She was asleep on the ground.  Around her were arrayed bags and travois, bales of hide and smaller lumps, like a play fort you might make.  At first it seemed she slept there alone.  I only had eyes for my friend.  I knew her face, but there was something quite different about it, longer and with sharper angles.  “Jella?”

She gasped and sat up, “Dream-walker?”  A couple of the lumps around her stirred and one sat up.  Oddly, this one looked almost as much like the Jella I remembered as did the one I had first identified as my friend.  Eerily this younger Jella pointed at me and laughed.  The little one spoke her strange tongue and was answered by my friend and yet not my friend. 

Jella threw back her covering of sleeping skins and rose.  I was not so young that I couldn’t tell that this was now not the girl I had first seen, but a woman.  She quickly covered the shift she slept in with buckskin and colorful woolens.

She looked me in the eye, and a smile twitched the corner of her mouth. Her generous lips did not move more than that, but I heard in my head, “You haven’t changed in all these years, I wasn’t sure I’d see you again.”

I’m fairly certain I frowned, because I saw one reflected on her smooth adult face, “Ah, are you still in the sidhe?  But I left you the lamp and the flint. . .” I suspect my frown turned to a blush, because her smile returned and she said, “did you forget?”  She tsked, and I was uncomfortably reminded of my own mother, ” It should be right there at the beginning of the souterrain.”

“The tunnel thing?  I forgot that too.” I felt heat on my face and neck and was sure now that if I wasn’t blushing before I was now.  “It is so dark.”

“Well, the sun should be rising.  It may not light your way much, but it should help you find the center.  At mid-day the light should point you toward the souterrain as it is due north.”

I mumbled thanks.  She smiled.  Her hair was much longer than before.  It was braided in thick ropes with bits of bright bead and bright cloth or leather, I wasn’t sure.  I thought her very lovely.

“Dream-walker, meet my children.”  She reached over and roused the lump on the other side from the little Jella who stared at me with big blue eyes.  A tossle-haired boy sat up.  “My children, Oren and Joy.”

“How is it that you have lived your life and I am still in this hole?” I thought to her.

“I can’t say,” She looked puzzled, “Perhaps you can walk through time as well as through. . .” She shrugged.  “. . .You would know better than I.  Mostly I see the dead, you were the first living spirit I ever saw.  And until now the last as well.”

“You see the spirits of the dead?” I asked her as if I had not just heard her say so.  I blushed again.

She nodded, but otherwise took no notice of the question, “If you were outside of your time when first we met I wonder what time you are in now?  We have not lived in a sidhe in a six-year and more.  I think that one has been sealed for eleven years since I saw you that night.  There may have been another clan that took refuge, but we have avoided the old secret places, riding with the deer, to keep them safe and ourselves free.”

“To keep yourself free?  What threatens you?”

Her face was pale from sleep, but she paled still more, “Could you possibly have not met the foul ones, the devourers?” Jella frowned not in anger but with concern.  “Why are you alone in the sidhe, why haven’t your people come for you Dream-Walker?”

“I’m a scout, a searcher, I seek out new places for my people.  We have been at a great river to the south.”

“Are you saying that your people are not in the secret place?  They are still at the River?  In the open?”

“My people always live in the open. . .”

“No no, they must not.  The hordes of foul ones will kill and feed.  You should not have come into the north.  It has not been safe since before the giants came, and they are the worst of all.

“I can see you live on the land.  Why can you do it but my folk can not?”

“You do not know.  We track them, we watch.  We herd the deer away to the far north.  Dream-Walker, your folk must be warned.  There is a great gathering of the foul ones.  They are on the march.  It is all we can do to keep the herds from them, to stay alive and free from them.  If they find you they will gather and kill you all.  They are made to destroy man, we are food to them.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“We have gone into the far north.  That as much as any reason is why we left the sidhe that sheltered us during the long winters.  This new plague of monsters and giants is worse than that of ice.  You must warn your people, Dream-walker, you must warn everyone that the dark hordes will come and they must flee or die.” Jella’s face hardened, “Go to your people Dream-Walker.  It may be too late already. . .”

