| The Willow Sourcebook |
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Willow and Meegosh have been best friends since early childhood. That friendship was never more strongly tested than when Willow needed someone to go with him to the Daikini crossroads. Meegosh volunteered with only slight hesitation. Meegosh was also the only one who stuck by Willow when Burglekutt took Vohnkar and the warriors back to the village. His devotion earned him an injured arm when he and Willow fell into the pit trap in the fairy forest. But the fairies sprinkled the limb with a sweet-smelling powder, and by the next day it had healed almost completely. In the forest clearing the fairy queen, Cherlindrea, told Willow he must continue on his journey with Elora. Meegosh said to her (when Willow could not hear), "I guess, then, I'm, uh, not going to be much help to Willow, or Elora." --One of those statements that is really a question. From nowhere he felt a sudden brush down one cheek, a caress. "Think more highly of yourself, little one. You may be needed at your village." But Meegosh found no comfort in this; he felt downcast at leaving his friend. Cherlindrea continued, "And your own task is great. You must cross dangerous wilderness without your warrior friends to protect you." Meegosh had already thought of this, many times. He had already imagined many things that could happen, all involving blood, all of the blood his. In his mind he had lined up many cogent objections to the whole idea. But he thought of Willow, going forward into more danger than Meegosh would face going back. Willow didn't complain. At least not much. And when Meegosh stood before Cherlindrea, beautiful shining Cherlindrea, and the forest leaves rippled around her and scents of flowers filled the air - well, a Nelwyn is not made to argue policy with fairy queens. His thoughts jumbled, his objections dispelled, Meegosh prepared to leave the forest. Then Cherlindrea said, "I will send along an escort of brownies, to guide and protect you." "Brownies?" said Meegosh. "Protect? Me?" "Us!" said a voice at his feet. A stout brownie, nine inches tall and probably that much around the middle, stood before him, dressed in leaf skirts and an acorn-shell cap. "I'm Kunkly, and this is my associate Witterwell." He slapped one fleshy arm around the shoulders of a lanky, sandy-haired, almost-naked brownie. Feathers covered his waist, and bands of colored paint curled along each of his limbs. While Kunkly's eyes darted around alertly, even scornfully, Witterwell favored piercing stares of unreasonable length. "Not much," said Witterwell, scrutinizing Meegosh. "He'll need help." "Indeed," agreed Kunkly. "Lad's likely to get his guts splattered without us to defend him." The two of them together might have weighed six pounds. "Is this a joke?" Meegosh asked. THE JOURNEY HOME It was not. Soon they headed south through the forest. With dawn not far past, the sky looked less blue than white, a washed-out color that fit Meegosh's state of mind perfectly. "I don't suppose you characters can cast fireballs, or something useful like that," he said as he picked his way along a narrow path. "Fireballs, pah!" said Kunkly. "Who needs magic when you've got a strong bow and deadly accurate aim?" He brandished a bow about the size of a cheese slicer. "Let the bears and wolves attack. We'll splatter their guts!" "Uh-huh. Nothing magic, then?" "Got some fairy dust here," said Witterwell. At his waist Meegosh spied a thread holding a marble-sized bag. "You notice how clean the path is here, don't you?" "Uh, yes. Why?" "I tell you why," said Witterwell, staring back at the Nelwyn. "'Cause we brownies cleared it. Dead leaves, dead brown leaves! "People rave about forest beauty. Peace. Silence. Autumn painting the trees in fiery reds and oranges. Do these nature lovers show up when winter comes, and all the fiery reds and oranges cover the ground waist-deep? Forest beauty! Blasted mess, I say. Work like pigs carrying a hundred million dead dry brown leaves out of the forest, and by the time you're done, the year's gone round and it's autumn again. Makes me sick." The conversation continued on this elevated plane through the morning and past noon. They left the fairy forest behind and entered a long stretch of underbrush, travelling parallel to the southern road. Tall weeds grew over the path; Kunkly and Witterwell found them tough going. Taking a vote (with no suffrage granted to Nelwyns), they decided to ride on Meegosh's shoulders, one on each like epaulets. Once Meegosh heard a horn call in the distance. The Army of Nockmaar? He thought of Willow heading toward - where? Away from safety, anyway. And here was Meegosh, plodding back to the same life he'd always known. He felt confused, not knowing which of the two was better off. Like any Nelwyn, he preferred a safe, peaceful existence; but like any youthful Nelwyn, he daydreamed of adventure, exciting battles, fearsome creatures... Thinking these thoughts as he walked down the path, Meegosh noticed one of his epaulets, Kunkly, disappear into the grass. Then he smelled something... Half a second later, he saw the bear. Bears grow very big in the wilderness outside Nelwyn Valley. To a Nelwyn any bear is "very big," but this gigantic grizzly exceeded all standards. Meegosh saw bristly brown fur, black eyes, and above all, teeth. The bear's scars marked triumph in many past battles; now, with a hollow growl, it declared another. The creature would have sent a squad of Daikini soldiers running. But the Nelwyn couldn't move the width of a hair. In the moment before the bear charged, Meegosh found time to think many things. No weapons. Wish Vohnkar was here. How can something so big move that