Editing TheStarsAreRight:FirstNote

* [[TheStarsAreRight:RedlandJack|Return to Redland Jack's page]]

'''My records on this are a bit spotty, so the transitions may read oddly.'''

Henrik is up along with Rebecca when the rest of them arrive.  He'll be
curious what happened generally..."

Redland, sits at a table, waiting for the water to heat - "Hey, Henrik.
Oh, thanks, yeah, I'm beat. What did you miss?" [glances around] "Eh, not
much, frankly. Andrew appeared out of nowhere and he and Carl shot the
breeze. Carl gave him a bottle of blood and/or 'aqua vitae' in exchange
for assistance from the fey. Carl siphoned off some energy from me and
John. Wasn't really that bad." [glances around again] "Carl did some of
his boring chanting and then, seeming satisfied with this, stuck Auda's
bloody branch into the ground. We then traipsed off to the faerie village
(kind of a ramshackle affair if you ask me) and then we returned here...
Probably more fun than dragging Auda's body through a dark and snowy
forest, but, nevertheless, not exactly a hootenanny..."

His words wind down, and he pauses a bit, waiting for someone else to take
up the thread.

Henrik brings over a couple of mugs, while Erich brews up the tea.
"Interesting.  I don't know what a houtenanney is, but I wasn't expecting
either job to be 'fun'.  My part was... fine." He looks a little guilty at
that, and quickly goes on.  "I'm curious of what these, ah, faeries are
like, but it can wait until a morning."

Elwar sits nearby at the same table, taking in the conversation.  Every so
often he impatiently glances towards the stairs where Rebecca and Carl
have vanished.

Tea is poured out for everyone, and a bit of bread.....and some
cheese.....oh of course pass the fruit also! For such basic fare, it seems
a feast, and all of you (with perhaps the exception of Henrik) find that
you are ravenously hungry.  Without plates or silverware, it's a little
rough.  Someone produces a small penknife to cut up some of the fruit, and
hack the bread into reasonable chunks.

It doesn't take long until there's nothing but crumbs and cores, and the
rind of the cheese.  About the time a second round of tea is poured, and
the chill of the night is gone, Carl and Rebecca come back down the
stairs.

Carl looks worn, frayed a bit around the edges, and with a grateful sigh,
drops into a chair at the table, and accepts a mug of tea that someone
hands him.  Rebecca leans against the service bar across the room,
half-shadowed.  Her face is a remote mask, body distant and contained.

Carl glances ruefully at the remains of the food, and while Erich rummages
around to come up with something more, Elwar rises to go over to speak to
Rebecca.

The two of them exchange a few words, and she makes a little gesture
towards  Redland, and a nod or two.  Elwar seems satisfied with her
answer, as he nods in return, and then comes back to take his place again
at the table.

More food is found, and those who are still peckish can nibble a bit more.
Carl takes a sip of tea, picks up a bit of fruit, and looks around the
table at each of you.

Then, taking a deep breath in, begins to speak.

CARL

"It's late.  Likely to be a long day tomorrow, so I heartily 
recommend everyone turn in and get some rest.

"Before that, however, I'd like to take a moment to talk to
you all."  Carl looks around the table, lingering a moment
on each face.  He toys a bit with a sheaf of papers in his
hands before placing them on the table beside his plate.

"I have," he says quietly, "no real idea of why you're here.
Tonight.  With us.  You have no stake in things, and -- 
forgive me please -- no reason to have one, unless it's a
personal one we haven't discussed.

"Nonetheless..." He nods.

"Nonetheless, you are here.  And if you are here, you are
in harm's way, and there are quite a few things you ought
to know.  

"We'd be up all night if we wanted to cover them all, so 
let's just hit a few high points.  Questions are welcome;
let's keep them to the point.  You'll get a lot of answers
merely by tagging along; I want to ensure that you know
enough to recognize what you see and to stay out of danger
if there's trouble.

"So let me begin with the wild talk. The crazy assertions.
I'll be happy to support the assertions later."

Carl raises one hand, ticking off each statement on one
finger.

"One," he says flatly.  "The world is going to Hell in a handbasket.
Not in the usual sense of corroding morals, but in a more devastating
way.  The laws of nature are changing.  Things are happening.  People
will die.  Nations may collapse.  Civilization might just be 
knocked back a thousand years, or worse; we may all become 
fodder or slaves.

