Third Passage of the Dry Moon

"We don’t know where they came from or where they’re going, but they’re surely something we’ll remember all our lives!"

Those were the words of Emmalaea, one of Jalpa’s oldest vintners, as she gazed out upon her orchards where the trees were -- and these words do not move past truth -- covered with butterflies.

"They began yesterday as some impressive troupes moving in, maybe thirty or forty in a group. By this morning they were clouding out the sky!"

The tiny creatures are of a variety completely unknown to our sages, with long, iridescent green wings flanked with silver and blue, and marked with strange patterns. A book on Moraithian butterflies did nothing to alleviate the mystery.

"Now they seem to be filtering away," she said, pointing off to the south and east. "Moving off in troupes just like they came."

Mystery aside, the butterflies, which must have numbered in the millions and fairly swarmed over the city of Jalpa, have left a lingering delight in the residents, none of whom can seem to recall an event of such tremendous and blatant natural beauty.

"We can only hope," Emmalaea said, "that they come back again someday."

Tania

On the first passage of the Plowing Moon, we reported a sighting of a Terick north of Kern. A second and more dramatic sighting, by a group traveling the roadway from Jalpa to Aranor, seems to confirm the existence of the creatures on our province.

The group consisted of eleven people, including four traders, six guardsmen, and the group’s leader, a long-time tracker and huntsman named Baralen.

"Four of the creatures emerged from the woods not a hundred paces from where we were camped," Baralen said. "They were in pursuit of a great forest cat which had come out onto the roadway to get some sprinting room. Well, they saw us, seemed as startled as we were, and stopped their pursuit. I’ve seen a lot of strange creatures in my day, but the sheer immensity of these things combined with the intelligence in their eyes was not a little unnerving."

He went on to say that the creatures held for a moment on the roadway, and seemed to speak briefly to each other with some sort of language before they moved off the road and disappeared into the woods. Baralen followed their trail long enough to get a good drawing of a track, and it was with this that he confirmed, when he reached Aranor, that it was indeed a group of Terick they had seen.

Again, sages have assured us that the Terick do not mean us harm, and will probably shy away from human contact. But they warn that under no circumstances should a huntsman attempt to shoot or otherwise harm one of the creatures if encountered.

"The Terick is the ultimate woodland predator," we were told by Angelica, a sage at the Library of Aranor. "As long as they’re not hunting us, we’ll be happy. So let’s hope no one gives them the impression that we’re an enemy."

A point that should be remembered by all those who venture outside the city walls.

Lord Kieran

Her name is Mandy, and people are flocking (many discreetly) to the docks after nightfall, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

"I got the idea one night when I was taking an evening off and walking up through the River District," she told me. "I saw that girl – you know, the Orchid? Well, she’s like they say – all luscious hips and stacked on top like one of those old Masallan paintings. Really, I couldn’t believe she was real. So I went on a pilgrimage up to the school – you know, the one made by that famous mage? Well, I found a good illusionist and begged him to make me like I wanted to be. Then I came back south and got right back to work."

Only now, she’s earning a little more gold. One man described her thus – "Should I start at the feet or the head? Head, how about. Alright. She’s got this raven black hair that looks like it’s oiled, it’s so shining. Only it’s buoyant. Her curls sort of flow like a weird liquid. Then there’s her eyes, which are large, and wide, and dark on the edges. But they look very vivid and awake, you see. Her lips have this deep, full pout and are coloured a rich burgundy. They look . . . wet. Like they’re covered in honey. I suppose this would sound pretty explicit if I described her body, but those curves can’t be real – too full – and her belly’s got just the right amount of succulence. Then there’s those long, svelte legs. And trust me, my friend, she doesn’t wear clothes that hide her assets."

She’s not afraid to admit that it’s illusion, but that doesn’t seem to make her any less famous. She’s already being described by some as "the most desirable woman in the world". But her profession has given her some detractors, as well.

"It’s been a mixed blessing," she admits. "Beauty has its price, I’m finding. I get so much attention, and I’m getting a lot more business. But not all the attention’s good. I’ve had tomatoes thrown at me, and eggs, too. A nobleman even grabbed me and threw me into the water at dockedge. He stood there screaming down at me until the guards hauled him off. Really I’m just enjoying myself and trying to earn enough gold to retire early. I really don’t know what all the fuss is!"

Until she does retire, or decides to have her illusion dispelled (an angry mage told me that he was going to go down there and do it for her), I’m afraid she’s going to keep generating that fuss.

Tirian