Royal Crown Commision: Off to Visit Josie

[Jim Roberts]

[Jan 30 PM – The Briarpatch]

For the second time that evening, the red and black ringed tunnel mouth
of Finfin’s Dimension Folding spell opened in mid air, this time in
front of a newly constructed A frame building. A moment later, hand in
hand, the two wizards stepped out of the tunnel and onto Terra Firma. As
was their usual habit, Mithi was leaving Finfin’s sword arm free. This
time, the elf did not have to reach for an amulet to determine if they
were under observation; some startled expressions and even a dwarven
curse suggested that they were most certainly being observed. A pair of
startled dwarves had their hands on their axes, staring wide eyed at the
two magical travellers. Finfin returned the stare, one hand still
holding Mithi’s, and the other lightly resting on his sword hilt,
awaiting someone to make the first move.

“Still say it ain’t natcherul,” one of the dwarves grumbled, and his
companion agreed. Both pointedly turned away from the newcomers and
returned to their business with a compass and some surveying stakes.
“Damn tree-huggers an’ their innademonshunal magics anyway.”

“Welcome back to the Briarpatch,” a voice cheerfully called out from the
building. Emerging from the A-frame structure was an elven lady who,
like her kin, was of an indeterminate age for most observers, though
Finfin thought that she was somewhat younger than himself. Her garb
clearly identified her as a full Initiate of the Keeryte Sisterhood.

“Good evening, Initiate Arwen,” Finfin greeted the Keeryte. “I believe
we are expected?”

“You’ve got that right,” Arwen chuckled. “Josie asked one of us to
escort you over to Camp Keshin pronto, the moment you showed up.”

Mithi and Finfin shared a smile. “We would be happy to leave any time.”

“No time like the present,” Arwen replied. “C’mon. I’ll take you there
myself.”

A moment later, the Initiate was leading the two wizards towards the
stout hedge that formed the perimeter defense for the camp that used to
be the fifth of a line of simple waystations, but was now growing into a
minor redoubt and trading post affectionately known as the Briarpatch.
To say that the hedge was “stout” was doing it a disservice. This was
not simply an overgrown decoration from someone’s garden; this hedge
would require siege equipment to overcome.

Arwen led them to a gap in the hedge wall that led not to the outside,
but rather into a maze of twisty passages, all alike, that wove their
way around the wall’s interior, switching back and forth with numerous
deliberate choke points. The defensive utility was obvious to a warrior
like Finfin; the maze was designed to channel any intruders, forcing
them into a series of choke points where a relative handful of defenders
could delay an incoming army. And then fall back to the next choke
point, and again. It would not be able to STOP an invader like an
engineered castle wall with overlapping zones of fire, but it was not at
all bad for something that Gil had crafted with her spells.

Finfin was not ignorant of the after action reports from what at the
time had been dubbed the Ice Station Omega team. The defensive
capabilities of the hedge wall were not purely theoretical. They had
been put to the test already against the local Green Death kobolds and
their penchant for zombies.

Which rather made the defenses most relevant, given what was likely
before the wizards upon their return to The Waterworks. Arwen was quite
happy to chat about their recent scrapes with the Green Death.
Fortunately, their living numbers had been significantly reduced by
Josie, Trast, and the Wild Women before Yule, and their unliving numbers
annihilated in this very hedge mage by Laquendi and the Keerytes of Ice
Station Omega. Now, with their scaly ears pinned back – if kobolds even
HAD ears, which was rather in doubt – they lacked the numbers to be a
significant threat to the locals.

But that didn’t keep the scaly wretches from sniping at or even
occasionally ambushing those they thought they could. And the
Briarpatch’s current residents, backed by their Honeyskin tribal hosts,
time and time again taught the kobolds the value of leaving the locals
in peace. Though they appeared to be stubbornly slow learners.

Once outside, the walk to what Arwen called “Camp Keshin” was not
terribly far. Finfin had thought that they would first be conducted to
the Honeyskin’s main winter camp, where Chief Caenry might want to have
words with them. However, with a chuckle Arwen relayed how the local
Chief knew that the wizardly visitors had limited time, and that his
foster daughter Siaye would want as much time with the visitors as could
be arranged. So the kindly Chief left word that the wizards were welcome
in the Honeyskins territory, and that he would quite understand if they
delayed meeting in person for a future time when they would be less in a
hurry.

