Beauty Abounds

Nuwmont 10 - Vatermont 11
 
Since I had access to Geoffrey’s library I decided to put it to use. First I started researching Durbin’s hammer since he has been very excited about it since finding the gnomish pictures of the Silver Hammer clan but not much else since. I really hit the jackpot on this one. I found a lot of info on that clan and even some maps of their homes! This will definitely help in our quest to find his hammer when we get to it. I also researched the passages out of the rift. In that I found some decent info. The path to the south lands of Traladara is the one we believe has the best shot. It has a small dwarven tower at the beginning on the Rift side and a larger dwarven fort in the middle. Being that they are dwarven, maybe Durbin or his people know secret ways in. There is a pass to Darokin and the Elven lands of Alfheim but that is guarded by a large red dragon. I also found info on something called “the dark pit” which the dwarves were investigating as another possible way out. It is supposed to be infested with monsters, dangerous and unknown. So out of the three the pass with the minotaurs actually seems the least threatening.
 
Getting close to the wedding some people were asking me if I was getting nervous at all. This I don't understand, why would I be nervous? We both knew each other and loved each other. What was there to be nervous about? I believe sometimes humans invent things to worry about which is odd because of their shorter lifespans you would think they wouldn’t worry so much about weird things.
 
In general though it has been very quiet which is fantastic as I would hate to have a carriage roll up and request our presence at this time!
 
Vatermont 12
 
This morning we met at the Sarcastic Goat for breakfast. As we were eating and chatting we heard a loud slurp from the end of the table. We didn’t even notice anyone else sitting there but there was a short man taking a large drink. He said his name was Brohn and greeted each one of us personally. We were being summoned to visit the Brichtwood by the Master of the Morning Mist. Rhiannon lightly elbowed me and exclaimed, “I think we’re being summoned to the Summer Court!” Being that something was drawing us away I noticed the others looking at Rhiannon for approval. I stared at her but she took on a stoic look as if I needed to make the decision. It was all too easy though, even I could not fail to miss the eagerness in her blue eyes. We told Brohn we needed a bit to grab our gear before heading out.
 
At the house Rhiannon said she needed to take off any iron. That makes sense as it was clear we would be around fey. I was reluctant to do so as we still had to get there so I decided to keep my armor and such on. She wore a beautiful green dress so I changed my robes to match accordingly. We met back at the Sarcastic Goat and Brohn was pacing and seemed a bit agitated. He said we had been gone for days! I remember hearing that fey can have an odd sense of time, I suppose this was it.
 
We made the trek to Brichtwood which was actually quite peaceful. Walking along the river in the Grakkenwood was much preferable to chasing a corrupted tree into a cavern through the Grakkenwood. On our journey Brohn kept exclaiming how we were so late and should have been there yesterday. At one point he even seemed to hold the sun and move time backwards? I’m not sure about that though, Fey are known for their trickery. At the boundary of the Brichtwood there is a huge wall of thicket which would be impossible to get through. Brohn knew exactly where to go and pulled some branches through to allow us in.
 
Going through it was like going into another season. Inside it was sunny and the perfect temperature. Everything was beautiful and Melwin cheered up immediately and launched herself out to fly up into a tree and hunt insects. She swooped down, caught one and landed on Rhiannon’s shoulder. She gave me a sly smile and pulled out a bit of honey for her. That bird is going to get to the point she can’t fly! Well I suppose it’s a little hard to spoil a snake. I mean do you carry dead rodents to feed it? I digress though. Brohn said we had to get rid of all the nasty iron. I figured we were safe here but Dram and Durbin were somewhat worried. Of course I had to remind Dram that this was just like the Sullen thing again. She had no effect on me and he was worried for nothing. This drew quite a reaction from Rhiannon who took it as a high compliment (I figured as much). Then she chided me for suggesting to Dram it was a good idea to agree to her. I relented at this point that of course she was right but I still liked to remind Dram of it!
 
During this time Durbin and Brohn almost got into a tussle over some odd argument. I reminded both of them to not engage the Fey. If whatever they said was odd just leave it be. Apparently now we were over three days late while at the same time leaving almost immediately after Brohn showed up. The Fey are just different from us folk on the material plane. Once everything was sorted Brohn led us through the Brichtwood. I cannot put into words how beautiful this place was. It almost puts you in a trance and you want to stay forever. Well at least I did. Durbin exclaimed now he knew how I felt in Hearth-Home but this was way worse. I had serious doubts about that but then again I can’t truly know what he is feeling. I highly doubt it's way worse but I let him have this one.
 
We finally made it to a large clearing and beautiful pond. There were round rocks that looked like seats in a semicircle facing the pond. Already there was a large centaur and Brohn said we were here but never really said what we should do. As we gazed around in wonder, two large men(?) came out of the woods surrounding the pond. One dressed as a stag and one as a wolf. They bowed to the lake and sat on the stones. At that I took Rhiannon’s hand and guided her to an open seat and sat next to her. After that six large wolves came out of the forest as well and came down by us and sat or laid down looking towards the lake. Finally Brohn announced a number of titles such as Emir of the Evening Primrose, High King of Hibiscus and Master of the Morning Mist. He had said some of these before as we were walking here. Finally out of the lake came a beautiful, huge white horse with a large beard and single horn. It seemed to radiate power and authority. The Fey spoke and Brohn announced that we were to take the first drink from the pond for the year!
 
