July 7th, 2005, 06:15 PM            
#1    Penthesilea
     
Penthesilea's Castle
Main Courtyard...

     The two women stood in the courtyard of the ruined castle at the end of a long journey. What had once been beds of beautiful flowers were choked with weeds, the fountain in the center of the courtyard was dry, its basin cracked and the center statue laying shattered at its base. Tumbled blocks of limestone littered the yard.
     "Ah," the taller woman said, her red hair stirring faintly in the breeze. "Home, sweet home."
     "You're sure?" the younger one asked. "It looks like a zombie war zone."
     "It has fallen into disrepair since my Uncle died and his children were unable to hold it. Come on, but carefully. Something may have set up housekeeping..."
     The two women approached the great, metal-reinforced doors that led to the Great Hall. "My mother's people were the landholders here for generations. My grandfather was a powerful wizard and he greatly expanded the Castle. When he died, it went to my Uncle, who did a good job of keeping order. Unfortunately, none of his children or grandchildren were up to the job, something his wife refused to accept. She tried to manage herself rather than call on any of her nieces or nephews. She couldn't control the forces that come with the land. They got away from her and destroyed her. The Castle was abandoned then.”
     "What kind of forces?
     "Magical, mostly, and the Castle sets over a Reality Nexus. Without a strong hand in charge, all sorts of things can come into this reality."
     "That explains the orcs, goblins, direwolves, giant spiders, multi headed serpents, vampires and cranky centaurs we ran into on the way here," Bladeraven observed.
     "Exactly. That's why we left the cats with the baggage train. My girls backed by four feline wizards and a pack of cranky gremlins should be enough protection for the moment." Swords drawn, the two women slipped through the doors into the darkness of the entry hall. Three open doorways, one to the left, one to the right and one directly ahead of them, presented themselves.  "Straight ahead. The side passages may still be booby trapped." Penthesilea whispered. Bladeraven nodded and they approached the door from opposite sides. Cautiously, they peeked in.  "Damn," Penthesilea whispered.
     "Swamp hags," Bladeraven whispered in disgust, "why did it have to be swamp hags?"
     "The Gods love us," Penthesilea replied. "At least they haven't had time to flood the Great Hall. Activate your 'True Sight Talisman' and cast 'Strength of Twenty."
     "Done."
     As one, twenty heads turned toward the doorway. Howls of rage blasted from twenty throats as the hags charged.....

The Great Hall

     "That was fun," Bladeraven said as she cleaned her sword on a fallen hag's clothing.
     "Nothing like a bit of exercise to get the blood running." Penthesilea stepped over various hag parts littering the floor. "Good thing we got them cleaned out before any men found them."
     "What now?"
     Penthesilea pointed to a plain, black high-backed chair on a platform at the back of the room. "I sit down." Penthesilea made for the chair, Bladeraven at her heels.  As Bladeraven watched, Penthesilea seated herself on the black chair and placed her left hand over the rounded top of a short limestone pillar beside the chair.
     "WHO DARES?" a voice thundered from the air.
     "I am Penthesilea, Clan Swordkin of Themyscira. I claim the title 'Keyholder' by right of Blood."  For several seconds, nothing happened.
     "It's about damn time you showed up!"
Before Bladeraven's startled eyes, a tall apparition faded into view.
     Penthesilea grinned. "Blame your son's choice of wife, Grandfather. Long time, no see."
     "Well, I'm dead, you know." He looked at Bladeraven appreciatively. "Who's your friend? She's hot!" Bladeraven blushed.
     "Her name's 'Bladeraven'. She's my Swordsister and she prefers her men to be, at least, corporeal."
     "Damn," the apparition swore, then took a long pull from the massive stein in his hand. "Oh well, then. You know the drill, granddaughter."
     Penthesilea nodded and spoke in a clear, firm voice. "I swear by the Light of God that I am that I will protect the world from what this Castle holds and what it guards.
I will stand watch in the Gate of Worlds that none may pass through from any side.
I will stand between Those Who Abide Outside and all other worlds. 
I will hold to this duty to the end of my mortal life.” Which, she added silently, is likely to be a very long time indeed! “This I swear by the Light and on my life.” 
     The pillar under Penthesilea's hand began to glow. Brilliant light flowed up from the base and down, spreading out like water and where it flowed, the Castle was restored to its former glory. Before Bladeraven's startled eyes, tapestries and carpets restored themselves, rotted wood was made whole, walls were repaired and rebuild, statues regained their pedestals and wholeness and beauty were restored.
     "I am Penthesilea, Lady Keyholder." On cue, a ring of keys, some quite strange, dropped into Penthesilea's lap. She turned to Bladeraven. "Let's call the baggage train."

The Main Courtyard

     Bladeraven and Penthesilea stood in the Courtyard, keeping a careful eye on Bladeraven's two year old son, Grasshopper, who splashed in the restored fountain, his brown hair dripping. Penthesilea's blood daughters, MoonCat and Spirit, were content to simply soak in the water up to their necks.
     “Check the buildings for unwelcome guests,” Penthesilea instructed the crew chief of the gremlins. "This place has been vacant for a long time and the swamp hags aren’t likely to be the only squatters.”  The gremlin nodded and hurried away, barking orders to his workers, even as the rest of their group went about their tasks.
     "What do we do now?" Bladeraven asked as her son stripped off his wet clothes and ran laughing from his nanny.
     "Like mother, like son." Penthesilea chuckled. "We make a home for ourselves and anyone else who wants to come. Anyone who is willing to live in peace with us and causes no trouble is welcome."
     "Lady Bladeraven?" The two women looked down at the Head Housekeeper, Lilyrose. Twenty Smallkin, bearing enormous crocks stood behind her. "Where do we put the kimchee?" Penthesilea rolled her eyes and laughed.

