The Oracle
First Passage of the Dry Moon
A Long Time in the Sky
Her name is Seria, and since she can remember, it was her dream to fly.
“It’s an obsession,” she admits. “Every night I dream I’m flying, and I know that I have to do it awake, as well, or my life will be for naught.”
Though she has had offers to grant her magical flight, she feels that it’s something she must achieve on her own, and since she has no aptitude for magical study, she has turned to other means.
“At first I studied birds,” she says, “but due to weight to wing-surface ratios and the bird’s ability to manipulate the wing-angle with specially designed muscles, I’d never be able to flap wings that are big enough to keep me aloft. So I began to look at the flying squirrels.”
Her new vein of study led her to design a strange-looking craft that she claims is capable of gliding for long distances. And last An Tiné, she set out to prove it. With three skiffs out in the bay waiting to retrieve her, she bravely launched herself from the cliffs near Tynan’s temple.
A huge crowd watched as she soared out over the bay, banked on a wind current, and sailed off to the south, the three skiffs in pursuit.
“The impact with the water nearly knocked me out. I’m sure I would have drowned. But I freed myself of the harness and soon the skiffs were there. To be perfectly honest, I’d have to admit that I tested the glider before this, but never from such a height.”
Her craft is in need of some repairs and modifications, but she plans another flight within the moon.
Lord Kieran
Wild Dogs Claim Horse
The rumors have been floating about for a moon that a pack of feral hunting dogs has made its home in the walls of Aranor. But those rumors weren’t confirmed until a tragedy last passage.
“I came out and saw the whole lot of them,” said Jarid, a stableboy at the Delta. “They had surrounded one of our boarder’s steeds and were tearing at its legs. By the time we organized a party and ran out there, the horse was down.”
The vicious attack has caused the Delta to hire a team of mercenaries to hunt and slay the animals. So far, they’ve had little luck.
The guard of Aranor has advised anyone who encounters a group of dogs to get to shelter immediately and not attract attention to themselves, as the dogs are considered quite dangerous and unpredictable.
Tirian
Hats are the New Rush!
The latest fad, colorful hats for women, is sweeping through Aranor. The trend was reportedly begun by Queen Ennea, who wore a lively hat to a social function ‘just for fun’. Her fun has infected thousands as milliners struggle to produce the desired headpieces – wide-brimmed and made of plush, colorful materials, and often adorned with fur or bright, tropical feathers.
“I simply love mine!” exclaimed Alicia, a young women I found emerging from Lady Bella's, an upscale hat shoppe in the River District. “It was a bit expensive, but look at the colors! And hats make so much sense, as well! They keep your skin fair from the sun, and though I’d loathe to get it wet, if it did rain, well, better it than me!”
Expect to see hats throughout the streets until the winter falls and brings the need for warmer headwear.
Tania
