Session 83 - A New Adventure Calls

General Summary

20th Planting

Most of the party were sitting around their private sitting room enjoying a delicious breakfast when Janora arrived. Ell flashed the witch a bright smile, "It's good to see you, I hope things are well in your village?"
"Hi, Janora," added Tear, waving a frying pan, "would you like an omelet? I've got diced ham and some tangy cheese."
"That sounds lovely, Tear, thank you," replied Janora as she took off her hat and settled into a chair, "and yes, things in Baymoon are as good as can be, I suppose. No else has died, but I haven't had much time to do much more for them."
"I should add that to my research list," murmured Denye, "but you mentioned you had some time sensitive information."
"Indeed," began Janora, but she was interrupted by Tear of Midnight Sorrow delivering a fluffy omelet with a side of fried tubers and a tall, steaming mug of tea. The witch took a slow and careful sip, "That is good...I feel like I haven't seen you all in moons." That caught everyone's attention and Janora took the moment to cut into the omelet and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes went wide and she turned to grin at Tear, "That's quite good, you've got a touch with the seasoning."
"Wait till you taste my cookies," boasted the beaming goblin.
"What do you mean by moons," asked Ell, quizzically, "it was like a fortnight ago that you took that comb to...your witch friend."
Janora grinned and shrugged, "Let's say I was making some visits." Scooping up a forkful of tubers she added, "I don't want to let this get cold, what have you all been up to for the last week or so?"
"I've been working with the city division of the Woodguard," offered Jilken, "it's been interesting, they know a few tricks that are different than the guards in Haven. I've also been sitting in on the meetings with the Watcher and his generals. Things are pretty quiet, the last three meetings have mostly been planning for restock once it gets warm and all of this frozen water disappears."
Ell chuckled, "This hasn't even been a bad cold season." Picking up his own tea mug, the young man took a sip, "I had quite an interesting visit with that inventor fellow I set up in Port Frost. I just got back last night and haven't really had a chance to tell you about this, Denye, but I might need your help designing some codes. The Professor has come up with a method of non-magical distance communication that has incredible possibilities!"
"Oh that sounds interesting," said Denye excitedly, "I've been working on some codes on my own. Actually you might be able to help me translate some things. I've spent the last week with Everoim. He was apparently asked by the Tyrant of Dreford to look more into that cult we destroyed. He found some damaged pages and asked me to help him translate them. They are....well the one language I CAN read is coded, but the bits I've cracked are disturbing."
"It's funny you mentioned that cult," said Janora, putting down her fork and pushing the now empty plate away. Picking up her mug of tea, the witch leaned back in her chair, "I learned a bit about the creatures that they were using to take people over. The Raven Queen invited me to spend a season in her court."
"Wait," said Ell, excitedly, "you got to visit the Shadowfell?"
"Indeed," replied Janora with a smirk, "it...it was odd. Cold, dark, and odd. I did not leave the Matron's demise but I learned quite a bit, including that the cult had made a deal with a creature called a Sadree Queen. She could produce slug-like babies that when implanted would take over the brain of the host, all linked and controlled by the queen. But more importantly, I learned the location of one of the bells. Apparently there is a magical glass castle that appears in the Summerburg Mountains a few times a year. But it only shows up a few times a year, specifically when both Rilar and Arini are full. That's what I meant when I said time-sensitive, both moons will be full on the 24th and the next opportunity won't be until late Blooming."
"Do we know where in the mountains it appears?" asked Jilken, "we can't exactly search the entire mountain range in a single night."
"Actually," said Ell, thoughtfully, "I think we might. Ranunkel told me a story once of a Crystal Citadel, a ghost castle that only existed for a single night four times a year. If I recall, he said that nobody really knew where it came from, just that it was very very old and there was a bridge that connected it to a plateau near the top of one of the peaks. There was a town nearby I think, now what was the name of the town." The young noble tapped a finger against his temple for a few moments before snapping his fingers and announcing proudly, "Bricoler Falls, that was it...so now we just need to find it on a map."
Ell leapt out of his chair and disappeared into his room as Jilken asked, "So we think we know where it is? Do we know what Bell is there?"
"The Rouser sees through walls of glass," said Denye, consulting one of her many notebooks, "that's how the second stanza starts, 'The Rouser sees through walls of glass / Cross the threshold, take the chance / Find the bridge in hidden pass /When two moons glow within night’s glance.'" Looking up from her notes she added, "I've got a lead on the Dreamer as well. Dor, you know the bookwyrm who works with the Wayfinders, she said she was traveling and she found an archway of pitted chrome and she said she could lead us there." The wizard thought for a moment and added, "That was a couple of weeks ago and is unlikely to go anywhere. The timing of the moons suggests we should go after the Rouser first."
