In Sviftmont we delve a bit into the world of the Fey, or Fairies. You learn quite a bit from the context but keep something in mind as you read. The Fey are immortal, as ancient as the Exalted Immortals or the Angelic beings that rule the cosmos. The Fey live in our world, die, or choose to give up their existence, and return to the FeyWild (The land of the Fey, separate from the mortal world) where they spend year or centuries telling the stories of their life to other Fey, then when they are ready, the rejoin the mortal world for another bout of adventure or fun, only to return when that time is ended to tell new stories. The unfortunate side effect of this, is that when they return to the Mortal world, they lose all memories of previous lives until they return to the FeyWild.
Sviftmont 1st – Julius
We left the Tabi camp early in the morning. Galladin transformed himself into some sort of deer, and allowed Gnubnaver to ride him so that we could make good time. Kyl and four of his brethren then cast a spell on Ko’ar, Fang, Vlem, Ashira and me. They called is a Longstrider this allowed us to keep pace with the deer as he ran through the forest at an extremely high speed. It took some getting used to and I ran painfully into trees three times during the day. This was the best way we could make the 30 mile trek through the woods to Radlebb. I am very glad that Galladin knew the way.
We zipped past the Ogres we had encountered the day before, and two lost hobgoblins that look really confused as we dashed past at such high speeds.
When we arrived in Radlebb Keep that night, I passed out from exhaustion, Somehow Galladin and Gnubnaver convinced the guards to let us all in and managed to get all of us into the keep for the night.
Sviftmont 1st – Fulric
I found it.
Dentiata had been searching for the Egg of Coot. He was not just a servant of the creature, He wanted to actually control it. The “Egg of Coot” was, according to his diaries, not of this world. It arrived in the ancient past, and then evolved out of its mortal shell. It did not become one of the Exalted Immortals, in fact except it’s connection to the Sons of Night, I can’t find any trace of its existence anywhere.
I reinforced the Watcher spells I had placed on the plant life around the tower, and I began to meditate, I hope I can find any additional help in my lost memories, because I could feel something tugging at my mind. There had to be something there.
As I began, I met my previous incarnations, a pooka shaped like a deer, a dancing sidhe, playing gleefully in the dream forest of my mind. There was a sprite flicking around gleefully enchanting flowers, I was even a coltpixy at one time. These and more had all gathered around the great tree in my mind that represented my life force, and connected me to the feywild.
I pleaded and begged myselves to please, give me any information they may have on the Egg of Coot. But they had helped me earlier remember how to read Nithian, and the rules of past lives were there for a reason. I spent an eternity trying to chase them in their playful manner, and they teased me for forgetting how to enjoy myself in the full nature of our people.
My pixie form bonked me on my snout, for I was in my true Woodrake form here. My Deer self chased circles around me with my colt-pixie self, both singing a song that was hauntingly familiar. They didn’t know the answer, I would have to go back farther, so I pulled more and more of my ancient selves towards the tree, there was an Imp, a brownie, a bear pooka, another Sidhe, female this time, and a Tan colored Mandrake.
There. My Mandrake self was the only one who was sober and somber, the rest were drunk with happiness and the full glory of fey existence.
I walked up to my ancient Tanned-drake form, and he looked me up and down, then transformed himself into a human. “Walk with me.” He said (I said?)
So, I did, and my other forms all faded out and returned to the Soul-tree in my mind. As they did, the light seemed to grow darker.
We walked, and as we did, I remembered. Thousands of years before, before woodrakes existed, we had chosen the form of Mandrakes. Man was the dominant race in the world at the time, and so we chose to imitate them. Coldrake forms with their dwarf and gnome connections would come centuries later, and finally woodrakes with our hopes for the future and elven and halfling forms.
When I was a mandrake, I had lived in a country called Thonia – The golden empire. The golden empire was a glorious place to live. Oberon the eternal king of the Fey had sent a few of us Mandrakes to watch the empire to see if Humanity was ready for connection with our kind. And I honestly believed it might be. The Humans of Thonia loved to play and sing and dance. Every day after their work was done, they would gather and sing dance or make merry. They seemed exactly like the people we could invite to join us in immortal existence.
We knew that in centuries before some select humans had managed to earn Immortality by heroic quests and appeasing other Humans that had become immortals. These, however, were not our type of people. These “Exalted Immortals” were too full of themselves and locked into internal politics. Even the most Chaotic ones had to obey rules set out by their superiors so as not to “Upset the cosmic balance.”
