#anywhere

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The Ghille Dhu , a handsome green fellow looks up "Oh. ah, guys..."
"What the furk is.."
"That is a tall glass of frozen ice' the pooka says
The Sidhe for her part steps back "WHo is it trying to kill me NOW I.." Seeing the Baroness, she stops "House sister?"

They had only begun to fight

The sluagh slides over towards the corner, making as though he is staying out of the way, and pauses a few paces from the Eiluned. A whisper, lips scarely moving, meant for the Sidhe's ears alone. "Tell me why I shall not reveal your presence, and be quick about it." The tiny knife palmed in his hand - likely not worth even carrying, but it makes him feel better to have something, at least.

Brekke nods to the sidhe. "I am Chieftain Brekke Shacklebreaker of Rivervale Lodge, and yes, Baroness of House Gwydion. Who are you, and how do you all come to be here?"

Brekke is here? We're gonna need a bigger coffee mug

The eiluned freeze, then whispers "What's your price?" as if that answers the why

She backhands the slackbot chimera with her mangled silver hand.

"You tell me why you hide here, and I shall decide if I choose to reveal you, and when. I know well there are many reasons one might hide - so will judge you by yours."

The pooka looks up "Well, I didn't vote for ya"

"No, you did not," Brekke acknowledges. "I repeat, who are you?"

The Gwydion Knight is bowing "Dame Zeelah ap Gwydion. An honor. I am here because of a sign told to me a of a hold languishing"

The nocker says "We're the Holidaze Motley. We live in this have crap city. "

"And why do you fight?"

The Eiluned says "I was going to wait till one side beat the other, and they were weak, then claim the balefire by soveriegn or whatever worked"

An inaudible snort. It appears that Symon does not judge this as a poor plan. "It is- or was... a troll lodge, and yon Chieftain would see it remain as such. I don't fault your plan, but if you act against her - well, she's with me."

"It's a freehold " the Eshu says "More glamour waiting here than in most of the city. We can stop forgetting. We have a right to claim it"

The Eiluned frowns "And a baron to boot. So no dictuming her. Every have one of those days were you had a perfect plan an some troll stomps on it, then acts like they've done a wonderful thing?" She sighs

Brekke frowns. "You were forgetting. I am sorry for that. But hear me: this hold has been a Lodge, a troll enclave, and was defeated by a great dragon. I and others have defeated that dragon, and now this hold returns. I intend to claim the balefire in stewardship for a new troll chieftain."

"Often, they end in Y." A faint grin that quickly fades. "If you would make a claim, she listens, and is fairer than most..."

"...if perhaps biased towards blue."

The nocker says "Wait, you're claiming it for trolls? Furking WHY? I mewan.. yo ucan't call dibs"

And he remembers what he had forgotten, if only for a moment. "What know you of the whispering dark?"

An eyebrow at the nocker. "It belonged to trolls. It has been freed by the effort of trolls. It is right that it should return to trolls. But as in my lodge, that does not mean it would support only trolls."

"That damn thing? Not sure... but I was so curious to find out..whispering in the head, started the fight. If it wasn't for the weaverward I put on myself, it would have influenced me too" The Eiluned kngiht says "I think the old trolls guarded something here once, and I think that with the prison gone, it's been causing trouble. "

The Eshu bows, "Great Baroness, why not leave it to us, and trolls will always be welcome?" A pause "Did i mention your eyes sparkle like snow on a mountain side?"

An eyebrow at the eshu. "Tailspinner, I thank you, but what do you, a motley, know of defending a hold with a balefire? Also, there is some other thing here....some threat the trolls of old kept contained. Did you not read the marker outside? Let my kith return to the work they have done before."

Dame Zeelah says "Yes, I was holding my own against all four of you. Your'e not warriors"

"Oh, and do you like that the furking troll is pulling rank?" The nocker says tothe aGwydion sidhe

"No, to be honest, but it is her rank to pull" Zeelah says

"It poses a danger to everyone here. Would you fight against it? Or prefer to hedge your bets in the shadows?" He frowns slightly at how the larger conversation is going.

"I ask again, did you not read the inscription? Certainly you," she nods to the eshu, "would have stopped to learn the story of this place."

The Eshu said "Well, we thought maybe the Nunnehi had left it' He admits

"And if they did...you do not think the story true?"

"The truth doesn't feed you when you feel about to wither and die " The GHille Dhu says

"And even then...if a Nunnehi wrote it, what did he write? 'Once they took it, they held it for all.' Let me reclaim this so that such leaders may return and again hold safe for you as well as for themselves."

"This, I understand," she nods to the Ghille Dhu. "I do not seek to deprive you of wellbeing. But this hold must be kept by those who can protect against the threat."

The Eiluned says "maybe I.. wait, nunnehi is alive? I thought iwas some old.. ask them about the Nunnehi"

He steps forward and raises a hand, hoping to get attention. "The Nunnehi who held this bale. Tell us what you know of them?"

Brekke looks over at Symon, surprised. Then she says, "This is one of my company. Please answer his question."

The Eshu shakes his head "Nunnehi can't hOLD bale... but they did hold this land once. The Iraquoid nation was strong here."

The Ghille Dhu says "Only one, not a them... a rock giant"

Brekke's eyes widen. "The Nunnehi...was a rock giant?"

"Hot headed the lot of them" The Eshu says

Many thoughts swirl in his head, but he restrains to just aq question. "They are long lived, aren't they? Might he-or she - still be around?"

"Do you know his name? Or hers?" Brekke seems very focused, intent on this answer.

"His.. Stone something?" The nocker says "Seems lame, a rock giant with stone for a name"

"Stonehands?"

"Could be" The nocker says

A pause...and then Brekke actually chuckles.

"But he vanished, like a few days ago" The Gheille dhu says