Ell returned carrying a rolled up map, which he quickly spread out on the table. "This isn't the full map of Ellebore," he explained, "just the Emotha signatories, but it's more detailed." Running his eyes up the Summerburgs along the eastern edge, he let out a cry of triumph and jabbed a finger at the paper about halfway up the range. "Bricoler Falls...there it is."
"You don't see a marking for this Glass Castle, do you?" asked Jilken, leaning forward to look at the map as well. Clucking her tongue she shrugged, "No such luck, we'll just have to hope someone there can tell us about it. So how do we get there? That's supposed to be mostly farmland and fairly safe, but that village isn't very close to any of the cities?"
Taking in the map as well, Denye shook her head, "I'm afraid, I probably won't be much help. I could get us to Haven or Dreford or even that Everoim's tower, but it would still take a sennight of hard riding to get to there and we'd miss the lunar conjunction." Turning to Janora she asked, "What about your forest spell, Janora? There are a couple of forests only a few days of Bricoler Falls."
Janora glanced down at the map and nodded, "Yes, I've been to two of those, both Farnduff Forest and the Swamps of Brothe'll. Either should get us there in time."
"Well," said Ell, pointing both locations out on the map. "Farnduff is a little further away and we'd have to cross this river. There's a town on the bank here, they would probably have a bridge right?"
"The Swamp is closer, probably a two day ride," suggested Jilken, "and if Janora can bring us out at the northeastern edge, we'd be on the right side of the river."
That seemed like the best location to the others and eventually even Janora agreed, albeit with a bit of reluctance. "So two days to get there," she said, 'and we need to be there in five. When do we want to leave?"
"Getting there early will give us a chance to look around the town," said Denye, pragmatically, "Learn about the Castle...assuming the locals will talk about it. Much better than rushing it at the last minute and not having all the information.
"Or trouble along the road, causing us to delay," added Jilken darkly, "perhaps another of those snowstorms that both blinds and freezes you."
Ell shook his head, "I don't think we totally count out a snowstorm, but the snow that far south won't be as bad or as deep as the snow is around here."
"Fair enough," replied the Aiel, "I'm packed and ready to go then, I just need to send a note up to the Keep to let the Watcher know I will be away for a few days."
Ell shrugged and looked over at Tear, "I don't have anything pressing at the moment, do you?"
"Not really," said the goblin, shaking his head, but then an excited look crossed his face, "If we camp, I can use my new pans!"
Denye laughed, "I've got a few things I'm researching, but most of it is already in my workshop. I just need some time to pack."
The party broke up shortly after that, agreeing to meet at the stables in one hour. Jilken grabbed her travel bags and headed downstairs and outside to see about saddling the riding animals. Janora, having left her own bag with Forest followed the Aiel downstairs and was pleased to learn that Ell had purchased new animals for himself and the others. He had chosen a sweet, light footed palfrey for himself and a solid and placid mule for Denye, but Tear's mount was quite different. The witch actually laughed when Jilken led out the shaggy-furred mountain goat with curling horns.
Eventually the team regrouped and headed out of the city, Janora leading them to the southern gate and toward the western edges of the Troraine Timberland. The snow overland was deep and Jilken took the lead, so that Ironheart could break a trail, winding a bit as they navigated the higher drifts. As soon as they were outside the city, Janora had taken to the air and once the party reached the edge of the trees, she suggested that they take a rest while she and Forest scouted around for a game trail or something to use for her spell.
The snow was lighter under the boughs of the towering redwoods and cypress and as the witch flew off to scout, Tear built a small fire and began brewing tea as Jilken led the mounts over to a snow dusted hedge for a bit of browse. The Aiel gratefully accepted a cup as she returned to the others. Taking a small sip of the hot liquid, she was a bit surprised at the flavor. It had a minty, almost cold taste in the mouth, but with a smoky and warm aftertaste, bringing to mind hearthfires and sun-kissed fields. It was also quite warming going down, sipping again the Aiel asked, "Is this one of the Shin'a'in teas? I don't recognize this one, but they are the only ones who could mix such a complex tea."
Tear nodded, "It's called Frost Spice and it's supposed to be a good tea for traveling in the cold weather. There's a shop in Wexwood run by a funny old man, named Lovanith." The goblin chuckled, "he loves to talk, but he won't sell you tea unless you agree to let him teach you how to brew it."
"How hard is it to brew tea?" scoffed Ell.
"Harder than you think with Shin'a'in teas," replied Jilken, smiling, "they are masters of tea and have recipes and traditions going back hundreds of years. They also have teas for every occasion. No business or serious conversation can happen without sharing tea and you can learn a lot about someone's feelings by what tea is served."
