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I hovered around the door, not sure of what to do or say... when the small owlish man spied me. "Come in! Come in!" he bellowed. Next thing I know he is standing before me with a hand thrust out. "I am the herald for the Baroness! Arcimedes Papodopolous is my name! Do come in! No cats to eat tonight but we will have to make do!" I stared at him in horror... "C-cats..?" I don't think he noticed how disturbed I was and was shuffling about, offering me a chair and to take my coat. I sat down and watched the others quietly. After a bit of chatting a
very loud and obnoxious man burst into the room, disrupting the quiet chatter. He declared something about a troll who hunted unicorns and a gift for us and a contest... It was all so overwhelming and confusing! He then pushed in a large object and
took a seat across the room, grinning a horrible grin. Arcimedes swooped down and stared at the bundle, then threw back the sheet that was covering it. My heart felt as though it was going to fall out of my chest and a cry erupted throughout the room. Lying on the floor was a unicorn! A real honest-to-goodness unicorn! And she was hurt... All of her legs were visibly broken and four large gashes were on her side, blood flowing freely from them. The men began to argue back and forth with the horrible fellow who brought in the unicorn. They were quite loud but all I could hear was the painful whines from that magnificent creature. I look up and see Arcimedes staring down at the poor thing. He
smiled and said, "Oh look! Supper has arrived!" With a cry I threw myself atop her gently. "You will not eat her for supper or any other meal!" I said in a voice that surprised myself. Arcimedes shrugged carelessly and said that we should move it by
the fire so it would be more comfortable. After much convincing, I let go of her and moved aside so she could be carried to the fire. The men were still arguing as I surveyed the wound on her side. Quietly I took off my scarf and began to bind it carefully. Thankfully the bleeding seemed to stop. The women noticed what I was doing and offered me other pieces of clothing and I carefully
wrapped her up. After I was done I saw my new troll friend standing over me with some sturdy wood. He dropped the sticks and wrote a note saying "Wood... to splint the legs". Lily, the pasty woman wearing the dark clothing, stroked the unicorn's nose to keep her calm as I bound her broken legs. A great cry erupted from the creature as I pulled the binding tight. My eyes welled up with tears and I tried to calm her. "It will be over soon... just another minute... I am so sorry... please try to be still," I said in a wavering voice. As swiftly as I could, I bound the
other legs. By the time I was done she had fallen unconscious. It was probably best that way.
I turned my attention to the group of men when suddenly the Sidhe, whose name I learned was Sir Halfdan Kinrowan, stood up and said that he had an announcement to make as well. He said there was a celebration to be had. A great and glorious celebration to welcome spring back to us! And in honour of this, there was to be a contest. The winner would not only be celebrated but they would win a freehold (which I learned is a like a magical fortress for Changelings) and they would be given the honour of lighting the bale-fire. I don't know what he meant by that, though... I will have to ask him. He said that there were to be four parts to this contest. The first was a contest of arms. The second a contest of wits to be determined by riddles. Next a contest of craft. And lastly a contest of tale. He looked at the horrible Nocker with disdain and stated that ALL were permitted to enter. The Nocker laughed and proclaimed the contest over! "No-one can best me in a contest," he cried. "You should just give me the prize now!" Halfdan narrowed his eyes and stated that the contest would be in two weeks and restated that all could enter. I wonder... I wonder if I should enter... I know I don't stand a chance of winning... But anything I can do to make sure that the horrible Nocker doesn't win. Everyone seemed excited about the idea of contest and talked amongst themselves, hatching plans. A few other things happened as well. I met another Ghille Dhu! He was so very nice with his scruffy brown hair and long beard filled with flowers. He was the one with he baby, nursing it with a bottle. He seemed happy to meet me and I look forward to talking more with him. The Sidhe-lady tried to figure out what unicorns ate and mixed together a bowl of spring water, honey nectars and organic grains (I offered my flowers to the unicorn to eat which I was told