And as if her words had the power I was snatched away.  My friend and her family shrunk to a tan blotch among the smaller blotches of the herd and then they were gone. As I rose I saw the great whiteness of the frozen wastes beyond.  I flew across mountains, watching the white, ice-locked peaks dwindle.  I saw below me the stony knob and the hidden place in the bramble wood with its sidhe where I guessed I lay, but I did not stop nor slow though I drew near the ground. 

Along the river I saw a man.  He strode along the banks and suddenly I saw that he was immense.  He dwarfed the trees.  The giant man had hair of red and he looked at me as if he saw me.  I rushed along the river, there were creatures among the trees.  I saw an army of them, armored, and armed for battle. 

Then I was in our camp.  The creatures, foul ones Jella had called them, were all throughout it.  The morning sun cast evil glints off their cruel looking weapons dazzling my eyes.  My people were gone.  I looked to the sun.

The night was dark save for one star.  I breathed and felt much pain.  My voice echo in the hollow earth when I cried out.  I had fallen into a sidhe and there I lay atop a mound of broken timbers and sod.

There was no flying out of this, nor could I climb up the walls as if it were a well.  Panic gripped me, I confess, my breath came too quickly and as sod was still drifting down I breathed so much I began to cough.  I struggled to my hands and knees.  The fight to breath focused me.  I was not dead, nor even that injured.  I was in the home of my friend, the girl who had laughed, Jella.

At first this was small comfort.  I was in darkness and knowing that none of my folk would ever find me here brought rising panic again.  I tried to remember the place in my dream, it had been lit in the middle and around the perimeter. In truth it wasn’t that large.  I walked down off the pile I had ridden to the floor and promptly tripped over something hard and sprawled on stone flagging covered with more of the result of my descent.

I rose again, walking like a blind man, arms waving, I headed off in what I thought a straight line toward the wall of the place.  Eventually I must find it, surely.  Before I did, I found a wall of stone.  I followed it to a quick turning and felt along one side to the back.  Reaching, I found a screen richly carved with images my fingers could not puzzle out, but I followed it to stone again.  Now I hurried, trusting this was a back wall and was rewarded with slamming my knee into something hard.  I fell into more hard edged items and then the stone floor.  In agony I clutched my knee.

Light was gone from my world.  I was lost.  Lost in a big room, not much more, but it was frighteningly strange for a boy who had always lived with not much more than some leather between himself and the sky.  I felt stiffled in the dusty hole.  I cried out for the only friend who I thought could help, “Jella!” Echoes died quickly and silence mocked me, “Jella, where are you? I need you now.”

I felt my way back to the wall and was too wounded in spirit and frightened by the dark to try to find my way.  I leaned back against the wall and stared, marvelling that eyes opened or closed it made no difference.  “Jella!” I closed my eyes.

The sun was rising where she was.  I saw it color the clouds before it mounted into the sky.  There were herd deer everywhere.  The north deer all have antlers and they are all colored alike, I could not tell which was male and which female, I was in a sea of tawny, antlered, steam breathed herd deer.  There were snorts and a bellow and the creatures shied from where I was.

Work in Progress  –  Expect change

Re-thinking the Time Line  — I will need to work out some birth rates and distributions of different genetics.  The 2 and 5 womb duty is planned for honest randomness, but three factors work against the plan. 1) The original designer,  Bridgit Collins, is not there to administer it 2) Dana Bailey focuses on a pure Celtic breeding program for her core which forces the Sinoese and Russian reactions and 3) the ice-age causes technological losses.

-2   -   The great ship of the Gael sailed swift through the tightening grip of star light.  The Tuatha de Dana all slept.  Then ship master Bailey alone was awakened, he sensed the fearful threat.  The great tuath ship rushed above the clouds, toward the shores of the new country, Tir na Nua.  Looking ahead, it was barren of life, in chaos and storm, but the great magics of the Tuatha de Dana would put it right.

-1   -   With their far sight the Druids of the Tuatha de knew that there was a good land here.  What had seemed a clear in their seeing was made more difficult as they approached.  There were two lands that seem to be inhabitable.  One is sparse, a wasteland, but stable and at peace. The other seemed to be a fair land, but it was moon struck, star crushed, mountain whelmed, a great shaking of earth, a vast cascade of waters.  For the brave Celts it is ideal.

