Letters A letter to the first to find it.

[Tita]

You, Keia Merrenia , come across a gently floating envelope, made of high-quality material. On the backside is a pattern of runes, and on the front is a similar one that seems to have faded. It's addressed to "Whoever finds it first" and the sender is "A lonely heart" Opening it reveals a scented letter made with patterned paper.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
Oh, dearest you,
I write this letter with intention,
And hope it doesn't cause abstention,
For a bond, I'd like to make
As this is a lonely lake.
· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·​

I, Tita, am a great wizardess hidden in the spines. Actually, I can not recall if it is called the Spines, or the Spine. But what matters is that I feel tremendously lonely in the safe hold of my tower. And oh so bored.
I hope that with writing this letter and some others, they come across someone who would be willing to reply.
So tell me about yourself, tell your troubles and interests, and tell me what comes to your mind. And ask about me and me.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·​

I have recently started the hobby of making decorative papers, What do you think of it? I am doing well, am I not? It is scented with a flower whose scent has comforted me for many years, but it's name escapes my mind and will not return.

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱••••✩••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑​

To reply, just write your reply, put it in the same envelope. And a pinch of your blood to the rune at the back. And it will find it's way back to me.

From your dearest Tita The Great and Gorgeous

I have no idea what the date is.​

 

[Keia Merrenia]

The envelope and accompanying letter found her in her own tower in the castle of Baron Christian Vide of Stonewatch.

Reading the letter, she wrote her reply.

Hello Tita.

My name is Keia. I am a necromancer, and personal slave of the baron whom I serve.

Your letter found me in my own tower, a few leagues east of the Spine. I extend to you my sympathies for your loneliness, and I would be delighted to begin correspondence with you.

My troubles? Well... it’s been difficult getting things into working order here in Stonewatch Fief. My Master was recently ennobled, and took the seat of baron not two months ago. We are currently trying to keep the people safe and fed. I myself have been doing what I can but necromancy is useless for feeding people, so I’ve been largely useless as an extension.

My interest? I am interested in few things aside from reading and furthering my necromancy. Recently I’ve been increasingly interested in making necromanced mounts specifically. Reanimating dead horses after crafting some wings from spare bones and skin.

Tell me of your hobbies. Your troubles. And tell me more about your life.

The scented paper is new, and it’s not something I’ve heard of before. The decorations are beautiful, and they show real promise.

Your new friend, Keia Merrenia.

And so she put the letter in the envelope and pricked her finger with her dagger. The message flew off.

 

[Tita]

╔════════════════════ ∘◦ ✾ ◦∘ ═════════════════════╗
Good morning my friend Keia.

Isn't being a salve a bit? Just the thought of it makes every bone of my body shudder with primal fear.

But you're a necromancer? I recall reading in one of my books that reanimated corpses do well as manual labour. So if you have any to spare, using them to help in farming would be quite productive.
But farming does need time to bear fruit, so a more immediate solution would be to have them work on craft type work that could be sold to merchants in exchange for food?
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Winged horses sound marvelous. According to some of my books, there is a species of winged horses located at the Spine. But I haven't seen them yet, or at least I haven't seen them recently. Speaking of my books! A room in my tower is dedicated just to them. There are so many that I can not decide which one to read next, and they all feel so familiar and comforting to me.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
My troubles? Well, do you perhaps know how to get wine stains out of a dress? Recently I found a wine bottle hidden under my bed. And to say things shortly, a glass of it ended up on my second favorite dress. It was such a gentle creme colour, but now it is stained pink at the front.
Aside from that, I'm not sure what much more I could say about my life. It is simple in my tower, I read, clean, and observe.

From your friend, Tita.
╚════════════════════ ∘◦ ✾ ◦∘ ═════════════════════╝

 

[Keia Merrenia]

Hello Tita, It is good to hear from you again.

No, at least not in my case. My slavery is not quite so bad as you think, Andy the things my owner uses me for are quite pleasant. Besides I sold myself to him, it was my choice.

I have toyed with the idea of using the undead for labor, but there’s a reason I’m still alive as a necromancer, I’m only allowed use of executed criminals, dead animals and enemy corpses, so my supply is rather limited. I’m looking for a solution but it’s slow going.