"Two.  The catastrophe cannot be avoided, but there are ways to lessen 
it.  We're working on them -- a lot of us round the world -- including
several national governments.  Problem is, it's too little -- too late.
Nature has Her own pace, and people will get hurt.  

"Three. You've all heard some variant of the tale of the sailors on 
the island by now.  What you may not have heard is that the island 
was a prison.  A prison for a powerful creature -- person -- that 
I'll call the Island Lady.  The Lady made a deal with those sailors.
Because of that deal, they and their descendants have been working 
for centuries to free her, and ultimately, two years ago, they 
succeeded.

"Four.  The folk we're about to see are not normal folk.  Many of them
have gifts beyond those of normal men and women.  Call them psychic 
gifts, that will do for now.  Some can bring forth a charismatic 
glamor that overpowers you, makes you want to believe and follow without
question. Some can feel your emotions.  Others can kill with a touch;
a few get precognitive hints of the future.  These gifts come from the 
Lady; she has them all.

"Five.  We had a deal with the Lady and her ... spokeswoman ... Constance.
They have an important role to play in the protection of the world, or
at least the British Isles.  Six months ago they were eager to help, 
ready to act.  Something has changed."

Carl pauses for a moment to sip.

"Something has changed. I don't know what.  The Lady and her Families
have stopped talking to us, and seem to have turned aside from the greater
good.  I'm here to find out what has happened, and why, and if possible
to bring them back into the fold.  

"I would like to think that some outside influence is responsible -- that
they have been misled, or turned in some way that we can fix.  I have 
less and less hope of that, but haven't quite given up.  Tomorrow, I
suppose, we will know.  Whether they are still friends and allies, or
must be left alone in favor of greater threats ... or whether the 
Families and the Lady have themselves become a threat to the world
that must be fought."

He sighs bitterly.

"I hope to God that last is not the case.

"Okay.  Enough openers.  Questions?"

REDLAND

Redland quickly responds:
 
"I understand that most talk of strategy can wait until morning... probably. The utilization of the leyline cannot have gone unnoticed. Are we safe to remain here now that our enemies... er, opposition or whatever we should call them... are aware of our presence. Should we keep some sort of watch? And will Henrik, John, Erik, and I be particularly vulnerable to these psychic gifts if we are the ones to remain on watch duty?"

CARL

Carl seems gratified at the direct approach.

"Good questions.  I don't regard -- I don't *want* to regard -- the Families as enemies,
but at the same time, I don't know what they themselves think at this point.  And you're
right, they know we're here and they, or at least the Lady, is very aware of the change
in the ley.  You're familiar with leylines, then?

"The second answer is yes.  While I don't expect visitors, we may get them anyway, so 
someone ought to be alert.   We need to be up and about in less than seven hours;
no more than an hour each, it's bad enough as it is.

"As for vulnerability, I don't believe any of us is invulnerable.  The biggest danger is 
being caught unawares by the Foundry glamour -- which is why you needed to know.  
Now you do."  he smiles grimly.

ELWAR

Thanks Rob I didn't get the original e-mail!
 
Elwar leans forward and studies his shoes.  After a moment he straightens up and looks at Carl and responds.
 
"Mr. Ellis your explanation just begs more questions.  What is it exactly that is causing the world to change as you describe?  What could possibly change the laws of nature?"
 
He stands and begins to pace slowly around the table.
 
"In what way will this creature you call the Lady provide protection against this threat?  How do you hope to stand against men with such gifts as you describe?  Will you intone some form of arcane rite that protects us?  Or are the weapons you all carry sufficient?  And in accepting our help.....yes I know, freely given, how do allow us to proceed essentially defenseless against these forces that you seem to know so well?  And what of Auda and his mad dash to the lair of this thing?  Was he himself or afflicted with some sort of glamour? And if he was himself what action do propose the next time you are indisposed.....give him a knock to the head?"
 
He begins to feel dizzy.  Elwar sits down, a sense of dread and foreboding building in him, he adds.
 
"And I won't even begin to ask about the rites you perform and the energies you manipulate.  I'll save that for a later time."

