Visiting the village

	As the remainder of the flock settled around the Rupture, a great shadow appeared on the west side of the clearing.  Hundreds of faces turned up to see Linus riding in on Noble.

	Linus' throat tightened at the sight of the battalion of Eladrin soldiers below.  “Tumnal wasn't kidding,” he said under his breath.  “There's got to be six or seven hundred troops here.”

	Noble flared his wings and coasted in for a landing.  No sooner had his hooves touched ground than Linus sprang from his back and marched straight up to the Knight Commander.  “Sir Tumnal,” he said flatly.

	“Knight Vorth.”  Tumnal looked over at where Noble was idly wandering behind his master.  “No wizard this time?”

	Linus whipped out a piece of parchment and dropped it on the ground.  It burst into sparks, and suddenly there were over a dozen more people beside the Paladin.

	Tumnal stepped back in surprise.  The closest was Primp, but the others were an eclectic mix of races and equipment.  Their number included, to his surprise, an Eladrin.

	“The city of Neverwinter has agreed that depositing an entire battalion this close to the city is a highly provocative act,” Linus said.  “In all good faith, they have dispatched a force of observers, to verify your intent, and ensure the safety of Neverwinter.”

	Tumnal scowled.  “I said more than once that we had no hostile intent.”

	“Words mean less than deeds around here,” Linus said flatly.  “Perhaps you mean it when you say you mean no harm, but we will be the judges of that.”

	“Not that we wish to be proven right,” Primp added.  He brandished a scroll of paper in his hand.  “The Regency Office wishes to speak to your Duke, and establish that the Duchy has no desire to maintain the Rupture.”

	Tumnal grabbed the paper and read it over quickly.  “What is this?”  The paper was blank, save for the word TEXT written in small Elvish script at the top.

	“This is Distance Paper, which allows for people who hold the matching paper to write a message and receive a response.  The Regency Office has the other sheet.”  Primp collected the paper again and folded it up.  “Sir, the presence of an army in this forest is an invasion by any reasonable metric, and the Regency Office believes that our alternative is superior to sending a thousand troops of our own to secure the site.”

	“Wars begin by such a means,” Linus added.

	Tumnal sighed heavily and took back the folded paper.  “Does my word mean nothing?”

	“Not when it is bound to the words of a leader who we had never heard of, and whose actions are clearly those of somebody preparing for war,” Linus said.  “I mean, Knight Commander, let us be honest with each other,” he added, as the party with Primp began circling the pit.  “You do not need a thousand troops to secure one forest clearing.”

	“The Duke is taking a reasonable precaution against hostility from the Prime,” Tumnal insisted.

	“Not at all,” Primp said.  “A reasonable precaution would be to plant your army on the other side and leave a few reconnaissance units here, able to leave quickly in case of any activity on our side.  You put the army here, where you cannot recall them quickly.  Nor can this,” he said, waving at the expanding merchant stands around them.

	Tumnal looked back and forth between the two men, and the party of adventurers they had with them, and finally sighed.

	“Fine.  Fine,” he said, passing the paper back to the wizard.  “The Duke is concerned that this was deliberate.”

	“Of course he is, and he would have found any accusations to that effect met with a rational discussion,” Linus said.  His polite facade melted into irritated weariness.  “Knight Commander, I suspect that you are an honest man, so please believe me in turn when I say that all of this could have been avoided if Duke Severus had simply tried contacting us instead of dropping an army in our laps.”  He turned to where the last of the flock were disappearing out of sight.  “The Regency Office is still searching for the source of the Rupture.  Out of courtesy, the Office will send me to inform you when we find it, assuming it isn't on your side of the Rupture.”

	Tumnal grimaced.  “I suppose I understand.  Do you wish to send forces over to the other side?”

	“No, we are simply going to watch this side.  I'm sure the Duke can be convinced to open a dialogue without a show of force by us,” Linus said.  Tumnal let the implied rebuke slide.  “Beyond that, we're just here to watch.  And, of course, to provide medical assistance to the flock.”

	“They're leaving,” Tumnal said.  “Some are going to go enjoy themselves at Conyberry before they come home, though.”

	Linus' face drained.  “...Oh.”  Without another word, he turned and sprang back up on the Celestial Pegasus and took off at a run towards the far-off village.


	Xuriis saw the distant buildings of Conyberry appear far beyond the treeline and looked over to his Countess.  Capricorn was walking quickly to the village now, with a haste Xuriis would not have attributed to her normally.  A few farmers at the edge of the village looked up at the sight of the walking Fey, and every last one recoiled.

	“Is this the best idea?” Xuriis asked.  “My Countess, they're afraid of us.”

	“Hmph!  My mind's made up,” Capricorn said.  “These people and ours should not be so scared of interaction.”  Now that she was here, though, she did have the budding feeling that she needed to be somewhere else.  Still, she was here.  “Now, Xuriis, let us see where these people go to drink.”

	Xuriis chuckled lightly.  “Certainly.”

	As the group approached the empty wooden archway that spanned the western entrance to the town, a guard there watched in mounting alarm.  His eyes bugged out as he saw the group of satyrs leading the fey to the village.  He reached out and slapped his hand against a hollow metal bar built into the frame of the archway, but stood and waited as Capricorn walked right up.

	“Uh... yes?” he said hesitantly.  “Can I help you?”

	“I am the Countess Capricorn,” she said regally, “and I understand this is the village of Conyberry.  Tell me, guard, where does this village congregate?”

	“Uh... religiously, the chapel of Chauntea,” the guard said.  A bead of sweat worked its way down his cheek.  “The... inn and tavern, too,” he added.

	“And where are they?”

	“Er, the town square.”

	“Thank you.”  Capricorn led the group past the guard and into the village.

	Xuriis looked around at the crushed buildings and shattered walls.  “What happened to this place?  It looks like a tornado hit!”

	“Linus said it got hit by a whole lot of raiders and werewolves some while ago,” Viri said.

	Xuriis glanced back in surprise.  “Oh!  Viri, hello,” he said.  “I didn't know you had come with us.”

	Viri grinned.  “I want to see where my friend lives, that's all.”

	“I assume this is the place,” Capricorn said.  “...Rustic.”  The two buildings had their doors open, with unpainted signs hanging on chains over the doors.

	“Then allow me,” Xuriis said.  “I suppose I should see how receptive they are of our presence.”

	“By all means,” Capricorn said.  She rubbed her temple as Xuriis walked away.  There was an unpleasant throbbing in her head all of a sudden.  She still wanted to enjoy her departure, but surely the quiet woods would be more comfortable...


	All noise in the tavern stopped as Xuriis walked in.  Eyes widened and knuckles tightened on mugs.  A satyr in civilization wasn't unheard of, but with all the troubles of late, the place was on edge.

	Xuriis walked up to the bar, behind which there was a rather frightened-looking woman.  “Good evening,” Xuriis said in Common, startling her.  “I understand this is where this people of Conyberry come to enjoy themselves?”

	“Yes.”

	“Oh good.”  Xuriis chuckled.  He turned back to the door and made a lazy gesture, and the party inside moved in.


	Linus soared over the trees toward the village.  In his mind, he knew the flock wouldn't do anything expressly foolish, but they still had no idea how much turmoil the village had gone through of late.  They would be on edge.  He sighed to himself as he flew, hoping the place wouldn't turn on them by the time he got there.