0   -   Driven by a fierce wind, Bailey took the steering oar and made to split the nine waves.  No doubt the landing place is rough and inhospitable, rocks on every hand, but the great oarsman god of the Tuatha de steered their ship through the nine waves.  Each wave roared its displeasure, each howled its resistance, each washed the deck in fury seeking to carry away the unwary.  So it was that the leech, Bridgit Collins, was carried away. In fear, three gods defy Bailey and fled to the quiet land.

Others would have lost heart, but ship master Bailey was undetered.  He mounted the nine waves and rode out the nine troughs to steer the great Tuath ship to rest upon the face of Tir na Nua between the great height of Slieb na Gael and the expanse of the Mountains of the West.   (DB 37 yrs.)

1   -   Then the Oak men blessed the land, the Druids of the Tuath de made formings and green places.  First the birch and the alder grew in the meadows of grass, then the willow held to the streams, then too the oaks set down roots and sacred woods were formed by the Oak men of Dana.  Then too salmon were brought forth and the red deer and swine roamed among the seedlings. In the West, in the fair plain away from the burning of the ship of the de Dana the wise men and stewards made a habitation for the Tuath.  Not to be outdone Dana herself births Llyr (1).

2   -   More and more the people of Dana go out on the plain with the craft of the druids, of the oak men. There grows food for man and for beast in abundance.  It is a pleasant land and children are born to the Tuatha de Dana.  (25 wombs four fold as they say, 100 at the end of the generation.

3  -  Lugh (2) is born.  He is remembered first for his many skills and that he did good.  (40 yrs. and he took up arms. I would lay my weapon there)

6   -   This is the way it was with the Tuatha de.  Each wife with her husband had a first born, but second, Dana gave a child.  The women bore this womb duty so that children of the gods were born.  Second and Fifth were borne as womb duty for the Tuatha de Dana.  But Dana favored the bright celtic stocks for her kings and queens.  Dana herself bare Brigid (3) not the betrayer who fled, this was the true born daughter of Dana herself.  Rus and Sinoese did not do their duty to the De Dana but selfishly made children of their own.  

8  -  Teutates (4) is born

9  -  Morrigan (5) is born. Difficult birth for DB.

11   -   Terra-forming party encounters All-Mind.  Interaction through dead party member causes alarm, sterilization.

12   -   Much time and effort is devoted to assessing and senario problem solving the issue of Alien life.  The All Mind withdraws and avoids contact and the violent reaction that usually follows.

13  -   Weyland, known as Loki (6) is born

16  -   Gwynn (7) is born.  Dana Bailey nearly dies in child birth, she is 53 years old.  Meds warn her that she can not carry anymore babies.

20  -   First generation of births begins to breed.  There will be about 100 pairs

19  -  Curious about DB’s special embryos and her upset that she can’t carry anymore, a bio-tech administering womb duty emplants one of the babies in the remotest host she can find, a terra-forming party member.  The Bio-tech is 17, a first generation Sinoese named Mitsuko.

20  -  Soon after birth, Tuan goes with his Norfolk family well away from DB and her Celts.

20  -  Llyr and Brigid are handfasted. It is clear that they are maturing at a different rate. Llyr is developing almost normally, but Brigid and Lugh both lag.

30  -  Most first gen families begun.  100 pairs will eventually yield about 400 pairs.

39  -  Capt. Baily dies at 84.

40  -  the first of the  Second Gen pairs begin to breed. Population nearing 250 individuals. * need to work out population expansion rate *

42   -   Rus attempt a take over of the colony, but are thwarted by Llyr (41) and his Gaellic military group.  Celtic security force formalized and Rus excluded from vital, technological, or military areas.

43  -  Weyland/Loki focuses his efforts on finding and exploiting mineral wealth.  He begins the exploitation of a giant extinct volcano and the surrounding foot hills. His mines and underground conveniences will be the basis of Sliebe na Gael.

45  -   Brigid finally reaches sexual maturity and a wedding is prepared. Lugh elopes with Brigid, but after a few weeks she is found and returned to Llyr. For his part Llyr has been a very strong advocate for Dana Bailey’s vision, but he is very upset by the elopement and Brigid’s dislike of him.  DB is extremely upset with Brigid too, she is ruining her plans for a Celtic godhead.

