[God Quest] Ash and Shrubberies

Lisbeth walked up to the shrine, her ash-coated branch held in one hand, a potted plant tucked into the crook of her other arm. She knelt before the shrine, placing the branch horizontally in front of herself. With both hands, she carefully placed the potted plant in front of the shrine. It was a flowering shrubbery with orange and yellow buds. She had considered bringing peaches again, but she was worried that Frey would get tired of the same old thing. She hoped that something new and different would please the god.

"I have returned," she said, head bowed low. "As you requested, I have climbed the volcanic mountain and retrieved the ash from near its peak. I have cut a branch from a tree, ensuring it is of fine quality to be used in crafting a bow. I carefully coated the branch with the ash. And I have practiced my archery to be prepared to properly handle the bow."

"I hope that my tasks have pleased you. They were difficult to complete." Though at least one of the tasks would have been easier if her sister had been less of a pain. "I will await your response, with the hope that it will be a positive one."

She continued kneeling, head bowed low, and waited for Frey's response.

Frey

Frey is always pleased by something new and different, and the offering of the beautiful shrubbery is no different. Indeed, the potted plant seems to grow and thrive before Lisbeth's eyes, as if feeding on the force of the deity as they appear. "How very prompt," they gush, clasping their hands together before reaching out for the ashy branch.

"Oh, this will do perfectly," Frey croons, bending the branch in such a way that it must surely snap in the god's grip. But it is not so - instead the wood turns a dark, rich black in colour, as if truly infused by the ashes, and it warps and changes until, with a whisper of magic on the wind, Frey is holding not a branch, but a perfectly crafted bow in their hands. They offer it out to Lisbeth.

"Try this on for size - I think you'll enjoy it."

---

Lisbeth has completed her quest and receives the following!

Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Scorch Recurve | A bow infused with volcanic ash. A rich, dark colour, it is always warm to the touch. Any arrow drawn with the bow will ignite on release.

Lisbeth's hands were shaking as she took the bow from Frey. She looked it over, marveling at the warmth she felt emanating from it.

"Thank you," she said, her voice quivering with reverence. "I vow to put this to good use, protecting the innocent in the coming war."

She rose to her feet, drawing an arrow and nocking it to the bowstring. She felt the arrow grow warm to the touch. She looked around for a place to fire, not wanting to damage the shrine to set any of the plants ablaze. She found a bare patch of dirt and fired the arrow into it, her eyes going wide at the sight of the blazing streak that shot across the air.

"Woohoo!" she shouted, pumping a fist in the air. Then she remembered whose presence she was in, and she bowed her head sheepishly. "I mean, thank you, your grace. It is more than I ever dreamed it would be."

Frey

With hands clasped and a cheerful smile on their face, Frey watches Lisbeth put the bow into action offering little more than a bow of their head as it has the desired effect. "May it serve you well, peach," they murmur, already beginning to scatter away on flower petals, as if disintegrating into the Longheat breeze.

And soon enough Lisbeth stands alone in the shrine once more, but she has something to show for it, at last. May it bring her luck in the coming conflict.

~FIN