CARL

"I'll have to be a later time, I'm afraid. The answers are rather lengthy.  But," Carl
raises his eyebrows, "if you're interested in doing a bit of reading while on watch, you 
might find some of the answers in here."  He pats the papers on the table in front of
him.  "These were written up last year for some folks in America, but they still apply
today.

"My plan, coming here, was first to see for myself what was happening; secondly, to
try to talk Constance round -- or, if she'd been influenced by something malign, to try
to break its hold on her -- and thirdly, to see to the safety of a good friend's son who
was being raised here.  Auda and Rebecca travel with me because they are familiar
with the place and its people, and because we are all, " he shrugs, "training together.
Together we make a team strong enough to stand up to the Lady if need be.

"What I have learned so far is that Peter, the boy, is gone, taken away from here by his
mother; this solves one immediate problem, though it raises another.  I also see no
sign that Constance or the Lady have been subjected to any external influence.  My 
course then is to try my best to remind them of promises made -- too see if they will
keep them -- and if not, to see what can be done to ensure that at if they are not part
of the solution, at least they do not become part of the problem."

Carl looks tired, suddenly.  

"Auda's approach tends to be more extreme than mine.  I don't know what he 
would have done, but I doubt I would have liked it much.

"These people are friends, John.  They were.  I have no interest in "standing against" them.
I want us all to stand together as we have done before.

"If that is no longer possible -- it will be a tragedy."  He purses his lips, grieving at the thought.

ELWAR

Elwar picks up the papers from the table and leafs through them.
 
"I understand.  I apologize for being a bit terse with you Mr. Ellis....events have left me unnerved.  My questions still stand though, but will wait for a later time."
 
He looks about the room.
 
"Does anyone want that last piece of cheddar?"

REDLAND

Redland takes in what has been said, filing away much of it to ponder on at a later time. "Ah, sure, I'm still a bit peckish." He leans over and snags the last slice of cheddar.
 
"I certainly don't want to keep anyone up later than need be, so I'll reserve as many questions as I can for later. However, given that we are looking to leave in 7 hours, and given everyone's state, I would recommend that Auda not take any part of the watch. Though we've all had a tough day, his may be the roughest. I would also be happy to take an extended watch to allow others to rest longer. (Well, happy may not be the exact term...) I presume my skills, such as they are, will be less relevant to the... encounter... to come, and as such, my fatigue will not impair our ability to succeed.
 
I am pleased that we will be attempting persuasion to achieve our goals. However, if it comes to negotiation, I have always found it to better to negotiate from a position of strength. From my current vantage, we are assuredly not in this position... I suppose that is a concern for tomorrow, though."
 
Redland sits back down and munches thoughtfully on the cheddar he has pilfered from the hungry John Elwar.

CARL

"We are not without resources," Carl shrugs, "though I admit that we're on Constance's home ground
and hers are superior ... here. But we didn't come here for a massacre. Unless something truly bizarre
occurs, if we remain estranged, I expect we should simply leave, and plan for another day.

"Auda would say I'm too soft. I try to look at a bigger picture.  The one thing I will not allow is for them to 
cut themselves off entirely from the world.  That would create a ... hole."  He snorts. "It would be bad."

ELWAR

Elwar stares at the empty plate and laughs.  Maybe a little too hard.
 
"You're a good man Redland and fast on the uptake.  If you know what I mean.  I'll take the watch after Redland if need be."

HENRIK

Henrik looks up from where he had been sitting quietly, "Well, but
tragedies do happen in this world regardless of our hopes - perhaps
even more now than in the past."

"We," he says, nodding particularly to Jack and John, "don't know the
Lady or the people of Bailey -- and we probably won't be so important
for convincing them.  However, we all have an interest in the well-being
of our world, and if there is a danger despite our hopes, we would like
to be prepared to defend it."

CARL

Carl nods.  "Fair enough.  The Families are just people, Henrik.
People with a belief and a god that happens to walk the Earth in 
mortal form, and gives them real, measurable gifts.  They'd 
follow her anywhere -- so it's her we need to convince.  

"As for the danger ... suffice to say that what's happening is 
akin to the thinning of the skin of a fruit.  We -- the world and
its peoples -- are the juicy stuff inside.  As the skin thins, or
even breaks, the wasps and beetles outside smell it, and come to
feed on now-easy pickings.  

