he Silver Path winds through the forest, leading you to an abrupt clearing opening onto a vista of rustic beauty. Before you, small farms nestle in wooded, watered valleys beneath a forested, bald-topped mountain that curves like a buffalo's back. High on the mountain's side is a shining gate, the Rath that leads into the Freehold of Ben Bison Brugh. Within awaits an enchanted domain, a hollow hill the likes of which few have ever seen.

The Trod leads on before you, into the heart of a faerie fief, the Barony of Lady Ausmandine, and her consort, the healer and seer, Master Coulkan.

Hidden within the Near Dreaming interior of Buffalo Mountain, Ben Bison Brugh is a warren of chambers and passages carved from the stone and infused with the Glamour of one of the oldest Balefire hearths in the Kingdom of Willows. Founded during the Sundering, the Brugh was one of the few freeholds of any size to shelter the exiled commoner kithain through the Interregnum. Long after the Blue Ridge had been returned to noble rule, Ben Bison was a rallying point for commoner independence. Only recently has Ben Bison Brugh submitted to the rulership of the sidhe, and the Lady of Ben Bison, Ausmandine of House Fiona, is careful to respect the opinions and advice of her vassals.

The trod that leads to the gate of the Brugh switchbacks up the mountain's gentler southern slope, leading through woods opening occasionally onto broad clearings of highland meadow. The highest leg of the upward climb curves around the mountain's sheer west face, where opens the freehold's gate. The trod is narrow here, and the drop from the edge opposite the gate is precipitous. Fortunately, the gate itself is tall and broad and deep, offering ready shelter to the acrophobic.

The trod continues, switchbacking down the north face, and on eventually to the glade known as Fiddlers' Green. Halfway down the north side of Ben Bison, a tiny spur of the Silver Path follows a trickle of springwater upward into a small grotto.

Ben Bison welcomes fae who have traveled the trods which lead to its massive ironwood doors, carved with the pattern of the Endless Knot. One need but knock, and the doors swing inward, leading into a wide passage lighted with globes of softly glowing iridescent glass. A carving above the entrance arch commends visitors who hold to the Escheat, but hints at a dire fate for those who would come to this place disdainful of the rule of law. Although there is little here but carven stone, the vestibule feels warm and welcoming rather than stark. Stairs lead upward to the Great Room, where court is held, banquets are celebrated, and the Lady and Master of Ben Bison receive their formal guests.

Visit The Great Room (a common room for public meetings), The Library (tidbits of County history and changeling lore, also a bibliography of related or at least interesting books) or The Salle (a room for swordplay and sparring, where matters of honor are settled with chimerical silver-steel)

Stairs from the vestibule to the north and the south lead deeper into the mountain, and other regions of the freehold.

Or return to the Main Page or to the Shortcuts page, for more information on the county at large.