The Fairy Diary Day 681 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Gibley left for the canyonlands on Conjil this morning. Rumble joined Dunfallon and I to bid him goodbye. The goblin had offered to accompany us on our trip, but I thanked him and released him from any obligation that he was feeling and assured him that the three of us should have no problem reaching the dwarves safely. 

Together we three had Cluyjil harnessed and prepared to go just before Merlin and Tinadell arrived. An escort of fairy troops delivered the cages with our two prisoners and tied them down into the wagon. 

The Fairy King echoed the wizard’s assurances of yesterday to me. He thinks all challenges will be laid to rest by the time of our return from Gilgorgon’s mountain. 

Merlin instructed us on how to care for and communicate with our prisoners. We are to talk with the Caretaker and not the former queen. Additional spells are weighing her down and restricting her activity and abilities. He is confident she will present no problems. 

After Dunfallon reviewed his soldier less weapons and arranged their marching order about the wagon, we set out, following behind our fairy troop escort.

We bypassed Nonin-gal-dith and took the southbound road in order to retrace the path we traveled last time. Dunfallon still believes it wise to keep the distance between the renegades and the Will’o’the Wisp. 

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The Fairy Diary Day 664 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I do believe that we are farther from Nonin-gal-dith than when first we entered these pixie woods and that holds true even though we have come out on the other side of the forests. The path Rumble plotted for us kept us not only far away from the swamp of Will’o’the Wisp – it also kept us at a great distance from the main pixie burrows. 

That is why I granted Dunfallon’s petition for him to pay a visit to Nailbiter’s burrow – with the proviso that he return to us this night. 

The road chosen by Rumble was very smooth and passed through picturesque forests and meadows. It is surprising therefore how few pixie burrows there were in that most perfect of settings. 

We crossed over the road the humans use between Aznastria to the north and their sister kingdoms to the south. It called to mind our friends King Nimrood and Caywyn, and made me wonder how they fared during the freeze and the Frost Fairy incursion. 

Rumble called a halt when we came to the fairy road that will take us to Nonin-gal-dith tomorrow. Here we will wait for Dunfallon to find us. 

I wonder if he will remember to show up. 

The Fairy Diary Day 663 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Dunfallon’s “army” clinked and clattered continually today, as we traversed wave upon wave of rolling hills. The ride in the wagon was smooth enough, at least the Caretaker was no longer complaining. Noralei was excited, she could almost smell Nonin-gal-dith and home through the intervening hills and forests. It also had an effect on Rayjil as there seemed to be an extra bounce in her step.

Merlin announced that he would go on ahead to the Faerie capital and there make arrangements for the trial of her former majesty and the Caretaker. To that end he asked Dunfallon to fly him there on Cluyjil. The pixie was more than ready for he wanted to stop in at the pixie burrows on his return.

After the wizard’s departure, Rugis and Strukul and the dwarf escort took their leave of us. They felt their services were no longer needed. So, there we were, Noralei, Rumble, and I, and the two dragons, Rayjil and Clemjil – now only days away from our destination.

By day’s end, with the forestlands in view, Dunfallon returned. He and Cluyjil had delivered Merlin safely to the capital. And though intending to stop by to pay his respects to Nailbiter and his pixies, he was called away by the voice from the ring to see the Will’o’the Wisp. Willie had a dire request to be relayed to us. He advised us to keep her former majesty as far as possible from him, as he was highly susceptible to her influence. 

I asked Rumble to come up with a more suitable route for tomorrow.

The Fairy Diary Day 645 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Captain Goff joined us for the morning meal in the inn. The only one not with us was Dunfallon, who could not bring himself to leave the ship unprotected by his absence. 

And probably for good reason. The captain had some disquieting news. Rumors were rampant around Corbelin stemming it is believed from factions sympathetic to our prisoners. He fears that an attempt will be made to seize them from us. He advised us to depart as soon as possible.

