The Oracle
Fourth Passage of the Storm Moon
Dryad Steals Pie
"Why, I haven't seen such a thing since I was a little girl!"
Those were the words of Talia, one of Aranor's oldest residents. At ninety-three years old, she remembers a time before the Goddard forces had driven all the Fae into dark forested corners.
"The Dragon Hunts, when the real killing of the Fae began, was started well before my time," she said. "But the Fae are resilient things, and we'd still see them here and there when I was young. Curious tyver or shy nymphs. One of my fondest memories is of being out at my friend's mother's house, and she had made an apple pie. She set it on the windowsill to cool, and since they had a dog, she had no worries about it being stolen by children or pecked at by crows. Well, she should have been watching, let me tell you, for soon after she had set it out, she looked over . . . and it was gone! She dashed to the window fast as a rabbit, and there she saw a smallish man in leathern clothes, dashing off through the field with her pie in hand, already taking handfuls into his mouth! And the poor family dog must have been taken with the Glamour, for it had its nose down a hole and seemed oblivious to the outside world."
Many sages have been reporting an upsurgence of Fae activity, and Talia's latest Fae experience seems to confirm such observations.
"Well, I myself baked a pie just yesterday, from fresh berries I had gathered in the woods, and set it out to cool as I usually do. And the same thing happened. Out I looked, and there I saw a woman in little bits of leather running off barefoot toward the park. This is in the city, mind you! Must have been a dryad, I think, though I'm no expert. I couldn't really be angry, though. It's too good to see them back."
Numerous similar reports of sightings outside the city are causing people to wonder what's behind the new activity.
"We're not sure if it just means that they're feeling like they can come out, or if there's actually more of them," said Mariah, a sage of Aranor. "That's a complex issue that involves the relationship between the realm of Carador and the realm of Fae. But they are definitely more present, and unfortunately, none of us know exactly what that will mean for us."
Interesting thoughts indeed.
Lord Kieran
Prophets Cause a Stirring
The streets of Aranor have seen some strange talk of late. Have you seen a prophet yet? Reports are circulating of some unusual peoples making public speeches and warning of supernatural threats. In each case, citizens report the prophets as 'speaking in riddles' and some of them doing strange rituals or writhing in convulsions.
"We're uncertain if this is some sort of organized cult activity, or simply unrelated individuals, or what," we were told by the guard. So far, no action has been taken to stop the speeches, though some citizens have become frightened.
"There was talk of strange people coming across the sea and invading us," said Tealie, a young woman in the River District. "I know we have magical protections, but without an army sometimes I feel vulnerable."
For most, however, the prophets' words are too vague.
"Last time I heard them talk," said Evan, a sailor who ports in Aranor every moon or so, "they had a basket out for 'donations'. I think they're just trying to get a little easy gold."
I suppose we'll not know for sure until we see if some of their predictions come true.
Tania
Most Beautiful Woman in the World Contest
A private theater group is putting on a show this coming An Maad called "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World Contest". Promising to be a delight, it will feature a small cast which includes four actresses who will play some pretty famous people competing for the title.
"It's a delicious mockery of beauty, cultural standards, and men's desires. It's going to be just plain fun," said Kalaena, one of the actresses. The drama features the four women all competing before judges to see who, in truth, is the most beautiful of all. The actresses will play Queen Ennea of Selarum, The Orchid (of Aranorian infamy), Shalimar Vielle (the famous Lantrielle courtesan), and Edana, the goddess.
The drama begins at noon, and donations are being accepted.
Tirian
