The Fairy Diary Day 306 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

There has been a marked change in the Will’o’the Wisp.  He does not shine as bright and he moans as though in mourning. Dunfallon thinks it is because we have passed out of the land that no one will name and are no longer behind its barrier. 

The pixie keeps up a stream of conversation whenever he carries him. But Willie answers not a word. 

We proceeded more cautiously per Noralei’s suggestion. And she ranged far beyond us looking out for the enemy. 

We passed many more hollowed out chambers. And when Noralei discovered that some showed signs of recent habitation, we became more cautious still.

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The Fairy Diary Day 275 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Our assumption that a city or castle or tower belonging to the enemy was hidden from our view has proven false. There was no extra barrier guarded by those black plants masking the seat of the enemy’s power. 

Instead we are standing on the rim of the crater Dunfallon saw yesterday looking down into its vastness. Noralei’s compass indicates we have arrived. And my pendants have ceased their agitation. But I sense that it is only the calm before the storm. 

We have decided to wait before pressing onwards. And to await an answer to my recent report to the High Fairy. 

How close are they?

Should we wait for their arrival?

The Fairy Diary Day 273 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I have come to the conclusion that there are no dark elves in this land – and this not just from our own experience thus far. Grimace tells us that he has not seen nor encountered one in his traverse of the entire country. 

That left us all wondering exactly who or what it is that opposes us – that has mounted the attacks against our lands. 

Then this valley took a turn to the east at the end of the mountain range to our right, and another valley opened before us – one that appears to cut through all the ranges we saw from the heights a few days ago. 

Straight ahead per Noralei’s compass lies the source which attracts the greater amount of the red ashes. And both my pendants which have been ‘silent’ since we passed beyond the barrier were quivering. 

We are impatient for Dunfallon’s return. 

The Fairy Diary Day 268 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Dunfallon is bubbling over with excitement. His eagle responded to his summons and he was able to fly above this land of the dark elves. He flew to the east and there discovered a horde of marching plants. But with the exception of one they are in full retreat back to where they came from. 

While the one still coming for us is the largest by far, the pixie thinks it could never overtake us. 

Noralei will keep an eye on its progress in any event. 

The terrain we are passing through is very rugged and the few villages we have encountered, like the fishing village, are all abandoned. 

The High Fairy replied to us. All their forces have advanced beyond the barrier but are meeting opposition daily – undead trolls and wolves, bats and black birds and hornets, and most deadly of all the infernal walking plants. His excellency ended his message with the strongest warning – to avoid at all costs the largest of the walking menaces for even their touch is lethal. 

The Fairy Diary Day 267 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We have not sighted any of the ambulatory plants. So we decided to take advantage of that and move on. Rumble had the thought that with the collapse of the barrier they may be adversely effected. 

I for one certainly hope that is the case. 

We came to a point along the stream where we decided to depart from it. Which also meant saying goodbye to Nora. (He was very disappointed and that more than anything saddened us too). We promised one another undying affection.  And I felt that we would be encountering one another before long. 

Noralei consulted her compass and was puzzled by the movement of the red ashes. Instead of pointing in just one direction, now there were two. 

It was easy to surmise that the eastern group was due to the black plants, especially the walking ones, in that direction. That left the other as highly likely to be were our enemy is headquartered. 

I wrote the High Fairy to fill him in on our discoveries and to ask for the latest from him. 

We are all pleased with our progress at last.

The Fairy Diary Day 266 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Immediately after Nora ferried Dunfallon and Noralei over, the pixie set to work. He found the second stream larger than the first. By the time the waterhorse returned with Rumble and me, Dunfallon had completed his first foray. 

He was excited. He had destroyed every black plant in the vicinity and believed that the opening in the barrier along the stream has increased enough to allow us fairies to pass through too. 

Soon the four of us were hard at work on the other side. Noralei harvested the red seeds from the plants while the rest of us followed behind and made sure they would not grow and mature into the walking variety. 

