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[howandwhy99]

Rose: I can't remember anything useful about the laughter. It came from everywhere and it sounded vaguely female. It always fades from my mind when I wake like dawn on the morning mist. I don't feel anything in particular when I hear it, it's just laughter. This concept of secrets is strange. Why would I not wish to tell anyone of my past? Am I supposed to be ashamed of it?

I see the eyes of the souls of the dead watch us every night, you do as well. You call them stars. In fae lands no souls have ever escaped mother.

The fae would work with anyone that the whim strikes them to work with. Prolonged work would require something they would continually need though. The runners are elves. Elves are more constant than fae, but to my knowledge they cannot change shape.

The fae lands are next to these. But entry and exit to and from them is barred, stones called "The Dancers". Legends say that stepfather erected them when mother cast him out; to keep her from re-thinking her decision and trying to win him back. Legends say that stepfather pulled them from the earth in his anger when he left her. Legends say that powerful druids erected them to keep away the fae from these lands and mother especially so she could not add this domain to her own. Legends say no pure fae can cross them. Legends say no iron from these lands can cross either. Of course some legends also say that mother breaks from her confinement every year and goes in search of step-father. Legends say the bards and minstrels and storytellers call to her every year for inspiration and she plants the seeds of stories in their minds so that the runners might find fertile ground upon which to reap their harvest. As she goes she brings the cold and ice so beloved to her that keep beautiful things frozen in time, just like her. But she never finds him and it takes half the year for the druids to chase her back into her realms, or if she does find him, he chases her back, and the fight goes on for half the year. I have already told you the story of how I came to be here I fell into a trader's wagon. I fell and when I awake the air was warm and I could see again. The sky was so bright I was dazzled at first. The fae lands have no sun, only eternal winter shrouded in eyeless night. Mother lives in a castle of her own devising, made of a strange material I could not describe to you. Smooth like ice or glass, but warm and opaque.”

“That’s enough!” cried out Darius. “I’m not holdin’ my bloody ears any longer. If you two want to talk, it’ll have to be later.” Darius steered his horse back to the main groups and joined the circle. “If we are going to go into to Kera and find Tankurd, I think we should be undercover,” he announced to everyone. “We will be buyers of slaves looking for a smith to profit from the Margrave war effort. That should explain why we are new to town and our interest in finding Tankurd.” The others silently nodded in agreement.
“You can call me Mard,” Dram said. Dalin took the name Rollin and Pax would be known as Jax. Father Ben thought he would have a difficult time remembering all the names. “Is Pax even known to be anything but a henchman for Darius?” he thought to himself.

“I shall be named Cera, but I believe Diedre, Rose, and Grog should all use their usual names. They have not traveled with us long and should not raise suspicion…” Kayla eyed Rose again. “…much,” she finished. Father Ben said he would take a vow of silence. “Or just go by Father, if anyone asks. No one seemed to have Faith in Kustner. I’d rather wait and see what Kera reveals.” Ormand admitted no one had ever asked his name since he joined us, so he decided not to use a pseudonym either.
“Aye, the name Darius should not be spoken by any of us,” stated the dwarven paladin. “I shall go under the moniker ‘Brin Mjollnir’ from the old stories of Thor when he lost his hammer.”

At Father Ben’s prompting Darius told the story of Thor and how he won his hammer back. Dram knew most of the details too. The northman’s family had long worshipped Thor who Ben had taken as only a dwarven God. The tale was one of warring gods and goddesses and even a strange bit where Thor was changed into a woman. It was not something Ben had heard of before in his studies with Father Stauk-Flezr. Darius told other tales about Thor and his dwarven heritage late into the day. When Darius had left the hold his father was in line to ascend to the Council of Thanes. It sounded like a very important role. In time the day passed and the sun began to set.

“Orlain is first village we come to in Kera,” spoke up Grog. “The Spitting Serpent is the Inn there.” Apparently they were very close and could reach the village by nightfall. Upon Darius’s urging Grog told them a little about Orlane. “They are very wary of strangers and may not let Grog stay ‘cause we arrived at night.” Grog suggested staying inside a cave near the forest’s edge until the morning. Kayla drew the others in close. She suggested the town was probably a dangerous place and may be part of the slaving business. Darius agreed. He told Father Ben not to go into the village until the morning with Pax and Diedre. Then the horses were turned northwards to find Grog’s cave.

The misty hole looked to have burst from the ground. A curved hillock at the edge of the Greenwillow Forest cozied around the hole’s rear side. A dark tunnel sloped down inside angling under the forest. The team dismounted, lit torches, and Rose led a few of them inside to explore first. After about fifty feet or so, the little Fae found a pool of water blocking the end of the cave. Darius used his vision to look in the dark water. It reminded him of an old mineshaft. It would need to be drained to further explore. A quick search of the rest of the cave showed it to be free of debris. Diedre noticed a set of footprints leading in from outside. “Nobody move!” said Rose. She skipped over to Diedre’s side and examined the prints. “Wolves,” she said. The prints were strange as they led up to the pool’s edge, but did not return.

“whoa…” said Kayla who tried to keep her balance. “This is the place. This cave is what is watching us. It is very strong here.” The sorceress sat down to steady herself.
“Is it the witch?” asked Ben. Rose moved up to the water’s edge and called out to it in Common. There was no response. She tried Elven and then Fae. With the last a strange hissing with a male’s voice replied in Fae. “GET OUT” The pool simply bubbled and hissed to Ben’s thinking.
“Trade?” asked Rose. “THROW SOMETHING INTO POOL”, the water hissed and bubbled again. Rose took out two of the mushrooms she had taken from the littlefolk’s lair and tossed them in. The water formed an arm and swallowed the fungi whole. Then it stilled becoming smooth.

“I think we should be okay for the night”, said Rose speaking to everyone else now.
“Are you sure?” asked Kayla. “This is like the blob we found outside Hommlett.” Rose assured her it would be safe. Double watches were assigned just in case and the team bedded down to rest. “What are you doing? Are you crazy!” yelled out Dram at Father Ben. He had been caught red-handed putting rocks under his blankets. “uhh… It’s to keep me from rolling around in my sleep,” Ben said hoping it was at least partially true. Dram simply looked at the priest as if he had lost his mind. Kayla and Pax were stationed at the front and back of the cave as the others slept. Every two hours new watchers were awoken until the morning sun rose.