In short, they had forgotten how to enjoy themselves.
So, these humans of the Golden Empire seemed like a great choice to invite into the FeyWild and introduce them to the better way to immortality. That was our plan.
I could see in my other form’s memories the anger and disappointment of when everything changed. One night a shooting star crashed down. Only it wasn’t a star, and only us fey could tell by watching. It was a metallic egg-shaped pod. When it crashed we all could feel a darkness from it. It was not from this world. It was not from this existence. It was a machine.
This thing was a construction, made by someone beyond our ability to see. It stayed hidden for a long time. But Humans, being the curious bunch that they are, hunted it down in hopes of finding new magic. It was located, and as soon as it was exposed to the air again, it began to float. It began to read the minds of the humans nearby. Searching for information.
I, in my Mandrake form, had been close enough to see it. On its outer shell was engravings. They were an alien language, but in Thonian they looked like the letters that spelled the word COOT.
COOT scanned minds, and any mind it scanned became instantly under its direct control. When it could not read the minds of my friends and I of the Fey, we became anomalies, to which it destroyed.
Sviftmont 2nd – Julius
When we woke up in the morning, we were under the care of a Cleric of Thyatis who introduced himself as Pan Thar. A nice young man of 19. It was obvious that he was just starting his own shearing and planned to prove himself a devout member of the church.
Valdemar said his goodbyes after breakfast, as he was going to the Guild Street to see about joining the carpenter guild there. He knew we would be on our way soon. We went immediately to the prison after breakfast, all ready to give our statements to the captain of the guards in the Dentiata case. He laughed but took our statements before informing us that last night, Dentiata had disappeared.
Someone, most likely magical had taken him out of his cell in the dark of night. No alarms had been tripped, and no trace had been found. Fang Strong quickly checked his crystal Ball and found that Dentiata had was currently on a flying carpet with another pointed nosed wizard I recognized from my time traveling through Threshold with Adirana.
His name was Bargle the Infamous. He was wanted for many crimes across Karameikos, and apparently had need of Dentiata. They could be seen crossing the guarded borders of the Black Eagle Barony.
We would not be able to cross that border easily. Ko’ar and Fang were determined to follow him, but I managed to talk to them about waiting until we had a plan.
We returned to the church where we had woken up and talked just outside about our predicament. Pan Thar, the cleric, overheard us and said that he could put us in touch with a friend of his that could possibly smuggle us into The Barony, but it would take 3 days or more as that friend was in Luln, a nearby village notorious for being raided by the Black Eagle army. They had a resistance there that was smuggling slaves out of the Barony to freedom.
Ashira had reverted to her traumatized form again at the thought of returning to the Barony. I emphasize with her. The entire idea of crossing that border and risking being caught again. The punishment for an escaped slave was the torture of not only herself, but anyone she knew. She didn’t have any family anymore, we had determined, at least none left in the Barony, but still the thought was more than she could bear.
I volunteered to return her to Sisak where she could feel safe again, in the Bountiful Tappe. I would also ask my wife for her help. I promised her I would never go on a life-threatening adventure again, at least not without her. And a trip into the Barony very well could be life ending.
Sviftmont 2nd – Still in Fulric’s Mind-world
My Mandrake past was no longer next to me, his memory finished when he had been “killed” by the Egg and returned to the Feywild. Beside me now was a glowing sprite, my form in the feywild at that time. It reminded me of what happened next.
I was the 3rd of 10 Mandrakes found and exterminated by the Egg and it’s growing army over the next hundred years. The egg had become fascinated by the disappearance of the Fey it killed and had concluded with its own computations the existence of the FeyWild.
Oberon was not worried at first, because a construct could never enter the FeyWild, it was a place of life, and thus “dead things” could not cross over unless brought by a fey. It was then that we learned the truth. Whoever had built the Egg, had done so by combining living and machine. The center of the Metallic Egg shape was a mass of wires and computers all connected to a living, psychic, brain. That was how it had managed to connect to the minds of the humans, and to control them.
Its machine parts were somehow keeping it alive, and it was learning everything it could about this world. If a creature like that ever learned about magic and how to control that, it would be devastating.
Several times, it tried to enter the FeyWild through rituals performed by its controlled followers. And every time we held it back. No Fey was allowed to leave the FeyWild at this point, we were all needed to keep that gate shut.
