Defending Conyberry

	After the rest of the party had fed and Linus’ gear was dry, he quickly reassembled it.  The party moved out south as the shadows grew longer, and the path was a hopeful one.

	Castinuve led the group at a good pace, with the fauns behind and Linus in the rear, with Noble walking contentedly behind.  The huge Pegasus was unconcerned by the afternoon’s activities.  Every so often, he would walk up beside one of the fauns and nicker conversationally, and the fauns would giggle and pet its muscled flank.

	Xuriis took up the rear, mind whirring.  Home?  He could go home soon?  Why were the others so unconcerned by this?  And who was this Tumnal?  He had never heard of him.  Any why was he so upset by what he had seen Viri doing to Linus?  He had felt a surge of jealousy as she had stroked him, and shock when he had stopped her.  He didn’t fancy Viri, beyond her pretty backside in a good revel.  He barely thought of her before all this.

	Was it just Viri?  He didn’t know.  He had felt sick to his stomach when Hircce had fallen in battle.

	He hung his head and walked in the trail of the others, unable to voice his concerns, and equally unable to explain them.  He clutched his panpipes in nameless worry.  What was this?  Why was he scared?


	As evening fell, the party broke for a quick meal before they resumed walking.  The two warriors got a fire going as Linus cast his spell again, producing another generous spread.  Hircce felt as good as new, and she happily danced with the other fauns in the clearing as Xuriis piped a simple tune to pass the time.

	Castinuve and Linus sat at the other end of the clearing, discussing the trip Linus had taken.  “I’m glad you ran into my cousin,” Castinuve said.  “He’s a good man.”

	“He seemed as such, yes.”  Linus idly rolled his holy symbol across his palm.  “It’s funny, but he seemed much more ready for what was happening than we were here on the Priime.  How close to a major city is this Oldest Glade island?”

	“Very close.  Countess Capricorn lived close to the city of Blush and Wilting, a major enclave of non-Seasonally-aligned Eladrin.  A city of good folk, if a bit isolationist.”  Castinuve sipped his water and looked over to where the others were dancing.  “The Oldest Glade was being visited by Capricorn’s traveling Court, including me.  My great-grandfather was a noble of the Court of the Winds, a minor court that the Wildercourt absorbed.”

	“Ah.”  Linus cricked his back and rose.  “So… what do you feel the right move is for the flock?  Can you get them home safely?”

	Castinuve grimaced.  “Friend, it is one thing for a mighty warrior in armor to survive passing through a portal between realms, but a faun?  No armor, no training?  I don’t know.”

	“True.  It would take a while for them all to make it here, anyway, and getting into the pit without flying would be difficult,” Linus observed.  “But, hey, at least now we know it can be done.”

	“Yes.”  Castinuve cleared his throat.  “What do you think about your accusations against Gillint?”

	“I think he’s a monster in the skin of a man,” Linus said darkly.  “I have to admit that I do not want to risk confronting him in front of the flock, but his behavior needs to end.”

	“Do not judge us harshly,” Castinuve said.  “He has kept us safe for many years.”

	“Sure.”  Linus looked up and frowned.  “Is that a friend of yours?”

	Castinuve turned.  A pixie was spinning around the dancing fauns, waving its arms and twig staff.  “Yes, actually.”  He rose and walked over to the pixie.  “Hello, Luna.”

	Luna to face him.  “Knight Castinuve!  I bear a message from a Prime from the village of Conyberry,” she said.  “They say a great evil and a great good are about to collide in the village, and they wanted to warn us.”

	“What?” Linus said sharply.  He walked up to where the pixie was floating, but she retreated behind Castinuve as he approached, so he stopped.  “Conyberry is about to be attacked?”

	“Well, I mean… the man didn’t say,” Luna admitted.  “But he did say it could damage the village.”

	Linus nodded grimly.  “Alright, then.  Friends, I need to go.”  He rushed over to where his gear lay on the dirt and grabbed it up.  “Castinuve, can you get them across the river and back to safety without me?”

	“Absolutely.”  Castinuve looked over to Luna.  “My friend, will you come with us?  Linus can protect the village.”

	“I can,” Luna said.

	Xuriis felt his stomach turn as he watched.  He suddenly wanted nothing more than to just leave.  Drop the Paladin off on his Pegasus and go, back to the flock and back to the revels, the singing, the travel.

	But…

	“Linus!” he called out.  Linus looked over.

	“What?”

	Xuriis sighed heavily.  “I should… go with you.”

	Linus blinked and straightened up.  “Beg pardon?”

