakes; one for him, one for Arris, and one for Sirollo when they meet again. The group set out west, leaving Botwulf's Stone behind.

Played on 03/13/2021