A private letter from bard, Jewel von Onyx, on the anniversary of her sister’s death. some Easter eggs and a glimpse in the bard’s backstory.
Dear Marion,
Not a day has gone by since returning to Westbank that I have not seen you from behind in a crowd. When I rolled back into town, it was the dead of night and the phosphorescent mushrooms that line the crops leading into town were in full force. The grid leading into the city reminded me of the summer we stayed with Grandma Jo on the farm. Remember how the kids from the farm down the road taught us to use the mushrooms to play tricks on Sebastian? He was so little.
On the ride in, I swear that I heard your voice call out as we passed the last farm. I miss the way your voice would ring out and echo off the walls in a way that seemed to harmonize with itself. I miss when you would yell at me for forgetting to meet you for lunch, knowing I could still count on your attendance to every show when I came home.
I’ll admit, I was a bad sister for the last few years. When you showed up in Alabaster, I was unprepared to confront the implications of what that meant about me. I will regret until the end of my days my refusal to hear you out. But you probably know that.
I joined the guild. It won’t be the same without you, and I won’t make the same impact that you did. However, I am working on my healing techniques. I’m toeing the line and being a team player, and I’m just as good as you said I’d be, and getting better.
I met some folks that you would have liked a lot. During the trials of entry, I was paired with a cleric named Singer and a barbarian named Stennel. Singer worships Xa’leah and comes from a monastery in the mountains. He’s a bit on the naive side, but he’ll learn how to deal with people eventually. I know you’d love Stennel, he’s quite the character. He used to be a pirate! He comes from Port Deering, and has a twin brother. He’s strong and when he gets angry, the thickest door can’t hold him back.
You’d really like them. I keep thinking about how you would have aced the entire process. You were always so good with people and puzzles. The test itself got away from us, and we got interrupted by a bit of chaos, but believe it or not, we saved the day. _I_ saved the day.
Sebastian joined the town guard. He still isn’t speaking with me. I don’t know if he’ll ever forgive me. I understand, it’s hard to forgive myself. During my stay in Anquor the monks taught me that you can’t be dependable if you don’t trust yourself. Take your fate into your own hands. Luck favors the bold. A lot of Avandra’s teachings are conducive to recovery and healing.
Today marks the anniversary of your death, and tomorrow I’ll be one year sober. It’s been a rough road, infinitely darker without you. I continue to work towards your legacy of goodness and grace, and strive to help those who can’t help themselves. I still have a hard time keeping focused on this goal, and am learning to read a room a bit better. Someday I hope I’m capable of not only commanding attention, but using that attention to bring peace and justice.
I may never know if I could have been the difference between your life and death, or how your last moments were, but I do know that if I can stop it from happening to someone else – I will.
Not sure if this is more for you or me, but I leave it with this promise.
We’ll meet again,
Juju
From the desk of Jewel von Onyx