We sent Rumble off to see if he could buy back one of the wagons he had sold here. Noralei went off to see to the needs of our dragons. And I took a meal down to Dunfallon and recounted the news and our decisions to him.

When Merlin came aboard, he immediately went below to visit the prisoners. After he emerged he went to Noralei who was then feeding Clemjil, and asked her to fashion cages for the renegade queen and the Caretaker, like those she had made for the Will’o’the Wisp.

By the afternoon, Rumble returned and he had with him the very wagon we had used before to transport Dunfallon’s “army.” It should handle the bell and the prisoners with no problem. And the pixie intends to keep his soldier-less weapons out of their boxes, ready and moving under their own power.

I pointed out a couple suspicious characters to Rumble and Dunfallon, whom I had seen repeatedly pass back and forth by the ship. They gave a wide berth around Cluyjil who was snoring in the late afternoon in his place on the quay. He startled awake once, and I was amused to see the suspect pair scatter.

Before we prepared for the evening meal, Noralei returned, bearing one newly fashioned cage. She gave it to the wizard for his approval. He did and she will make the other tomorrow.

I could not bring myself to stay in the inn overnight but decided to stay aboard the ship with Dunfallon.

The Fairy Diary Day 625 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

It has been a good first day. Even though we did not make it out of harbor with the fishing fleet as Captain Goff had hoped. We held off for the return of Conjil carrying Gibley and Dunfallon. Thankfully we did not have to wait too long. 

However, it did take some time to settle the dragon into her position on the main deck amidships. (I think she would prefer to perch on the taffrail, but that would put us down by the stern).

We received our first message on my scroll from Emminie. The Sprites have expanded their exploration- so now besides connections with the pixies they have added contacts to the goblins in the great shaft and the trolls of the surrounding area. He is confident that if there is any activity from the Frost Fairies he will hear of it in short order. 

Noralei has inspected the harness apparatus and has pronounced it sound. We will hold off on using it until we can convince Captain Goff that it will be beneficial. 

Merlin monitors the seers stone and I back him up when I can. I am paired with Noralei for our watches, and Rumble with Dunfallon on theirs. We take turns introducing Gibley to the work of a sailor. And that work has introduced the goblin to the rigors of seasickness. 

The one surprise so far is the voice from Dunfallon’s ring complaining about being seasick too. Is it part of the Will’o’the Wisp that has been placed in the ring?

The Fairy Diary Day 611 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Our meeting with the Dromadil king was somewhat tumultuous. We were all there. And all very much taken aback by the palpable aversion the king has to even the mention of the Sprites. And the refusal of the Will’o’the Wisp to help prompted an even greater explosion. He turned green as his first reaction and flushed red at the second. 

I believe Dunfallon was quite surprised at his lack of self-control. 

After we waited for him to collect himself, (he changed another color upon learning that dwarves once dug in the earth below his city) he latched onto the possibilities offered by Dibla’s map. And asked that we find a way down to fix the problem –  just the five of us. 

When Gibley shared that one of the entrances down may be located somewhere within his treasury all the color drained from his face. The king then fell to begging and pleading with us to do it. 

At that point I told him that we would discuss it amongst ourselves and get back to him tomorrow. 

We all met back in the Conjil’s stable. And while we bandied about our decision, Dunfallon worked with Noralei on a solution to protect the dragon from summoning. 

The Fairy Diary Day 606 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We met and talked things through but with no results. None of us felt sure about getting involved with this request without first knowing more. It was helpful when Merlin replied to my recent message and reconfirmed that he had indeed given his approval to the Dromadil king. 

Thus we received our first hint as to what it is all about. It is something that the Dromadilians are anxious to keep secret.  Small imperfections have been discovered deep under the foundations of the city, especially in and around the area of his palace. 

Dunfallon and I met again with the pixie king and took Gibley in with us. We told him that he needed to be more forthright with us before we would agree to any further involvement. 