Both Denye and Ell were fascinated by this and almost an hour passed before Janora called over the earrings, "I found a trail for us, if you follow the edge of the treeline south you'll find it. I'll wait here."
It only took half as long for the party to reach the spot and found that it was indeed some sort of cleared path leading deeper into the woods. As they neared, Janora waved to catch their attention and Ell called, "Where does this path go and who cleared the snow?"
"I'm not entirely sure," said Janora with a shrug, "It didn't really seem to lead to anything. I think it's from the cart of a wood collector, but it doesn't really matter, all that matters is that it's a path I can link with one in the swamp. But we need to get further in before I can cast the spell.
The witch led the party deeper into the woods for another 10-15 minutes, before calling a halt again. "This is good enough," said the witch. Dismounting she pulled out her obsidian tool. Before she began drawing the witch runes, she turned to regard the party and with a serious tone said, "A word of warning, this is Baba Yaga's swamp we're going to. Now there is no reason why that should be a problem, just don't harm or kill anything until we are out of the swamp."
"Why not?" asked both Ell and Jilken at the same time.
Janora glanced at Jilken and explained, "Because I don't want the Yaga angry with any of us. If we're lucky we'll land near the edge and slip out before she notices." Turning to stare directly at Ell the witch added, "If my senior does come to visit, be very careful with what you say and how you act."
"Ohhhh," said Ell, "Court manners. I can do that."
Janora still looked concerned, "Her moods can be fickle...maybe it would just be better to let me do the talking." She looked a little happier when the other agreed and promised to keep an eye on Ell as well. That settled, the witch began to quickly draw the familiar spell circle around the party. Once it vanished in a flash of green light, Janora remounted and led the party on.
It was a quick journey across the length of the continent and the party found themselves standing on a path that wound among large banyan trees and pools of green, algae-covered water. Quickly, Janora led them onward, listening closely to the sounds of the swamp around them. That was why, as the party reached firmer ground and the trees began to thin, the witch noticed when all the sounds of birds and insects went completely silent.
A a moment later, a cackle echoed through the swamp and the party came to a halt in confusion…all except for Janora who just went ramrod stiff. A few moments later a wild wind began to whip the tops of the trees around before several along the path actually bent backwards allowing a large stone mortar to descend and settle in front of Janora.
The tall, wild looking woman leaned down, giving everyone a predatory grin. In a voice that sounded somewhere between a creaking hinge and the laugh of a banshee, she said, "Ah, girl, you have returned. And you've brought your friends!"
"Indeed," began Janora stiffly, "I do apologize for the intrusion. We are on our way to Bricoler Falls and the swamp was the closest location to get there quickly."
"Of course, of course," replied the elder witch, "You know how much I've been wanting to meet your friends, girl. Besides, it is good that you have visited again." Before she said more, the Yaga lifted her pestle and stuck the interior of the mortar with a crack like thunder. Janora's willpower was strong enough that she didn't jump or otherwise react, but from her peripheral vision, she could tell that all of her friends had disappeared.
"So," said Baba Yaga, overly casual, "“Did you enjoy your visit with my sister?”
The witch nodded cautiously, “It was an interesting experience, I learned quite a bit. But you mentioned you wanted to speak to me, what can I do for you?”
The Yaga laughed, “I did, I did.” Reaching into the mortar the crone shoved an enormous egg into the witch’s hands with a sharp command of “Deal with this.” With a final cackle, Baba Yaga vanished as Janora blinked and found herself once more among her friends.
"What just happened?" Ell asked, looking around and clearly startled, "Where did you all go?"
"I expect," said Denye, fluffing her feathers, "that we all just had a private conversation with the Baba Yaga...assuming your experience was like mine."
"We should get moving, we're burning daylight." said Janora. Over the earrings, she added, "Sorry about that...better to talk like this or wait till we are out of the woods. She may still be listening."
As the party began moving again, Denye asked over the link, "So what did she offer you Ell?"
"I'm not quite sure," replied Ell, "I think the Yaga offered to make herself my patron. She and the Voice had a bit of an argument...but I turned her down, politely of course."
"She offered me visions of the future," added Jilken, "but her price was just too high. What did she offer you, Tear?"
Tear shook his head and muttered, "Don't really want to talk about it."
"She offered me power, well knowledge and power," offered Denye, a touch of uncertainty in her mind voice, "I told her that I already had more research than I can already pursue, but that if she had any magitech devices I would be happy to look at them. She smiled...so I think that's good." Spotting the large egg in Janora's arm she asked, "What kind of egg is that, I've never seen something so large."
"I'm not entirely sure," replied Janora, "I was just told to take care of it. I think it is a chicken hut like the Yaga's, but I've never seen one grow up. I'm even less sure why she would have given it to me to raise, I'm sure I'll find out eventually. Still that went much better than I had feared."