Then it all stopped. Time travels very differently in the Feywild, and we were not sure if it had been centuries or more, but something else had happened. Oberon had his seers peer though the barriers of the worlds, and we all watched in horror.
While we had been holding the gates shut, another machine had landed on the world. The humans made contact and began mixing magic and technology. They used this to hold back the Egg as a minor Kingdom in Thonia became the dominant kingdom. Then as mortals do, they made a mistake. We watched in horror as something in the new capital exploded, it rocked the world. The entire planet shifted; half the world’s life was suddenly just gone.
Humanity had nearly destroyed the world. Possibly with the Egg’s help, possibly by themselves. But the energy from the blast moved the Egg out of the world, not into the Feywild, but into Tartarum. The Egg’s mind had found a way into the world of darkness, and demons. Its shell was lost in the explosion somewhere, but it was no longer in the shell, it was somewhere more frightening.
Sviftmont 2nd – Julius, Later that evening.
When I returned to Sisak, Fulric was waiting at my house with Adrianna. Before listening to him, I made sure that Ashira was safely with the ladies at the Tappe. I asked them to care for her, as we may be a while, and she needs help. The ladies here are quite resourceful and tougher than the menfolk in town give them credit for.
I returned home, where Fulric trusted me with his secret, he was not a halfling. Fulric was a type of Fey called a Woodrake. They could turn into Elves, Halfling or their true form, that of a green-scaled, mini-dragon. The Woodrakes were specialists, trying to keep humanity from repeating some ancient catastrophe. They would report to the king of the Fey and manipulate some circumstances to go in favor of life and magic.
Then he gave me copies of his own Journal which I have placed in my journal here at the appropriate places. It is terrifying to read. We needed to get to Radlebb and warn the others not to infiltrate The Black Eagle Barony, because Dentiata was not staying there. He was going to find the Egg of Coot somehow and cause the ancient catastrophe to repeat. He hoped that it would succeed in destroying the world completely this time.
My gracious wife took this moment to inform us that she had completed the repairs of her cloud-clipper flying machine this morning, and we could be in Radlebb in the morning, after a good night’s rest. My wife is the best.
Sviftmont 3rd 1000 AC
This morning, my wife led us to her back workshop. Since we did not have any animals, she turned the old barn into a workshop. I don’t come in here often.
Inside was a large wagon sized device covered by a large blanket she had bought in town. She removed the blanket, and underneath a was her cloud-clipper, something I have never seen completely repaired.
When she crashed it just over the border in Thyatian territory I managed to smuggle her and most of the parts out of Thyatis into Karameikos five years ago. I was able to retire and move where I wished after that. The Empire’s official stance on Serraine, is that if a gnomish cloud-clipper can ever be captured, then they can recreate it, or produce their own airfleet. Alphatia has their flying “Airships” and Thyatis wants a military branch with air support too.
This bright red repaired clipper had siding that was repaired with the wood I had brought for her. She had not painted the repaired areas yet. I opened the door, just as I had years ago, memories of when I pulled her from the wreckage flooded my mind.
Adriana took the front “Pilot’s seat”, and invited me to sit in the front with her. She had expanded the clipper’s floor space near each seat except her own. To accommodate myself and other larger passengers. Fulric sat in the back area where there was space for six people. She nodded at me with a smile, and reached out her window area to pull a rope hanging from the roof, and the side wall of our barn lay down for us to roll out.
The next few moments I could feel the excitement flowing off of Adriana as she started the machine with a couple rough tugs on a rope in front of her, and we started to move forward down our land, and just like that we were in the air.
It was exhilarating, and I could feel the pull of the world as we lifted off. I couldn’t help but stare as we raised up above the trees, and into the clouds, with just a couple bumps and jostles that threatened to knock us out of the air.
It seemed like only minutes before we pulled down, and our wooden wheels hit the ground again, the full 25 miles to Radlebb had been covered. We rolled the clipper safely into the edge of Radlebb Forest, hiding it.
Then we entered the Keep, heading directly to the Inn that Fang, and the rest told me they would stay at.
We had arrived before noon, and so were not expected yet. Fulric waited in the tavern as Adriana and I went in search of her gnomish contact in Radlebb.
Later that evening.
Adriana’s contact was not able to share anything with us, but suggested that if we wished to know about ancient things we do research in the Great Library.
