The Slumber Years

See Also: Bardic Knowledge

Lady Anne Mowbry wakes up in a parlor playing some unknown game with a barrel-chested man. The man's laugh sort of reminds her of her uncle Paul, but it is off enough to be jarring. She concedes the game and leaves the parlor into a foyer where a man behind a counter greets her. He is wearing a brightly colored cloth draped about and around his body in a style that is unfamiliar to her. His name is Ollonni and he is the owner of the Watchers' House.

He warns her of the dangers facing one such as her outside. He often collects lost magicians that would be a danger to themselves or others. Even after warning her that the world has turned against her people Anne decides to leave. So that she may find shelter he gives her a key. One time only it will open the door to the House, but after that she will have to pay the rent to stay.

Outside the house is a bustling marketplace in a ramshackle city she does not remember. She feels the fear, anger, and rage of another invading her thoughts. She throws off its attack and turns to find herself facing a manticore no bigger than a small dog. The creature struggles to drag her down, but it simply does not have the mass to knock Anne from her feet. Instead it tries to flee, but she corners it against a building. The creature surrenders and tells her it was ordered to bring her to where she belonged. Intrigued Anne follows the creature into the mist where once a building stood.

Halfwyn suddenly wakes to find herself concealed in some ground covering looking over the aftermath of an ambush. Overturned carts, scattered crates of vegetables, and goblin bodies lying about - even the mules have been killed. Her bow was already in her hand, but she is still cautious when she slips from cover. The goblins were killed close in with axes, hammers, and knives. She sees tracks from about ten men leaving to the south.

Following the tracks to the south she comes across a small farming village. Several score of goblin slaves tend to the fields and orchards watched by a handful of human overseers. A messenger on a lathered horse charges down a road to the village calling for the “Elder Pollet.” An old man and two younger boys come from the longhouse to speak with the messenger. The story just begins when one of the men spots Halfwyn hiding in the grasses.

Halwyn steps out and explains she was following a blood trail from an ambush in the woods. The men of the village slowly circle her and would have probably attacked except that several arrows fell among the group killing one of the young men. Halfwyn immediately ducked into the fields and zig-zagged away from the group. Several more arrows fell into the group of men before they were finally all behind cover. By then Halfwyn had circled completed around and caught the attackers unaware.

Halfwyn's arrow pinned one of the archers through the leg before they knew they were under attack. She drew her knife and closed in. Although outnumbered her attackers were wounded and would have been killed swiftly but suddenly everything stopped. Halfwyn could barely turn her head to see a rotund baby with a single eye in the center of its forehead waddle into the battle. Halfwyn is still in a muddled stupor as the creature leads her into the tall grasses.