In the age of The Green, at the crossing of the dell, there was a young lad from Avalon on his way to see the Shepherds of Arcadia, hurrying on his way to bring them a message of danger, for the world of men was slowly beginning to push its way across the map, sending the far places scurrying before its unstoppable advance. The lad knew well what this meant. If the peoples who dwelled in the places beyond knowledge wished to survive, then the tides of existence would soon have to shift; a rift would have to be drawn between the world of man and the Last Refuge on The Green, the passage to the child worlds of dreams. It was a task for the Shepherds, for they were the keepers of The Green, and the man knew that they alone had the power to do what needed to be done.
Upon reaching the herdlands, he sent a cry for the Council of the Crook, an enclave of the 12 Shepherds who presided over the Last Refuge on The Green, and he was borne to them on the back of a dire wolf who was native to that place and a loyal companion of the Shepherds. He related his warning from the King Who Sleeps, and the Shepherds conversed amongst themselves, voicing their opinions and discussing the issue, though in each of their minds they knew what had to be done. Arcadia, The Green, the gateway to the Far Lands, had been left in peace for time beyond reckoning, but with the threat of man's maps so imminent, they decided that they must destroy the bridges and lock the doors between the world of man and what lays beyond. Turning their weary faces to the earth and raising their crooks, they cast powerful spells and the connections between the lands lay in ruins before them; the lad wept to see the wreckage.
Two figures approached the lad as he knelt and wept; one was a wise man, a man of business who had long lived with the Shepherds and had advised them on the movements of his race, providing them with the information needed to keep the Far Lands safe from the cold certainty of surveyors and mapmakers. He bent down and urged the lad to stand, comforting him with a drought of wine saved from Ymir's stock, made long before the giant himself had his blood spilled and crafted into the drink that gave Odin his throne. He spoke to the Shepherds there, urging them not to cut off the world of men entirely, but to leave a way, a free house perhaps, through which the wise and worthy could travel to the worlds that sprung forth from their souls. His companion, one of the Shepherds, and indeed the youngest of them all, though already older than time, agreed, imploring his brothers to leave a way, for he quite liked the travellers and adventurers that sometimes made their way into The Green. The Shepherds asked the three companions if they would be willing to build this place, this free house, and to keep it safe; all three agreed. Then, under the crooks of the elders, the Shepherd, the man, and the lad were made the proprietors of the Free House on the Last Refuge on The Green, and given reign to admit those that they wished to what lay beyond, for they were wise and could be trusted. The three erected the Free House and stood before it, admiring their work. They named it The Mag Mell, and hung a lantern outside to guide storytellers to their door.
It is said that if one be brave and true, with adventure in their heart and passion on their tongue, you can find the Mag Mell, that last link to a land long forgotten by the world of men. Here there is wine and music, laughter and joy, stories in abundance and wonder in the air. They are still there, the Shepherd, the man, and the lad, and they will be delighted to have your company.
Upon reaching the herdlands, he sent a cry for the Council of the Crook, an enclave of the 12 Shepherds who presided over the Last Refuge on The Green, and he was borne to them on the back of a dire wolf who was native to that place and a loyal companion of the Shepherds. He related his warning from the King Who Sleeps, and the Shepherds conversed amongst themselves, voicing their opinions and discussing the issue, though in each of their minds they knew what had to be done. Arcadia, The Green, the gateway to the Far Lands, had been left in peace for time beyond reckoning, but with the threat of man's maps so imminent, they decided that they must destroy the bridges and lock the doors between the world of man and what lays beyond. Turning their weary faces to the earth and raising their crooks, they cast powerful spells and the connections between the lands lay in ruins before them; the lad wept to see the wreckage.
Two figures approached the lad as he knelt and wept; one was a wise man, a man of business who had long lived with the Shepherds and had advised them on the movements of his race, providing them with the information needed to keep the Far Lands safe from the cold certainty of surveyors and mapmakers. He bent down and urged the lad to stand, comforting him with a drought of wine saved from Ymir's stock, made long before the giant himself had his blood spilled and crafted into the drink that gave Odin his throne. He spoke to the Shepherds there, urging them not to cut off the world of men entirely, but to leave a way, a free house perhaps, through which the wise and worthy could travel to the worlds that sprung forth from their souls. His companion, one of the Shepherds, and indeed the youngest of them all, though already older than time, agreed, imploring his brothers to leave a way, for he quite liked the travellers and adventurers that sometimes made their way into The Green. The Shepherds asked the three companions if they would be willing to build this place, this free house, and to keep it safe; all three agreed. Then, under the crooks of the elders, the Shepherd, the man, and the lad were made the proprietors of the Free House on the Last Refuge on The Green, and given reign to admit those that they wished to what lay beyond, for they were wise and could be trusted. The three erected the Free House and stood before it, admiring their work. They named it The Mag Mell, and hung a lantern outside to guide storytellers to their door.
It is said that if one be brave and true, with adventure in their heart and passion on their tongue, you can find the Mag Mell, that last link to a land long forgotten by the world of men. Here there is wine and music, laughter and joy, stories in abundance and wonder in the air. They are still there, the Shepherd, the man, and the lad, and they will be delighted to have your company.
