Cloudy with a Chance for Cherry Blossoms
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_One fine spring day, clouds gather over the Rawlins just south of Norwick. Nothing unusal in that, until the precipitation these clouds bring is not drops of rain, but the pink petals of cherry blossoms, snowing gently to carpet the ground. This unlikely precipitation is accompanied by a figure wrapped in a purplish dreamy haze. A magnificent faun clad in the finest silk robes of some alien noblity walks with preternatural grace over the bed of flower petals that the clouds rain down around him. The lordly faun is escorted by sidhe knights in gleaming, finely crafted armor, each riding a winged unicorn clad in matching ornamental barding.
Approaching the southern gate of Norwick, the faun announces himself as Lord Tumluk, Herald of the Golden Court and High Queen Morgaine. Unfurling a fancifully decorated scroll, he reads the High Queen's proclamation aloud. As a good faith gesture, Queen Morgaine, proclaims that the Fey of the Golden Court of Avalon, both Seelie and Unseelie, shall choose one mortal among their collections and release their guests back to the mortal realm.
Tumluk and his entarouge follow the clouds north. The rain of cherry blossom petals preceds their progress up the Nars Pass, replaying their pomp for the Children of Hoar, even paying a handsome toll for the privilage of crossing the bridge.
The Fey even follow the rain of blossoms under ground to the gates of Oscura to read the Queen's good news there too. Within the cavern's the petals seem to fall from the stony roof itself, no clouds needed.
The rain of blossom's further lead the precession of Fey up to the walls of Peltarch, Lord Tumluk reading the High Queen's proclamation aloud for their benefit as well.
Tumluk is lead to his own waiting winged mount, and the citizens of Peltarch are treated to aerial display of winged unicorns flying with military precision. As soon as the Fey fly out of sight, the clouds and their flowery precipitation let up and dissipate.
Not less than a day later, do people who have been missing or thought dead, some even for years, reappear all over Narfell. The appearance and age of those returning runs the game, some are older, some are younger and some don't seem to be a day older from they day they went missing._
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_A little over a year later, the next Spring, it once again rains cherry blossoms as a procession of Fey knights on their flying unicorn steeds escorts Lord Tumluk, Herald of the Golden Court and High Queen Morgaine up from Norwick through the Nars to the walls of Peltarch, stopping to read the Queen proclamation all over again to each settlement of mortals along the way. The unuusal perciptation follows them the whole way does not vanish until they do.
"As a good faith gesture, Queen Morgaine, proclaims that the Fey of the Golden Court of Avalon, both Seelie and Unseelie, shall choose one mortal among their collections and release their guests back to the mortal realm."
And once again as the year before, the next day, mortals who had been goneor thought disappeared forever reappear all over Narfell, from Oscura to Peltarch to the Children of Hoar to the Silver Valley to Norwick and farms and wilds in between._
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One Peltarch Senator comments.. "how curious."
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Equally delighted with the showing, Perriwig P. Doubleday hoots and coots and cheers at the delectable cavalcade of fey pomp and circumstance. He hastily set about baking up batches of winged gingerbread unicorns, decorated with shiny sugar balls and fluffy, sugarplum icing. With his usual air of avuncular greediness, he dispenses these gingery treats to children around the town, making sure to include the poorer kiddywinks, with a half wink and a declaration that it should help them to "lay in a bit of suet for the winter…"
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Among the Peltarch crowd stands a certain white-haired bard and three blonde, extremely wide-eyed children, watching the display with mouths formed into near identical o's of amazement as the unicorns swoop through the air. As the Fey fly out of sight, the small twin girls squeal and wave enthusiastically, while their big brother raises a wooden sword to salute the departing knights. A reddish-brown chicken at the family's feet is eagerly encouraged to play unicorn on the way home, though the bird seems to dodge any attempts at being mounted by the would-be knights, bawking and clucking in protest before taking refuge in Lycka's arms.
