(During the Kickstarter for Queen Mab's Palace I amtrying to blog as a much as possible. This will be separated into two streams;Echoing Stars for my dark Science Fiction Posts, and Fall Posts for morefantasy-esque Autumn Themed ones. The first Fall Post was Twelve Adventures ofthe Autumn Lands, this is the second;)John Gast1. Old Teak Britches He walks by night and by wind for only so will none hearhim come. If you are out in the forest by night - listen for him when the windstills; if every tree ceases creaking but one - and that one stops a littlelater than the rest, you might still have time, for he is not too close andseeks to hide him approach. Make for the forest edge for he doesn't like to gobeyond it. If you hear him swift after the wind, like creak-creak, creak-creak,like footsteps getting faster, its likely too late so you may as well run and don'tstop running just because the land is clear for though he likes not to gobeyond the green growth and fresh fences, he can still reach beyond them andyou might be carried up and away...

1. Shock Hairs Pig Mans Mark There was a deal done by night at some time and on oneside was a Pocumtok who knew nothing of pigs but wanted some, and a half-Dutchwho knew more of them than man should, and on the other was the Devil. In anycase the men would have pigs and old Shock-Hair said 'now here is a sign Ishall show you two which I gave long ago to a Lady far off, and if you makeright the ink and draw right the sign on a man’s hearth, he becomes a pig, andyou can make as many as you like, though in return I will take off your spirittill the sun goes black like a coal. These two fools mistook and had the Signnot right, thence, on using it, they made not a pig, but a man-pig, who wasneither one nor another. Pigs having wits and men some too, the man Pig caughtthem both and got the secret out of them and set about trying to get the Signright, thinking if he could get a Pig done rightly he would be half-way togetting one un-done - which was himself. Those three never could get a Pig doneright and likely they are all dead now but the Pig-Marked men are still abroadand still take people here and there to try their Sign.

2. The Chatter Box This was an Algonquin maid who wasn't of the usual kind,so no man would marry her, but they feared her too much to say no but pretendedto be sick, mad or dead. She got sick of this and said she would go with awhite man, which she did, and found a widower. He did not know about the kindof thing she was, so married her, but he found out. From the moment she movedin she would not stop yammering, in English and every other tongue, morning,noon and night and every minute of every hour. This woman didn't even sleep butgot up on the walls and onto the roof in the dark, talking and talking. Shedrove that man mad and he jumped in the river so she went off to marry another,but they got her first, for white men stuffed their ears and caught her and puther hands in chains and her head in a box of rowan wood, which was an old cruelpunishment even then. She got away from them but she couldn't get out of ofthat iron or that box. If you hear her, and you will if she is close, for sheis still talking, talking, talking, run fast and run quiet for if she learnsyour name you will never be free of her.

3. Nantuckets Whalebone Man He was made in Nantucket by a whaling man who had seenthe last of his trade and by God did he hate whales. He hated that he couldhear them still, swimming and free, and he knew whales hated man just the sameway/ "White men and whales is like Christians and Indians; it is them orus so we better get killing". Why then did he make the Whalebone Man?Surely for spite alone. he made him from Ivory Bone and dressed him like aGentleman and paid good money for the whalebone face, giving him smokedspectacles to hide the whalebone eyes, and he set him loose with he last breathas a curse upon the world that wouldn't hate whales the way it should. Now, ifyou are inland and you see a pale gentleman who walks with a click and if youhear a whales song as if from an ivory flute, but he has no flute to play;leave your doors and windows open, no matter the cold, for if you don't they'llfind you drowned in the morning and your house full of seawater which comes outin a flood. (He pipes it down the chimney you see.)

Michael Ayrton5. The Hessians Hole At the time of the war against King George there was aHessian who loved to kill. He killed when told to and when suggested and heliked it so much that he kept at it regardless, which left him in difficulty.He was out in the night and met an old Indian by the road and was about to killhim too but the old man said don't do what you are thinking and I will give youa hole you can put anything in and take where you like. Well that's just what Ineed said the Hessian - you show me and I'll believe it. So the Indian showedhim the hole and said here is the cat gut to sew shut the hole and only it canso be careful with it, and take care a second time to always leave it not quiteopen or it will get loose, and it’s as hungry as you are. And he unsewed thehole and there it was, deep as you like, and the Hessian said very good thenand kicked the Indian into it and sewed it up and carried it off. Then he justkilled who he wanted and put them in the hole. But it came at one time the callto battle for Washington was coming and we better kill that man, and he wasbusy at the hole so sewed it shut but caught the cat gut with his spur and rodeoff and started fighting. The hole was loose and came for him. he was fightingand stabbing and found himself going missing, part by part, though no bloodflowed. It was the hole. Soon all that was left was a spur and a long cat-gutthread. That hole is still around, you can listen for the Hessian and Indianstill in it and still arguing over who gets what to eat.

1. The Southrons Mill There is a Mill that moves through the night like an owland the earth like a worm. It is always working and never in the same placetwice. A Southron made it. This was in the years before the war between theStates. He came north slave hunting, saying they get cold in the woods and slowdown, though he never seemed to catch any, but he built that mill which madecandles that gave a strange light. Then the war between the states took up andhis fortunes fell and it seemed people started going missing here and there andthe old mill took up thundering away all night with bright clear candle lightshining out. The women got to talking about that Mill saying 'Did you ever workthere?' 'No?' 'How about you?' Well it seemed no-one worked at that mill orever had so up went a good many one night to talk to that man and pound on hisdoor. Up he popped. "You won't have my Mill and no-one will for myinvestors won't allow it!" Then that Mill just burrowed into the soil likea mole and swam through the earth like a whale and was gone.

The Kickstarter for Queen Mab’s Palace has hit its goal and isstill on! More artistic goals coming soon!