Mabon

The refugees once again take a break to celebrate Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox with friends.

The Altar Stands Ready

Rorn: sniffs the food smells in the air

Rorn: runs around Saph's skirt

Saphira Mistwalker giggles

Fitheach Eun: Welcome all. Today is the Autumnal Equinox or Mabon; the day when night and day have equal sway in the world.

Fitheach Eun: Today our land hangs in equal balance between dark and light.

Fitheach Eun: From today forward until Yule the dark grows ever stronger.

Fitheach Eun: Let us ask the elements to bring balance and harmony to our lives in the dark days ahead.

Lady Saphira, Ambassador of the Shadow Dragons

Fiesty Lotus: Earth, symbol of security and stability,

bring peace and harmony into our homes

Fiesty Lotus: May our families be well,

May the earth, the soil, the land,

Fiesty Lotus: ground us and and protect us and

those whom we love.

Talia.Sunsong: Hail Earth

Fiesty Lotus: Fire, bringer of light and warmth

Hold the inner light ever before us

As we endure the darkness without

Fiesty Lotus: Cast your warmth upon us and all we care for

Keep us safe from the cold winds that are coming soon

And lead us ever back to the light

Talia.Sunsong: Hail Fire

Fae Talia, Mercifully Without her Wand

Fitheach Eun: Air, which fuels the winds of all seasons

And supports all life

Fitheach Eun: Blow away our cares and doubts

Our worries and fears of the darkness to come

Talia.Sunsong: Hail Air

Fitheach Eun: Hold us steady on the dark road ahead

And chase the obstacles from our path

Fitheach Eun: Water, source and sustainer of life

Cleanse our hearts of fear and pain

Fitheach Eun: Create the flow of balance within us

That we may walk in beauty even in the dark days

Talia.Sunsong: Hail Water

Fitheach Eun: Set our course towards the light

And bring us home again

Savage, The Dragon Trapped in a Naga Form

Fiesty Lotus: A balance of night and day, a balance of light and dark

Tonight we seek balance in our lives

as it is found in the Universe.

Fiesty Lotus: A black candle for darkness and pain

and things we can eliminate from our lives.

Fiesty Lotus: A white candle for the light and for joy

and all the abundance we wish to bring forth.

At Mabon, the time of the equinox,

Fiesty Lotus: there is harmony and balance in the Universe,

and so there shall be in all our lives

Hobbit Archdruid Fiesty Lotus

Fitheach Eun: Spirits of the elements

Help us to bring balance to our daily lives

And to all we protect

Fitheach Eun: Guide us away from darkness and pain

Fitheach Eun: Help us remove the bad influences from our lives

Fitheach Eun: Open our hearts and minds to the inner light

Fitheach Eun: That we may carry it within us

Through all the dark days before us

Fitheach Eun turns to the group

Fitheach Eun: Does anyone present wish to speak or add anything to the ceremony?

Elf Archdruid Fitheach Eun

Talia.Sunsong: May you all have an abundant harvest of health, wealth, creativity and friendship

Fitheach Eun smiles

Saphira Mistwalker: May you all find the balance within yourselves and share it with love to those around you.

Fiesty Lotus grins and nods

Fitheach Eun: Anyone else?

Savage Taurus: May all anxiety and strife be left behind us as we move forward into Autumn.

Fitheach Eun nods

Fitheach Eun turns back to the altar

Fitheach Eun: Water, you have brought us your peace and harmony

We thank you; go now in peace

Fitheach Eun: Air, you have held us up on high with your soft winds

We thank you; go now in peace

Talia.Sunsong: Hail and farewell Water

Talia.Sunsong: Hail and farewell Air

Gathered Friends

Fiesty Lotus: Fire, you have kindled a flame to light our path forward

Fiesty Lotus: We thank you; go now in peace

Fiesty Lotus: Earth, you have blessed us with your harvest and your stability

Fiesty Lotus: We thank you; go now in peace

Talia.Sunsong: Hail and farewell Fire and Earth

Fiesty Lotus: The circle is broken; the rite is ended

Thank you all who have joined with us today

Fiesty Lotus: Go now in peace and balance

Everyone Dances

Savage Taurus: Happy Mabon!

Saphira Mistwalker: Happy Mabon all!

Talia.Sunsong: May the circle be open but unbroken May the love of the Goddess be ever in your heart.

Fitheach Eun: Happy Mabon to you all

Talia.Sunsong: Yay!

Fiesty Lotus: May the season be full of good things.

Fitheach Eun puts down her staff

Fiesty Lotus: Food, love, food, did I mention food?

The Lost Must be Found

Fitheach Eun looks at the newly awakened Fiesty and the oblivious fae.

Fitheach Eun: We must find Savage and the Inspector, they could be as lost as Fiesty was.