On the way to “Camp Keshin”, Arwen relayed what else her team had been
up to. Fortunately, the expanded Ice Station Omega team had managed to
handle the bulk of the nasties that had been causing the Honeyskins
grief. True, a few more owlbears had tried to force their way into the
region, and those had required the skills of both the Keeryte and Fort
Resolute taskforce combined with a number of Honeyskin braves to lure
the creatures into an ambush where they were wiped out by massed arrowfire.

Of course, continuing to keep people out of the region that Huntress Gil
had emphasized was a “No Go” region also occupied some of their time.
The Druid had warned them that something “unspeakable” was in that area,
and the Sisters being no fools, did not speak of it. And they most
*certainly* did not disturb whatever it was; something that the Huntress
wanted to reserve for herself and her peers was nothing that Arwen’s
team wanted to face.

Really, the highlights of their time, according to Arwen, were the
weekly social “mixers” that dear Chief Caenry arranged. The evenings
were a fine chance for the ladies lucky enough to be “off duty” to be
able to dine, dance, and socialize with not just the eligible bachelors
among the Honeyskins, but also among friendly travellers and other
allies that enjoyed the Honeyskin Chief’s hospitality. The extent of the
“socialization” was left up to the imagination, but neither the Forest
People nor the younger Keeryte Sisters had reputations for being
socially repressed.

Soon, the two wizards and the Keeryte were standing outside two large
wigwams that were surrounded by a number of smaller outbuildings. Some
were rather mundane to store firewood, while others from what could be
quickly glimpsed from outside were various workshops. The two larger
wigwams appeared to be living spaces, and a wisp of smoke from an
interior fire wafted up from each.

Dotted around the perimeter were various collections of objects that
simply begged for closer examination. Even an observer like Finfin who
had preferred martial to artistic training could appreciate what were
clearly unorthodox artworks, and not anything with a practical or
mundane use. Many were fashioned of various types and shades of rock,
but carefully balanced and frozen in place by crystal clear ice. Others
were collections of vines and long leaves woven together in fascinating
geometric patterns, once again temporarily frozen in place by a coating
of ice. This was clearly the home of Siaye, the creator of these
signature natural, and by their very nature, transient works of art.

Arwen clapped outside the door to one of the wigwam’s, and at an
invitation from within, ushered the visitors inside. Sitting at a table
in a simple kitchen were their hosts. Josie, of course, they knew well
from their bohemian life living with musicians among the Plains
Expedition. The other two were the married couple, Keshin and his wife
Siaye. Though as Finfin understood it, Josie and Siaye might have been
co-wifes; the Forest People culture certainly supported such things, if
*all* participants were willing.

But according to Josie, a less than permissive ruling prevented the
Flying Tiger from joining the couple in expanded matrimony. However,
that certainly did not prevent the three from all *acting* like married
partners when the opportunity presented itself. Which was why several
times now Finfin had managed to transport Josie here, so that she could
be with her family. *Particularly* at times like tonight’s Full Moon, or
the Moon Dark of a fortnight ago, when Flying Tigers were caught up in
certain… urges that were best worked out with the help of intimate company.

“Hi, kids!” Arwen cheerfully greeted the trio, and then glanced around.
“The young ones are abed already?”

“Hi, Arwen!” Siaye greeted the Keeryte scout. “Caenry’s putting them up
for the night.”

Josie nodded happily. “I got to spend a lot of the day with them, thanks
to Hizzoner’s Wind Walk, and Lomi making sure I didn’t float off in the
wrong direction. But yeah, dear Caenry thought there was a chance that
we might need the extra space tonight.”

Siaye grinned. “Not that they haven’t heard such things before. If they
do not learn of such things from us, just who *would* they learn them from?”

Keshin, feeling like he should be a more active host, waved the trio to
some seats. Arwen, however, simply laughed. “I think I’d be a sixth
wheel. Have fun, you folks.”

Siaye smiled appreciatively at the two wizards. “Oh, I think there is
every chance we will.”