it liked very much!). Sir Halfdan did something magical on the Troll so he could speak and the troll swore a beautiful oath, promising to always protect and guard the unicorn. The Nocker harassed the friendly Ghille Dhu about his baby, threatening to steal it from him. Arcimedes played a trick on the Nocker, telling him that he had to "find himself" and then made the Nocker forget where he was. Then someone made the unicorn invisible to the Nocker! The Nocker laughed and said that he would find her, that they could not hide her forever! His master, the evil Troll, was out hunting more unicorns as we spoke. My heart sank and I knew I couldn't let more beautiful unicorns be hurt. I asked a few of the others about this evil Troll and what he was like. I was told so many things. As tall as a mountain. He eats kittens and puppies. So very evil and cruel. Stay away, stay away. He must be stopped. But who would stop him. Bravely (or maybe foolishly), I stood up. In a tiny voice I spoke up. "I will try to stop him." A few looked at me disbelievingly, a few others cried out that I was foolish. But I walked (or limped since I still don't have my walking cane) over to the Nocker and demanded that he take me to the evil Troll. I would ask him to stop hurting the unicorns. With an evil grin the Nocker agreed to take me to him. I gathered up my coat and we left. He drove up front to a place called the Palace, which I guess is a bar or something during the night. He swung open the door and walked me over to the bar. There were only two people there. One was the bartender who was washing some glasses behind the counter. The second was a large scraggly man. He wore a heavy, black rain coat, had a long black beard and smelled of dirt, grease and sea-salt. "What do you want!" he snapped at the Nocker. "I'm eatin'!" The Nocker took me firmly by the shoulders and pushed me out in front. If I thought the Nocker had an evil grin, I don't know what to call the horrible expression on the troll's face. "Oh! I see... you brought me a present, did ye?" He leaned over and put his face in front of me, his breath so horrible I wrinkled my nose. "What do YOU want?" I seemed to have lost my voice, words catching in my throat. "I... I..." "SPEAK UP!" he bellowed. I cleared my throat and spoke in a tiny little voice. "I... I have come to ask you to stop hurting the unicorns." He looked behind the bar at the man standing there, staring at us. He suddenly reached over and grabbed the man by the throat. "STAY DOWN!" he yelled. The man got a strange, blink look on his face and fell to the floor. He turned back to me and began to change. Up... up... up he grew! While he normally stood six feet tall, he now towered over ten feet! His face was a murky blue, he wore heavy armour that was covered in barnacles, like it had been sitting on the bottom of the ocean for years. "You HAVE, have you! And why should I do a thing like that. What if I LIKE hurting unicorns?!" He grinned widely, baring his jagged and broken teeth. It was like he could sense the fear in me and was... was feeding on it. He then took a small, tiny kitten from his pocket. It mewed pitifully in his large, rough hand. A cry of terror erupted from me as he BIT the head of that poor baby kitty!! He spat it to the floor with an evil cackle, blood staining his chin and lips. I had curled up on the floor with my arms wrapped tightly around me, now crying freely. "What!? You don't like it when I hurt the poor little kitty cat?!" he asked in a booming voice. He looked at the Nocker and then back at me. He pulled another kitten from his other pocket. "Do you want to SAVE the little kitty?! Well... take it from me..." I hesitated. "I said TAKE IT!" he screamed. Terrified, I reached out to the kitten. "TOO LATE!!" He squeezed the kitten tightly and with his other hand ripped its head off with one smooth motion. I screamed again, hiding my face in my hands. "I.. I w-want to go h-home now..." I cried pitifully. "You are a bad man. A bad, bad, bad man." |
