Okay, I finally got it. The problem is that the window you have to get it from Tuon is insanely small. When you return from the desert temple you automatically rest and the next day the mailman ask you to deliver the letter to the commander upstairs. That's the only moment you have to get the armor. The moment you deliver the letter, Tuon despawns. I missed it because since you get the letter inside the Inn and have to deliver it upstairs, there's very little reason to go outside in that moment.
Viewing post in [RPG] GROVE: "Dark Places" (v0.308) comments
Ah, yes... if you're playing through a new game, there is indeed only a small window of sorts. We're going to try and add a little something to the maildrake's scene to have you go check outside and talk to the blacksmith, next time.
Thanks for the feedback. Knowing this is a bit of an issue folks are running into, we'll do our best to try and work carefully around it next time.
Oh snap. I really missed this window? I have to go so far back just to get the armor. I've made hours of progress since then thinking Tuon would come back at some point. You need to add something to the forge that lets the assistant give you the armor if you turned in the scraps and missed that tiny gap to go to Tuon.
Tuon will also come back after you complete the quest "A New Source". That's not the only chance to get the 'skimpy armour'.
But yes, we plan to add a way to get a bigger window for players to acquire this armour BEFORE doing Tuon's quest. We recognise that the current method is more than a bit obtuse.