"In better times it might have been possible to thicken the skin,
but it's too late for that for several reasons -- so we who have 
been working on things have tried to shore things up by enlisting 
the aid of groups, like the Lady's, who are psychically powerful
and capable of holding their own and reinforcing that skin -- and
of fighting off the things that break through anyway.  No one big
answer, but lots of smaller ones, each with a domain they hold, 
and an agreement with the others to work together where more global 
help is needed.

"In this case, much of the British Isles might have been theirs -- 
but the real need is for their unique strengths to work in combined
forces to patch the really big holes when they occur.  without
them, the isles may be moer vulnerable -- but so are we all." 

CARL

"So.  To particulars, and then to bed -- unless there are any other questions
I can answer in a sentence or two.

"Constance Talmadge.  The Lady speaks through her, and she and the Lady 
might as well be considered one person.  Left a career in Hollywood to 
come here.  She can be quite charming and charismatic in her own right, 
and the Lady's glamour doesn't hurt.  Also well known as a hard-partying
wild thing and in some ways quite selfish and self-centered; nonetheless
she's always been a friend to me and has happily worked with the cause
before.

"If you read the packets, you'll see that the, ah, skin of the fruit sometimes 
breaks open and things come through in places where the leys and the 
local ambient energies have grown weak or stopped.  That happened here 
last year.  A lot of my associates worked with the Families to fight back a
bad incursion that could have left this valley lifeless.  One of my worries 
has been that this current sea-change is due to something that happened 
then, or something left behind.

"Connie's husband -- can't recall his name now --" (Jan, failed my remember roll, 
LOL) " used to be a rancher, lived somewhere in Canada as I recall.  Rumors 
from Bailey, from the Fae and from a few Family folk who still talk to me, are
that he "has gone to the temple."  What that means isn't clear -- he may not be
alive any more, may have been sacrificed in some way.  It's also possible that 
it may have been his choice and his doing.  

"The five Families and their traits.  Family names have all gotten mixed about 
over the generations, but if you see a Roth, it means they have the empathy;
the Foundries have the glamour; Wellmans are the soldiers, they're rare; the
Kentworths are the mystics and sensitives, and the Garnsleys -- also rare --
sometimes get foretellings of the future.

"Frances Kentworth, she's the records keeper for the town, and used to be 
the chief priestess I suppose.  Nice lady, kind of quiet.

"Grace Turner, she's a onetime friend, but her husband Eric, a Wellman, was 
killed on a trip to China with Auda and me a few months ago.  It was a bad 
business. They have a daughter named Alison.  Grace knows our business 
well, but has little sympathy for the cause since her husband's death.  Friends 
say she's lost interest in life.

"And that's all I can think of to say at this point.  Your turn."

He settles back, sipping his tea.

REDLAND

Redland, attracted by the lure of the shiny, beautiful documents, takes in the remainder of what Carl is saying, but decides to allow Carl to go to bed so that he can begin perusing this new source of information. If anyone else speaks, he will listen, but his attention may be divided. 

ELWAR

John Elwar looks at the apple on the plate and then loses his appetite.
 
"Thank you and goodnight Mr. Ellis."

CARL

Hi all, 

I'd like to continue the scene and get as far as we can in email.  
Since no one else has said anything for a few days, I assume 
conversation lags.  In that case ....

Carl looks around the group for a moment.  No one else speaks,
so Carl nods.

"Very well, Professor, the watch is yours.   Wake me if anyone comes 
looking, or if anything unusual occurs.  An hour and a half, no more.  
Mister Elwar, Herr Mueller, may I impose upon you to take the watches 
following?  Then Erich, if you please.  That should take us through."

Carl stands, looking around for comments or objections.

If (and only if) there are none, Carl steps back from the table with a 
tired sigh.   "Thank you all," he says, "very much.

"Her Mueller," he adds, with a nod at Henrik, "will you walk with me a
moment?  I'd like to have a word.

"The rest of you - please -- get some sleep.  Tomorrow may be busy."

HENRIK

Henrik will nod in acknowledgement to taking the third shift,
and (if no one else interrupts) moves to speak privately with
Carl as he asked.