"I can see why you were hesitant about us meeting your friend," said Denye with a little laugh, "she was..."
"Intense," supplied Ell.
Tear offered, "Scary?"
"Intense is a good word, as is scary" agreed Denye, "but I was going to say powerful. I don't think I've ever seen someone who gave off an aura of power like that. Do you know much of her history, Janora?"
By this point the party had moved out of the swamp and Janora had visibly relaxed. "Umm," said the witch, looking over her shoulder, "a bit, you still have that spell that seals off a room? Tell you what, buy me a drink when we get to town and I'll tell you what I know." Before Denye or the others could reply, Forest took off at a run before snapping his wings out and beginning to pump and climb into the sky. Over the earrings, Janora added, "Let me get a look at the land, perhaps we'll find a road going in the direction we want."
The snow wasn't nearly as deep here and the land was rolling hills and open fields. Jilken took the lead on the ground and the team started moving northwards. Janora didn't find a road, but around mid-afternoon she was able to report that there was a smallish village ahead, with a road heading north from there.
The village proved to be called Tattingham and was no more than a dozen buildings, but they did have a tavern called the Blue Sheep. It was quaint, with only two rooms for rent. The rooms were bare floor, but stoutly built and the chimney rock kept the rooms warm. Dinner was mutton stew and crusty bread and the party were quite happy to dig in.

21st Planting

Armed with directions, "Follow the road and take a left at the main road," the party set off shortly after dawn. It had snowed again last night, but lightly and as the sun rose the clouds dispersed. The morning was pleasant and other than the occasional sheep, rabbits, or birds, it was an uneventful and peaceful ride.
The team found the intersection shortly before noon and Tear was the first to notice something strange, the glint of sunlight on metal. That put folks on alert, but as they neared Jilken recognized that it was a metal rail. A pair of rails actually, about 3ft apart, that were attached to heavy-looking wooden beams in a bed of gravel. It seemed to run alongside the road. Both Denye and Ell were fascinated by it and quite curious as to what it meant.
That speculation kept the group busy until a few hours later when there was a piercing whistle that tore through the air. Denye yelled "Scatter!" and then sent her mule off into the underbrush at the side of the road. The others followed, except for Janora and Forest who lept for the sky.
A couple of minutes later a very strange metal wagon with iron wheels came rolling down the rails, heading in the opposite direction they were headed. It was belching smoke and seemed to be moving under its own power, pulling another half-dozen carts. It was easily moving at twice or three times the speed of a galloping horse.
Gathering back up on the road, the party stared at the strange contraption as it disappeared out of sight. Turning to the others, Denye apologized, "Sorry, I thought someone was casting Shatter. What...what was that thing?"
"I don't know," asked Ell, slipping off his horse and moving down to look closer at the iron rails, "but I want to know more about it. Just think of the possibilities!"
Jilken didn't dismount, but she did offer, "Didn't Ranunkel talk about carts that they used in the mines? HR said they had tracks for those to follow. But how did they make it move by itself?"
"That's what I want to know," agreed Denye, "did you see the smoke, maybe they are burning something...but how would that lead to locomotion? Do you think we have time to follow it?"
From the sky, Janora called, "The tracks seem to follow the road and it came from this direction. Maybe they will know something about that metal abomination in Bricoler Falls and you can ask all your questions."
"That's possible," said Ell as he scrambled back up to the road. Taking the reins from Jilken, he added, "Thank you. If I recall, the town of Bricoler Falls is known for having an inventor's guild as well as a weaver's collective."
"An inventor's guild, you say, that sounds promising," said Denye, excitedly. Looking from her notebook to the mule and with a chirp of laughter asked, "Jilken, can I tie her reins to Ironheart? I want to finish this sketch, but I don't want to hold everyone up."
"Absolutely," replied the Aiel, "but let's use this lead rope, it's a little longer. That way both animals aren't tripping over each other." It only took a moment or two and the party started heading down the road. It was hard to get lost, following a road and heading straight for the looming mountains.
Janora and Forest chose to stay aloft and so were the first to sea the wide valley and a waterfall that split into two streams that surrounded the medium sized town. After a quick consult with her friends, the witch Messaged one of the guards to say, "Young man, I need you to be aware I'm flying above you and we'll be coming down to the ground shortly."
The small figure above the gate started and looked around wildly as the dogesus came in for a landing in the open field a few hundred yards from gates. Another figure rushed out of the gate as Forest trotted forward. Janora smiled and waved. "Hello there," she called, "we didn't mean to alarm anyone, just travelers coming to visit your fascinating town."
The gnome guard gulped and nodded, "Well then welcome to Bricoler Falls. Iffin you are planning on staying overnight, you'll want to head to the Tipsy Bell. It's the inn for the big folk in town."
