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09-19-2003, 02:22 AM #1
I`m going to take a wee li`l break arguing for a school of magic for Nature
and post a new ersheghlien description. Comments welcome [except regarding
how bad the poetry is.... ;) ]
It looks like this one will be too long for a single post, so I`m going to
split it up a bit.
*** *** ***
Aurora`s Song
What shall I sing?
What shall you see?
Something secret I
A shimmering
I wind the winds and stir the sky
And dance upon the Winter`s wing
A long and lonesome song I sing
As sweet as simple Summer`s sigh
Am I dreaming?
Am I empty?
Something silver I
A whispering
I soar through sky and hallowed height
And float on misty Autumn`s dew
The heavens fall so soft and blue
A dance; a singing, silver sight
What shall you sing?
What shall I be?
Something silent I
A whispering
I sing along the air stream
And ride Fall`s thin and fingered lights
The soaring sea, and freedom`s flights
A brilliant glow, a blush, a gleam
Art thou seeking?
Art thou for me?
Something precious I
A glimmering
-- by Elian Radash, Bard of the Lammorria College
*** *** ***
Aurora Wilsh was born the eldest daughter of Ethra and Skee Wilsh, cousin
to the Meister of Rheulgard. Throughout her childhood she was fascinated
by creatures of the air, their seeming weightlessness and their
freedom. An adventurous child fascinated by the sky and flight, she was
always climbing trees and dangling dangerously from the parapets of
fortifications of Poden to waft her arms in the wind as if she were a bird
herself--a trait that troubled her parents and nurses no end and earned her
many admonishments. Her love of heights and the wind was something that
her family and governesses were never able to discipline out of her,
however, and as she grew to adulthood her fascination grew to a
passion. She spent all her free hours high in the battlements amongst the
flapping banners of the city. There she would watch the birds, study their
habits and yearn for the freedom of the sky itself.
A good marriage was arranged for Aurora with Karltin Liebshul, young
brother of the Mater of Unbrau. This union was expected to unite two
competing families, bring prosperity to a troubled region and greatly
increase the influence of her family. Aurora`s destiny, however, was not
to be a blushing bride. She was not opposed to the young man himself. He
was typical of his kind... strongly built, rugged, handsome in an earthy
way. He was well schooled in the courtly arts and seemed amenable--even
reasonably enthusiastic for the groom in an arranged marriage. But Aurora
had no interest in him, nor in any man. Aurora longed only for the kisses
of the clouds and the embrace of the horizon.
Surrounded by bridesmaids on her wedding day she asked for a moment alone
in order to compose herself and pray. Though it was a bit of an unusual
request, no one could refuse her, and all acceded to this minor
eccentricity. A nurse sent to collect her when the ceremony was about to
begin found only the curtains of her open window blowing gently in the
breeze. The nurse recognized a strip of cloth caught in a crack of the
sill as part of Aurora`s veil. It seemed clear to all who came running at
the nurse`s screams that the girl had taken her own life by leaping from
the tower and plunging into the icy waters of the Bannalach below.
Aurora`s "suicide" was, of course, a terrific scandal. Her family`s
carefully arranged union was ruined. The wedding feast was instead served
as the wake. Because no body was ever found an empty casket was laid to
rest in a solemn ceremony, and a beacon was lit atop her castle as the
Rheulgard custom when mourning the death of a family member. When this
beacon blew out at dusk it was taken as a sign that the girl`s restless
spirit was unappeased by the proceedings, so they built a small shrine and
held a vigil. The wailing of mourners about the castle could be heard for
the next several weeks.
The first song celebrating Aurora as a beautiful maid trapped by her family
into a loveless marriage was sung at her funeral by bards who had been
hired to play for the wedding. Touched by the circumstances of her
betrothal and "death" bards of the Lamorria College (known for their
emphasis on romantic ballads) composed mournful tunes that brought tears
to the most jaded and graying eyes. The tale of the young girl`s despair
caught the imagination of the populace and spread rapidly through the
domain and beyond--much to the chagrin of her own family and embarrassment
of the Mater of Unbrau. They could do little, however, to halt the
proliferation of these stories.
Aurora became a folk hero within days of her "demise" and as it happens,
the bards have not stopped singing of her since. There is something so
poignant and beautiful about the being who became the Zephyr that it has
caught the hearts and minds of people all over Cerilia. The revelation
that she had not died, but had been reborn in the form of a beauteous
ershegh coincided with a ballad by Rikard Pemator that contained the lyrics:
Sweet Aurora`s sacrifice
Shall take her home, her heart, her life
Sojourn on sweet wholesome maid
Your somber spirit will never fade
Your soul shall burn; a shining light
Like dawn`s first breaking soft and bright
We know the sorrow of your death
Your life spent like a zephyr`s breath
This is the first known reference (loose as it may be) to Aurora Wilsh as
the Zephyr.
When Aurora reappeared in her ershegh form it did not dampen the enthusiasm
of the bards for her as a tragic figure. If anything, it increased her
celebrity. She remains a symbol of hope and purity in Cerilian culture and
literature. Commonly referred to as the Zephyr she is also sometimes
referred to as the Wind Maid, Heaven`s Bride and the Sky Childe at various
times and places. Stories about the Zephyr have spread throughout the
continent, transcended the barriers of culture. Some of the myths and
legends that have been told about her are fantastic, others are more likely
based on truth, but the tales are so popular and have been so oft repeated
that few now know which are fact and which are fiction.
