Quick precis. – At least I hope it’s quick…. V 3.2.2 ----8.6.16p

These adventures are currently set in the city of Veyronna. – It is virtually a city-state on a small island in Remnant – a little rock in the sea between the Islands of the Salt Tribes to the west and the League of the Crown to the east. As it is closer to the latter, the Island, named Polerrough in the ancient language, is a principality of the League. As such it is still ruled by a prince-  descended from the king in olden times, this head-of state position is now purely hereditary, and continues today. The head of state is Prince Steven Lumen. ( Prince Steven the 3^rd) Because of its history, head of state, and archaic name, the whole island is usually referred to as ‘The Principality.’

Episode 1

As schoolchildren, our little darlings first come to prominence at the ages of four or five, where their potential has been noticed. – And they have been enrolled in the Arleccio School for Gifted Children in the city. Their teacher is Miss Tiara. The Headmistress is Miss Hathaway.

Miss Tiara

Miss Hathaway.

At the age of seven, a trip was planned to visit the neighbouring state of Mistral. - However on the day of the trip, their transport plane was shot down, and spectacularly landed in the sea with a really-really big splash! Although it meant little to the children at the time, the responsibility for this incident was claimed by a pro-democracy movement, who have some radical members in their ranks.

Miss Tiara hastily arranged for a coach to take them to the park, a nice wide open space with some trees off to one side, and some swings and roundabouts. – Which means that a gain on one is a loss on the other. –Best of all though, is an ice cream stall. All paid for with Miss Tiara’s hard-earned Lien (universal currency), straight out of her personal wine budget! They notice bins stuffed with protest leaflets and old banners from a rally held here at the weekend.

The morning is slow compared to the earlier excitement. With the little ones getting a bit bored, Miss Tiara suggests an early picnic. –Some of the good children start setting up, while the more wayward ones are still exploring. The park is bordered on two sides by the city walls, which are tall and imposing – and rather difficult to climb. –Unlike all the tall trees around the picnic area.

Our heroes are checking out the walls, Autumn is especially interested in the biggest and tallest and thickest part (after all he IS the biggest, tallest and thickest pupil! ) – when a classmate, Jade Peters climbs into a tree and promptly falls out of it, hurting her arm. This is a minor panic for Miss Tiara, as well as the driver and part-time caretaker Mr. Scott. As they are tending to poor Jade, our heroes notice a scratching, scraping, and snuffling noise coming from within the city walls.

Autumn starts scratching back, but luckily it is in the toughest hardest, most solidly-built part of the city defences. A few yards away the scratching intensifies and in a burst of rubble and masonry, a large and ferocious creature bursts forth. It is about three-feet high at the shoulder has a jet-black body, with white bone-like plates on its shoulders and joints. It has large tusks in its jaw, curved forward and sharp. Four intense ruby-red eyes glower evilly in its face, which is surrounded by a bony plate upon which are angry red swirls. – A Boarbatusk!

Boarbatusk.

Needing no further prompting, the gang set about the creature as it starts to spin up for an attack. Had it succeeded, it would have ploughed through the other fifteen children, now sitting nicely and eating their sausage rolls!

However, the naughty children set about the evil creature with improvised weapons, smashing and piercing and hacking and thrashing until the thing slumps down dead. A few heartbeats later, it dissolves into a grey ash-like dust, which blows away in the wind. – Dramatically swirling one way and then the other.

The hole in the wall is too exciting to ignore, so our little gang start peering inside. Sienna finds a big branch and heats the end until -like an enormous match-, it ignites!  Now our explorers can be like a D&D party, following the hapless wizard. They troop inside the cavity within the walls. It is a bit of a squeeze!

One of their classmates, called Mal (Malachite) has seen what was going on and he decides to follow, but takes the wrong passage. Once he has realised his mistake, he joins the others who have found an opening on the other side of the city walls. – A huge grassy plain stretches before them, and the eagle-eyed among them can make out roaming Goliaths where the grasslands give way to foothills and mountains in the distance. Autumn says he can see his house from here. Having no girl to contradict him, he assumes that he must be correct. – Even though he’s wrong.

Goliath.

There is an oh-so-subtle movement in the grass, and Iris’ keen hearing detects something coming their way. She ushers the others back a couple of steps. A moment later, a large cat-like creature leaps for them. – El Tigre!

El Tigre.

Lincoln and Iris stand their ground, buying time by defending this end of the passage while the others scurry back to safety. -Little Bee scrambles up the walls in a burst of speed that leaves Usain Bolt still in the starting blocks.

With sticks and stones, an an arrow or two, and a blinding flash, Lincoln and Iris make El Tigre back off a few yards to reconsider its options. Being two children against a sabre-toothed predator is not great odds, so they too withdraw to the relative safety of the passage. Iris has a distinct feeling that she might be ‘being naughty’ if they stay to slay the beast.

The gang –minus Little Bee – manage to emerge from the walls and pile up a few stones before Miss Tiara finds them. They go back to where Jade is waiting for an ambulance. There are several winces when they spy the angle her arm is in now. – Miss Tiara does a head-count and berates Little Bee for climbing the walls. Little Bee is not going to get an ice-cream for being naughty. Marigold, ever the sensitive sort, offers Little Bee her ice-cream – pre licked! -Eeew!

Seeing and hearing their reports of the downing of the Boarbatusk, Mr. Scott decides to ‘Watch their careers’ with great interest. Eeew again!