We met with Fang Strong and the others this evening. Fang used his Crystal Ball again and was able to see that Dentiata was now flying alone on the flying carpet but was heading out of Fort Doom. When we discussed the matter with the rest, we agreed that the library was possibly the place to look for any information on of the Egg of Coot. But it wasn’t until Fang remembered that we had recently met someone who was a specialist in the ancient world and stories from the ancient past, De’ath, the Nagpa. We could ask for him in the library, and hopefully he would have had time to make amends with the great Librarian there.
Adriana checked her notes and determined that the city should be above the Sea of Esterhold right now. She figured we would have a good 12-hour, flight ahead of us. I did a head count and since the cleric Pan Thar seemed eager to join our ranks and prove himself, we made 8, the perfect number for our craft, with a small space in the back for extra cargo. Adriana again requested a short rest before flying for that length, so we let her rest, while the rest dealt with business in town. Gnubnaver and Fang were able to make a bit of money doing illusions and song in the tavern. Relaying some stories, they knew. Ko’ar kept to himself in silent meditation for the most of this time.
With Fulric’s permission, I shared my journal, with his additions to the team that I knew. His only stipulation was to not share with the cleric. Since he had never met the man I could understand his not wishing to share his secret with him yet.
Sviftmont 4th
With everyone ready and prepared for the trip, we led the industrious crew to the forest where we had hidden the clipper. The look on their faces as everyone climbed in. Everyone was lost for words as we again took to flight.
The excitement of flying was contagious. Everyone was looking out their windows and yelling in excitement of what they saw. Gnubnaver fell out of his seat twice, and Pan Thar was sick in the back of the plane, after falling out of his seat. Poor fellows.
Adriana was not surprised, she called it “Air-Sick” and mentioned that it was quite common, just like when men go on a boat for the first time and get “Sea Sick” I guess she is right, but flying through the sky is a lot more exciting than being on a mere water-ship.
When we finally started to see the speck of the flying city in the distance, Adriana asked Fang To grab the Flag she had prepared in the back, it was painted in blue with a white cloud in the center overlaid with the shape of one of her tools. Adriana told us that it was the Skyratchet Clan Flag, and that if we wished to land safely we will have to wave that flag out the top of the clipper for the next half an hour. Otherwise we may be mistaken for enemy and shot down.
Fang, being the adventurous type he is, volunteered to open the roof and stand on a box, so half his body was out the top and wave that flag. We gave him the extra pair of sky-goggles first.
I am writing from the “Cockpit” of the clipper, and am just shaking in excitement still, 8 hours into our flight.
Sviftmont 4th After landing.
My Dear Vanya, lady of Honor. This city is… well, there is no single word to describe it. I will try my best to explain what we see and experience here.
We were escorted by some skyship that I mistakenly called “military clippers”, Adriana quickly corrected me, they were “MK 2a Tomcats”. When they saw the Skyratchet flag they were quite friendly.
We landed on a long road made of grey rock, along the side of the road was several of these Tomcats, and the end of the road, (Which lead to open air) was some deadly looking weapons. Adriana shrugged and mentioned that the city sometimes had to defend itself from dragons, which made me shudder.
Immediately next to this road was a large wooden building we had to enter. They called the building “Immigration Control” inside were two elderly and irritable gnomes and an enormous sprawl of filing cabinets, tables, rosters, ledgers and the like. We were all individually asked to state our identity and were touched on the forehead by a wand held by one of these gnomes. Seeming happy with our answers, they asked us to write our names down in clear gnomish, which most of us had trouble with, luckily Fulris, Gnubnaver, and Adriana were able to help with. The gnomes took our names behind their desk and took out different books, each with the name of a species on it: Human, Elf, Halfling, Orc, Gnome, and Rakasta. Satisfied that our names were not in the books, (Adriana explained that the books contained lists of people that were not permitted into the city) the gnomes came back over and waved a different wand over us, this one seemed to detect magic, as it made a noise over my new armor, Galladin’s boots, Fulric’s Pack where he kept his books and Fang’s back pack where he had his crystal ball, and wand.
We were in this hut for two hours, They wanted us to pay taxes on our magic items, but Adriana was able to argue with them over the fact that they were all personal items and not for sale. Eventually it was agreed that her family, the skyratchets would send someone down to pay the taxes later that night.
When we finished in this building, we walked behind the building next a plaza where a unit of Pegataur soldiers were lined up for inspection before being sent off to do their guard rounds.
It was then that my attention was snapped back to where we were going by the gasp of one of the others, I think it was Galladin.