"Big folk?" bristled Janora.
"Well, well," spluttered the guard, "yeah, taller folks. Most of the town is built for us smaller folk. Not because of anything wrong with taller people, it's just more comfortable for those who live here, I guess."
Janora nodded, "I suppose that would make sense. But you said the inn was built for people like me?"
The guard nodded, "Indeed, we get traders and visitors from all over...sometimes even as far as Dreford."
"Very nice," replied the witch, "my friends should be along shortly. You've been very helpful, please don't let me keep you."
The guard laughed nervously, "Well, this is kinda my job, watching the gate and greeting visitors. You said you had friends meeting you here? You are welcome to wait out here or if you'd like to head on in, I can always direct them to the same inn."
"I appreciate the offer," said Janora, looking back over her shoulder. "That's the others there, I'll just wait for them here."
It was another half hour or so for the party to make it down the valley road but with a final wave to the guards, the team made their way into town. It wasn't hard to find the Tipsy Bell, there were only a dozen or so buildings built for medium-height folks....if you included a few warehouse looking buildings. Stepping inside, the common room looked much like any inn or tavern. Most of the room was filled with tables, although only one of the long tables was sized to fit most of the party, the others were all of a smaller size.
Likewise the bar, which ran along the eastern wall, was sized for humans although most of the stools were high, narrow seats and there were several sets of steps to reach the height of the bar. A gnomeish woman with dusky pink curls framing a cheery face was behind the bar, pulling pints for a pair of goblins.
As the party approached the bar, the woman turned and flashed them a smile, "Well, hello there travelers, welcome to the Tipsy Bell." Briefly scanning the party, she froze for a moment when she saw Denye, but recovered quickly. "I'm Primrose Littlefoot, the proprietor of the Bell. What can I get ya? Drinks, dinner, or maybe rooms for the night?"
Ell stepped forward with a grin of his own. "All three I think," he said, "and maybe stabling for our mounts? We've been traveling since shortly after dawn and are quite happy to have made it to Bricoler Falls. This is our first time here, I'd love to learn a little bit more about your fair little town and the area. Anything we should absolutely see or areas to avoid, basically any news or information you've got to share. I'd happily buy you a drink of your own."
"Well, thank you kindly," replied Primrose, "I'll pass on the drink for now, gotta keep my head for the evening rush. But let's get your rooms settled. I've only got two rooms for tonight, but I believe I'll have at least one more room opening up tomorrow. Will that work for you?"
Over the link, Denye said, "I can set up my ring and sleep in my workshop."
Ell nodded, "Two should be fine. I think we'll be staying for a few days, but we can worry about that tomorrow."
"Good, good," said the bartender, the grin returning, "So two rooms for tonight, stabling for five, and dinner for five....call it 5 silver pieces."
Denye pulled out six coins and passed them over. Primrose smiled and dropped the coins into her cleavage, "Thank ya kindly." Bustling to the end of the bar, she pulled two keys from hooks. Returning to the party, she handed over the keys and said, "your rooms are up the stairs at the back, doors 3 and 4. You can also take your mounts around back, Jimothy will see them settled in. Dinner is a mushroom and barley chowder, but won't be ready for another hour or two. Can I get you all something to drink or did you want to settle into rooms first?"
Dropping off bags sounded like a great idea and while Tear and Jilken to see about getting the mounts settled, the others went upstairs to settle in and wash up. That took a few minutes, but eventually they all reassembled in the common room. Ell volunteered to go up to the bar to order a round of mulled cider. As Primrose was pouring she said, "You were asking about happenings in town. Biggest thing is probably the Willowfoot boys and their locomotion thingie, they are always in here telling everyone about the wonders of steam. I don't understand it myself, but you know, they seem to think it's going to change and make a name for themselves. I think it makes a lot of smoke and noise...scares all the horses in the fields, it does."
"Oh," said Ell excitedly, "is that the series of wagons we saw running along the iron rails?"
"Oh aye, quite likely," agreed the barmaid, "they've laid tracks from here to Barrowbridge across the river. I guess things are going well, I've only heard of one major explosion this moon."
Over the link, Denye snickered and muttered "Amateurs." Outloud she asked, "Across the river, that must have been quite an engineering challenge."
"It took most of the warm season," said Primrose shrugging, "but I couldn't tell ya how they did it. I'm sure they would love to tell you all about it, the problem is usually getting them to stop. They'll likely be out at the Yard or over at the Inventors Guild, if you are really interested."
Denye's eyes got big and Ell chuckled as he asked, "Oh, you have an inventors guild here in town?"
"Indeed we do," replied the bartender, "The inventors guild and the weavers guild are probably the two biggest things happening in town. Although, since that goblin clan moved in and opened up the mines again, things might be changing."
