The Foretelling:
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"All Woods Must Fail"
O! Wanderers in the shadowed land
Despair not! For though dark they stand,
All woods there be must end at last
And see the open sun go past:
The setting sun, the rising sun,
The day’s end, or the day begun.
For east or west all woods must fail.
(J.R.R. Tolkien)
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The forest is shrinking. The beautiful wood nymph Gossamer has gone missing and the ethos of the wood has been impacted. Trees don’t sound when the wind blows, the water is no longer sweet, birds have flown away, the ground is riddled with disease, leaves have shriveled, flowers do not bloom and the laughter and joy that filled the wood over the last millennia has gone. Some have said it is because there is a creature called: The Protykus in the Forest, but we know it is because the forest fairy, Gossamer, has been unable to complete her woodland tasks.
Your job is to head into the forest to find Gossamer and persuade her to return to being the forest fairy she used to be. If you succeed, the forest will thrive once again. It is rumored that the inhabitants of the wood know where Gossamer has gone, but the challenge is to find someone who is willing to talk to you. It is only through these characters that you will learn where she has gone and how you can return her to her rightful place.
Some of the individuals you will meet on your quest will be helpful, some will ignore you, some will cause you to question your reason for trying to help Gossamer and others may be downright rude to you. For those that are rude, I apologize in advance – I have no ability to control what these characters say. I have found them to be rather rude and sometimes quite unhelpful - which is why I have come to you for help. All I can tell you is that I hope they are in a good mood the day you meet them!
So, how do you find Gossamer do you ask? Well in case you did not know, in The Book Of The Faeries it is foretold that when a fairy has gone missing you need to consult the “The Old Man Of The Wood”. Luckily for you, I am in touch with the ethereal plane and am able to give you the exact coordinates for The Old Man. Once you find the Old Man, he will be able to direct you to other residents of Myana who should be able to help you on this quest.
The Old Man of the wood can be found at: N41 06.704 W 073 36.205.
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This is intended to be a whimsical adventure for adults and kids alike. Please be aware that because of the limited foot traffic through these woods, this area has ticks during the season. Please be vigilant as you walk along. There are also a few prickers around. It can also be wet and muddy – be sure to wear waterproof boots. Enough of the warnings!
The idea for the cache came from one of my top 5 caches of all time: I Toad You I Gnome What I Am Talking About (archived in October 2009 :-((). If this is even half as good I will be happy.
- Park your vehicle at N 41.06.598 W 073.36.245. Make sure you park on the south side of the road. When setting this up we parked on the north side (at the pull-off) and had to get someone to help us get our 4 wheel drive out of the soup!
- Choices are offered as to the characters who you can choose to meet at each stage – some may prove helpful – others may prove most unhelpful. For those who want to meet all the colorful characters (helpful or not) and savor the adventure, this will take you a couple of hours to complete.
- All the residents of the woodland live in an area of the wood that is close to one another (except for a couple of residents who are a bit more reclusive and like to stay away from the crowd). Distances to hike are not too far. Total distance to cover is less than a mile. Total time to complete is 90 mins to 2 hours.
- During the course of your adventures you will meet some of the following woodland characters (or maybe all – depending on your path and your proclivity for the little folk).
- Please be extremely careful with the caches so that others behind you can enjoy the adventure - some are quite fragile.
- Finally, I just want to recognize the magic, the wizardry and the sheer brilliance of J.R.R. Tolkien, R. L. Stevenson and the other poets who you will hear from on this adventure!
Congratulations to the following who have made Gossamer a milestone: