My Hollow

Front Entrance to the Hollow

Welcome to my home away from home!

This is my hollow - otherwise known as Château l'Hobo and Casa de Blackbriar. It's a little cave situated near a major trod running through the Briars of Great Falls. The place is modest by most standards, but suits me just fine. Dirt floor, rough stone walls, dank and dark, no furniture, but boy, is it cozy!

I discovered this little gem several years ago while exploring the local Hedge. At the time, the cave's entrance was hidden away behind overgrown moss, vines, and other Hedge-matter. It was home to a small pack of Shadow Wolves that had claimed the surrounding area as its hunting ground. Shadow Wolves are bad news; they're dangerous, but not the worst hobgoblins one can face. Your old pal the Hobo King had to play exterminator for a few days in order to clear out the cave. In the end, I took care of the wolves and got myself a new bachelor pad.

Being that I'm homeless and, by definition, don't have a home, I don't live out of my hollow. I occasionally crash there but only if I have no other choice; the Briars are far from an ideal place to sleep. I prefer to use my hollow as a storage place for my things, safe house, rally point in times of crisis, and a refuge where I can work my Oneiromancy from the Hedge without too much concern for my safety. I also think of it as a former base of operations for the Hobo Nation - my White House, as it were.

Back Entrance into the Thorns

I keep the place as Spartan as can be. There are no furniture or amenities. Just lots of gardening tools, beekeeping equipment, and books. The hollow is only a few hundred square feet in size, but can comfortably accommodate myself,

and maybe a dozen others, for sleeping purposes. The cavern has a rear access point in the form of a small crawlspace that opens up directly into the Thorns themselves. I've hacked and shaped a narrow pathway through this part of the Hedge, just in case I ever need to make a hasty exit from my hollow. Don't want to get stuck in the Thorns and bleeding Glamour when I'm trying to get away from attackers. This pathway needs to be regularly maintained, since the Hedge grows and reasserts itself quickly.

This is House, one of the Hobs

Protecting my interests at the hollow are a pair of local hobs that I recently sealed a pledge with. The duo, named Wood and House, are your typical sapient Hedge residents; small, impish, green skinned, exaggerated ears and noses, and possessed of an odd penchant for speaking like characters from a Blacksploitation film. They were neighbors of mine, whose favor I curried when I drove off the Shadow Wolves. Though hobs, like most fae, are generally unpredictable and untrustworthy, I believe I've reached a certain level of respect and understanding with these two over the years. Wood and House watch over my hollow, guard it, protect my things, and alert me to any threats in the area (they are, however, not required to die in defense of my property). In return, I allow them the comfort and safety of residing in my hollow, using it as their second home. Backed by a pledge, they have agreed not to damage or steal my things, nor to reveal the location of my hollow to others without my permission. So far, the agreement has worked wonderfully. Eventually, I intend to invest in a full array of wards and defenses for my hollow, as well.

Located less than sixty feet from the back entrance of my hollow, there is a small, 20 foot diameter clearing that I created from the Hedge. This clearing, which I preserve by periodically fingerprinting it with my Glamour, is where I've stashed the three beehives that I "liberated" from Father's keeping. I often retreat to this sanctuary in order to read my books, ponder on the burdens of leadership, and care for my specially bred mutant bees. Can't get any sweeter than that!