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Then his expression changed. He crouched down next to me and lifted my head with his huge hand. "I j-just don't want y-you to hurt the unicorns anymore..." He looked at me seriously. "I have more important things to do than hurt them, right now. A child... Did you see the child." "The one the Ghille Dhu man had? Yes, I did," I said in a trembling voice. "That is my child and I WILL have him back." I asked him what he wanted with the baby. "To raise it, of course," he replied. "To teach it and make it my own." He then stood up. He patted my head and looked down at me where I still remained crouched on the floor. "Do you want to go home now," he asked. I nodded fervently. "Well, then off you go." He reached into his pocket and took out a twenty dollar bill. "This should be enough money to get you back to your little friends. Also, I want you to take a friend with you." He reached into his coat and pulled out a dirty and mangy looking seagull. It squawked noisily at me. "I would feel some bad if somethin' bad were to happen to you. You take him along and let him go when you get there. That way I will know you got there nice and safe and sound." I didn't stop to argue and dashed for the door. Now I am going to head back to the freehold and tell the others about what happened to me. About the horrible troll and to warm the nice Ghille Dhu about his baby. And I have to make sure that the Nocker doesn't win that contest. I don't want him winning anything that could help that awful, awful man. I promise to write more later! - Lilliana
A Notice to the Citizenry of the Barony of Shining Waters, in the County of Drowned Honour, in the Duchy of Winter's Edge, Kingdom of Northern Ice, Empire of the Turtle, this third week past Yule, in the Thirty-Sixth Year in the reign of Good King David ap Ardry ap Gwydion, High King of Concordia. Hear all, and List to my words. When next we meet in two weeks' time, we will be celebrating the festival of Imbolc. The balefire is the heart of the freehold, keeping out the cold wind of Banality and preserving the Glamour that maintains our Dream. Imbolc is a festival celebrating the balefire and its replenishment after the long darkness of winter. Known by some as Bard's Day, Imbolc marks great competition among bards and other performers. Once sacred to the goddess Brigid, patroness of fire, smithcraft and poetry, Imbolc honors the creative spirit. Imbolc is the day of Rebirth of oath and of dream. On Midwinter's Night, special travelers, called firebrands, set out from Tara-Nar carrying lanterns that contain fire from the Well of Flame beneath High King David's palace. The lanterns will be used to replenish the balefire of every freehold during the Imbolc ceremony. As the seasons turn, so winter gives way to spring. As our Trollish nemesis has challenged us, so do I challenge those of this Barony. On our return from a long journey, I and my companions discovered a long-lost Freehold, its fire cold ashes, forgotten beneath the crystal waters of a lake not far from here. This Hold will need someone to care for it, to bring light once more to the corners of this Barony. At Imbolc, its fire will be re-lit, its hearth warm once more. I therefore propose a tourney. I offer this as prize: that the winner shall stand as Chancellor of this new-discovered Freehold. The tourney shall have four parts, as the House of Dougal holds four virtues. Force of Arms, for strength in battle and leadership and mind shall be needed to guard it against those threats which will rise in darkness. There will be a tourney of combat. Each shall face another with chimerical weapons and their own glamour, 'til only one stands victor. A test of wit, for luck and foresight will be needed as well for those who would protect the Dreaming from threats which cloak themselves in mystery. There shall be a riddling. Each shall riddle the next, until one is champion over all. A test of tale, for long memories keep hope alive, and we have need of hope in these dark days. Each shall tell one tale of their choosing to those assembed. The best teller shall win. A test of craft, for craft is the way of House Dougal, and the forge and the hearth are a single way. Each shall craft one work, to be adjudged against the others. The finest work shall claim the prize. Who stands best amongst these trials shall be lord over this found Hold. All may enter, and pit their luck and skill against their fellows. Who stands next shall be chosen to lead the march, to carry the Imbolc lantern, to light the fires. This is a great honour and a heavy calling indeed, to lead the rade. That is my challenge. In honour of Her Majesty Laurel ap Fiona, I stand Sir Halfdan ap Kinrowan ap Dougal, Knight of the Queen's Own, in Her Majesty's Secret Service.
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Most of the stuff on this page is copyright by White Wolf Publishing Inc. Used without express permission, and without any intent to challenge their rights to the material. Much of the artwork is copyright T. Diterlizzi. You should visit his gallery and support this fine artist. The purpose of this site is to provide support for a Live Action troupe who create improvisational stories through Changeling:the Dreaming.
[The following stands the call to Imbolc as related in Lilliana's tale above.]