"A mine as well," said Ell casually, "you wouldn't know what they are finding?"
Primrose laughed, "A lot of rock mostly, although they have found several large seams of coal...that's one of the things that has been helping the Willowfoot boys. I believe it was originally a gold mine, but the dwarves shut down long before our little town sprang up. I know they were hoping to find some iron, but ain't had much luck there...or so I've heard."
"Those locomotives look like they use a lot of iron," mused Ell, "do you know where they are getting it from?"
"Oh, the dwarves have a few enclaves in the Summerburgs still," said Primrose blithely, "if I had to guess I'd think the Willowfoots were getting the metal from Bel Redon, it's only a few days north of here." Spotting a pair of gnomes come up to the bar, she excused herself to go serve them.
"Bel Redon," repeated Jilken, "why does that sound familiar?"
"It's the town Ranunkel was from," explained Denye, "I knew it was in these mountains. I didn't realize it was that close, maybe we should visit once we're done here."
"Was he planning on going home?" asked Jilken.
"I don't think so," replied Ell, "he mentioned something about visiting the southern end of the mountains."
Denye sighed, "I hope he's okay. He doesn't have the extender on his earring so we can't even reach out to him."
The bartender bustled back over, "So what brings you all to town?"
"Actually," said Ell, flashing her another smile, "We're looking for a Glass Castle and we heard this was the place to find it."
"Oh my," gasped Primrose, her face falling, "Why would you want to visit the castle, that place is haunted. Nobody who goes in ever comes back out."
"Oh that does sound dangerous," replied Ell.
Primrose nodded vigorously, "I've never been up to see it myself, but there is a path that leads up into the mountains and a bridge to nowhere. It's supposed to be pretty but spooky. Can't imagine why you want to go inside."
"Simple enough," said Ell with a chuckle, "we're explorers, not necessarily by trade I suppose, but perhaps by enjoyment and by a series of very interesting events that would be far too long to try and explain today. Anyway, you said that people who go in, don't come out and it's haunted, any other local stories? How long has it been there?"
"It's just always been there," said Primrose, with a shrug, "Well the bridge has always been there. The castle only appears for a couple of nights a few times of the year. And you can't see it from here, so most of us just try to forget about it."
"Ain't true, ya know" called an elderly gnome sitting by the fire, "me great-gran went in once. I remember her telling me the story when I was a gel at her knee. I was so proud of her."
Ell turned his brightest smile on the old woman, "I'd love to hear the story, can I get you another drink?"
The elderly gnome dropped her kitting she laughed so hard, "Oh bless you boy but I only drink tea these days." She picked up her knitting again and adjusted her glasses before muttering, "Now let me see. Me gran said that a trio of adventurers came to town, this was let's see 400 years ago I think. So this fighter, priest and witch, I believe it was, wanted to go to the castle and hired me gran to take them up to that half-bridge. It was the right time of year so she did so. They went up during the day and made a bit of camp to wait for nightfall." The elderly gnome stopped knitting long enough to take a sip or two of tea, before resuming both her knitting and her story, "She said that they convinced her to step inside and wait by the doors. When the doors started to close she signaled them the way she had been told, but they never came back and she stepped back out and watched the doors close and the castle melt away with the dawn."
Ell was listening raptly and asked, "Did she say how long she waited for them?"
"You mentioned a signal of some kind," added Denye.
The knitting gnome muttered, "Well now I've seen everything." In a more normal voice she went on, "It woulda been 7 maybe 10 hours. The castle appears at moonrise and vanishes at sunrise so it depends a bit on the season. Me gran never told me when it were. But yes, little bird, a signal. The witch gave me gran a bowl with a spool of silver thread and told her to hold onto it. She tied one end of the string to the priest wrist and told them they should be able to follow it back when it was time. So when the doors started to close she gave the string three sharp tugs and when nothing happened she ran back outside, didn't want to get caught you know."
"So she only saw the entrance," said Ell, "did she tell you what it looked like? Did she see anyone else?"
"No other people," replied the old lady, "it was all glass, glowing glass. She said there were some steps and she could sometimes see shadows of people moving beyond the glass walls, they were misty and she couldn't see through. There were these beautiful chandeliers, she said." She continued the knitting before adding, "There was a letter too, if I recall."
"A letter," said Ell smoothly, "who was the letter for?"
"Gran said the letter was given her by the witch," explained the older woman, "she was supposed to hold onto it for someone....there was a name on it...now what was that name?" She took another sip of tea and muttered, "It was a bird...Sparrow-something, no that's not right, Raven something meebe, no that's not it either, wait it was Crow something, meebe Crowspeaker it was. I...I think I still I have it somewhere."
