By Amy Silverscales-Dizonne

Sariah Popkins, known as Blue, was a cheerful, caring Hin. She had made mistakes in her life (who of us haven’t), but still kept her positive outlook. Her biggest mistake was pacting to the Unseelie Fey. Nobody knows why she did it, just that she did.

Sariah gathered kin around her, many like unto herself, pacted to the Unseelie Fey. They did not know, or perhaps understand, what it was they were pacted to. They pacted for differing reasons. Some pacted out of curiosity, some to gain 'tricks' and others were tricked into the pact.

Sariah always tried to do the best she could for her kin. She gathered the pacted around herself, and formed a coven. Her coven she fought tooth and nail to defend from anyone and anything. Persecuted, they eventually left Cordor, to come live in Fort Bendir, where they were welcomed.

Even with a tinge of suspicion about them, the Coven settled down among the inhabitants of Bendir. They began to make a life there, with caring and loving families. Then it happened. The Queen of Air and Darkness, ruler of the Unseelie Court, decided it was time all fey-pacted paid their debts to her. The Coven was not excepted from this decision.

The Fey came to the fort, and demanded that they obey. When they showed reluctance, the Fey attacked, and abducted a well loved Priestess of Yondalla from the fort, to hold as ransom. Sariah and her coven spent endless hours trying to find a way to free the Priestess, and eventually were able to find their way into the Faerie Plane.

Once there, the Coven were told of the Queen's demands. They were to sacrifice a Hin of Bendir to her. Appalled by this, they tried to haggle, to renegotiate, to no avail. The Priestess was released, with threats of worse to come if the Coven did not comply.

Bendir was left between a rock and a hard place. Unknowing what to do. It was then, that much of the island decided to focus only on Bendir's Fey-pacted, and blamed them for all the troubles of the island, even while other Fey-pacted wandered freely, the true source of their troubles.

The Coven became hunted, but still Sariah persevered, and stood tall, defending her coven as best she could. Beside her stood much of Bendir in this task, sheltering and hiding them away from would-be-Lynch-mobs. Sariah had to do something, and soon. It was then, that the Great Badger came unto Bendir, and spoke.

The Badger promised to break the Fey-pacters pact, nulling it. But he had a price. The Coven had to prove their worth. If the Seelie Court of Queen Titania were to intercede, the Coven had to prove that it was worth it. The Badger was vague on how to prove this.

Sariah, now given a positive course of action, set to it with a tenacity of a mother protecting her child. She proved to the Badger that the Coven loved one another, loved others, and in turn were loved. They proved that they were selfless, in that one amongst them, Midnight, was prepared to give his life to save the others. The Badger was moved to mercy, and acted, freeing the Coven from their pacts.

This did not stop the Queen for exacting her demands upon the rest of the island. They too harbored Fey-pacted. The elves of Myon sacrificed Rowan Willows, an Aasamir Priestess of Ilmater to save their Princess who had pacted to the fey. Cordor was not untouched either. Even among their guard force they had a Fey-pacted.

At a Ball in Cordor, the Fey struck. The Fey demanding from Cordor a sacrifice. The leaders of the city were reluctant to give in, their hearts caring only for themselves. Spying Sariah as a guest at their party, they conspired to use her. Sariah, convinced that this needed to stop, offered herself up to the Queen of Air and Darkness, a lamb to the slaughter.

So ends the tale of Sariah, one filled with love and compassion, and grief and sorrow. The moral of the story is quite clear, that those who deal with Fey, in the end suffer for their dealings. Let this be a lesson to all who would read it.