fast? They'll never find me out here. Mother. Intent on the charging beast, he hardly noticed the movement on his shoulder. Witterwell calmly reached into his bag of fairy dust. The brownie waited for the bear to come within the range of a breath, then with a casual motion threw a thimblefull of powder into the bear's eyes. "Scat!" he shouted. The bear did not scat. Instead, it veered over like a galleon capsizing and drove nosefirst into the dirt beside the path. Weeds flew up and landed on the hulking body. The bear let out a deep snore. "That's another thing," said Witterwell. "Always count on dumb animals to make a big mess. And who cleans up that mess? You know it, the brownies. A castle, I'd like a castle. May be drafty, but you don't have to weed it." Meegosh discovered he could speak. "Whuh?" But he didn't have anything to say. In a sudden clean motion, he sat down on the path. Kunkly peered over a leaf beside the path. "Is the bear asleep?" "Yeh," said Witterwell. The fat brownie pushed aside the grass and marched out. "Hah! Lucky for him! I thought I saw his mate coming up from the other side, and I went to chase her off. Turned out to be a squirrel. Good for this brute I wasn't here. I'd have splattered his guts!" He hauled back and kicked it in the snout. The bear snored again and Kunkly leaped away. After half an hour Meegosh felt ready to rejoin the living. During the rainy afternoon's journey he collected thoughts the bear had efficiently scattered. That night he made a campfire and foraged, finding winter cress, walnuts, and persimmons for his dinner. The brownies ate nothing, so far as Meegosh could tell. He got little sleep on the cold ground, but a featherbed would have served him no better. Tossing and turning, he decided he did not much like adventure. ARRIVING HOME Fortunately, there were no more bears, or adventures. Late the next day Meegosh glimpsed the familiar hills at the edge of Nelwyn Valley. They scaled a gentle slope to a saddle between two hills. There was his village not far below, and nearby lay a pile of rotting boards he knew well. He sat by them to rest before the final leg of the journey. "Gotten pretty worm-eaten," he said aloud. "We'll have to replace those boards soon." "Why? What are they?" asked the brownies. Meegosh was about to reply when he looked up. Suddenly he felt like he'd fallen through a crack in time into the previous morning, seeing the bear for the first time. There, fifty yards away, prowled one of Bavmorda's Death Dogs! It hadn't seen him. He crouched down, shushing the brownies. This time he had a few moments to think. The Dogs couldn't track well by scent, so he didn't have to worry whether he was downwind or not. In fact, the Death Dog wasn't even heading this way. Meegosh breathed a sigh of relief. Then he realized the beast was bound for the village below. His village. Just like the Death Dog that disrupted the festival, this one must be searching for Elora Danan. Had Vohnkar and his warriors returned to the village? Meegosh's mind raced, thinking of the Dog's potential victims. Uncle Lardetter, and Willow's family, and Meegosh's mother... "We have to stop that thing!" he hissed to the brownies. "Quick, get out some more fairy dust." "None left," said Witterwell. "No worry anyway," Kunkly added. "The beast is moving away from us. It's not even looking this way." Fear still churning in his mind, Meegosh looked for a weapon. The boards? Foolish, couldn't hope to defeat a Death Dog with a rotted board from a-- "That's it," he said, peeling off his tunic. "Here, get inside, both of you." "Huh? - Wait a min-ufff! - Wffayoo doongfg?" Wrapping the struggling brownies in the cloth, Meegosh leaped up. The air was cool here, and he decided that was why he was shaking. Nothing to be afraid of, think of the village, it's just one Dog. "Heyyyy!" he cried. "Hey, Dog! Looking for the baby? I've got it right here!" He waved the bundle. The Death Dog spun around. Spotting its prey instantly, it rushed to the kill. Meegosh thought the bear was fast; he didn't know what "fast" meant until he saw the Death Dog lay its ears back, pull in its tail, stretch out full length, and run. Beautiful, in a way. Fifty yards away, forty, twenty - he backed away-- The Dog struck the pile of boards and gathered for the leap and the kill. The boards broke with a moist crack, and the animal plunged down the abandoned mineshaft. Meegosh heard a surprised yelp, the first sound the Death Dog had made, and the last. The thud came after a long delay, barely audible. Meegosh shouted down the shaft: Twenty, forty, sixty yards, "Vdmmoo thmvmmf doing?" screamed Kunkly as he struggled free of the cloth. Meegosh unrolled the brownies and donned his tunic. He felt calm. "I think I can make it the rest of the way from here," he said. "Thanks for the help. Couldn't have done it without you." "Done what?" The brownies peered down the mineshaft. "Spla-- No. Too obvious. Did I ever thank you for saving my life? I'll never say nasty things about a brownie again." "Excuse us if we don't return the favor," Kunkly said huffily, retrieving his fallen acorn cap. But Meegosh was already out of earshot, ambling down the hillside toward the village, where his mother waited for him. He decided he didn't mind a certain amount of adventure, given time to prepare for it. GAMING NOTES 1st skill-level fighter SKILLS Folklore, survival skills such as foraging. Meegosh also plays the reed pipes. Some thief skills, such as the abilities to move silently and to hide, are also appropriate. Treat Meegosh as a 2nd-leve "thief" for this purpose. EQUIPMENT Reed pipes, sometimes parchment and ink when he wants to take notes. |
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