All were in attendance, mortal and immortal alike.
Great barrels of Mead and Ale were tapped, carcasses of venison and pig were put on great spits and were roasting over the great fire pit of feasting.
The aromas filled the air, much dancing and merriment was beginning. It was going to be a great feast.

One by one, the immortals and mortals alike, brought forth their gifts of good tidings to the Great Gumba.

Barrels of Ale from Prince Loughdaugh.
Implements of feasting, from the Duchess and Duke of TriDeamon.
Barrels of Wine from the Duke of Was-Land (Red Dragon Fire Wine)
Pieces of Gold and Silver from the Shamans from Down Under.

Much, much more was to come, for the Great Gumba had many friends and all were welcome that night at Castle Catalano.

Once the gifts were opened and all had feasted aplenty on good meat and mead, the great fire pit of feasting was rekindled.
The fire of remembrance was about to be lit.
This honor was bestowed upon Prince Loughdaugh.

It is customary for immortals to light a fire of remembrance in such situations, it allows them to help pass on stories of things past. The telling of such stories assures that time alone cannot destroy what once was, only when the story need not be told is when the story will no longer be remembered.

Prince Loughdaugh summoned the power of his mighty trident and that of his ancestors,
A mighty whoosh was heard and felt as the fire was lit, all grew quiet for a moment.
There in the smoke was the Prince, laughing quite gregariously, the grass around the pit singed, he sometimes can be a little over zealous.

The time for remberance had come, the moon was full, the sky was bright and the forest was quiet.
Out of the dark stepped Catherine of Khatadin, I have the story of remembrance, she said.
Let us hear it, cried the Great Gumba, yes, cried the Bard, Let us hear it.






Hear ye, Hear ye, one and all
I have a tale to tell
Of Merlin’s and Bards and magic things
And great feasting days as well.

For in the nineteen hundred and fifty sixth year
The 11th of September I am told
Was the day great feasting and drinking began
For Immortals both young and old.

For on that day, was born a King
A Warrior, Magician and Sage.
He can make the mountains tremble and shake
And the Seas calm their quivering waves.

His escapades are known, both far and wide
Their are tales of cunning and might
Of slaying all evil with his massive sword
And feasting late into the night.

He rules the Northron regions
From his Castle Catalano Throne
The sultry music of his beautiful Bard, Kerry
Keeps him close to home.

Now on this very special day
The immortals and mortals combined
Gather round the Great Fire Pit of delight
To pay homage (and be wined and dined!)

Therefore I, the Great Catherine of Khatadin decree
By the powers of the elements four
This be a day for much feasting, merriment and joy
From the mountains to the seas, to the moors.

So with mugs raised high to the Northron air
We say a loud HUZZAH
To the warrior, sage, and the friend of all
To the Mighty Great Gumba!







Not a dry eye was to be seen around the great fire of remembrance.

The air was still, the forest was silent.
A great low growl was heard, it grew and grew.
Twas the Great Gumba, HUZZAH, HUZZAH.

The ground shook as the Gumba extolled, Thank you oh Great Catherine of Khatadin, none shall forget this night, for the story is tried and true.

All was well that night, the feasting went on well into the wee hours, and all was good.

So ends the night of remembrance.

So Sayeth the Great White Sage.

It was going to be a day of exceptional feasting, for today was the Great Gumbas Birthday. Immortals need not celebrate birthdays, however it was one of the few mortal pleasures that the Great Gumba still enjoyed.
It was a beautiful September day; all the little fuzzy forest creatures came to bid the Great Gumba a happy day. The sky was bright blue and a tiny breeze blew in the trees.
Today was going to be glorious.

The Bard had summoned many for a great feast; barrels of mead and ale were arriving by carriage.
Great carcasses of meat were being prepared for the great fire of feasting and the Great Gumba reveled in the glory of it all.

One by one, the guests arrived, Mortals and Immortals alike, for today all could enjoy what was once only allowed to immortals.

The doctors from down under, who are versed in the ways of Shamantic holistic healing,
And the great mid-wife from the Penobscot, were among the first to arrive.

Then came Prince Loughdaugh, with much fanfare, astride his mighty hemmi, a fierce fire breathing behemoth able to pull and carry much.
Next to him his escort for the evening, a lovely creature indeed, and as always his mighty hound.

Next came the ever-lovely Catherine of Khatadin, and Madam M of York and her entourage.

All were bearing good tidings and gifts for the Great Gumba.

Next arrived the Duke of the Was lands astride his mighty and fierce red dragon.
The Duke won much favor this evening for he brought new libations for the Great Gumba to try.

Then came the Duchess and Duke of TriDeamon, a great and vast kingdom north of Castle Catalano.
All had come to enjoy the day, for all knew that great feasting and much merriment was about to be had by all.

Kerry the Bard raised her great lyre and proclaimed that the feast had begun.

The day was young and the evening had yet to be.

(To be continued)

It was a wonderful, sunshiny day in the Great Northron Region. The sky was a deep blue, the clouds were wispy and a cool breeze fluttered through the trees. The grass was particularly green today and all the little fuzzy forest creatures were busily making ready for the coming fall.
Soon the leaves would change and the landscape would turn to the colors of fire, deep reds and oranges, the leaves would soon fall after that and blanket the forest in a crunchy sheet.
No one, not even the Great Gumba, could travel unheard through the great lands of Castle Catalano.