Fitheach Eun: Maybe if we go back to Rome and find that portal Athena spoke of, we could locate them?

Everyone troops down to the first portal, its runes still glowing and walks through to Rome.

Fitheach Eun looks around with her keen elven eyes.

Fitheach Eun: Look this must Minerva's temple; there is her statue

Minerva in Her Temple

Fiesty Lotus is terrified after seeing a alcolyte turned to stone in the hall

Talia.Sunsong: used the mirror given to her for protection to admire her reflection instead

Fiesty Lotus: You sure this be a good idea?

Fitheach Eun looks at the fae and sighs

Talia.Sunsong: Will I be treated like a goddess in the next portal land?

Fitheach Eun: Remember that mirror is for reflecting Medus'as image.Do not look into her eyes

Fiesty Lotus runs to the wall and crouches behind it

Crouching Behind the Wall

Talia.Sunsong: puts spectacles on Rorn's face

Fitheach Eun: Can Rorn see the runes?

Talia.Sunsong: looks at the baby dragon "Rorn, do you see the runes? Draw them in the dust."

Talia.Sunsong: Rorn squints at the door frame. He reads by moving his lips.

Fiesty Lotus watches as the runes are formed

Fitheach Eun watches the crude drawings carefully

Talia.Sunsong: Rorn draws runes in the dust

Fitheach Eun: Tentatively she draws each one on the portal

Talia.Sunsong: "Good Rorn! More cookies for you."

Rorn with Spectacles

Fiesty Lotus grips her scrying mirror

Fitheach Eun: Suddenly as the third rune is completed a frightening figure appears in the portal

Fiesty Lotus: Oh Dear

Talia.Sunsong: hears a strange sound from the other side of the portal.

Talia.Sunsong: "She's coming through!"

Fiesty Lotus looks to Rorn

Talia.Sunsong: crouches down and repeats to herself. "Don't look at her eyes. Don't look. Don't look..."

Talia.Sunsong: "No, Rorn don't look at Medusa's eyes."

Fitheach Eun turns around and holds up her mirror

Fiesty Lotus hold her mirror in a stranglehold

Fitheach Eun: We must find a way to cover her eyes...

Talia.Sunsong: Medusa shrieks. "Who has opened the portal? Who dares disturb me?"

Medusa Guards the Portal

Fiesty Lotus: A basket or a scarf?

Fitheach Eun closes her eyes to concentrate and calls out to the sylph who had come to them earlier

Talia.Sunsong: feels tempted to look at Medusa.

Talia.Sunsong: "Rorn don't look at Medusa!"

Talia.Sunsong: The little dragon stares boldly at Medusa and her head of snakes.

Talia.Sunsong: "He's not turning to stone. Rorn is allright!"

Fiesty Lotus thinks of her new friend earth Pooka, but she does not trust him yet

Fiesty Lotus: Mebby it's them glasses

Fitheach Eun: possibly

Fitheach Eun: suddenly the sylph appears next to Fit

Talia.Sunsong: "Keep the glasses on Rorn!"

The Sylph Grabs  a Vase

Fitheach Eun speaks softly to the sylph; "We need to cover her eyes."

Fitheach Eun: the dainty creature grins mischievously and grabs a nearby vase

Talia.Sunsong: "Rorn, fly past Medusa to distract her."

Talia.Sunsong: The little dragon swoops past the shrieking Medusa.

Talia.Sunsong: "I will turn you all to stone!" cries Medusa.

As the gorgon turns to watch the small dragon; the sylph drops the vase over her head obscuring her eyes

Medusa's Eyes are Covered

Fiesty Lotus: Druid Sister get that last rune in!

Fitheach Eun quickly inscribes the last rune

Fitheach Eun: let's go

Fitheach Eun leaps the wall and helps Fiesty over it

Talia.Sunsong: leaps over the wall and dashes for the portal. "Come on Rorn!"

Fiesty Lotus breathes Thankee

Fitheach Eun puts away the mirror and look around

Fitheach Eun: where on earth are we this time?

Fiesty Lotus puts her mirror away and sighs in relief

Where are We Now?

Talia.Sunsong: "This is beautiful. Look peacocks! Don't try to eat the peacocks, Rorn."

Fitheach Eun: You did a great job, Rorn

Fiesty Lotus: Lookie at all them folks

Fiesty Lotus: The woman don't have no tops!

Fitheach Eun: we will not exactly fit in here...

Talia.Sunsong: "Good baby dragon." Talia strokes Rorn's head and he purrs softly.

Fiesty Lotus is scandalized

Talia.Sunsong: "Wow the women here are even less modest than Fae."

Fitheach Eun: I wonder what all the bull statues are for?

Fiesty Lotus: Men ain't wearing much either.

Talia.Sunsong: "If they have cream and treat me like a goddess, I'm happy."

Fitheach Eun: perhaps we should hide before they see us?

