From the Journal of Jay, Shadow in the Grove
January, 3rd week, 2nd year
Entry 9, 3rd Winter Council
It is the anniversary of the founding of the Grove this past Winter Council. Two years ago four of us came together after a senseless war and have been tirelessly working for the people of Osterra and using our strengths and energies to rebuild a safer place for those who have been victimized by the Everwar here in these lands. And honestly... they have been the happiest two years of my life.
I went from being raised into a cold blooded assassin with a disdain for gods and magic and everything due to being shackled by my birthright into an herbalist with a drive for discovery and small adventures and less disdain for the Gods and Magics of this land. It was a joyful council.
Guilds were established and we the rogues very clearly wanted no such responsibility of having someone in charge of our ‘totally legitimate business’ as my new comrades called it. Wolfe is an agreeable man though and he will be ‘totally checking in’ every now and then our as Guild Master; especially since the number of initiates for the Grove is growing. Valos and Trez are my fellow ‘Shadows’, or rogues, in the Grove now and they are everything I delight in seeing with people in our fields of expertise. Trez has a mind constantly churning for coin and I believe Lady Gwion had mentioned appointing him as a treasurer of sorts, I can't be sure. It was him or Ayla, but whomever it will be it will be very much needed. The two towns within our territory are bursting at the seams with refugees and we can barely find the housing or room for the more that are arriving almost weekly. And Valos...well she is certainly a character whose backstory I would love to sit down and chat about. I think we may have a lot in common with that.
Bryxal was at our table and I had a lovely chat with him reminiscing about our adventure with the Gray Mercenaries. It was something along the lines of
Bryxal: I remember signing up for a scouting mission and then there was a fire.
Me: Fires happen all the time, they’re quite natural
He has a good sense of humor, and I hope one day I’ll get to amend his opinion of me and my scouting abilities. Probably not with my track record, but it would be fun to adventure with him again.
Sir Talos asked to speak to Oonagh and I at one point in the day, I think after the light sparring that was had outside. He was questioning us about Fonti’s Fancy, the Definitely Permanent Dam we had built and used to combat the Demons back in August. He hadn’t been there but had heard about it. I was skeptical of his questions, honestly because I thought he was trying to spin the dam as a terrible idea and to blame her. Oonagh spoke with me afterwards and explained that he was questioning faction members about potential Knight Candidates.
I felt bad for how I spoke to him after that. I guess I wasn’t as over my issues with Nobility as I thought I was, but maybe I could speak with him after I’m done writing about my behavior. I seem to forget that most of the ‘Nobles’ here within the factions are either appointed over time, such as the knights, or were noble in their previous world and still simple adventurers like myself now. None have the history and years to be as malevolent as the ones I’m used too.
The day carried on with mostly drinking and meeting new people and discussing different ventures; Cedar Creek made a venture with some wererats involving cheese and I have to say that anyone who makes deals with Cheese is good people- both on the giving and receiving end. Trez was interested in the Blue Pheonix- my hopefully one day open apothecary- and we talked about pricing and logistics of the sorts for a bit. A new member had similar interests in the shop, or new to me as I have been unable to attend most of the previous adventures.
Caefa asked me about my book that I kept referencing whenever the apothecary was mentioned. I had brought with me for some light studying and work my collection of herbs I have been writing about for the past two years ever since I realized that many of the plants here are similar if not the same from the Reverse. Most of my herbalism was only learned because the Princess I would double for hated her classes and it wasn’t unheard of to have the ‘Birds’ as they called us learn in their stead. It was helpful for my night duties when she called me to run her terrible errands. I’m spiraling now though, so back to Kaaphah.
She is a magic student of sorts and was very intrigued by my notes below the herbs about the magical properties the plants were known for back in the reverse. I told her I would welcome any and all help with researching and developing products to sell in the shop id she wanted to add her coin and time to it. She seemed to take this into serious consideration. I’m seriously hopeful with more hands the Blue Phoenix can finally stand tall this year.
As for the council meeting tonight it was an interesting mix of
A raven flew into the window Jay was writing near, startling her into a battle ready position.
It’s almost midnight, birds don’t fly this late.
Knife at the ready she approached the window cautiously and saw the most disturbing bird she had ever seen. It looked like a raven. It was squawking and cawing at her like a raven. It was glowing bright purple and had a tiny scroll wrapped on it’s leg with glowing thread.
Pixies.
They had absconded her poor bird and sent it to find her to call her to finish her duties. Flying donkey's my hair is still growing out the blue I had woken up too from the last party! With a long sigh she opened her window to allow the bird reprieve from the cold night. As soon as it landed on her fprearm it stopped glowing and the scroll unraveled itself to float in front of her face with all its sparkly and bright nonsense.
You have been cordially reminded
Of your promise to dance and dine with our
Lovely people three times before the summer of
Next year. You have completed one such event
And we are hosting another for the Winter Solstice
That your presence is officially requested for.
Mischief Maker,
Annabelle
P.S. Can you bring some of that peach wine again?
There was a date on the scroll that made her curse and kick at the furniture as she began to hastily grab her things. No talking with Tanos, no time to pick her book up from Caipha’s examining eyes, she had four days to trek across half of Osterra to attend this blasted party these pixies sprung on her.
It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the revelry and madness a little bit; it was the fact that they had known she would be at the council and wanted to cause some trouble to her Raven and her schedule. But she would make it in time She always did. And she was probably going to have different hair color again too if the look of her bird was any indicator.
A brief word with Trez and a farewell from Oonagh, Jay saddled up and rode out east towards Goldfield and the marshlands north of them, where the Pixie Mill was and the Exiled Court of Lord Delegoth awaited her arrival to begin the maddening Dance and Party she had promised to attend for their aid in fighting the demons.
Sometimes you sell herbs to people. Sometimes you sell your time and energies to pixies to terrorize demons. Just another day in Osterra