IC III

[Atlictoatl]

Svenn

Svenn prepares with the others.

"Tell me, Whifflespice," he asks. "How exactly does one travel between the mortal world and Faery?"

Whifflespice

"Tangleblossom, if you please, Mister ...?"

The fae man contemplates the question. "I haven't the faintest notion, good sir. Are you saying you do not know? How, then, did you come to be here?"

[kalstone]

Svenn

"Ah, pardon me, Mr. Tangleblossom. My name is Svenn. We are not quite sure exactly how we came to be here. We were in the mortal world, then suddenly we were here."

[Rex]

Shmara

"It would be nice to know how we got here and more importantly how to get home, but I think we have other things to deal with first."

[VonAlric]

Gardo

Gardo will go to the men and let them know they will stay here while the company deals with an issue on behalf of the Prince. He tells them to keep an eye out for each other and do not get separated. He direction them to listen to Mariusz' as he has been given information on what to do. He nods to Mariusz as he gathers his things and makes sure Wulfka and Notai gather weapons and foods for the journey.

[The_Wanderer]

Feargus

"Mardan Cy? Where's that boy...There. Mardan Cy - I think we've learned an important lesson. When traveling in Faery, it is quite possible you should look a gift horse in the mouth. We should have gone running from this place as soon as we saw it. Of course that may have landed us farther from a return to our own plane...but so be it."

"Tangleblossom - my name is Feargus. What can you tell us of the Lord of the Verdant Fields?"

[Rex]

Shmara

"Yes, tell us everything you know."

[Atlictoatl]

Svenn

"Ah, pardon me, Mr. Tangleblossom. My name is Svenn. We are not quite sure exactly how we came to be here. We were in the mortal world, then suddenly we were here."

Shmara

"It would be nice to know how we got here and more importantly how to get home, but I think we have other things to deal with first."

Whifflespice Tangleblossom

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Svenn. Perhaps there are those in Mereldan who know more of this matter, but you will find that those in this court are not very well traveled. That does seem to be the way of Men, though, from what I understand. Suddenly appearing, as if through some invisible gateway, often without any means to care for themselves, and then making all manner of demands."

Feargus

"Mardan Cy? Where's that boy...There. Mardan Cy - I think we've learned an important lesson. When traveling in Faery, it is quite possible you should look a gift horse in the mouth. We should have gone running from this place as soon as we saw it. Of course that may have landed us farther from a return to our own plane...but so be it."

"Tangleblossom - my name is Feargus. What can you tell us of the Lord of the Verdant Fields?"

"Well met, Master Feargus. Lord Mereldan is everything Prince Nacknosh is not... suave, subtle, and clever. The Verdant Field is one of the larger domains in this portion of the Summer Court, and includes the town of Mereldan. While you and your companions will not be on the menu there, it is no less perilous a destination for mortal travelers, though I suspect you will have the benefit of not only being foreign guests, but unseasoned Men bearing the pennant of a rival. The Fae are easily enamored of the uncommon."

[thirdkingdom]

Sixthmonth, Twentyfirstday
The Domain of Prince Nacknosh

The brutal Faery prince waves the hand in which he's holding the half-devoured horse haunch. "Go on, then," he says, leering at the adventurers, "eat well on your trip. I want to see you all fatter on your return!" He glares towards the string musicians, who strike up another jaunty tune, and the revelry begins anew

They are seen out of the gate by a pair of equally leering ogrish guards. Time seems to be weird, here. The adventurers had spent six hours traveling before they hit the road, and hours, at least, dancing, but the sun is still low in the sky. By rights it should be dusk, if not later. However, the mortal adventurers are all feeling the exhaustion of the day's labor and festivities, and know that at some point they will need to camp and sleep. At the minimum, however, they should be able to put a couple of miles between them and Nacknosh's palace.

[Rex]

Shmara

"Lets get a little ways away and make camp."