I kept a vigil towards the east on the lookout for those we had seen from above near the fishing village. 

Such was our focus in that direction that we did not notice that Nora had joined us. We turned at the sound of his hallooing and splashing about in the stream. 

It was a welcome indication that the barrier was failing. But by the same token I fear it might spur on the arrival of the walking menace.

The Fairy Diary Day 265 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Nora fetched us off the quay this morning. He admitted to us that he did not return right away after dropping Dunfallon and Noralei at the first stream, but went on to the second just to look at it. When leaving there he was distracted by a school of fish that led him on a chase all over the bay. 

Our crossing was uneventful except for sightings of more schools of fish, and even larger aquatic creatures. Nora to his credit remained focused and soon had us on the shore beside Noralei. 

Dunfallon was already gone up the stream. He had found a way in yesterday, and this was his third trip beyond the barrier. 

He had located and destroyed several batches of the black plants. However, there had been no change in the barrier. 

We noticed a darkening of the air inside the barrier, and soon after Dunfallon came running out of the stream entrance. 

The pixie had been eradicating more patches of the black plants when larger black plants came walking up to challenge him. He said they were at least five times bigger than he was. 

I decided that we needed to move on to the second stream and concentrate our efforts there in hopes of avoiding this more virulent foe. 

But we would have to wait for our waterhorse to return. 

The Fairy Diary Day 264 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

This morning Nora took Dunfallon and Noralei with him to check out the two streams across the bay. Rumble and I remained behind to await Nora’s return for us. 

In the meantime we went back to the barrier because Rumble wanted to see if we could fly above it, reasoning that just because it had not worked near the black crystalline tower, did not mean necessarily that it would be the same here. 

Our experiment was disappointing. There came a point at a certain height where we actually could fly forward, but the barrier continued below us.  Then we realized that the barrier had the shape of a dome over this land of the dark elves. 

We saw into the area below and at points there were throngs of the ugly black plants – much larger and more mature than any we have seen before – and to our shock – mobile. And currently on the move toward the west where we knew our companions to be.

The Fairy Diary Day 263 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

A day of breakthroughs. Though it certainly did not start that way. Of the four of us, we three fairies were feeling depressed, even despondent. I admit we were homesick for Nonin-gal-dith. Something about this fishing village made us long for home. 

But Dunfallon rallied us. He opened with a joke and followed that with one of his stories – about a prank he played on a bully. (Though he did not say so, I suspect it is a tale from his own experience).

After that we agreed to join him as he continued to explore the perimeter of the enchanted barrier. 

At the point when we were about to finish the last section, I received a message from the High Fairy. He was excited to learn we had landed and had some advice from the Dromadil pixies about skirting the barrier. It seems a way in was always found near a stream or some similar water course. 

The High Fairy ended with a word of warning – once through, our pixie would need to seek out any nearby black plants – and destroy them to bring down the barrier. 

With this news, it was more important than ever that we hear from Nora. 

We hurried back to the harbor, and there found Nora waiting for us – with news about not one but two streams that empty into the bay. 

The Fairy Diary Day 262 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The impasse continued. While still awaiting the return of Nora, we determined to retrace our steps of yesterday, though this time we will trade off the areas so fresh eyes can be brought to bear. 

Dunfallon suggested that instead of accompanying Noralei, he would comb the perimeter of the barrier, much like the Dromadilians were reported to have done. And perhaps turn up a crevasse he could crawl through. This was agreeable to all. 

I dashed off a note to the High Fairy to inform him of our progress (or lack of it), and ask about how the Dromadil scouts penetrated the barrier up there. 

By day’s end we gathered back at the harbor as agreed. Rumble, Noralei and myself had completed our tasks (nothing new to report). Dunfallon had only covered half of the perimeter with nothing to report- so there remains more to check. 

And of a slight concern Nora has not yet returned from his exploration of the bay.