Sherwood: Setting Up Hollow

Red and orange hues painted a mixture of twilight skyline on the other side of the magical gate that Eloyn had opened.  As the sun laid to rest for the day, Serafina Flamedancer spun into view.  She was a fiery elemental with a passion for dancing on the lick of a tongue.


"I can light the way!" she chimed, and with a dip and tuck was through the door, the aura around her brightening in the ever darkening evening.


"If it pleases you, Princess, I'll guard the gates until it is time to leave." Eloyn bowed his head and Lolly nodded, thinking it was a good suggestion.


The troupe of Fae passed through the gate one by one and into the mortal realm on the other side.  To their collective surprise, waiting for them there was the prettiest Arctic Fox lady you've ever seen.  Her sleek white coat shimmered with the fire tongues that reflected off of the Flamedancer.


"Davika Mother!" Lolly smiled and stepped forward to give her long-time friend a hug.


"I thought you guys would never get here." The fox-lady smiled and waved an arm at a copse near some tall pines. "So in the meantime, I've been scoping out our hollow in Faerie Queen Alice's Grove.  Come on, I'll show you."  With a turn on her white, padded paw Davika set out toward the Faerie Grove.


The entourage was quite pleased to see how the area had come along so far and chatter erupted amongst them with all the ways they thought to set up the Hollow and decorate their surroundings.  Streamers, butterflies, bubbles, some toadstools, a gnome or two wouldn't hurt either.


The Wildfae known as Amarantha wanted to mark the area with red to ensure that no uninvited, little furry creatures wandered into their encampment so she set about enchanting the perimeter.  Furybash the Mad objected slightly, as he thought they might make for good stew, flashing his Redcap teeth.


"This will be the perfect place for us to recollect all of our lost Pixies to." approved Lolly.


Amidst the flurry of activity, the Princess turned to Lady Briarleaf and her new companion Rayzoo the Genie.  "Scoops," she began, for that was the Lady's secret nickname. "Tell me again how you and Rayzoo met?"


Glances passed between the two magical women and if it weren't for the fire-light of Serafin, Lady Briarleaf's blush might have lit the evening instead.


"Well...there's a Three Penny Tavern that belongs to Oberon, King of the Gypsies..." the courtly Lady began, and that's when everyone knew that shenanigans were in store...

COME ON OUT TO SHERWOOD FANTASY FAIRE AND JOIN THE MAGIC!

Sherwood, The Beginning: Missing Pixies!

Eloyn opens the Gate

"Edro..." Eloyn hushed intently, finishing the incantation.


Twigs and branches gathered and pulled from the surrounding forest underbrush.  Rising from where he had drawn glyphs in the dirt, Eloyn rubbed them out with the toe of his soft-leather boot.


The tall, Elven man was a champion archer of the Faerie Court and today, a ranger.  As the fallen limbs magically assembled themselves, a free-standing doorway presented itself in the middle of the wood.


"This is where we leave the Silver Path, Ladies." 


A gruff voice objected, "AND germs - do I look like I'm in a dress to you?" It belonged to a fierce-looking Redcap by the name of Furybash the Mad.  He then refocused his attention on making sure the kitten traveling on his shoulder was comfortable.


Eloyn rolled his eyes (just as well that Furybash didn't notice), as he glanced at the entourage of fae behind him.  For their part, they were just as curiously glancing over and around his shoulders, trying to glimpse what lie on the other side of the door.


"You're sure this is where the Sherwood Fantasy Faire is?"  Princess Lolly asked, unwrapping a piece of candied ginger and popping it in her mouth.


"My tracking skills have yet to fail me, Highness." bowed the Archer. "There have been many scuffles in this area of late."

Breezle the Pookah, scouting from above.

Princess Lolly eyed Lady Briarleaf - her friend and (usually quite mischievous) lady-in-waiting.  The chestnut-haired Lady twirled a lock and did her best to shrug innocently.


The maid was spared any sort of commentary when the trees above the group rustled and there was a low, nearly in-audible pop.  Up in the branches, Breezle, a green-and-purple striped Pooka appeared.  Her furry ears hung off her shoulder as she dangled from the tree.

"Trees and barks speak the same, scuffling is a-game and the pixies and fae are...away..."


The Princess quirked her the corner of her mouth with some perplexity.  Next to her, a cup in Lady Briarleaf's hands shook and rattled of its own accord.  The autumn-robed Lady turned the vessel upside-down and shook it thrice.  Out popped a Genie, who proceeded to dust herself off and look around!


"Without reiterating the shenanigans that led us to this predicament," Eloyn glanced askance at the unlikely pair of magic-bearing creatures.  Even he was dubious as to how Lady Briarleaf had managed to come into the possession of a Genie. "I suggest we get to finding out who has captured our fellow Fae."


The group agreed universally and, one-by-one, set foot through the bracken doorway and onto the grounds of the Sherwood Fantasy Faire.  Behind them, the wooden portal crumpled to the forest floor again, leaving no trace of Faerie passage...

...to be continued....

Princess Lolly & Her Fierce Racing Snail
Courtesy of Herb Leonhard Arts