Natural born flying horses? Never thought that they were real. I might have a look around the Spine when I get the opportunity.

I myself don’t have a personal library, but the castle does, and I spend just a second much time in there as I do in my tower. I usually don’t read for leisure though, my master has me busy more often than not.

Ooooh, a red stain? I can’t really say. I myself haven’t had to deal with stains very often, and definitely not on white. I think there’s an alchemical agent that turns everything it touches white, so that might work, I do suggest caution though, and I cannot say for certain that it works, as I’ve never seen it and I’m no alchemist.

Your friend, Keia.

 

[Keia Merrenia]

╔════════════════════ ∘◦ ✾ ◦∘ ═════════════════════╗
Good morning my friend Keia.

Isn't being a salve a bit? Just the thought of it makes every bone of my body shudder with primal fear.

But you're a necromancer? I recall reading in one of my books that reanimated corpses do well as manual labour. So if you have any to spare, using them to help in farming would be quite productive.
But farming does need time to bear fruit, so a more immediate solution would be to have them work on craft type work that could be sold to merchants in exchange for food?
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Winged horses sound marvelous. According to some of my books, there is a species of winged horses located at the Spine. But I haven't seen them yet, or at least I haven't seen them recently. Speaking of my books! A room in my tower is dedicated just to them. There are so many that I can not decide which one to read next, and they all feel so familiar and comforting to me.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
My troubles? Well, do you perhaps know how to get wine stains out of a dress? Recently I found a wine bottle hidden under my bed. And to say things shortly, a glass of it ended up on my second favorite dress. It was such a gentle creme colour, but now it is stained pink at the front.
Aside from that, I'm not sure what much more I could say about my life. It is simple in my tower, I read, clean, and observe.

From your friend, Tita.
╚════════════════════ ∘◦ ✾ ◦∘ ═════════════════════╝

(Bewp?)

 

[Tita]

The envelope comes with a smaller but thicker envelope attached to it, around it a half-hazardously bound charm of protection.

╔══════════ · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ❃ · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ══════════╗

Hello Keia,

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．
I hope my reply doesn't take too long to arrive. I spent some time reading alchemical books. I tried a solution it recommended on the wine stain. It worked! Partially The spot where I put it ended up being whiter than what it surrounded. I attempted a more thorough process to whiten the whole dress, but that ended up ruining the lace. It seems it was too old for this solution. I think I could still wear it, but maybe I should take up an interest in lace-making to replace the loss?
.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．
Has in the time since my last letter the state of your master's Fief changed any for the better? How is your progress with reanimating dead horses to have wings? I hoped that I could have sent you a copy of an anatomical sketch of said Winged Horses of the Spine, but the book wherein I read about them does not have such drawings. The study of how their wings work would be useful for your experiments, so I do hope you get to see one or at least one's skeleton, if you do come to visit the Spine.
.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．
While I was looking for plants for the alchemical whitening solution I have found a sweet-smelling flower. So I decided that while I was making the solution, to also attempt to make a perfume for you. I hope the bottle survives its travel.
.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．

From your friend, Tita.

╚══════════ · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ❃ · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ══════════╝

In the thicker envelope was a cloth batch, inside of which a small glass bottle. The liquid inside of it smells sweet, but a sniff of it makes you just a bit drowsy.

 

[Keia Merrenia]

Tita

It hasn’t taken terribly long.

I’m sorry to hear that your dress was ruined, I hope that what was damaged can be replaced or repaired. If not I can send you something to replace it. What kind of dresses do you prefer? I myself prefer less than modest clothing, but I would prefer to send you something you yourself would like. And I think that lace making would be most beneficial for you if it isn’t readily available where you are.

The fief’s troubles have been resolved partially, the brigands have been dealt with and overall public order has been established and peace has been largely brought to the people. Our economy has yet to be optimal, but it isn’t steadily improving, renovations and construction is widespread and everything is improving overall. The mines are getting more efficient and they are yielding more ore, mostly iron and silver.

My progress making winged, undead horses has been largely successful. I’ve made a few and also designed a chariot for my master so that he might travel more quickly and with less risk. It’s, of course, pulled by the winged horses, which I’ve taken to calling Thestrals. While I have yet to see any natural winged horses, I’m definitely looking forward to it, and I remain hopeful that I will be blessed by the sight.