Fitheach Eun dashes through a nearby doorway: "quick in here

Talia.Sunsong: follows after pulling Rorn away from the peacocks. A peacock feather is in his mouth from him trying to taste the bird.

Fitheach looks at the young dragon and rolls her eyes

Peacocks

Lost and Found

You Lost Them?

Fitheach Eun jumps back as Talia reappears, wand spitting sparks

Fitheach Eun: “Talia, where are Fiesty and Savage? And the Inspector?”

Talia.Sunsong: Darned if I know. They were right there in the Fairy lands

Talia.Sunsong: Then we had to leave because the pixies didn't like us, well me trying to milk a unicorn for cream

Fitheach Eun: You mean you lost them?

Talia.Sunsong: So I used my wand to take us all away from the fairy lands

Talia.Sunsong: looks at bent magic wand

Fitheach Eun: Us?

Fitheach Eun: I see you and only you

Talia.Sunsong: Maybe I was a bit short in my magical reach...
Just then a blackbird flies up and lands next to the seagull....

Home Sweet Home

Fiesty said a rare hobbit curse as she emerged from the transport by Fae Talia’s bent wand. She sat in a briar patch and everything hurt. After disentangling herself from the thorny plant she stood and took stock of where she was. The area looked nothing like the land that the airship had last been in. She muttered under her breath and began to panic. Then she stopped herself and said “I ain’t an archdruid fer nothing.”

Fiesty Meditates

Fiesty took a seat on a nearby rock and meditated. After she got herself grounded she stood and tapped her staff to the ground. She requested the earth spirit of the land to guide her to the place where the airship resided. This took some time because she had to visualize the ground below the airship. Finally she had an answer. It was to the west and far away.

Fiesty sighed and started walking in the right direction through rocky desolate land. She continued on until she came upon a path. The path ran generally East/West so she started making better time. Presently she came to a forest. The trees were thin to start but began to grow denser as she went further. She enjoyed the sense of the forest and her connection to the earth spirit. She encountered a blackbird and gave it a message to Druid Fitheach to say she was on route.  

The Forest Grows Dense

Eventually the trees blocked out the sun and she was aware of a fog rising. A little further on she caught sight of a strange goat. It was not like any goat she had ever seen. Its coat was black and its eyes flaming red. Now Druid Fiesty spoke goat as well as blackbird and the greeted the goat with a bray. The goat stared at her and winked. Fiesty heard the goat say in human tongue, “Greetings Archdruid Fiesty Lotus.” Fiesty stopped, shocked to hear not only a talking goat but one who knew her title and name. Fiesty took stock of the goat and determined it to be an otherworldly creature. She said “Well, um who do I be adressen then?” 

Meeting the Pooka

The goat answered “I am called  Pooka or púka, I live in the woods and have been around for some time. I come to greet you Archdruid Fiesty and offer my services.” After hearing the creatures fine speech Fiesty was not fooled, she had heard of pookas and their mischievous ways. “Well now, that sounds fine. What you gonna need as payment fer them services?” The goat grinned, (a strange sight) and said he would like to be freed from the forest. He said he was tied to the forest by custom and the only way he could be freed would be by taking employment from a powerful wizard or Druid.


Fiesty tapped the side of her nose and was skeptical. She said “If I employ you, will you do harm to any?” The pooka shook his head and answered the he would not. “And will there be repercussions from the forest or whatever keeps you here? The Pooka replied “No, Mam.”

Fiesty considered employing the supernatural creature. She asked what he could do. The Pooka replied that it was a shapeshifter and could take on many forms. Fiesty asked “What kinda forms is that?” and the Pooka answered, “I can be a horse, cat, rabbit, raven, fox, wolf, goat, goblin, or dog.”

Changing to a Horse

Fiesty thought a while more and asked the Pooka to change into a horse. The pooka changed into a large black horse complete with saddle. Fiesty said “Well, that tears it!  Fiesty Held her staff and communed with the forest. Then she said in formal tones “I do hereby take you Pooka into my service, let the Earth Spirit witness this agreement.” Then she asked the Pooka (now a horse) “Take me to my friends in the West.” The horse nodded and she climbed on the Pooka’s back.

Riding the Pooka

As soon as she climbed on the Pooka reared and said “Freedom!” and began galloping at full speed toward the West. The ride was rough and Fiesty was not used to riding a horse. She asked the Pooka to stop and he ignored her, after a few more miles and she commanded it to stop and it still ignored her tearing hell for leather along the path. Fiesty moaned as tree branches whipped at her head and held on for dear life. The ride took many hours but they did arrive finally at where the airship docked. Fiesty slid of the Pooka and was too sore and tired to even yell at the beast. She stumbled to her quarters with a quick nod to Druid Fitheach and dropped face down on the bed.

A Wild Ride