Ayleah at the Falls

Ayleah stayed at Bartlett Falls for a full week, even though she had gotten the answer that drove her there within the first day. The library itself with its troves of local lore could have held her interest for that time. Shelves of stately old ledger-books and archive drawers of maps and documents promised worlds within worlds of knowledge and discovery. Here was collected all the wisdom and tidings that had come down with the water from mountains and valleys to the east and south. Bartlett Falls was a storehouse of history knowledge. It sat in a nexus of land, people and the connections between them, uniting the fertile lowlands with the rocky foothill country. Aided by the Bartlett's resident historical scholar, Ayleah was able to find the origin of her mystery name. Battell was a very old prominent name that appeared in disparate locations, attached to quite a few places in valleys to the south. On the Lincoln mountain though, was a more singular and near occurrence. A hermit village, likely sprawling and with a small central marketplace placed itself as a dot on maps of the skyline. The township of Battell seemed to sit about two-thirds up the mountain slope, at a junction where two climbing roads met. Judging from the map, the way looked well-traveled and it seemed easy enough to get to the plateau. Ayleah was sure that was where Telon had gone, but was more uneasy that no one at the falls had marked his passing through. She had asked if he had been seen of course, but to no avail. There were many visitors that passed through this river dell, but a blue-cloaked scholar would still have been noted.

Furthermore, Leb cautioned her that it would take some preparation if she wanted to ascend the mountain, and recommended she wait a few days for a ranging party to set out. In the meantime she busied herself in the study of the library's maps and books, but also ventured out on the grounds of the historic park. The wild wide river, churning and splashing in sparkling torrents, left its home in the green mountains and coursed down towards broad valley plains. It had here but a short while left to run between such high forested slopes. Past the Bristol city-cluster it slowed as it wound through rolling open land and lowland groves, colossal fields opening in sunlit wonder to either side. The falls were as a doorstep to the mountains; a semi-circular shelf of smooth gray rock. Waters braided around boulder islands were joined by smaller falls to the side. Water streamed in chaotic ecstasy from the forest glens to meet in the general main flow. Suddenly the waters joined in one solid force to thunder over the ledge into a deep hole in the land before spreading again to continue the braided course downhill. Over the pool extended great tongues of the same smooth gray rock, forming a short precipitous gorge downriver. Across the span the land rose sheer in cliffs that supported sparse ferny vegetation. The near side, a rich grove of hemlock and moss, harbored gentler ledges punctuated by a few gigantic boulders. Here and there were signs of the ancient mill-city. Large blocks of man-made stone sat on the cliff-sides, most notably overlooking the central pool, where a large square block served as the estate's back terrace. The manor itself stood on a rock knoll set slightly back from the overlook on which grew a venerable beech tree. It was built like a castle; a palace of the same gray rock on which it stood. Moss and herb gardens surrounded the house, and paths led down both towards the overlook and away into further garden glens. Dense wooded slopes towered steeply over the whole glen, so this small shelf above the falls seemed an isolated pocket of the world. The evergreens and narrowness of the river vale kept daylight soft and brief.

Ayleah found all sorts of cool rock lookouts in the woods by the river. Ledges of rock stuck scarily out over the rushing torrents and beautiful boulders hid themselves in dense leafy places. The river woods were fascinating, but she was always reminded that the rocks and trees were not the real power here. Always in the background was the sound of the water. The falls thundered constantly; a rushing hum in the background of all life near the estate. It was a reminder of the terrifying fall so close at hand (the rocks were often slippery, and it was a long drop to the churning foam of the pool). It was also a reminder of the power and force of the water to shape their lives. They were only there because of its presence; the ancient city-ruins were evidence of that. The water was essential to the importance and functioning of this place in olden times and today, and yet a fear of the river felt healthy. Its current dwarfed any power she, or anyone else, might have at their command. It constantly carved at the rock below, shaping the land ceaselessly in a somewhat predictable, uncaring way. It was much more of a force than the grand placidity of her lake, and she found herself seeking refuge from the rushing of the falls. The groves downstream were quite pleasant, and filled with mossy herbal gardens. The gorge also softened there, beginning to tumble back into the rocky riverbed once more.

Niisi and Leb, though they had their own lives to attend to, were nevertheless good company. They took her to some of the more interesting ruins, like a large rusted metal pipe that led all the way through one of the rock ledges. It could have fit an entire village inside its dark cavern, though the air was poor and the puddles that collected on the dirty metal seemed foul. The whole park was a sort of township dedicated to tourism at the falls. Its gardens did provide enough though to sell as specialty goods, and there was a robust, if sporadic, marketplace scene on the main roadside. Most actual living and trading took place a little ways upstream at the township of Eagle Bend. The homestead at the falls was seen as part museum, part monastery, and part public park.

The river made a wide round sweep just before funneling into its narrower course towards the falls. It encompassed an area of flat, pleasant land where the sharp river vale relaxed and opened slightly to the sky. Eagle Bend seemed much more like a typical rural town, and was the primary trading post for this upper mountain gateway region. Steep roads ran down to here from hill farm country all around, their namesakes hoping to sell to local cities, or to travelers just entering the mountains. The good markets and historic farmsteads with access to the clear river waters make it an attractive destination. Ayleah realized she was happier here than among the gray stone and the noise of the falls, and would join in trips upriver for supplies as a pretense from getting away from the heaviness of the Bartlett estate.