I very much appreciate the perfume. It smells great! Though, might I ask for a description of the plant you used? It makes me feel drowsy every time the smell meets my nose, so I might use the plant for a sleeping drought for when sleep eludes me or to help my master should he ever find need of such a thing.

Yours truly, Keia.

 

[Keia Merrenia]

Tita

 

[Tita]

In the letter you have recived you find a small paper satchel, in it are small round seeds.

┍━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┑
Fair evening to you Keia,
─⭒──⚝──⭒─
I am overjoyed to hear of your fief's troubles subsiding! I hope that the profits gained from the mines will help out your people even more. Perhaps if you find a particularly talented metal worker you would be able to make those profits even greater.
─⭒──⚝──⭒─
It seems that while my efforts and experimentations are leading to slight failures, your own in exchange are doing quite well. I myself too hope to see your Thestrals in person one day. And you named them quite well I must say, "Pertaining to the dark", what an eerie name for creatures that are sure to equally as gloomy and dark. Might I see the design for the chariot you have made? I am intrigued, while I do not have any engineering knowledge, I would love to see what kind of aesthetic you have gone with for the chariot.

As I have moved my conversation to aesthetics, I would love to inform you of my clothing preferences. I'd say that I am not too picky. But my favorite dresses have intricate embroidery and lace detail. I can not help but marvel at the dedication and effort that must have gone into making such minuscule works of art. I did attempt to make some lace myself, but the result was, less than desirable... And with issues of modesty? Honestly speaking, I am all alone so I'm sure none would take offense at a more than immodest dress. I guess those are the benefits of a hidden sanctuary.
─⭒──⚝──⭒─
I looked through my plant encyclopedia, and the plant seems most likely to be Althaea Yponii, With the common name of "Sheep's mallow", a relative to the marsh mallow plant. It seems that the sleeping effect is contained within the flower and leaves, and that it was common to cause sheep to fall to sleep in the fields if they gnawed on it for too long. The root itself doesn't seem to have said effect, and you should still be able to make the mallow candy with it. The specimen of the plant in my greenery seems to be slightly different visually, with its leaves being narrower and their colouration seems to be more spotty, so with this letter, I include an illustration of its details and also it's seeds, so that you may attempt to grow one yourself.
─⭒──⚝──⭒─

Much love,
your friend Tita.
┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙

 

[Keia Merrenia]

(Sorry for the wait. Life got crazy.)

Dearest Tita.

I am very appreciative about your concern for my Master’s people. We have several fairly well-trained and experienced smiths. One such smith had actually crafted the collar I wear now, though I had to enchant it myself it is very well made and most comfortable too. That and we need to have good smiths so so that the armor and weapons of our knights and soldiers are adequate.

Speaking of soldiers, my Master has trained a unit of elite soldiers, and I trapped their souls in more durable vessels so that they might be harder to kill. This far there’s have been no problems but I’m skeptical about long-term separation from one’s soul.

And many thanks for your compliments regarding the thestrals I have designed and put together. If ever we decide to meet up, I’d be happy to bring one for you, or perhaps I can send one with the next letter should you like. As for the aesthetic of the chariot, as you’ve probably guessed by now, I am quite adept at using pieces of dead things. For the chariot I use bones, what else?

The Spine and the back of the ribcage taken from a dead troll are used as the draught pole and floor of the chariot, the axel required some extensive boneshaping but ultimately the femur of the troll was what I used. The wheels required less effort, the spokes being the remaining ribs, minus the four that I needed for the wheel’s exterior. I have yet to present this chariot to him, so I’m unsure of whether he would approve, but I certainly hope so.

I myself don’t care that much for the fancier clothes. While detailed lace is truly an accomplishment, I prefer to wear simpler clothes. Usually a simple top and cut skirt, always accompanied by the collar mentioned earlier.

many thanks for the details on this plant. It is certainly an interesting piece of nature and I’ll be sure to do some research on them when I have some spare time. And ignore I ever figure out how to make this mallow candy I’ll be sure to send you some.

Until next time, your friend
Keia.

 

[Keia Merrenia]

Tita