	The satyr looked down, stomach roiling.  “If this great evil attacks Conyberry, I should be there to… keep it from getting into the woods and striking the village.”

	“There’s more,” Luna said.  “The scouts have been finding butchered, mutilated animals near the treeline, but they’re not coming from the village.”

	Castinuve rubbed his chin.  “Interesting.  Jackalweres, perhaps?”

	Viri walked over to where Linus was quickly reassembling his battle armor.  “Can I come with you too?” she asked.

	Linus quickly gauged the weight of the three of them.  Carrying two had been a strain for Noble, but that had been a long cruise down a road.  Carrying himself and two small fey…  He reached out to Noble with his mind.

	“Noble, friend, can you carry myself, Xuriis, and Viridian a short distance to Conyberry?” Linus asked in Celestial.

	Noble’s response was annoyance, but acceptance.  “Thanks,” Linus said.  In Sylvan, he replied to Viridian.  “Yes, but we need to hurry.  Help me put on my weapons and gear.”

	Viridian quickly knelt by his side and helped him fasten on his greaves.  Xuriis sighed heavily and turned to Castinuve.  “Sir, can you get the others home?” he muttered.

	To Xuriis’ surprise and confusion, Castinuve gave a very conflicted, but proud look to him.  “Of course, my young friend,” he said gravely.  “Go in the Seldarine’s grace.”


	The wind whipped past the trio on Noble’s back.  Viridian sat between the two men, while Linus sat in front, guiding his friend with his hands.  The night was up for real now, and Linus’ teeth were clenched.

	Conyberry had been attacked, or would be soon, or maybe it would simply be ground zero for the catastrophic damage that seemed to level towns at random across the world.  Nightstone when the giants came calling, Conyberry itself when the Grey Wolves struck, or even great Waterdeep when the Cult of the Dragon had struck its heart.  Now Conyberry?  Was his new ward next?

	Viri’s heart raced.  She liked flying, and she liked Xuriis and Linus, but… what in the world had convinced her this was a good idea?  She didn’t like to fight.

	Xuriis’ mind wasn’t much clearer.  He had a good idea of how to fight, but what the hell did he care about some village?  But it wasn’t the village, was it?  It was to protect the flock.  To shield them from what was happening in this dirty Prime town, stopping it so the others wouldn’t have to.  It wasn’t in his nature to risk his life for others, though.


	It was a tense silence, but it ended abruptly.  When the trees suddenly ended and there was just grass below, Linus took them into a steep dive that soared over the edge of the village to land in the square. He sprang from Noble’s back and landed, sword ready.

	To his confusion, though, he saw nothing.  He looked around, but the square was deserted.  He sheathed his weapon and took a few steps towards Conyberry Hall.

	As he did, a small group of people emerged from the north road, led by a cleric in splintmail armor.  The cleric raised his arm as Linus approached.  “Hello, there,” the cleric said.  Linus recognized the symbol of Tyr around his neck.

	“Hello,” Linus called back.  “A friend told me that the town was under some kind of threat.”

	“It seems to have passed,” the cleric said.  Linus squinted and recognized the symbol of the Farview Company on his collar.

	“Mmm.  Farview Company, eh?” he asked.

	“Yes.  I’m Erastus.”  The cleric shook Linus’ hand.  “Grey Spider’s criminal organization, the Spider’s Web, is active around here.  Plus, right before you got here, we found a half of a cow slaughtered and smeared on the side of a building, and a monstrous footprint with seventeen toes.”

	Linus blinked.  “I have no idea what that could be.  And a cow, you say?  Another one?”

	“Uh, we’ve only seen the one.”

	The Paladin jerked a thumb back towards the treeline.  “The flock of fauns have found more, south of here, in the woods.”

	The group of adventurers behind Erastus looked at each other askance.  “So, what are you going to do?” a bowman in the rear asked.

	Linus looked back to the trees.  “I need to report back to Neverwinter.”  He walked past the group towards the village hall.  “I found the source of the Feywild Rupture, in the forest, south of the volcano.  It’s stable, but I can’t tell what’s causing it.  I’ll be back once I’ve learned more.”

	Xuriis snorted.  He turned back to Noble and climbed back on as Viri did the same.  After another minute of quiet talking with the mercenaries, Linus returned and climbed on.

	“Do they know anything?” Viri asked.

	Linus shook his head.  “Nope.  Apparently, the force of evil blinked, so the force of good never arrived.”

	“Unless it’s you,” Viri said.

	Linus laughed.  “No, I’m really not that important.”