Using the earrings, Ell called, "Hey Janora, you want to come back down here. This lady is telling me a story about a witch leaving a letter for a Crow something." Outloud he said, "That is fascinating, but I apologize, I should have introduced myself, my name is Ell. What is your name?"
The witch hadn't wanted to socialize and so she had stayed in the room, but it wasn't time for bed, so Janora was laying on top of the bed, fully dressed and staring at the egg she had received from Baba Yaga. Sighing, she sat the egg on the bed and marched downstairs and over to the pair. Ell looked up and grinned at the somber faced witch, before turning back to the elderly gnome and saying, "Clariee, may I introduce my friend Janora Crowcaller. Janora, this Clariee Bristleboot."
"Crowcaller....that was the name," exclaimed the gnomish woman, her eyes sparkling as she turned to take in the witch, "oh my, you have a pointy hat. You must be a witch."
Janora's eyes narrowed at the first statement, but quickly controlled her face before nodding, "I am a witch, have you had dealings with other witches in the past?"
"A few," replied the elderly woman, "we've never had one move to the village in my lifetime, but we've had one or two pass through now and then. Old Mother Crabwise was probably the closest to a local, she lived out a set of ruins about a day and half west of here. She was quite good with curse breaking as I recall. She passed on some 50 years or so, may the Fateweaver bless her passing."
"Clariee here," explained Ell, "was just telling me about a witch who met her grandmother. They went up to the magical castle and it seems the witch left a letter with that worthy."
This definitely caught Janora's attention and she turned to the gnome woman, "Please, tell me everything you or your family remembered about this woman."
Clariee laughed, "There's not a lot to tell. As I was telling this nice young man, my gran took a witch and her friends up to the Castle. I don't recall if she got the name, but she wore all black and had the pointing hat. They went inside, but never came out. Before they did, the witch gave Gran a letter, saying someone would come for it."
"May I see this letter?" asked Janora, her knuckles going white. "You said it was addressed to a Crowcaller?"
"Well I don't have it here, my dear," chuckled the gnome, "it's at home with the bowl and string, but if I recall it was addressed as For the Crowcaller." Looking out the window she nodded, "It is getting late and I should be taking myself home to feed the cats. I suppose if you wanted to follow me, I could have a rummage and find it for you."
"Yes, please," said Janora, "I wouldn't want to rush you, but I feel I absolutely must see this letter."
Packing her knitting into a bag, she levered herself out of her chair and waved to the bartender. "I'm off, Primrose," she said, "I should be getting home before dark. I will see you tomorrow." Tottering slowly she made for the door, with Janora following while Ell looked around to see what else he should learn as the common room had begun to fill up.
Realizing that it would be a long walk, Janora sent a mental command to Forest and he soon came trotting up after them. The witch turned to Clariee and said, "Since you are going through this trouble, allow me and my friend, Forest, here to give you a ride."
"Oh my," said the small gnome looking up at the dogesus, "a dog with wings...now that is a thing. He looks quite friendly as well." Reaching up, she held out a small hand to the mount. Forest dropped his head to give it a quick sniff before giving a friendly whoof and allowed the elderly gnome to give him scritches behind the ear. To Janora she said, "I'm too old for any flying, but I'd gladly accept a ride. My joints just aren't quite what they used to be."
"Of course," said Janora with a smile, "Forest will be quite smooth. Let me help you up." After getting the gnome settled, the witch and dogesus headed in the direction of the Western Hill at Clariee's direction. As they neared, Janora realized that this home would probably be gnome sized and thus too small for her to enter. Over the link, she called, "Tear, if you are available, could you come give me a hand with something."
Just as Clariee pointed out the cheery front door of a home built into the rock, the young goblin came running up. "Hi Janora," he said, "what can I help you with?"
"Well," began the witch, "first let me introduce you. Tear, this is Clariee Bristleboot. And Clariee, this fine young man is Tear of Midnight Sorrows. I was thinking he could help you. I assume this letter is probably in some sort of storage."
"Oh quite," replied the elderly gnome nodding affably to Tear, "I know where it is...it's been something of a family legend. I told my children about it of course, but I'm not sure if they really believed anyone would come. But yes, if your man could come inside, that would be very helpful."
It was only about 10-15 minutes before they appeared once. Tear was balancing a medium sized wooden box in hands, while the gnomish woman held a small plate of cookies. Janora took the box, setting it on the ground, and opened it slowly. Inside was a fired clay bowl, inscribed with witch sigils, and a ball of coarse, silvery yarn or twine. There was also a letter, tucked in the bowl, a folded piece of paper that had yellowed with age.
Janora pulled out the letter and immediately noticed two things. The first was the faded text that read, "For the Crowcaller to Come." The second was a slight buzz of magic in the seal holding the paper closed. Examining the seal closely the witch noted that the impression was that of a raven feather between a pair of wide-branching antlers.