Before leaving I had packed a bottle of wine and our glasses just in case. I pulled out our glasses and gave Rhiannon hers. Holly had a small bowl and Dram had one as well. Since Durbin had to leave pretty much everything behind he did not so Brohn spun (for lack of a better term) a silver cup for him. Rhiannon said she would take the second drink as this was our honor today and she took a step back. None of us knew what to do and I had perhaps the only knowledge of what the decorum would be. I suggested we all dip into the lake at the same time and drink at the same time. I quietly counted down and we dipped and I did so again and we drank. The taste and effect of the water cannot be put into words. It was amazing and I literally feel younger. We moved aside letting Rhiannon and two dressed in skins drink. Afterwards the centaur came over and brought a large water skin they filled up. The Master of the Morning Mist retired and we all bowed.
 
Once the skin was filled the two picked it up and ran off. Brohn disappeared. Rhiannon said we needed to follow them so we ran off. When we got to the spot we left our gear Brohn appeared and opened it up letting our items come out. We didn’t have time to put all our armor on so we grabbed it up and ran on. We could not keep up so we ended up having to track them back to the Moon Grove in Grakkenwood. There were plenty of people with masks chanting in low tones in a circle. Rhiannon said we needed to proceed and that this was our honor. She put on a mask as well and joined those outside the cave while we proceeded inside.
 
Inside the cave where the large garden beds were pretty much everything had been cleared out. The dead Guardians were there though laid out neatly on the ground. Two of our Treekeepers, other elves and more masked humans were here humming. There was also a third large man(?) dressed as a bear here. They took the water from the large flask and began wiping the roots down of the dead guardians. Rhiannon did say they could still be saved, I suppose this was what she meant! Elladin and Adelle showed up as well to witness this. Being that there were four of us we each were given another cup of water and told to pour it on when told to do so. As the ceremony proceeded and we did so, buds formed on each of the Guardians! It seems the ceremony was successful! Hopefully this would help Knockmort as the damage done by his corruption was being reversed.
 
With the end of the ceremony everyone began filtering out slowly aside from the Treekeepers and a few others. Eventually we made our way out and I met back with Rhiannon and excitedly told her what happened and that the Guardians would be restored. With that we returned to Melinir thankful for a trip that didn’t involve battle, crazy wizards, or anything else the Rift can throw at us.
 
Vatermont 13 - Thaumont 28
 
The earrings were finally done and I spent some time deciding on how to give these to Rhiannon. One night I spent all my time making the commons area an icy wonderland. I made beautiful arches over the walkways, flowers and trees. I took inspiration from our recent trip to the Brichtwood. I’m not the best at it yet so it was a lot of reshaping but eventually I was satisfied. The next morning I asked her to walk with me and brought her through the commons area and presented her the earrings there. She was elated at the gift and proceeded to show them off at our breakfast at the Sarcastic Goat.
 
A few days before the end of the month we headed to SIlvercrest. Rhiannon and her family had already gone ahead to work with the Elves on the finishing up for the wedding. Everything seemed to be going well and Silvercrest looked phenomenal. The day before many people showed up. A delegation of dwarves and gnomes, Lord Gustavon and retinue, Valum and others from Melinir amongst others. I couldn’t believe we had so many here to see us wed! Dram said of course there are this many, two of the Rifts biggest celebrities are getting married. That evening Lord Gustavon even opened his bottle of wine he received from the Thyatian Emperor! It was fantastic and I was truly struck by how happy everyone was.
 
The next day I must admit here, in private, I did maybe feel a little nervous. Not nervous like this is a mistake but nervous for the future. Before the ceremony her Father asked if I was ready for this. I had to think for a second, why would I not be ready? I said of course I was. He said it again in another tone and added she looks beyond beautiful. Of course she was, what is this some kind of odd human tradition? Once I saw her I knew now what he meant. If Sullen was beautiful then Rhiannon radiated something beyond that, something Sullen would never have. I was awestruck.
 
The elven portion of the ceremony was very short. It was just saying that we were pledged as a couple and would be together from this point on. The Druid part of the ceremony took much longer but it was very interesting. It was difficult as I was continually distracted from the ceremony by the beauty of my bride. There were a lot of promises made that we would stay true to each other through good and bad. An elaborate ritual of weaving a circle. It was most interesting but it seemed as though as soon as it started it was over and we were wed in the Druidic tradition.
 
The rest of the day was filled with merriment. Everyone gave us gifts as well. Beyond sharing his prized wine Gustavon gifted us bottles of our favorite red wines. The Dwarves and Gnomes gifted us Gold and Silver. I thanked them, especially the Gnomes for the gift. They did seem kind of flabbergasted as the Elves were not giving any gifts. Rhiannon and I tried to match up Adrianna and Dram but Dram did not seem himself and was tired. Durbin presented us with a beautiful shield with intricate artwork, one side was the Demir crest and the other side the Silvercrest leaf. It was beautiful work! Dram presented us with a locket of Rhiannon and myself gazing into each other's eyes in a relief that seemed more real than real life. He must have poured a lot of himself into this gift. Holly was sad she couldn’t give us a fancy gift but she made us this wonderful dessert she called “dirt cake”. I had never had it but it was very, very sweet. It was good but I could only eat a small amount!
 
With that it was time for Rhiannon and I to head back to Melinir with our ceremonial guards. Before we left her Father took me aside and explained he would like grandchildren and that the month after the wedding was a traditional time to work on that. I understood this and promised I would do my best. With that we went back to our home as a “married” couple and enjoyed our time together.