The Fairy Diary Day 609 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Before we parted Willie gifted  Dunfallon with a striking ring. It glows with the same color as the Wisp. My pixie friend was quite taken with it, and kept looking at it as we flew along. 

When Gilgorgon’s mountain came in view, I had the urge to visit our dwarf friends – a notion that my pendants confirmed with the sensation of spreading warmth. So, I asked Gibley to take us over there. Dunfallon was all for the move, but Gibley wondered if we should at this time. When I told him that it may just prove to be crucial to our current quest, he urged Conjil on to that destination. 

We had some trouble at the main entrance with some guards who were unfamiliar with us, but once Herblas was sent for, he had us in and settled in short order. 

Gilgorgon received us gladly and called for a sumptuous meal. While it was prepared he invited us into his private chamber and listened intently to my account of our recent doings. When I revealed the problem faced by the Dromadil pixies, Gilgorgon became very animated and sent for his chief miner whom he introduced as Dibla. 

From Dibla we learned that Dromadil had been built over an abandoned work excavated by the dwarves long ago – back during the time of the building of the Low-way of the Dwarves. The more he talked the more connections I made between these underground areas and the activities of the Frost Fairies and their manipulation of water in that sphere. 

I asked Dibla if he were free to accompany us to Dromadil. He hesitated and put us off with the plea for time to consider – which we were more than willing to do. 

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The Fairy Diary Day 500 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Glossom did not go with us to the stronghold city of the dwarves. He told us that he had too much work to see to as leader of his goblin clan and could not safely neglect it any longer. 

Before we parted he gifted his nephew with a young dragon that has manifested the same behavior as Rayjil. Not yet named (Gibley would have that honor), she was strong enough to carry the three of us – with room to add Herblas. 

Arriving at the entrance to the Low-way of the dwarves, Gibley remained with the dragon while Dunfallon and I went into the stronghold city. 

Herblas had not been idle and eagerly displayed for us a pouch full of purple gems. I thought they looked promising. 

We paid our respects to Fliget (Gnoston had returned to his village), and alerted him to the intelligence that the black bird was abroad in our land. Then we rejoined Gibley. 

The young goblin, having passed some time with the dragon, had named her. So, he introduced us to Conjil. And after we coaxed Herblas to join us, we winged our way to Merlin’s castle. 

The Fairy Diary Day 496 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The dwarf Herblas remained behind in the stronghold city. Merlin had assigned him the task of combing through the nearby gem mines for possibilities to be fashioned into beacon stones.We would be looking for the same once we arrived at Glossom’s domicile. 

Once out in the canyonlands at the absolute end of the Low-way of the dwarves we met up with two dragons waiting there with a goblin handler. Gibley mounted the first with his uncle; Dunfallon and I the second with its handler. 

Merlin wanted to travel on his own. “Besides,” he quipped, “I do not want to arrive before anyone else.” 

Even so the wizard was waiting at the mouth of cave entrance when our dragons touched down. 

I believe Gibley was impressed. 

Merlin produced a couple gems that he had acquired along the way. Glossom held them up to the sun and said,”Right color but not pure enough.”

Our host used the remaining hours of the day to lay down the rules for our search through the goblin quarry in the morning. Dunfallon was a most eager listener and Gibley was just happy for the attention from his uncle. 

For my part I was a little nervous about the dangers Glossom enumerated. 

The Fairy Diary Day 489 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Come time to set out for the stronghold city I was almost too full to move. This feasting of late slows me down considerably. Looking around at my companions I saw a similar effect at work in them – all except in the case of Merlin. He seemed ready to march nonstop all the way to our destination. 

Even more traffic was traveling the Low-way of the dwarves. Most of it headed towards the capital. Many times our party had to yield to the traffic headed in that direction – huge caravans carting building materials and there were other transports headed in that direction which we knew were ferrying metals from the mines, judging by the amount of soldiers guarding them. 

During one of the instances we were waiting Dunfallon excitedly brought to us a new arrival – our friend Gnoston. He wanted to know if I would send a message to the High Fairy – but before I could answer him, Fliget saw him and took him away from us. 

I asked Dunfallon if he knew why Gnoston wanted to contact his excellency. The pixie shook his head. 

We had the distinct feeling afterwards that our friend was being kept from us. 

The Fairy Diary Day 488 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We were not the only ones traveling the passageway down to the Low-way of the dwarves. Many merchants were passing us in both directions. In the main they were dwarves, but there was a smattering of goblins and elves among them. All were curious and stared unremittingly at Merlin. The wizard took it in stride – and even exchanged pleasantries with a few of them. 

Gibley was not a little amazed at the attention he was getting from these strangers for his being among our number. It made me want to shield him all the more, but Dunfallon beat me to it and fell in step beside him. 

