A Letter

Respected Ariellie.

Thank you for your inquiry. I’m doing well. I always am. Why should I allow circumstances to dampen my spirits? Do not think me cold; you know how I loved my mother. But I have learned how to deal with pain. I push it aside and push through. I am all right. I always am.

Respected, I am about to tell you something that may alarm you, so be assured that I have considered this carefully. Everything has been thought out and I know my choice is right. I will use the sum of gold that my mother left me to travel the world. I cannot stay here. Please know how difficult this is for me to write, how I am in agony as my hand pens this. But no – as I said, I am doing well. It is not great agony.

I am half-elven. You know this. I cannot fit in here; I never have. You, of course, have always made me feel welcome. I know I can trust you. But as I’ve told you before, I do not completely belong among humans.

There is something – a yearning I cannot describe – that drives me outward, away from the islands, into the world. I must see the ocean, I must climb the mountains, I must sway at the tips of the tallest trees. I must unravel mysteries, uncover myths. I must find my father.

Do not laugh – no, you know I am serious, you would not laugh. Perhaps it seems impossible to find him. Perhaps it is. I’ve no leads, no way to track him in this wide world. But I am always thinking of him. He must be somewhere. If he can be found, I will find him.

I cannot tell you where I’m going, lest this letter fall into the wrong hands. You know already. Back to the beginning. The last place. Remember, Arielle? Remember the story I’ve told you so often? The daisy chain, the hawk, the last words. The details and the place itself are forever burned into my memory. They’ve branded me, they’ve forced me to wander. It must become a part of who I am now. Verya the Wanderer.

Á enyalë.

May we meet again.

Sorrol

Near the western edge of Vytra, near the Rumontian Islands, a colony of around thirty gryphons dwell. They are peace-loving, organized, and as a rule they never kill talking animals. In fact, hunting is much harder for them, since they have to always catch their prey alive in case it can speak. Killing a talking animal is considered murder in Vytra.

 The leader of the gryphon clan is named Sorrol. He is easygoing and humorous, though he becomes very focused and serious whenever trouble is brewing. And considering the trouble that lies ahead for him and his clan in the story, he's going to need all the courage he can get.

Fin Racing

Merfolk are very competitive, and one of their favorite pastimes is racing. They have many festivals and holidays for tournaments, which include activities and competitions such as hunting, performing tricks and stunts above water, and above all, swimming. Many swimmers compete in fin races, where merfolk swim side by side, and chariot racing, where merfolk ride hippocampus chariots in great circles, often creating immense whirlpools. In the below image, two mermaids compete in a fin race for females.