Vintage vs Spoiled

Finding balance can be tough when things have gone bad. I worry what the loss of Ness will mean for Hearts Hallow. Was she the source of their protection? It's interesting that she strayed from Paladine and yet was a protector to these humans. She didn't lose her abilities. She did her own thing and forged her own path. She found people she cared about and protected them. Maybe I am not as caged in as I was thinking. Not as forced down a path as I thought.
 
What causes an old bottle of wine to spoil versus become a vintage that everyone seeks?
 
In the life celebration for Ness I saw what she meant to these people. I felt their love and their joy for what she had given to them. I felt the sadness and the loss of her death. The bond created between these people. The love that created this community. It came from her. She was the loving ingredient. She was the care in the fermenting and bottling process. No matter what happens to the place of Hearts Hallow, the people and their love will flow into the world and be remembered.
 
Lieran decides to add to our team and help seek out the city of lost names even though we have a name for it now, Onyari. I like Lieran. I don't know why. I will continue to work with him to learn his language and hopefully be better at communicating in the future. Maybe Chase can help me with that as well? I think it is a situation of someone wanting to better themselves and sees the wrong in the world. I think that is part of it. I want people to have joy in their life and live it to their fullest in whatever area that it means for themselves and in a way that doesn't hurt other people. At least at minimum doesn't cause them to die or feel repressed. I am good with pranks and jabs. I definitely enjoy picking on Kravlak.
 
We travel north after talking with the rest of the Kalaman army. I need to work with Lord Charity some more and make sure I am helping him be successful. As usual I have been caught up in myself and forgetting to support him. I need to do better at that. We find the encampment and sneek our way in. We find some caverns and ruins. I find some nice fancy red clothes that look great on me. I find some Disterian Wine that unfortunately the first bottle I tasted had spoiled. I wonder if this will work as a vinegar replacement for cooking. I will check with Kravlak. We fight off a golem and frog like creature. Then we find Demlin. Poor Demlin. He has been stuck here for hundreds of years since the city crashed. There is something in the city that keeping him here. He cannot die. He cannot escape. He was so helpful. Here is an example of someone that could have let his situation sour him but he has remained resolute and will be remembered as a vintage. I hope we can help find a way for him to find peace.
 
So where does that put me and this path that we are on. I think early on with this group we were definitely down the path of spoiling. There has always been a bond between Charity and I. We have grown together and are forging new paths and finding new strengths. However I wasn't sure if that love and friendship would carry into this group of people. I have definitely grown to respect and adore Kravlak. He is a great center for this team. He truly lives by caring for people and feeding them. He has definitely gotten better at holding his liquor as I have gotten better at being a chef. He is so easy to poke and have fun with and I adore that relationship. Dell has changed and I must say for the better. That layer of isolationism is gone and he has become accountable for his errors. He still needs to be more careful about rushing into places otherwise he won't live long enough to resolve his mistakes. Aylin is different since she regained her memories and is more driven if that was even possible. Her legacy and mission are at the forefront and she is using that drive to help us find answers. And how did we get other thousandaires in our group? Steve brings another round of perspective from ages past that helps us on this journey along with Chase even though I think he enjoys toying with us and only sticks around for Kravlak's cooking. So will this team become vinegar or become a remembered vintage? I think that is yet to be determined.
 
Well with Demlin's information we know where to go to disrupt the city. We can't fail here like we did back at the dragon army encampment where we rescued Chase. We saw what happened when we left the black dragon live and that lead to the death of Ness. We can't let this city fly to Kalaman and cause similar death and destruction to friends and families.