Story : The road to Hockstow Forest

From Ars Magica

Revision as of 15:54, 5 April 2006

A fine spring morning

The company had far to travel, this much was certain. Evidently, the fastest way for them to reach Hockestow forest was to follow the old road toward Sarop, and then cut across land once the landscape between the road and the forest became less rugged.

This fine spring morning, birds are flitting about the upper story of the tavern, whose windows have been flung wide open. Maids can be heard, going about the business of removing sheets from the cots, and generally tidying after the guests. From the back of the stables, the clatter of hooves and the odd irritable cry signal that the stablehand has his hands full with some steed or other. Otherwise, the morning is quiet and peaceful.

The road is quite busy as a number of those travelling to the church are stood around greeting one another, especially those from different villages for whom the Sunday gathering is their weekly opportunity to trade news and gossip. Several groups of old women are huddled together chatting near the track to the manor, and it is evident that almost everyone you can see is either heading to the Church, or waiting for someone who is.

Everyone is dressed in smarter clothes if they have them, with their hair combed, but otherwise the local folk seem relaxed as befitted their day of rest.

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The two mages and the polecat rode in a horse-drawn cart; beside them, Sandor rode alone, eyes wary as he looked around for any impending trouble. This morning, Eirlys wore a stark white feathered cloak over a robe of grey silk, and her hair was tied back with a black ribbon (which looked suspiciously like the one sported by Phaedrus the night before). Aloysius looked as though he had eaten quite too much, as his belly hung a bit larger than the previous evening.

Longinus wore his customary too-white robe with the hood pulled well forward and his hands clasped together deep within the sleeves. Llewelyn walked alongside the cart warily, watching each other traveller or party closely as they pass.

The fey girl turned to Longinus. "So do you know exactly where we're going?" she asked. "The other groups all seemed to secure guides for their sojourns."

"Did they? I hadn't noticed" Longinus replied. "Perhaps you forget my House? Though as a gifted member of our house I do not wear the red cap, I have access to much lore that is... unknown to other houses. I did spend some time researching the general area before coming here. If we travel along the Long Mynd to the north, at the end we head north west. The Hockestow forest should be in sight from the end of the Mynd. It is all but certain to contain some magical sites of significance, though what significance exactly I am readuy to speculate on."

A way up the old road

Travelling up the old road was certainly much faster and easier than hoofing it across the hills and dales. Before long, the little company had made its way up a goodly length of the old road, and soon found they had passed the the track that led off toward Caer Caradoc without encountering their sodales.

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After riding a while in silence, Eirlys pulled back on the reins, bringing their horse and cart to a stop. "Since we don't know much about the area, I'd like to scout ahead, now that we're far from the village."

(I'm assuming no argument from Longinus in order to help speed the story up-- if Longinus has objections I'll modify what follows accordingly.)

Eirlys climbed clumsily from the cart, stumbling a bit before Sandor's hand whipped out to steady her. She nodded her thanks and smoothed out her clothes. With flamboyant gestures and a loud exclamation in a language probably only Aloysius understood, Eirlys disappeared, as the sound of hooves pounding the ground rang out, and the air became very chill as a light frost settled onto the ground.

(* I don't know how exactly spellcasting is supposed to work between players and the storyguide. Since it's a non-stressful situation and her casting total is higher than the spell level, as long as we're not in a Dominion aura of 4 or higher, she'll cast this without losing fatigue. After that she's going to attempt to cast Cloak of White Feathers. Assuming it's still a non-stressful situation, she'd need a simple die roll of 7 minus magic/faerie aura to cast without losing fatigue. I'm going to assume she loses a fatigue level here as I proceed, but feel free to edit/change this to reflect anything I haven't accounted for.)

Aloysius snickered towards Longinus. "Too bad she can only make herself invisible. There's been many a time I've wished a Perdo Imaginem would shut her up. Usually once she gets to drinking, not like that pithy mundane whiskey last night, but I mean REALLY drinking. The good stuff. Nothing like Arcadian ale to turn her into a wailing banshee." He laughed, then his eyes flicked to the ground, and he jumped back, cowering in Longinus' lap. "HEY! I don't know what you're planning, but don't think I can't see your shadow coming over here! You'd better not try anything, or my friend here will have words with you about... about molesting fae!"

Laughter rang out from the space above the shadow. "Well, I'd thought maybe pulling a whisker might teach you to run your mouth," she replied in Welsh. "Now, you behave yourself Aly, and try not to drive the poor man out of his mind. Sandor, will you look out for the two of them while I'm gone?" Then in Latin: "I'll let you know if I see anything of interest, sodalis."

Another loud exclamation in that same strange, foreign tongue followed, and this time the sound of hoofbeats was quite loud-- as though a pair of horses was galloping towards the group at full speed. A bit of snow fell then, settling on the horses, the cart, and their riders. There came a flapping sound, as Eirlys flexed her wings exuberantly, adjusting to the sensation of having wings instead of arms. Her disembodied voice spoke again: "Sorry about that. I need just a moment to get adjusted, I'll be off in a moment."

Aloysius groaned, and a noxious odour filled the air. "Curses, mum, you know I don't like it when you do that," he complained.

"Of course I know, Aly. Why do you think I made myself invisible first? I didn't want to scare you," came the reply.

"Whether I can see you or not, I KNOW what you're doing, and I don't like it. It makes me nervous. Those are foul beings, whether our Lady favors them or not," he retorted.

"You know very well I'm not going to eat you, nor let anything else eat you." Then, in Welsh: "Please don't be upset with me, Aloysius. I love you better than I love all my brothers combined. No harm is going to befall you so long as I have anything to say about it."

He sniffed the air, then nodded, mollified. "All right Snowdrop. You be careful up there. Kill any polecat-eaters you see."

With only the barest sound of rushing wind, the invisible snowy owl launched into the sky, to scan the surrounding area with her keen vision*.

(* Owls have very good far-sight, though I do not know whether her Second Sight will still work while she's shapeshifted.)

(Eirlys can see clearly up and down a good stretch of the Vale. The summit of Caer Caradoc rises above her to the right, and the Long Mynd runs to her left. The road seems to be emptying of people as the hour of the main Sunday service approaches. There seem to be a large number of people gathering in the bailey of the manor house, outside the church, and there is almost no human activity elsewhere. in the Vale. The Long Mynd becomes increasingly low to the north, become a series of foothills that soon give way to a plain. The road north continues Shrewsbury, which is too far away to see (at 80 feet, she can see around 10 miles;) once it passes the Long Mynd, it turns toward the direction of Hockestow forest, but she can see no further. p.s. Your purple is bleeding again... :P)