46  -  Brigid gives birth to Mannanan (Mac Llyr).  Having given Llyr an heir she rejects him.  DB and Llyr are both furious, Llyr coldly so.  He dissolves their bonding and seems likely to murder Brigid who seems willing to egg him on to that point.  DB removes Brigid to islands of the inner sea and begins to use her to birth more of her uber celts. 

49  -  Brigid gives birth to Epona (8)

50  - 

51  -  Brigid gives birth to Scota (9)

51  -  Slow developing Mannanan is finally weened and DB sends him to Llyr at his insistance.  Llyr is defacto leader of the colony, but very much at odds with his mother, DB. 

52  -  Same Sinoese biotech who planted uber-celt in a Norfolk family, Mitsuko, emplants one in herself.

52  -  A dispondent Brigid attempts suicide.  Hearing this Lugh, who has been avoiding Llyr, haunting the fringes of the world, makes his way to Eire and frees her.  Before she will leave she destroys the remaining super-celt embyos.  Lugh wants Brigid to roam with him, but she is angry with him almost as much as DB and Lir and goes off on her own.

53  -  Bio-tech’s uber-celt is born, named Kazuki.  Mitsuko is 51.

56   -   Success in Terraforming beyond all anticipation leading to wild lands.  A dedicated group of ecologists scramble to foster diversity/add elements to eco-systems.  This group will become the Norfolk also known as Briarwood elves, the Deer Riders, the Sidhe.

59  -  Warm seas and unusually active volcanism combine to initiate an ice age.  Ice builds rapidly at the North polar region.

63  -  Norfolk focus on trying to maintain biomes at the leading edge of the ice.  Their work groups range east and west of the colony.

65  -  Advancing ice forces colony to displace to the South. The original colony location is abandoned in favor of Mount na Gael.  Rus with some Inuit flee north onto the ice-sheet.  Llyr with his security forces pursue but are defeated by the ice and snow. 

66  -  Even limited access to old colony is lost to advancing super-glacier. Technology loss requires realignment of colony focus from expanding a technological society to bare survival.  Dana Bailey, mother of gods, driving force of the Celtic Colony dies at 103.

67  -  Llyr is in total control. He begins to overtly oppress non-Gaels.  He actually intentionally restricts the use of technology in favor of simpler agriculture and traditional crafts. 

70  -  Weyland/Loki establishes Western mountain mines so he can preserve some technological base and have a base of operations away from Llyr’s madness.

70  -  People (Umircens) begin to defuse out into the plains and east and west along the glacial face up to the Western Mountains and the disputed lands.

98  -  Sinoese defection (led by 96-year-old bio-tech Mitsuko who had an Uber-Celt baby, Kazuki) and Llyr’s response establishes a Warrior Aristocracy.  Opponents begin referring to Llyr as Balor a corruption of Bailey.

100  -  Scots establish colonies over the Yellow, but try to differentiate from Llyr (Balor) who is setting up camps to raid against Sinoese.

126  -  Llyr/Balor and his warrior aristocracy begin to oppress brown skinned folk.  Along with bringing in Sinoese as slaves he pressures and manipulates until all are reduced to servitude if not out right slavery.

145  -  End of gen 5 births, estimate 100,000 – 150,000 individuals.

158  -  Ice sheet reaches maximum and an extraordinarily warm summer begins rapid recession.

164 -  Diffusion out from Sliebe na Gael and Llyr/Balor’s privation continues. Chip Wilson finds his passage across the mountains.  Balor formally establishes slaver bases in the disputed lands to the sea.

173  -  Balor/Llyr’s permanent slave bases begin to raid Scots and even some in central Gaellic peoples.

175  -  First incursions of Darklings and Gobli in the disputed lands against Balor/Llyr’s permanent slave camps, his Fomorians.

176  -  Browns and Blacks defect to the South across the Freedom River. Not as well known is that Billy Two-Feathers leads an AmerInd and Umircen contingent into the mountains.

180  -  Great Darkling Wars begin in earnest.  Hordes empty Central Gael except for the Horse folk who will become the Scythians.

187  -  Darkling war high tide: only Mount na Gael, Scots wall, Fomorians at sea and in a few coastal forts, Horse folk (Scythians), Gaels who move out into the Oceanic Islands and south to become the Southern Gael and the Sinoese on their pinnacle forts remain.

This begins a rough first draft of a timeline for the world of the All Mind and the Celtic Colony world.