It had been eight seasons since the Great Gumba and Kerry the Bard left the "Mans-fields of dreams" and ventured forth to the great northron regions. After Racing Ma and the White Haired Hermit had passed on, only the Bard could soothe the Great Gumba

For the Gumba was sullen, and his journey was a long one.
Many a night, the veils of evil of what once was, came to haunt him, many a night was spent remembering what once was.

Once, their was a great kingdom.
Once their was great prosperity.
Once, their was peace and tranquility.
Once, their was happiness and much feasting.
Once, their was game a plenty.
Once, their was many a person to call friend.

For six seasons the Great Gumba remembered what "once was".
Feasting, tho still done, was not as much fun. Festivals just weren't much fun either.
Game was much larger in the great northron region, feasts were much larger food wise, still something was missing.
Then one day, two seasons ago, a great horned owl, all feathered in white sat in a tree and spoke.

Hail, the Great Gumba. Hail Kerry the Bard, I bring tidings and good fortune.
What once was, is no longer.
What was, is in the past.
What is, is what is.

You have a wonderful Bard to sing to you and soothe you.
You have a home in the Great Northron Region, a much vaster kingdom to call your own.
You have made many new friends, even the little furry creatures no longer fear you.
Racing Ma and The White Haired Hermit smile down upon you and all that you now command.
The evil that took them, and all that you held dear and true, is at last, at bay.
Fear not the unknown, fear not what is yet to come, for it is, what you make of it.

The Great Gumba sat on his great haunches and thought, he thought long and hard.
He listened to the birds, he listened to the wind, he listened to his Bard, then he listened to his heart.
Most importantly, he listened, something he was not very good at before.
The Great Gumba realized that all the great owl had spoken was true, he should no longer fear the unknown, after all he is the Great Gumba, a great warrior, a great and true immortal.

One day, a few weeks later, a familiar face strode the main causeway to the Gates of Castle Catalano.
The face looked familiar, but the facade was haggard and white.

Wait, yes, I think it is, it is, the Sage.

"HUZZAH to the Great Gumba, HUZZAH to Kerry the Bard". Spoke the Sage.
"Hail great Sage" spoke the Great Gumba. "What has caused you to become White with age"
"My journey to find you my friend was a long and arduous one", "the way to you was filled with much treachery and anguish", "this and so much more, has caused my hair to turn stark white", "I am now known as "The Great White Sage of the Northron Region", "the immortals sent me to find the one they call" The Great Gumba".
"Did my great owl find you my friend" Spoke the Sage.
"Why yes, he spoke much truth, as owls do" "He has helped me greatly wise one" "I now live for today and all that it brings, no longer in fear of what may or may not be". "He stayed for many days and spoke often of how things have changed".
"Let us feast for now, drink many libations and catch up on battles fought and won".

They feasted and drank, and made merry. The Great Gumba showed the Sage his new kingdom and all that it encompassed.
"So, my friend, I have one question, a question that has followed me for many seasons, what has become of The Red Prince".
"Ahh, I was wondering when you would ask this question" said the Sage.
"He and the Otter Queen have missed there great friend", "but, understand all that you and the Bard have gone through and wait until the day he and his queen are needed again by the Great Gumba and his Bard".
Then, said the Great Gumba, send your great owl, send him to deliver a message, a message that reads:

"To all that know The RED PRINCE, The OTTER QUEEN and The OTTER PRINCESS.
They have never fallen out of favor with the Great Gumba, nor have they fallen out of favor with Kerry the Bard.
My journey was a long and dangerous one, one that I had to go...alone.
The Great Sage has sent a messenger to me, and that messenger helped show me the way.
The Red Prince and I have fought many a battle side by side, shedding much blood of thine enemies.
We have fought and vanquished the Fabled Homer, with arms like tree trunks and blazon red hair, not a man like you or I.
We have fought and vanquished Floyd the destroyer, in the Great Northron Regions.
We have Feasted, on many a fabled night, drank many libations, and told many a story of battle.
We have done what most mortals and Immortals alike, only have dreamed of.
Mourn Blade hangs with honor next to the sword of the Great Gumba on the great wall of Castle Catalano.
Both wait for the day they can once again be wielded with honor in battle.
Together, no one could defeat The Great Gumba and The Red Prince,.....apart............?

So let it be known, far and wide, across all the regions known to Mortal and Immortal,
The Red Prince and The Otter Queen are always welcome at Castle Catalano, in the Great Northron Regions.
Huzzah to the Red Prince,
Huzzah to the Otter Queen and all the little ones that now occupy the land of the Red Prince.

A great feast will be held this weekend of labor at Castle Catalano in honor of his great friend.
Hopefully, someday soon, The Red Prince will make the long journey to Castle Catalano.
So once again the two greatest immortals, can do battle against all that is wrong, feast upon venison and drink much mead.
Someday all will be as it should be, but never as it once was.

Send this message, oh Great White Sage, send it.

"Alas oh wise one, we have no battles to rage, no wrongs to right, but we do have many a feast to hold and much mead to drink.
My land is fertile and vast, we can hunt and just be with nature.
I think The Red Prince would approve".

So I shall send this message and instruct my OWL to wait for a reply!

So sayeth the Great White Sage of the Northron Region.