Finding Copper

Editor's apology. This episode should have been placed in the blog before "Hobbit Council."

Fitheach Eun steers the airship past some strange towers.

Fiesty Lotus: “This be my book of the mines. Yer kin see Copper comin out with that big sack”.

Book of Mines

Fiesty Lotus: “The guards look real mean.”

Talia.Sunsong walks out carrying Rorn the baby dragon.

Fiesty Lotus smiles at Rorn.

Fitheach Eun looks back over her shoulder trying to see.

Rorn: lands on table next to book. Rorn stares into the book and growls at guard.

Rorn lands on table.

Fiesty Lotus wipes a tear away.

Talia.Sunsong "The images in the book are moving."

Fiesty Lotus: “Yup, it be a magic book.”

Rorn glares at the guard and sees the guard pull out a whip.

Savage Taurus: “Maybe you just ate some magic mushrooms, silly fae.”

Fitheach Eun tries to concentrate on the airship.

Fiesty Lotus: “No, they be movin alright.”

Rorn growls as the guard cracks the whip near Hobbits. Rorn bends over and bites the backside of the guard. The guard in the book yelps in pain and looks around, seeing nothing. He rubs his backside in confusion as to who attacked him.

Rorn bites the guard

Talia.Sunsong: "Rorn! You bit a character in a book!"

Savage Taurus chuckles at his son's antics.

Fitheach Eun looks at the book seriously and stops the ship.

Fiesty Lotus is spellbound by the outcome of the attack.

Fiesty Lotus murmurs "He got bit."

Savage Taurus: “That serves 'em right fer bein' inside a book!”

Talia.Sunsong reaches towards the book and tries to pull shinies out of the mine in the book.

Fitheach Eun: “I wonder....”

Fitheach Eun: "What would happen if we put that book on the generator and changed the crystal to yellow?

Savage Taurus: “Watchu goin' on about, elf?”

Fitheach Eun: “Fiesty, shall we try and see if it takes us there?”

Fitheach Eun: “Yellow is for distance...

Fiesty Lotus turns to Fit and her eyes light up. "Oh, that be worth tryin."

Talia.Sunsong: "I don't know what colors of crystals do, just which colors are prettier."

Fiesty Lotus: "Yes indeed."

Savage Taurus: “If it'll put distance tween me 'n a book, I'm all fer it.”

Talia.Sunsong finds she can't pull shinies out of the book and sighs.

Talia sighs

Fiesty Lotus hands the book to Druid Fitheach.

Fitheach Eun takes the book and carefully set it next to the  new crystal in the generator.

Fitheach Eun makes sure the open pages are touching the yellow crystal.

Yellow crystal

Fitheach Eun: "Ok everyone, hold on.”

Fiesty Lotus looks at her notes and says "well, yeller is fer distance or space."

Fiesty Lotus grabs the railing.

Savage Taurus: holds on to the fae, "she didn’t say what to..."

Talia.Sunsong: "Hey!"

Savage Taurus: “You just keep my son outa trouble, nanny.”

Fitheach Eun smiles at Savage and taps each of the four lenses in sequence until they glow and then opens the throttle again slowly.

The airship glides forward rapidly.

Talia.Sunsong picks up Rorn and pets him. "Good Rorn, biting nasty guards." Rorn purrs.

Fiesty Lotus feels a little dizzy as the countryside rolls by at speed.

Talia.Sunsong: "What is that! It's swallowing our ship!"

Fitheach Eun: Suddenly a flashing void opens up in front of them.

Suddenly a void opens

Fitheach Eun: They can dimly see a cave through it.

Fiesty Lotus stands in awe of the thing. "I think it might be a portal."

Savage Taurus: looks around, "What are these weird swirling clouds? Where did they come from?"

Savage Taurus: “It was a bright clear day and now its suddenly foggy out of nowhere.”

Fitheach Eun steers forward, not knowing what else to do.

Fitheach steers forward

Savage Taurus: “What did y'all do? Is this safe? I got a bad feelin'....”

Fitheach Eun: "Is that the cave from the book?"

Fiesty Lotus peers into the haze excitedly.

Fitheach Eun: They start to slip through the haze.

Savage Taurus: "My stomach is all topsy turvy," leans over the side of the ship to puke, then calls down to someone below, "Sorry!"

Savage Taurus grabs a hold of the railings with greenish white knuckles.

Fitheach Eun: Suddenly they pop through and the scenery below changes.

Talia.Sunsong: "We are passing through it."

Fiesty Lotus runs to the railing and gasps at the sight of the rocky mountains from her book.

Rocky mountains come into view

Savage Taurus: “Um, where are we?”

Talia.Sunsong: "We've moved to another place."

Fitheach Eun looks at the mountains and caves ahead and stops the ship.

Fiesty Lotus runs to the back of the airship and sees a little of the buildings. "Come on back here and you can see the privy!"

Fiesty sees the privy

 

Rorn looks at caves and growls.

Savage Taurus slithers back to see what the hobbit is going on about.

Savage Taurus: “Is that a hobbit down there? He's got bright red hair.”

Talia.Sunsong: "I see buildings."

Fiesty Lotus: "Oh Look, That Hobbit has red hair! It must be Copper. I will need to sneak over there to meet him.”.

Talia.Sunsong: "It's been a long time. I wonder how Copper is doing."

Fiesty Lotus begins tucking up her skirt for the climb down.

 

Fiesty climbs down

Fiesty stealthily climbs down the ladder of the airship out of sight of the camp and creeps around until she gets near the privy. The stench is disgusting. She holds her nose and spies from around some bushes. Yes! There he is. It is Copper. His hair is unusual for a hobbit and she is so glad she spied him going there. Fiesty whispered and waved at him. It took a little time to catch his attention, but he finally came over.

 
Copper nearly shouted when he saw her. “Auntie! We thought you were dead!” Copper grabbed her and hugged hard. He smelt to high heaven, but she ignored the stench and hugged him back.

 

Copper hugs Fiesty

“Come behind these bushes and tell me what has happened to you all.”

 Coppers face fells and he looked unhappy. “Well, it started out alright and the King treated us well for a bit. But bad blood in the human folks began to do some damage. The humans got along with folks but us Hobbits and Elves were not so well treated. The elves up and took themselves off away from the cities but us Hobbits didn’t fare so well. The king, he decided ter put us Hobbits ter work in the crystal mines. He made the Hobbit ladies servants to the lords and ladies.”

Fiesty interrupted “But I gave him the entire Hobbit treasury for the keepen of ya.”

Copper nodded, “He said it weren’t enough and now we had ter earn our keep.”

 Fiesty fumed, “That pimple on the face of creation, that were plenty ter keep yer all! I have a mind ter go and tell him he ain’t nuthin but a cheatin bug!”

 Copper grabbed her arm and said “No, no, don’t do that. He had the last Hobbit who complained tied to four horses and drawn and quartered. It were Dudo’s cousin Barley Gamgee. We still ain’t over the shock.”

Fiesty said “Oh .” but then rallied “But I would be the one talkin to him, surely he would see me?”

 Copper said “He uses you to tell the humans how the Hobbits did try to take over his land. You be enemy number one.”

Fiesty asked who the King did hear and Copper said he was called sometimes. Fiesty nodded and thought for a while. Well, I got some ideas ter get you free. I got some resources ter do that with. Now, you say the Hobbit ladies are off in folk’s houses workin?”

 Copper replied that that was true. Then she said “Would there be a way ter get everyone together? That would be best.”

Copper thought for a moment and then said “Oh, is it Autumn? I can’t tell in this heat.”

 Fiesty answered yes and Copper near shouted “That’s it! It’s Bilbo Baggins day soon. We all get together for that. I will work on the King to give us a holiday.”

Fiesty looked around to see if anyone heard and then grinned. “That be a grand idea Copper.” You work on that and I will try to get us all outta here lickity split. I gotta go now. I will be back ter see how it’s goin.” Fiesty gave him a kiss and went off through the brush.

Copper watched with wonder as his Auntie slid away and disappeared from his ken.