Adriana called them “Skychairs”. Before us was a cage with 12 chairs firmly fixed inside, one was occupied by the gnome-driver. He held out his hand for payment, exact change only, we all had to pay a single silver piece each. He didn’t care what country it came from. Then we were informed to sit down, four more joined us, 2 gnomes a kobold, and an orc. And the cage was raised up, where I could hear a “click” sound and then we were off. I know it wasn’t moving that fast, but with the wind blowing right in your face as you move, it seemed like it. Pan thar looked like he might be sick again, but he managed to avoid it.
We left the Sky chair on the second time it stopped, which was right outside a massive building. It raised a good 10 or 15 stories into the air, and streatched as far as the eye could see in both directions. I guess that it was about a mile long. This was the “Grand Library” the city was so proud of.
Sviftmont 4th Evening.
I am writing this after we ate at Adriana’s Father’s estate. I was unaware of how powerful the Skyratchet family must be, as we are not in the “Upper Class” district, which is a large house, decorated with the Skyratchet family legacy and prizes.
But I digress let me update what has happened in the library:
Adriana entered with us and the inside was immense. And we walked up to an elderly gnome lady at a desk. Where we casually asked if she knew a Nagpa by the name of De’Ath. The Gnome lady laughed and informed us that yes, the lucky old coot had been a regular at the library. And from her smugness we gathered that he had survived returning the book he needed to the library.
We were asked what we might need, and she would have someone fetch it for us. Apparently, only trained gnome librarian and a few Tabi were allowed to get the books, scrolls or other documents, but there was a reviewing space which included many tables and “viewing crystals”. Adriana explained that these crystals were capable of showing the contents of some books in an illusion format. This was especially popular with the younger gnomes.
When we asked the Librarian to find something on the “Egg of Coot” she frowned and sent a slightly younger gnome to find the book for us. Ko’ar also asked if he could get a book on the lost city of Taymora. Which was sent for as well.
When we sat down to wait for our books, a familiar sounding Nagpa rounded the corner from the viewing crystals, and shocked us all. De’Ath had heard our request for books, and he was excited to help.
Apparently that era (4,000 years in the past) was his specialty.
Fang Strong explained to him the situation, and De’Ath was enthralled. Anything to do with the Egg of Coot was fascinating to him. He informed us that unfortunately the Egg could no longer be found on the world. It had disappeared in the ancient past. There was no way to tell where it is now.
Fang was certain that Dentiata was after it. And even pulled out his Crystal Ball for us to see. What we saw was in it was a bit confusing. Dentiata was entering an inn, on a cliff face. But this inn was a tall L-shaped building of indefinably archaic construction. The building’s southwest corner, was indented to form a square courtyard that is amply sheltered by walls built from the same dense black stone as the cliff itself, but the walls were stained a greenish hue.
De’Ath recognized this and when the gnome returned with the books we had asked for, He asked for a book on “The Inn between Worlds”. He had a theory that Dentiata was going to try to use this mystical Inn to move into the past. To a time when the Egg was still on the world.
We quickly borrowed copies of these books from the library, and De’Ath placed them in a special “Book Pocket” he had acquired that sat inside his coat, the pocket was magical and could keep the books from being damaged. He informed us that this was the only way Matazumi would let him keep his library card. Then, despite our urgency, we were obligated to visit Adriana’s family, my in-laws, whom I had only met once. Our wedding day.
This was the first time Adriana had been to the city in years, and there would be problems galore if we did not visit. On top of this, we needed a place to sleep tonight if we were to take De’Ath’s advice.
We arrived at the Skyratchet estate in the evening, and were welcomed with open arms, all of us. Branwys, my father-in-law, was ecstatic to see us, he rushed to see his daughter and I and had a hundred questions to ask of our travels. Adriana’s mother, the human wizard Arleena Louretta Skyratchet, stood tall, and proud. Her Alphatian heritage was obvious with her pale skin. The fact that she had fallen in love and married a gnome would make her an immediate outcast in her homeland, and I can relate.
After dinner we were all given personal rooms to sleep in for the night. De’Ath stayed up in the lounge, reading up on the location of this inn between worlds, and anything he could find on it. Adriana and I stayed up a bit and visited with family.
Cloudclipper Art is from PC1 Top Ballista by Carl Seargent. the Art is likely by Frey Graphics, Maybe Roy Parker.
Baldwin Games 
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