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It was a bit strange to think that so many more of them would be returning here to Warrenhold. So many new Rainlords whom he’d never even met.

Very strange, indeed.

He couldn’t help wondering what they would think of him. He was aware that he’d garnered a bit of a... weird reputation among the Rainlords, so how were all these new people going to view him?

A little nerve-wracking. He was almost dreading their return.

But only almost. That was just a loose thought. A distraction. He still had plenty of important things to be devoting his attention to here at Warrenhold.

While it was true that most of the warrior Rainlords were away, there were many non-combatants here to talk to. It sometimes didn’t feel that way, since apparently the warriors were the rowdiest bunch, but he wanted to think of this as an opportunity to get to know some of them better.

Like the Blackburns. Particularly, Nere Blackburn. Her late husband, Ismael Blackburn, had been killed by the Salesman of Death at Dunehall--a death which Hector had personally witnessed in all its cruelty.

And despite Nere being positioned as the new head of her House, the leadership role had instead fallen upon the shoulders of Horatio Blackburn.

From everything Hector had seen and heard, Nere had not been doing so well ever since, which was obviously understandable.

Her reaper, though, name of Sentsia, was a different story. It made for an odd dichotomy whenever Hector saw the two of them. Sentsia leading the way, being talkative with others--jovial, even--while Nere followed wordlessly behind, shoulders slumped, gaze drifting about. It was hard to tell if the woman was even listening to any of the conversations that she was overhearing.

He wanted to say something to her, but each time he’d had the opportunity, it just didn’t feel right. Or he couldn’t think of what to say.

Sentsia, of course, was easy enough to talk to, like most reapers, but Hector felt repeatedly stuck trying to break the ice with that poor woman.

And so he began to think that, perhaps, words were not what was in order. Instead, maybe a real, tangible gesture would be better.

So in his free time, and with the assistance of some of the other Blackburns, he’d been working on a gift, of sorts. It wasn’t specifically for Nere, as he hoped many of the Rainlords would be able to get some use out of it, but he did want her to be the first to see it.

With a small host of Blackburns behind him, including Nere and Sentsia, he pushed open the door to the first fully restored shrine within Warrenhold.