He reluctantly called for his architect to take us down to the lower levels where the dungeons and his treasury are located. There, water was oozing from the base of the walls through the tiniest of crevices. 

It was easy to understand the king’s reticence in this matter. And when we saw that Gibley (whom we brought along for the occasion) was too big for the job, we decided between us that the Will’o’the Wisp might be able to fix the problem- if he will agree to help. 

On the way back up to the Dromadil audience chamber, I could not but think that the Sprites could have easily done the job. 

But then, there are those prejudices. 

The Fairy Diary Day 605 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Our celebration with the Dromadil pixies last evening was very pleasurable. But it was also full of oddities. And none more so than when the Dromadil king suddenly changed the topic and asked after the Will’o’the Wisp. I filled him in on Willie’s current whereabouts and Dunfallon described his daily routines in his swamp. Then, that was it, the king moved on to a fresh topic. 

I did not learn of a connection until later. Merlin had left a message on the scroll for me. He requested that we hear out a request from the Dromadil king. (The wizard had made a promise to him in return for receiving the Sprites into his kingdom). 

It was a favor being asked of fairies – so, while Dunfallon and Gibley remained behind, Rumble, Noralei, and I went in for a special audience with the king. I feel that he had a general misunderstanding as to who had the closer relationship with Willie – for he asked us if we could persuade Willie to leave his bog and come here to help the Dromadil pixies with an ongoing problem. The king was reticent about details and would only say that Merlin was aware and would approve. 

None of us knew what to say in reply. Finally I just told the king that we needed to confer with one another before making a decision. He said he understood and dismissed us. 

I wrote out a note to Merlin and we gathered out where Conjil is stabled to talk through the request. 

The Fairy Diary Day 570 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Late last night (or early this morning) the seers stone found Merlin in the territory of the Dromadil pixies. In fact their city was in his line of sight. However, upon rising this morning and checking again – the wizard had dropped from its view. 

I was frantically searching the stone for any sign of him when Dunfallon came in. And before I could find the words for my distress, he declared to me that we must release Willie from his cage in the dungeon and take him with us. 

To say I was taken aback is putting it mildly. 

I said, “No,” without hesitation. 

But Dunfallon persisted. He agreed that the Wisp had been wholly untrustworthy in our late experience with him. But he sees a world of a difference in him now. And in questioning the owl, the change in Willie was noticed about the time he and Noralei and the others defeated the Dark One. So, he hypothesized that just like in Tinadell’s case – once the enemy was vanquished – all those in his thrall were freed. 

Only then did I tell Dunfallon that Merlin had disappeared from the view of the seers stone and that we must depart immediately for Dromadil to pick up his trail. 

All the more then did the pixie insist that we take Willie with us (even in the face of his former promise).

Seeing that he was unmovable on this, I relented – but only after exacting a condition that the Will’o’the Wisp remain in his cage. 

Dunfallon himself, tethered the floating cage to Cluyjil’s saddle and we were off to Dromadil. 

The Fairy Diary Day 569 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We were off. However, there was some reluctance on the part of our dragon. Noralei had mentioned to us that he appeared to be pining away for Rayjil. And now as we were putting more distance between the two his sadness was growing. 

Finally, Dunfallon gave him a squeeze about the neck and whispered in his ear. His demeanor perked up immediately and his speed increased. 

And when Cluyjil caught sight of Merlin’s castle, his excitement grew. In a matter of a few wingbeats we were back on solid ground. The dragon deposited us in the courtyard and continued on to his very own pen – quite content. 

The owl, Merlin’s major domo, greeted us and ushered us into the wizard’s study. He knew already why we had come. At last report Merlin had just left Laguayil and was headed for Dromadil. He had left us permission to use the seers stone in his study to locate him more precisely. 

The owl did make a request before leaving us there. He told us that there had been a marked change in the Will’o’the Wisp and he asked if we could take a look at him. 

We agreed. While I stayed to consult the seers stone, the pixie went off to visit his old friend. And I did not see him the rest of the night.