The first reliable story of an appearance by the Zephyr was several weeks
after Aurora`s disappearance. Her betrothed, the young Karltin Liebshul,
was out hawking in his family`s preserve when his bird suddenly veered into
a nearby wood. It did not stray far. Karltin found it only a bowshot in
the forest, perched on the arm of a beautiful maid. The young woman
floated amongst the branches of the trees a dozen yards from the
ground. Her hair and clothes flowed about her with the movement of reeds
in water and her entire form seemed luminescent in the deep shade of the
forest. She and the hawk were deep in conversation. Was this a ghost? A
walkare* sent to gather him up? It was not until she turned and gestured
toward him that Karltin recognized Aurora. At her command the hawk flew
down and lit upon his wrist, and the creature that had been his bride
vanished quickly from sight amongst the foliage of the trees. Karltin
never saw her again, but from that day forward the birds in his family`s
mews seemed to obey his commands with a nearly preternatural understanding
and loyalty. He has become known as Karltin Austringer and his heraldic
device features several birds of prey.
* Walkare are creatures that will be covered in an upcoming post.
*** *** ***
Zealous Zaffer Zenith
Escape; elated egress
Purple perfect palace
Heaven`s hallowed handmaid
Yes, oh yearning youth
Roam, ranged and rarified
Zephyr
Ghostly, lonely
Soaring, shining, aching
Her soul flies high
and free
-- Poetic forms from "Words of the Zephyr"
by Crostina Quinn Kane, Bard Laureate of the Lammorria College
*** *** ***
Since that first appearance the being that became known as the Zephyr has
been sighted on dozens of occasions. Rumors abound that her ershegh form
has taken on weird and fantastic proportions, but the more reliable reports
indicate that her transformation has been relatively mild. She still
retains the basic human form, though she appears to have gained a soft glow
and she has become translucent. Some say that her face has grown thin and
elf-like, provoking nasty speculation that a changeling appears somewhere
in her family`s lineage, or that Aurora herself was such a beast. The
resemblance to the sidhe is disputed by others who say her face has simply
changed, her features softer and more delicate, but decidedly not elven in
shape or appearance.
Fables are told of any ersheghlien, and fame is a byproduct of
transformation. The Zephyr`s story and the proliferation of ballads sung
by the Lammorrian bards, however, have given her a notoriety that rivals
some of the most famous and long-lived beings of Cerilia. Legends and
rumors about the Zephyr abound. It is believed, for instance, that the she
has not touched the earth since the day she leaped from the castle window
(probably true) that she has become a ghost who haunts her family and that
of her former fiance (false) or that her visage can entrance mortals and
cause them to leap from great heights in an attempt to reach her
(false.) Some believe that any man who can catch and wed her will inherit
a kingdom (false) or that she will grant a wish to anyone who captures her
in exchange for her freedom (false.) Her powers are sometimes wildly
exaggerated. Some say she can wring diamonds from the clouds (false) and
that her tears can cause crops to grow (false.) Others believe that she
has been appointed by the gods to act as guardian to the creatures of the
sky and will wreak a horrible vengeance upon those who harm them (mostly
true.) Still more have said that the Zephyr is not Aurora Whilsh at all,
that she truly is a changeling and that Aurora languishes in the Shadow
World, and only in capturing this simulacra can the true Aurora Wilsh be
set free (false.)
Sighting the Zephyr is believed to be a positive omen by many, and some
believe that her appearance can heal the sick, bestow blessings upon crops
or improve fertility. Others point out that since Aurora`s manifestation
as the Zephyr the Apocolypse has not struck, nor has that creature even
been seen. Could she and that creature be waging a secret war? Some
believe that she has countered that being`s power or that she is sent by
forces of good to combat this agent of evil.
Whatever the truth of these matters the Zephyr`s fame has led many to seek
her out. Some of those who hunt her do so in expectation of a treasure or
reward, others have joined the chase simply by the lure of tales of her
beauty. On occasion these hapless pursuers have been maimed by the
outlandish schemes they have concocted to trap the Zephyr or gain her
attention. A makeshift catapult figures prominently in one tale of
youthful exuberance, while another more serious tale is that of the knight
who rode his steed off a cliff while chasing her. None have come close to
capturing the Zephyr. The casualties and the stories of their
misadventures, however, only seem to increase her fame.
Several groups and associations have sprung up around her image, some
reaching a cult-like status. The Society of the Sky is a sect of Haelyn
worshippers who believe Aurora was touched directly by the hand of their
patron and is a living avatar of that god. Aurora`s Handmaids are an
association of young girls who see in the Zephyr as a symbol of purity and
chastity. They have sworn themselves to live by her example, disdaining
marriage for a life of abstinence. Several bards of the Lammorrian College
have dedicated themselves to her service. These Vassals of the Windmaid
claim to have be in communication with the Zephyr, and proselytize on her
behalf. It remains unknown if the Zephyr encourages or is even aware of
such efforts.
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