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       Just thought I'd finally get about to posting about how this year's Feis Domani went. Sorry I took so long getting around to it. Finally over the bus lag.

This year's Feis took place in Caer Martinsville(Martinsville, Virginia): the Royal Court of the Realm of FairyStone(Virginia and West Virginia). Lady Blades SongDancer ni DarkFyre, my sister, is the current ruler. As with last year, only a few of us could attend: myself, the High Queen and her guest Michael Allen, and Yarnfairy of the Realm of Lumina(North and South Carolina). It only took them a few hours to get to FairyStone. Because of my bus ride, it took me a day and 11 hours, plus a taxi ride to the Caer from Danville, Virginia because the bus doesnae' go to the Caer. Where's the justice...?


I got into the Caer the morning of the 21st, while the others arrived in the afternoon. After resting up for a bit, we set out at seven that night to go to Lady Blades' home to meet up and possibly have dinner. Well, we got lost along the way to trying and find her home on Fisher Farm Road, driving around for more than an hour on an adventure. We eventually realized after getting a map online - thanks to Yarnfairy for that - that we had passed our turn several times. We finally arrived at Blades' home, and sure enough, everyone was awake and waiting for us: Lady Blades and her children - Alec, Sean, and Serenity - and her sister and former Ruler, Tracy Asbury and her son, Hawk. We stood and sat around chatting, joking, and carrying on, before we started deciding where we would go for dinner. In the end, Lady Blades stayed home with the kids, promising to show us around her Caer, while Tracy went with us to a Mexican restauraunt for dinner, where we found that she and Yarnfairy had a lot in common. I'll let Yarnfairy tell that if she likes. Afterwards, Snow and Michael went back to the hotel while Yarnfairy and I took Tracy back home. She, Blades and I then conversed some more about family matters. And as part of Feis tradition, I gave gifts to the hosts of the Feis. To Tracy, though she is non-Domani, I gave a book on the ways and the precepts of the Samurai. To Blades, I gave her lavender soap: for the body, mind, and soul. Yarnfairy and I went back to the hotel a little while after.


The next morning found Yarnfairy relegated to bed with a disabling migraine, so myself, the High Queen, and Michael went to Blades' home, where she then took us on a driving tour of the hills and mounts around her Court. A few places that she claims as her power spots she also took us to, though Snowaidene stayed with the car. She's not a hiker. Afterwards, we stopped at the hotel. Snow and Michael went to get picnic supplies for our outing to Fairystone Park later that day, while Blades and I went to get Yarnfairy. Being a member of the Domani Healers' Hall, Blades attended to Yarnfairy's headache, healing her then and through the day. After a couple of delays, we met the rest of the group back at Blades' home. Tracy almost didn't go, due to a migraine herself. But she got better at the nick of time, and we were off by around 4 Eastern time, into the Mountains of the Faery Mists.


We got to the park, and some of us went with the kids into the forest to hunt for fairystones: the namesake of the Realm. According to legend, there was a Faerie revel in that very area at the time of the Crucifixion, when an Elven messenger delivered the news. The Fae wept and left the area. And where their tears fell, the fairystones formed. We hunted, but only found a few, before we picniced, and had an off-kilter sort of sword tournament, using branches and sticks for swords. It's the consensus that Lady Blades was the winner. In the meanwhile, Tracy found two handfulls of fairystones and gave them out to us. She always had a knack. In her words, "they just jumped out" at her.


       Afterwards, we went back to Blades' home to continue the tournament and converse some more. Blades still won. At the end of it, we had our Nobility Meeting, where we discussed matters of the next Feis, the Healers' Hall, the Balefire Awards. Blades then brought up an idea of hers for the children of the citizens of the Domain: a costume contest of sorts to be held annually at Samhain(Halloween). We discussed the pros and cons of such a contest, and agreed that that would go a long way towards giving the Domain more of a community feel. She should be back online before too long, in which time, we should all be able to hash things out together.

       The next morning brought the Scattering, which is gleaned from traditional Celtic festivals, in which people fellowship one last time, before "scattering to the four winds". It was a peaceful Sunday morning, filled with conversation, and a bit of poetry courtesy of Lady Blades herself(a warrior-poet, my sister...) One such poem, I felt, fit the spirit of the Scattering perfectly. When I get a hold of her next, I'll have it posted here, and see what you think.

       YarnFairy and I said goodbye to Blades, Tracy, the kids, Michael, and the Queen, before she drove me to the bus station in Danville. We were almost lost in finding it, and I was almost late in getting on the bus. But I got there in time, and a day and change later, I arrived in Caer Menomonee, the Dells(Milwaukee, Wisconsin), and Lady Dame Xanthi then brought me back here to Caer Portshire(Port Washington, Saukville, and Fredonia, Wisconsin).

       And there are pictures up of the event, as you can see. I havenae' forgotten.

       I welcome the High Queen, Yarnfairy, and Blades(when she gets back online), to tell their side of the story. It'll give it a more round feel. For me, my part of the tale is done. Next year, the Feis will be held in Caer Aurora, Astoria: far on the West Coast of the continent. Now -that's- going to be an adventure.

       As Bilbo Baggins always liked to sing,...

       "The road goes ever on and on... down from the door where it began... I do not know where it has gone... but I must follow, if I can..."

                     Good Dreaming and Blessed Be,
                     -Lord Shadow