The Hidden Bell
The people of Shiora Rill's holler — a cool, moist cove of the Roan: shaded slopes, stream valleys, rocky banks, leaf litter, rhododendron thickets and old growth.
They are not a court, a warband, or an organisation of any kind. They are a cove, and each of them belongs to one layer of it. What they know is what their layer knows, and the only reason any of it adds up is that Shae talks to all of them.
The Core
The five Shae actually works with, and what each of them is for.
| Who | For | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Shiora Rill | Conceal | Hides, shelters, and finds what was meant to stay hidden |
| Brindle | Detect | Reads disturbance at ground level and gathers information |
| Seep | Carry | Connects distant parts of the landscape through water |
| Laurel Vane | Distract | Moves attention around by being impossible to overlook |
| Old Fold | Protect | Controls passage and shuts the hidden places of the forest |
The Cove
| Who | Kind | Layer | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brindle | Salamander spirit | Soil, stone, rotting wood | Scout and gossip |
| Seep | Undine | Springs, seeps, watershed | Messenger |
| Laurel Vane | Flower fairy | Flowering understory | Attraction and distraction |
| Wrenkin | Winter wren | Underbrush | Alarm — whether or not one is wanted |
| Dusken | Stream-edge spirit | Wet rock and seepage | Environmental sentinel |
| May Umbrel | Spring ephemeral fairy | Spring forest floor | Seasonal knowledge |
| Morrow Hemlock | Tree fairy | Canopy | Watcher |
| Old Fold | Unknown | Rhododendron thicket | Guardian and obstacle |
| The Lantern | Unknown | Night forest | Night travel |
| Grandmother Stone | Landscape spirit | Rock and deep time | Memory |
The Water
| Who | Kind | Where | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gullet | Catfish | Deep creek pools | Downstream witness, reluctantly |
| Bront | Bullfrog | The pond and its banks | Self-appointed authority |
| Veyr-of-the-Black-Run | Grindyloc | The channel beneath the pond | Route-keeper, first contact |
Beneath all of it run the Grindyloc roads, which nobody in the cove knew about until Shae fell into one. See Grindyloc for the people, and The Hidden Bell for how she met them.
Above
The mining crew, who do not know any of the above exists.