The Albion Well in England is one of three most-sacred wells of the Isle of the Mighty, or the British Isles, as they are known by mortals.
An Ancient Riddle[]
When one hand guides the way/ When the land and the people are one/ When the Three are restored to power/ Then shall the War of Dreams be won.
— ancient riddle from the Kingdom of Wool
Overview[]
One of the wells in the Kingdom of Smoke is seldom seen by the hikers who pass by, though in years past many a traveler stopped to drink from its crystal depths. Located only a few miles from the Manchester city limits lies a glade, overlooked by all save those who know the way. Some of the area's changelings are unaware of the location of this natural glade, though even the youngest childlings have heard tales about it. With help from the local Verbena coven, the Kithain who guard the well have planted berry bushes and thorny hedges around the glade's perimeter, leaving only a small break in a shadowy corner to admit visitors. The way to the glade has become a maze of twisting passages and dead ends, and those mortals who do try to make their way inside often find themselves outside again, their sense of direction scrambled by the guardian's cantrips and magicks. Any who know the way note that the air here remains cool year round, both at the height of summer heat and on the coldest days of winter. The air is moist, and smells of earth and water. A lush emerald moss covers the ground, and the light that filters through the trees is soft and shadowy.
The well itself lies at the northern side of a small pool, surrounded by mossy stones. The rocks that make up the walls of the well are smooth, worn by centuries of weather. Still, it is easy to see that whoever crafted the stones so many generations ago was a master stonesmith; each of the stones has been carved to fit into the other stones around it in a twisting pattern, not unlike a jigsaw puzzle. A small roof supported by four stone pillars shelters the well from falling leaves and debris, and a silver chain descends into the darkness from an ancient winch, presumably for fetching water.
The future of the well has come into question. The local changelings who have looked after it for so long are sharply divided as to what should be done at this point. Rumors have been circulating that officials in the Manchester municipal government are in favor of building a city reservoir, which would be fed primarily by the well. Pipes, concrete, and chain-link fences would soon surround the glade, and no amount of Glamour is likely to dissuade the highly banal bureaucrats from having their way. Mundane attempts to dissuade the city's officials have all met with failure, and many fear that Dauntain or the Technocracy (or both) may be behind the motives of the officials.
The well's guardians are faced with a dilemma: continue to fight to protect the well, or try something more drastic. One faction of Kithain has made tentative plans with a local Verbena coven, led by Dalen Groveton, to attempt to move the glade into a Horizon Realm, at least temporarily. To do so would be extremely difficult, but as some are quick to point out, it may be the only means of saving the well.
Others among the well's wardens argue that to do so wouldn't be saving the well at all; its purpose is to serve as a connecting point between the people and the land, as well as to tie Albion to the whole of Great Britain. While moving the well to another plane might keep it from being destroyed by municipal developers, it would remove the well from the place it is most needed. Still, those who oppose moving the well have not come up with any better plan to stop the developers, and the two groups seem to be at a stalemate.
The Other Wells[]
References[]
- CTD: Isle of the Mighty, p. 47