As if in confirmation that letter was indeed for Janora, the spell within the seal flashed with a burst of silver when the witch touched the wax seal. "Well bless me," muttered Clariee, "it's never done that before."
"No, it wouldn't," replied Janora absently, as she broke the seal and unfolded the paper. Quickly scanning the paper she muttered to herself, "But how could she know I would come?" Folding the paper once more, she closed her eyes in thought and took several measured breaths. Opening her eyes once more, Janora said solemnly, "This letter was indeed from my 9 times great-grandmother and meant for me. In her name and for the sake of your grandmother, I must thank you Clariee Bristleboot for fulfilling this contract between our ancestors."
The elderly gnome laughed awkwardly at the formality, "Well, I am glad to have lived to see it delivered and the end of the story. The girls will never believe that I got to meet the Crowcaller witch. Please, take the bowl and string as well. Maybe they will be helpful if you and your friends insist on entering the Glass Castle." Thanking the gome woman once more, all three objects disappeared into Janora's cloak and bidding Clariee good night, she and Tear headed back for the Inn.

---

After hearing what the bartender had to say about locomotion, Denye could hardly contain her excitement and slipped out to find the Inventor's Guild building. It didn't take long to find, asking around a bit and pointing her in the direction of several of the larger buildings nearer the front gates. As she approached, the Corva wizard took note of the stout stone walls as well as the wooden roof...that appeared to have been patched multiple times.
The doors were a little low, but Denye was able to duck inside. There was a small goblin girl at the desk who looked up when the wizard entered and flashed a smile before saying, "Welcome to the Guildhouse, can I help you?"
"Yes, I hope so," replied the wizard, "my name is Denye...Denye Starwing. I'm from out of town, obviously, but I'm a bit of a tinker as well and was hoping I could find someone to talk to about the iron wagons. We saw one of the locomotives on our way in...it was amazing and I'd love to learn more."
"Oh yes," said the goblin, nodding, "the locomotives are quite fascinating...loud and messy, but fascinating. Now let's see, I don't think either of the Willowfoots are here today, they spend most of their time out at the Yard, but I do believe Sliver of the Toenail is here. He spent a lot of time working with them, let me see if he's available." Reaching to the side of the desk, she picked up a small brass tube and spoke into it.
It was only a couple of minutes later that a beefy looking goblin, missing the tip of one ear and wearing a heavy leather apron appeared. After exchanging a few words with the receptionist, he approached the wizard. "Evening," he said, wiping his hands with a dirty cloth, "How may I be of help? I heard you were interested in the locomotives."
Denye nodded excitedly and extended a hand, "My name is Denye Starwing. As I was telling your associate, my friends and I watched one of the locomotives traveling along that iron road, heading west. I'm something of a tinker myself and I would like to learn more about them."
The goblin chuckled, "Well, most of the genius came from my bosses, but sure I can give you a tour." He seemed to think for a moment before adding, "We've got a couple of workshops here, mostly metal fabrication, but if you want to see the engines we should probably take a walk over to the Yard."
"Oh absolutely," replied Denye, "I would love to get a chance to look over your invention. Is it far?"
"Nah, just outside the gates," replied Sliver, "they didn't want us cutting another gate in the palisade. But it's only a 10 minute walk or so." With a final wave to the receptionist, the older goblin lead the way out the door.
True to his word it was a short walk and soon Denye found herself in a complex of large buildings and warehouses with more of the metal tracks running around and actually into some of the buildings. It was getting on towards dusk, but there was still activity in several buildings and Denye was extremely fascinated by the enormous turntable in the center of the complex. One of the engines sitting on the platform seemed to be idling, with only the occasional chuff of white smoke that escaped from the stovepipe.
"Oh good," said Sliver, "the boys found the leak in the steamline on #3." Taking Denye in that direction he began to explain the principles of a steam engine and how all of the pressure was used to power the wheels through a series of levers and valves. According to the excited goblin, the engine could pull the weight of a 1000 horses and even better never got tired or stopped as long as you had water and fuel...and the iron tracks. The entire contraption was just too heavy to run along the normal roads without destroying them.
Denye was most surprised to find that there was very little magic used in the engine, only a protective barrier around the boiler to insure that if it exploded, it would destroy everything. Half of her mind was occupied with taking in everything the goblin was saying, but the other half was already working on improving the design.

Character(s) interacted with

Primrose Littlefoot - gnome bartender at The Tipsy Bell in Bricoler Falls
Clariee Bristleboot - elderly gnome in Bricoler Falls who was holding a letter for the Crowcaller Witch
Sliver of the Toenail - beefy goblin engineer working on the locomotives

Report Date

03 Nov 2023