Everyone regrets having the most curious guy of all take the lead and we see what happens when a young woman's heart turns to thoughts of love... Wait, wrong spelling.

Ophelia had sensed something important in this cave and the party knew that of course it would be a hidden sacred shrine.

"Hail, Traveler. I am Steorra, Starseer. Thou woulds't learn the secrets I hold...? Then first, thou must prove thy worth!"

It had been Cyrus's turn to approach any unfamiliar stuff. There were secrets? He stepped forward before H'aanit could ask "What doth proving our worth entail?"

The fury of fate itself rained down upon the seven travelers and a very long fight began.

Admist the crashing of stars and steel Cyrus heard a complaint,

"Oh, who's brilliant idea was it to let Ophelia take her sister home while we investigated the cave?"

"Unto thee who hast proven thy worth, I impart the lost secrets of the heavens."

"..." Seven very traumatized people looked up. (It would have been eight if the seduced guy hadn't run off minutes ago.)

"Hold forth thy map." One very shaky Tressa held up the parchment for Steorra. The ethereal image of the starseer herself raised an eyebrow, muttered a few things to herself, then made some swift motions with her hand over the paper. "Aelfric commandeth thou take better care of his Flamebearer, scholar." She looked at the rest of the team and gave them an approving nod.

They all crowded around to see what the map had now.

There were a series of numbers on the map. There was also tiny lettering spelling out some names. The travel itinerary seemed mostly straightforward. Therion could see the wisdom in not taking the entire crew to Northreach because there was nothing inconspicuous about this crowd. Everyone went to Duskbarrow and Cyrus was happy about that. He was going to need all the help he could get for the exorcism.

Primrose's eyes had gone straight to Everhold. They then strayed to the other part of the Highlands. "...Why is Everhold dead last? What's that before...?"

"Is that Hornburg?," asked Olberic. "Why is everyone going to Hornburg?"

Everyone turned their heads to the spot where Steorra had been.

Primrose said, "It would only be a quick stop on the way to take care of my business. Why wait and let him ruin more lives?"

Tressa apprehensively asked, "Do you want to go back and question the wisdom of a god?" There was the subtext. Did they want to fight Steorra again?

"No... I suppose not." Primrose's bad mood did not last long. Halfway out to Noblecourt she stopped and then smiled. "I suppose business can wait."

Alfyn was startled by the sudden change of demeanor. "Er, really? You're okay with us not going after the scumbag right away?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

She handed off a letter at Noblecourt and, when asked, said "Oh, just some sweet nothings for an old paramour..." Primrose was even more okay with waiting after they stopped by the shrine to Alephan for another review. The spell to cancel Simeon's immortality had a few adjustments so there would need to be more practice time. They also ran into an old friend of Cyrus' at the shrine so Primrose snagged a new companion after a couple failed attempts.

One allure later, Dominic was sitting with them at the campfire he was taking in a lot of things at once since Cyrus was telling the man all about his work on the blood magic research. Cyrus had not been about to pass up an opportunity to get opinions from the man who translated the entire "From the Far Reaches of Hell."

"...You... um... You have been busy."

"You don't know the half of it." Olberic said. "Ophelia came close to taking a page from Therion's book and confiscating everything."

Cyrus nodded. "It is fortunate she did not. We also must have been blessed by the twelve to meet you on the road! We could use a backup spellcaster for the exorcism. I'll start teaching you the incantations right away if you are willing to help."

Dominic remembered what the party had told him after confronting Yvon and shuddered. Dominic knew he should have postponed his pilgrimage to Alephan's shrine.

It was many, many days later before Primrose's letter arrive at the intended destination.

"Letter for you, boss." Said the Obsidian who had picked up the mail from the inn.

"That handwriting looks familiar." said Simeon. He picked up the paper which had been carefully folded and sealed. The faint scent of perfume wafted from it. "Where have I seen this writing before?..." The wax seal he would know anywhere. She'd managed to get a seal of House Azelhart?

He carefully cut open the wax seal. He stopped to read the cursive with a smile on his face which quickly dropped off. The confused minion cleared out of the room and fled before Simeon started to vent his fury.

"How... How can she just... Why?..."

" My dearest Simeon

I have more important things to kill first.

Primrose"

"How can she do this to me?!"

I might rewrite the letter . I can see this narcissist wouldn't take it very well if Primrose just outright called him unimportant. All that stuff he says to toy with Primrose is gonna have to wait until she kills some other guys first. She really still does not want to wait to avenger her father, but she is going to make the most of this delay.