When we reached the bottom where the great doors stood open (as was Merlin’s hope when they were replaced) we found another surprise. Fliget was there – set up in a camp just on the other side, in the Low-way of the dwarves. He had heard that we were coming and had come out to meet us. 

His capital is still being rebuilt and wanted to take us down to the stronghold city to talk through things there. 

Thus we entered into another occasion of dwarfish hospitality. 

The Fairy Diary Day 446 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I was glad to leave the craziness behind. And so was Rumble. (As for Merlin we have seen no change in his composure throughout- we admire his strength). That being said, I will be very keen to hear about the final decisions regarding the future of the two dwarf kingdoms. I am sure the High Fairy will have great success and that all will be satisfied. 

Merlin has settled upon returning the way we came. We were no longer required to be accompanied by guides, so we acted our own. Rumble is sure that all the traps have been removed from the Low-way of the dwarves. Probably by Gnoston. 

Passing through Gnoston’s village, we paid a call on our friend. He was just about finished putting things back in order. He and his fellow villagers have been tasked with restoring the gates to the passage up to Gilgorgon’s mountain. And asked to accompany us. 

The Fairy Diary Day 440 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Gilgorgon has won his point with the help of Gnoston’s testimony. Although the details going forward are not yet settled. Many of Gilgorgon’s best miners, having refused to come out earlier, remain behind in the sunken capital and have been hard at work trying to dig their way down into Artoxon’s apartments. 

I recalled vaguely the location of the maintenance access that Dunfallon, Gibley and I used to descend to that level and gave them that information. 

Other than that I do not see anything else left for Rumble and me to do. 

Merlin and the High Fairy are staying to see things through, but I thought that Rumble and I should return to Merlin’s castle to check on our dragon handlers. So, we went to Merlin to get his permission. 

But before I could gain an audience with him an alarm was raised from fairy troop sentinels stationed back on the Low-way of the dwarves. 

Another dwarf army headed up by Fliget had arrived. Has he come as our friend or our foe?

The Fairy Diary Day 434 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Our advance was brought to a halt not much further up the Low-way of the dwarves. Rumble heard moaning off on one of the side passages. We would have passed by otherwise. 

The sound of pain came from a mound of rags shivering in the dark of that passageway. It was our friend Gnoston. I had to fight back tears at the sight of him. 

Merlin knelt by him, taking a vial from his voluminous robes and giving him a drink of elixir. The transformation in the dwarf was instantaneous. 

He thanked the wizard for the draft and recounted his tale of how he came here. 

Word that Gilgorgon’s army was on the march alarmed his village and soon most fled. Gnoston stayed but was forced out by the arrival of Artoxon’s troops. He made his way up to the capital only to be refused entrance. They told him he was too late. And with the sound of battle behind he fled up the Low-way of the dwarves to where we found him.  

What he shared next caused us to return back to where we last saw Artoxon’s capital. 

The Fairy Diary Day 432 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Rumble was gone when I opened my eyes – which was not really a concern at first as he just could have been restless and wandered off to check through the village once more for our missing friend, the dwarf Gnoston. But then I noticed that Merlin was also nowhere in sight. 

The feeling of being all alone crashed in on me. Which lasted until I wondered if I were dreaming. And after slapping myself with sufficient force to disprove that notion, I crept out of the house in hopes of clearing my head.

 Outside, the silence was deafening. But with the added sense that eyes were watching me – just out of view at every turn of my head. 

Then in an instant of clarity, I remembered thinking how like the Will’o’the Wisp this was – to torture and mislead his foes. 

I shook myself and re-entered the house. There were my friends waiting for me. They asked simply if I were ready to depart. 

We did. And along the Low-way of the dwarves I recounted to them the incidents that make me believe that I am being haunted by Willie. 

The Fairy Diary Day 430 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We reached the gates to the Low-way of the dwarves. They had been locked and barred only a moon ago when we passed by on the way from Gnoston’s village towards the stronghold city. Now they were broken asunder. 

Had Gilgorgon and his forces done this?

It would seem the logical conclusion- but ever since the vision of yesterday my thoughts touch continually upon the grinning face of Willie. 

Merlin himself is perplexed as there are no signs of battle – force opposing force on either side of the gates. He is inclined to believe that some other power has done this. And that Gilgorgon and his dwarves passed through without opposition. 

However the question remains- did they turn towards the stronghold city? Or towards Artoxon’s capital?

Rumble asked the wizard to describe the scenes of battle he witnessed via the seer’s stone. Merlin did something better – circumscribing a circle in the air with his staff, we were soon observing the past scene ourselves. 

Our hearts sunk when we realized that the battle between dwarves was playing out in Gnoston’s village.