#3   Penthesilea

"That is the whole idea."

#5   Penthesilea

That's what I was afraid of!

#7     [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     The door opened easily for Penthesilea and she led Bladeraven and the troop of Smallkin and humans who comprised the Castle’s new kitchen crew into the spacious kitchen. It didn’t take them long to find the main pantry and storage areas. Lilyrose set her people to work taking inventory  and getting the evening meal started while Penthesilea and Bladeraven checked out the Dining Hall.

#9   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Penthesilea laughed. “I’m not that cruel. Watch.” With that, Penthesilea proceeded to describe the dimensions of the room and what she wished done.  Then she released the spell. With a flash of light, the room was completely clean. Bladeraven stared in astonishment and Penth laughed again. “What? Did you think Master Mages spent their valuable time dusting and cleaning? Housekeeping spells are the first ones an apprentice is taught and if they can’t master those, which teach precision and concentration, they don’t advance to the next level.”

#11   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     A screech from outside alerts Bladeraven to the fact that she’s needed outside.  Penthesilea continues her exploration of the Housekeeping tower, clearing out vermin and cleaning the rooms as she goes. Getting the Housekeeping Tower up and running is vital to the comfort and safety of the refugees.  People can take sleeping under the stars if they have hot food and clean clothes. Being safely behind the Castle’s restored stone walls helps too. The entire journey to the Castle had been perilous and it was a relief to be able to sleep in relative safety.

#13  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Penthesilea made her bed near one of the temporary firepits set up in the Main Courtyard with her daughters on either side of her. She slipped easily into sleep. Easier than she had in months, maybe years. Certainly, sleep had not come easily during the siege at Dunn’s Keep and the long journey after the fall of the Keep and their escape from it.  She sank deeper into sleep and at some point found herself standing in the Great Hall before the Keyholder’s Seat. Her grandfather was sitting there with her uncle, the last Keyholder, standing beside him. Her grandfather smiled at her and shook his head.
     “It would have been better if you had been raised here, granddaughter, but I understand why your mother made the choices she did. And to be honest, her rebellion might have saved our line since it resulted in you.  Still, you have a lot to learn, child, and I don’t envy you.”
     Penthesilea sighed. She had some idea of what was coming. “We had better get started then.”

#15  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Nonverbal agreement came through the inspeaking and the three of them sat holding their heads for some moments before things in their brains were sufficiently sorted for them to attempt to look around.  Most of those who had shared their fire had already risen and folded up their bedrolls. The delicious smells coming from the direction of the kitchen told Penthesilea all she needed to know about where everyone was and what they  were doing!
     Cautiously, they got up and found that walking was indeed possible.  From the smell of things, Lilyrose and her kitchen crew were thrilled to once again be in a real kitchen and had outdone themselves for their first FirstMeal in their new home.  Their heads clearing, Penthesilea and the girls headed for the Dining Hall.

#17   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     With FirstMeal under their belts and their heads finally clear, Penthesilea and her girls made their way to the top of the tallest tower in the Castle. It came as no surprise that the tower housed the family quarters of the Keyholder and the view from the top was breathtaking.  They didn’t spend much time appreciating the view. There would be time for that later, after they had assembled and activated the beacon that would call those individuals who could call the Castle home to it. They had all awakened with the knowledge of how to build the beacon, where to set it up and how to activate it and knew that the Castle itself would not let them rest until it was done. The awareness of the Castle might be primitive but it was very insistent! 
     They carefully assembled the device -- MoonCat being especially adept with it due to her rapport with all things technological -- and mounted it where it ‘belonged.’  After that, instinct and the Castle took over and the softly glowing silver ball ascended to the top of the metal spire more than a hundred feet higher than the tower. There it rested, softly pulsing and sending out its call to anyone with the soul to hear.

#25  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     As the days wore on, Penthesilea became aware that a slow, steady “drip” of information was flowing into her brain all the time.  She had to admit that the drip was a lot easier to deal with than the massive download of the first night even if the sudden realization that she knew something that had been a complete mystery seconds before was a bit unsettling! A state of affairs she told Bladeraven about as they relaxed together, Bladey with a glass of wine and Penthesilea with an iced tea. Bladey looked forlornly at the bottle, it was some of the last that they had obtained on their way to the Castle.

#31   Penthesilea

     “Already done, dear girl. Grandpa was a bit of a drinker. We should check for a wine cellar. He was fond of his beer too. If my dear Aunt didn't dump it all, there should be barrels of the stuff around somewhere.”

#33   Penthesilea
     
     “The vineyard is overgrown but it’s there and there is a complete winery. All it needs is a vintner to take it over.  There is a small brewery and distillery too.” Penth grinned. “You can have one of the suites overlooking the vineyard even if it isn’t much to look at right now.”