[thirdkingdom]

Sixthmonth, Twentyfirstday
The Domain of Prince Nacknosh

The adventurers walk for another hour, bones aching with fatigue. Finally, thankfully, as they pass the cairn they had left to mark the spot the sun begins to set, and twilight descends. The road is wide, with plentiful grass on either side before the woods begin, and Tangleblossom opines they should be good to camp by the side of the road, as they are still within Nacknosh's domain. Fireflies, or something akin to fireflies, begin to flicker in the gathering darkness.

Night is short, lasting no more than an hour, but the adventurers are exhausted and sleep through the growing light.

Sixthmonth, Twentysecondday?
Beginning of the Second Day in Faery

The adventurers rouse themselves around, according to the position of the sun, late morning, but none of the companions feel as though they rested for more than an hour. The day is already hot, and humid, with the kind of brooding haze in the sky that heralds afternoon thunderstorms. The heat can almost be cut with a knife.

[The_Wanderer]

Feargus

"I think I am ready to head home already! Tangleblossom - I am thankful to have you as our guide in these lands. The sooner we can resolve our predicament, the better!"

[thirdkingdom]

Feargus

"I think I am ready to head home already! Tangleblossom - I am thankful to have you as our guide in these lands. The sooner we can resolve our predicament, the better!"

Tangleblossom, while not sure how the adventurers can return via the way they came, is pretty sure there's a way to get back to the mortal world in Meraldan.

[shaidar]

Newton and Ribar meditate/pray, despite feeling unrefreshed.

"I must admit, this isn't quite what I was expecting from the land of Fae"

OOC: TK, do we get spells as usual?

[thirdkingdom]

Newton and Ribar meditate/pray, despite feeling unrefreshed.

"I must admit, this isn't quite what I was expecting from the land of Fae"

OOC: TK, do we get spells as usual?

Yup, y'all get spells as normal. Everyone got a full night's rest, even though true "night-time" in this corner of Faery only appears to be a few hours long. It is the Summer Court, after all.

[Rex]

Shmara

"This is going to take getting used to."

[thirdkingdom]

Sixthmonth, Twentysecondday?
Second Day in Faery

The adventurers break camp and grab a quick meal before hitting the road. The road winds lazily through the wood, in much the same way as children without a care in the world laze away on a river bank, chewing on long stems of grass, chucking rocks at frogs and turtles, and telling their friends lies that grow longer with each retelling. It's difficult to judge their progress, as the sun doesn't seem to move, or if it does, does so at an incremental pace. Even Tangleblossom doesn't have a great sense of what time it is; Nacknosh's domain is at the very edge of the Summer Court, and the woods they are passing through are, while not truly a part of Wild Faery, are not claimed by a powerful lord but are instead disputed by a number of lesser fae. Because the territory lacks a strong will and controlling hand, the eladrin explains, the land itself is wild. Fungible. A liminal space where anything could happen.

Luckily for the party -- or perhaps unluckily, depending on one's point of view -- nothing occurs during the day. The sun beats down upon the adventurers, and their clothes are soon damp with sweat, although Tangleblossom seems unaffected by the heat. About a mile or two after they left their campsite they note the quality of the road has changed; it becomes dry and dusty, pitted here and there where it looks as though wagons may have gotten stuck in mud. It no longer seems so inviting, so mysterious, so wonderous, as it had looked when they first emerged from the woods and were glamoured south. Now it is just a road. Dirt, baked by the sun.

At about the time the adventurers judge they should think about looking for a campsite the sky darkens with clouds. Tall, purplish things that turn the light a bruised color. Towering stormclouds, lit now and then by flashes of lightning that send rumbles of thunder across the forest. It looks like the storm, which came upon them with almost preternatural quickness, will be upon them quickly.

: 1d6 6

[Rex]

Shmara

"It would be nice to find some cover."

[The_Wanderer]

Feargus

"Indeed! Newton - Have you seen anything that would pass for cover? Goshawk - work with Mardan Cy to keep the horses calm when we stop."

[shaidar]

Newton looks around for the foliage he thinks will provide the best cover from the rain.

[thirdkingdom]

Newton looks around for the foliage he thinks will provide the best cover from the rain.

Newton smells smoke first, then espies a thin column rising up through the trees to the east. It looks like there's a campfire, or perhaps a dwelling of sorts, no more than a mile or so into the woods.