Winter in Istria

Construction beginning/end

Our intrepid band takes some time to go their separate ways. Their conquered hold is in desperate need of repairing, and errands must be completed. Each character goes about their own task, either alone or with a teammate.

At the later end of Eluviesta, a tremor is felt by every disparate member. And when Char hangs full and red on Springrite, it ceases to turn in its phases.

After taking over the ruins in the Westhills, work began in earnest to fix it up.
• Myrddin Vale sought to establish an alchemical laboratory, and begin brewing potions. After taking a week to establish a study, he departed into the Westhills in search of the ingredients, taking Thaleia along. In their search for Veilroot, they came across a valley that was untouched by winter, seeming to be in persistent Spring and Autumn simultaneously. At the heart of it was a great yew that housed a dryad witch who requested the slaying of a "demon of plague." With its defeat in the nearby bog, the next task to allow him to establish a garden within the glade would be acquiring the "water of fire." He then went on to have success in his potion brewing, and would join other party members on a trip to Istria.
• Thaleia Morpheus, teaming up with Lillyen, had big plans, namely with their entrepreneurial exploits. Establishing a black-market storehouse and mercantile front house was the number one priority. She also assisted Myrddin with his potion creation, using her ranger skills. After establishing their enterprise, Thaleia, Myrddin and Lillyen took the long trek to Istria firstly to collect a variety of exotic pets, and also to browse the university's archives for information on some of the nasty creatures out there. It was on that road that they interacted with a flamboyant drake, enjoying his song and woodland companions to himself. With the promise of good food and company, the drake agreed to team up with Thaleia and assist in teaching her the ways of the Drakewarden Ranger Conclave.
Upon returning to the bastion, Thaleia took to establishing a small zoo, with such things as a Displacer Beast Kitten, a Tressym, Elemental Corgis, and a couple of cats, along with the drake affectionately named Fluffy.
• Lillyen Darkstriderspent the start assisting with the black-market operations. Her time in Istria was focused around the research and study, gaining some useful information on some of the monsters they may be going up against. She collected a great deal of these books and manuscripts and established a Library in the bastion for future use.
Notably, she would propagate hijinks, drawing graffiti on the bedroom doors of the other party members, drawing the ire of Aestasea and turning upon Fluffy. This would not stop her from defacing the remainder of the doors.
• Sid Silvergrim would begin this downtime assisting Onyx with the construction and repair efforts in restoring the bastion. Despite that, his blindness was hampering his capabilities despite Aestasea's teaching of fighting without reliance on eyesight. After a number of weeks working, he determined to have his eyes restored, and alongside Onyx, also travelled to Istria, seeking the clergy of Abadar to regenerate his sight. The two separate teams passed each other like ships in the night, but Sid was able to have his eyeballs regenerated and sight restored. It was on their journey home that a quake shook the ground.
He would then assist Onyx and Aestasea in eliminating a threat to the trail to their bastion that had been hampering laborer's travel up into the hills.
• Onyx Brimstone would designate himself as chief engineer with the restoration efforts, with his innate elemental connection to rock and stone. Firstly, was repairing the bedrooms, then establishing a Barracks and Armory in the back of the bastion. Another task he took on was learning how to cook, with unfortunate results with his first foray. Given weeks of time however, he was able to develop a proficiency. During this time, he also took to seeing if there were details on his former lord’s whereabouts, who had abandoned his squire and taken on a darker path. The closest he got was learning of a dark knight moving southward and had last been seen at the Dolyna Castle on the border with Masovia. A knight known solely as the Bramble Rose. Onyx then played escort for Sid, taking him to Istria to recover his eyes.
It was during a days long blizzard that word came out that workers had been attacked by wolves in the trail up to their bastion. Onyx, along with Sid and Aestasea took to the wilderness to hunt down these wolves only to discover the fearsome nature of winter wolves was to blame. Dispatching one, the trio came to discover they were surrounded, with a great beast of a winter wolf towering 25 feet at its haunches peering at them through the trees, an embodiment of winter itself. It proceeded to depart into the hills, leaving the three alone. To what end an appearance has for the Avatar of Silentir, The Winter Wolf is yet to be seen.
• Aestasea Beiris was rearing to leave the group, not only to get away from some of the insanity, but also to continue her holy purpose. Firstly, she visited Riverest and sold some of the treasures they had recovered for the coffers. From there she began work on converting one of the larger chambers into a personal shrine. As well as committing a necessary sacrifice on the altar at St. Perenell’s ruined chapel.
From here, she made her way to an immediate entryway in to the Underdark, with the closest one hidden away within Hell’s Forest. Once finding the sinkhole, named Worm’s Maw by the hobgoblins that inhabit the area, she was attacked by some disheveled hobgoblin bandits who seemed to be leaving a military outfit. Slaying them with ease, Aestasea descended into the hole, meeting with a messenger who could pass on her report to House Ty’ainadr.
With that, she could begin her work in earnest. The chapel was fully completed as a shrine to her deity, with a mural of Lolth emblazoned on the wall. She also took up painting for a self-portrait during this time.
It was during this time that Aestasea under the full moon of Char performed her profane ritual as an affront to Springrite, a bloody horrible event to sacrilege against all decency and the myrth that the elvish week of love is supposed to bear.
Alongside Onyx and Sid, she then also had the confrontation with the Avatar of Silentir. After reconvening with the whole of the group, she revealed the fact that she was in fact a Lolthinnúr, and despite that would continue to work side by side with a Ithilvanúrin Lillyen, and a half-moon elf in Thaleia.
And so, having finished their individual tasks, the party gathered themselves up for another adventure, trekking to the Sijona Valley where the next closest red X for Khazar Ruins could be found…