Tale of the Fae Maiden
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"It is a pleasure to meet you all likewise," Enid says with a polite smile.
"Please do not stand there so stiffly. Come and share my table. I understand your hesitancy but please. You do me a diservice as a host if you refuse my hospitality like this. Sit. Please." As if on cue, the six chairs at the table as pulled back in unison. Not showing the slightest bit of surprise, Enid sits at the head of the table and patiently waits as the unseen servants pour her something in an ornate cup. Taking a sip she says,
"As you can see it is perfectly safe to drink. I am not so poor of a host as to poison my guests." The smile she offers is as warm and inviting as an unattended fire. After a few moments she covers her mouth in polite shock.
"Or are you worried about harming me with all of that disgusting iron which you carry? Do not worry on my account. I am willing to bear its presence for a little while. I understand that asking you to disarm yourselves is too much in these troubled times. Just please be respectful and try not to touch me with any of that accursed metal."
"Well met then Enid the Fair." he said, testing her name in his lips as he straightened up and took doffed his helm from his head, cradling it in his left arm, letting his hair fall more freely downward and revealing the whole of his face. "I am Thorsteinn Ásmundarson, Paladin of the newly established Order of the White Branch." he said, carefully keeping his hand from fulfilling it's instinct of clutching at the cross on his neck, in case the woman felt offense at his desire to invoke gods protection against her.
"The Order of the White Branch?" the fae asks in surprise.
"I must confess that I am not aware of what that is. I know of the Order of the Red Branch but that was broken so long, long ago. Please. Tell me all about this Order. Are you here on its business? What else could force you into this fog, like a fish trying to swim in the desert?" If Enid takes offence at the cross hanging around Thorsteinn's neck she gives no indication at the moment.
"...Well met, Enid the Fair. I call myself the Knight of the White Hind.
If may be so bold, what brings you to our land in such times of trouble?"
"Oh, it's simple, really." the fae woman says with a smile.
"Reginald and I were simply pining for the land which we once walked upon. Having noticed that the barrier to the Otherworld was weakened we decided to see how things changed in our absence. I must admit that this fog is less beautiful than the fields of flowers and rolling hills which I once knew, but it is good to feel the sun upon my face again. You will not find fault in an old lady wanting a touch of sunshine and some fresh air, will you?"
Unless Robert or Vincent have any concerns or objections Owen gathers traveling supplies and sets out.
Robert gathers supplies for the journey, then begins his adventure with his companions.
Robert, Vincent and Owen quickly set out for their journey, long after Queen Eirwen has returned to her chambers to confer with her inner circle. Undoubtedly she would have given them her blessing if she saw them depart.
Unlike their companions, Robert, Vincent and Owen do not suffer an eternity travelling through the disorienting fog. After what seems like a few minutes or perhaps a couple hours, they stumble upon the scene they had scried. A large, gnarly tree plunging its roots into a small pond of water. The Wybyd hangs from a low-hanging branch, its majesty evident even at this far distance. A few stumps and withered branches are scattered about the pool before the Primordial fog swallows everything up.
Owen of Unson: [4
5]
Robert, bastard of Leif: [4
5]
Vincent Uelm: [1
6]
Equally evident to all are the bones and bodies embedded in the mud of the pool, barely made out from this distance. What they came from is difficult to tell but obviously some are from deer or other larger animals.
Having exhausted the conversation clearly, Deidre seems a little disappointed, but continues walking along. She keeps alert for anything in the mists, sticking close to the party regardless. After all, the gods knew what lurked in the mist, and she was no fighter herself.
Deidre: [1 4]
Though she might have sworn she imagined it, Deidre hears the sound of her horse stepping on something other than the ground. Such a noise would not be unusual in and of itself of course, where not the Primordial mists so unchanging so that stumbling upon something left on the ground is in itself an unusual event.
What it is will require further investigation, of course.
Author
Topic: Order of the White Branch: Honourable Beginnings (IC Thread) (Read 13807 times)