Eluned’s Ring and Stone (Part 13 of 13 Treasures)

By in Columns Tell Me a Story25 Apr 2012

by Marcia Barrett

Scheherazade tells her sister a story Wow, and this makes thirteen!

And, notably, this is the only one of the thirteen treasures to belong to a woman.

Lunete, to use the French spelling I first met her under, is herself a pretty interesting lady. She is one of the four-and-twenty daughters of King Brychan, and precisely how she came to be in possession of any magic items at all remains a mystery. But at some point, she went off to serve in the Castle of Landuc, under the Lady Laudine, and with her went a stone and a ring.
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The Mantle of Arthur (Part 12 of 13 Treasures)

By in Columns Tell Me a Story18 Apr 2012

by Marcia Barrett

Scheherazade tells her sister a story So, the thing I don’t get about King Arthur trying to get Padarn to give him the Red Coat is that Arthur already had a magical item of clothing.

Of course, Arthur might have been being selfish, or have had some specific use in mind for the Red Coat, but honestly, how many goodies does one man need?
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The Crock and The Dish (Part 11 of 13 Treasures)

By in Columns Tell Me a Story11 Apr 2012

by Marcia Barrett

Scheherazade tells her sister a story I’ve been laid up with a cold the last couple of days. You know the way that works, right? Where you can just about manage enough energy to either make yourself a grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup or eat that soup and sandwich combo?

And I found myself wishing for the crock and dish of Rhygenydd the Cleric, in which you will find whatever food you might wish for. I mean, giant bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, here I come!
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Gwenddoleu’s Chessboard (Part 10 of 13 Treasures)

By in Columns Tell Me a Story21 Mar 2012

by Marcia Barrett

Scheherazade tells her sister a story Like Clydno, of Magic Halter fame, Gwenddoleu is descended from Old King Cole. The juxtaposition makes one wonder if perhaps we should discuss not the Halter of Clydno and the Chessboard of Gwenddoleu but the assorted treasures of Coel Hen and how he won them.

But that knowledge is lost to us. It cannot be said if Gwenddoleu came by these items from Coel Hen’s treasury or by their own merits.

What can be said is that Gwenddoleu owned a chessboard of gold and chessmen of silver and when laid out, these would play by themselves.
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The Red Coat (Part 9 of 13 Treasures)

By in Columns Tell Me a Story14 Mar 2012

by Marcia Barrett

Scheherazade tells her sister a story There were two different guys named Padarn. I know that seems pretty absurd, since I don’t know a single guy named Padarn, but hey, I’ve also never actually met a guy named Logan or Han.

But, unlike Logan or Han, between these two guys named Padarn, there only seems to be one coat. I suppose, though, that there’s something to be said for owning a magic coat, whether or not you got it as a hand-me-down from some other guy also named Padarn. Maybe the coat likes guys named Padarn. It is a kind of cool name.
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The White Sword (part 8 of 13 Treasures)

By in Columns Tell Me a Story7 Mar 2012

by Marcia Barrett

Scheherazade tells her sister a story The White Sword is my favorite and has been since I was a kid. Lloyd Alexander turned it into the Black Sword in Prydain, and I have loved it ever since.

Rhydderech Hael is said to be one of the three generous kings of Britain, a group of men who are only beaten out by Bran the Stingy, and he was always willing to loan this sword, called Dyrnwyn, to anyone.
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The Poisoned Whetstone (Part 7 of 13 Treasures)

By in Columns Tell Me a Story29 Feb 2012

by Marcia Barrett

Scheherazade tells her sister a story The whetstone of Tudwal Tudglyd is the only one of the Treasures of Britain that I believe has been lost forever. The others have mostly, as mentioned, made their ways back out of the Glass House and returned to the world. But the whetstone? I have reason to believe what Myrddin received had already lost its power, having been used to make the White Sword of Rhydderech.

But then, maybe I’ve heard wrong.
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Fleta Whitgift

By in Building Character Columns24 Feb 2012

by Sean McNeil

Blank mannequin sits behind toolboxOne of the great mysteries of the Ingressa has always been how various animal species have moved from world to world within the populated portions of the galaxy. The number of theories proposed, discarded, and reexamined regarding the phenomenon are varied and controversial, while the facets of the subject are sociological, biological, and economical, to name a few pertinent fields. Certainly, we see at least one major academic specializing in one or more of those disciplines who feels the Ingressa’s population of old Earth animals should be her field’s primary concern every five years or so.

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Caralis: The Chariot of Morgan Mwynfawr

By in Columns Worlds in Motion23 Feb 2012

by Geoffrey McVey

Three planets in alignmentIn the distant south of Caralis is a range of mountains that connects the uninhabited polar regions to the sparsely populated fringes of the planet’s smallest continent. The mountains run nearly a thousand kilometers, separated frequently by ocean channels where their valleys dip too deep, and outlined on either side by narrow shores. Some thirty or forty independent mining settlements cling to their sides, but no nation has ever tried to claim the mountains for itself.

Competition for the rights to mining operations began with the discovery of pockets of high-purity bismuth, valuable for the creation of the delicate circuitry in psionically empowered devices. Mining companies from Caralis’ Galerine provinces bid against each other to buy entire villages and the mines on which they were built, and before long, offworld companies joined in: Skandakata’s Nidhi Exploration Company, the Wuyun Corporation of Wéiān, and at least three front-companies controlled by TDA. During a meeting of representatives from these groups in the village of Aesis, the discovery of an artifact in one of the mines caused negotiations to take an unexpectedly mythic turn.
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The Giant’s Cauldron (Part 6 of 13 Treasures)

By in Columns Tell Me a Story22 Feb 2012

by Marcia Barrett

Scheherazade tells her sister a story Some things are too good to be left in this world for long.

The Cauldron of Dyrnwch the Giant will only cook for the brave; a coward’s food will never boil in it. (I wonder if that is what’s up with my back burner.) If that doesn’t sound useful to you, think about some of your friends. Do you know a guy or three who are all bluff and bluster? What about a quiet one who’s just always there to help someone out of trouble? Would you have ever have found it useful to know one from the other ahead of time?
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